who we are
History
Krux was founded in early 2010, focused on building data fabric for the consumer web. The company spent its first six months in stealth development, building out its cloud-scale backend for the collection, management, and analysis of consumer web data. The company’s public launch was in August 2010, with the release of its comprehensive Consumer Internet Data Management (CIDM) platform. Krux has gained significant market traction, with dozens of media companies and website operators adopting its Audience Data Control solutions in the US, EU, and across other regions worldwide.
Krux is privately held, and its initial funding was completed in May 2010, led by Mike Galgon, founder of aQuantive, and HowardCharney, founder of 3COM and Grand Junction, currently SVP, Cisco. Krux completed its second round of funding in August 2011, led by Accel Partners and IDG Ventures, along with continued participation and support of earlier investors.
the krux leadership team
Krux is fortunate to be led by a diverse group of technology and media veterans, individuals who have helped to shape the standards of practice in Big Data infrastructure, pricing and yield management, and media monetization technology.
krux board of directors
Tom Chavez Founder
Tom most recently served as General Manager for the Online Publisher Business Group in Microsoft's Advertiser and Publisher Solutions (APS) group. Before Microsoft Tom was the CEO of Rapt Inc. from its founding in 1999 to its acquisition by Microsoft in April 2008. Before Rapt Tom worked as a systems architect at Sun Microsystems and as a researcher at the Rockwell Palo Alto Science Lab. He holds a B.A. in Computer Science and Philosophy from Harvard and a Ph.D. in Engineering-Economic Systems and Operations Research from Stanford. He sits on the Board of Meritus, a San Francisco non-profit that helps low income students enter and complete a four-year college degree.
You can reach him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Dave Smith Sales & Services
Dave handles sales and services for Krux. His core passion is delivering value for clients. He has experience in ops and services on both the sell and buy sides of the ad business. Most recently, he served as Chief Revenue Officer at Tumri, leading operations, account management, and sales. Before Tumri, Dave led sales and services at Rapt and played a lead sales role for publisher tools at Microsoft Advertising. He was trained as an attorney and economist. But, we don't hold that against him.
You can reach him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Jen Sommerville Client Services
Jen heads up our services efforts and is focused on ensuring client success. She has been in the software development industry for over 14 years and spent the last eight years providing SaaS classified advertising solutions to publishers throughout the US, EU, and AU in both Product Management and Professional Services roles. Jen is passionate about enhancing profitability, productivity, and efficiency through the implementation of effective solutions and streamlined business processes.
You can reach her at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Ben Crain Marketing & Corporate Development
Ben leads marketing and corporate development, informing the company’s messaging, services, and go-to-market strategy. Most of his career has been focused on inventory, pricing, and yield strategy for digital media publishers. Ben spent three years leading marketing and business development at Rapt, Inc., contributing to the creation of one of the industry's leading media technology and services brands. In the period before Rapt, and after Rapt’s acquisition, Ben spent nearly 10 years at Microsoft driving advertising sales and yield strategy for their global network of web properties.
You can reach him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Vivek Vaidya Founder & CTO
Vivek is responsible for the roadmap and build out of Krux's technology platform. He has been developing software for over 15 years, mostly in early stage startups. Prior to Krux, Vivek was the CTO of Rapt, where he was responsible for Rapt's technology strategy and product architecture. Vivek holds an MS in Computer Science from the University of Denver and an M.S. in Mathematics and Computer Applications from IIT Delhi.
You can reach him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
krux board of directors
Mike Galgon Director
Mike Glagon was a founder of aQuantive, having a hand in nearly all areas of its development and growth. Following its acquisition by Microsoft in 2007, he served as the Chief Advertising Strategist of Microsoft Corporation until early 2009. He currently servers as Director and Advisor to a wide range of internet and technology start-ups.
Howard Charney Director
Howard Charney, Senior Vice President, advises governments, businesses and universities around the world on implementing critical Internet technologies to improve productivity and competitiveness. Charney has driven the development and proliferation of key technologies that led directly to the global build-out of the Internet. He co-founded 3Com Corporation, founded Grand Junction Networks, and grew Cisco's two-tier distribution business into a $2.4 billion business in just two years.
Alex Rosen Director
Alex Rosen is a Managing Director with IDG Ventures. He combines 18 years of venture capital experience with a deep understanding of technology products, making him a valuable advisor to new media and information technology companies. He currently serves as board director or observer at Expect Labs, Krux Digital, Minted, and Smartling, and led IDG Ventures' investment in LivingSocial (through acquisition of SocialMedia), and Watchguard Technologies. Previously, he was a General Partner at Sprout Group, focusing on software and consumer internet companies.
Arthur Patterson Director
Arthur is founding partner at Accel Ventures and enjoys working with start-up entrepreneurial teams in Software and Services. As the lead investor he has helped management teams develop their companies into market defining leaders. IPO's of such companies include: Actuate, (Reporting); MetroPCS, (Cellular Carrier); Portal Software, (Internet Billing); UUnet/MCI-WorldCom, (ISP); and Veritas, (Storage). He has also been a Director/Investor in many other information technology Companies which became public companies.
