Phillip Thune

Adthena is the search intelligence platform that provides competitive analysis, strategic insights, and a team of experts to help brands, marketers, and agencies dominate their competitive landscape.

Advisor to the founders of WriteSea.

Advisor to the owners of GroovyHistory.com, HistoryDaily.com, and Colorized.com.

Evaluating middle market deals across the U.S.

Evaluating, investing in, and advising start-ups pursuing angel funding.

Textbroker is a German-based, VC-backed content writing company where I joined as the 20th employee, responsible for the US, and then became Global CEO in 2013, growing revenue and headcount by more than 7x. The company has offices in Las Vegas and Mainz, Germany. • Joined as 8th employee in the U.S. (20th overall), and expanded global staff to over 160, including opening a sales office in NYC with eight people. • Structured and hired an impressive, loyal team of senior and middle managers in both the U.S. and Europe. Senior team (CEO, CFO, CTO, CSO, CMO, Dir of Operations) had a combined 53 years of experience at Textbroker at the time I left the company. • Dramatically increased revenue, company’s profile, number of clients and freelance authors. Textbroker's tens of thousands of freelance authors produce over 100k pieces of custom content for thousands of clients every month. • Kept Viewpoint Capital (our VC) informed of company’s progress and strategic direction • Implemented annual budget process, bonus and stock compensation programs, mission statement, team-wide monthly meetings, client newsletter, account management program for top clients, and new services to increase revenue per client, expanded health and other benefits. • Pivoted company from growth-first focus to profit-first focus in 2014 as VC ran out of funds and prohibited bringing on a new investor. Dramatically increased efficiency, expanded use of the crowd, reached break-even in 2015 and increased EBITDA each subsequent year. After building up bank balance, implemented new strategic initiatives to return company to 20+% revenue growth. • After leaving as CEO, I continued to help Textbroker promote The Digital Marketing League and two YouTube series that I hosted: CounterPunch and GameChangers.

I co-founded HireMeNow.com, the first self-service online temporary staffing firm, and did an angel round. • Joined with Founder/President to write initial business plan/financial model and form the company. • Raised initial financing round: $1.25 mil. in cash / $100,000 in kind at $5 million pre-money valuation. • Designed entire flow of website and business processes; worked with web developers to refine existing website and add new features. • Named one of eight successors to U.S. Dept of Labor-funded America’s Job Bank. • Despite very limited marketing, signed up over 75,000 candidates and 1,000 companies, placing over 200 temps with 50 different companies. • Generated approx. $400,000 in first year (2008) revenue. • Signed marketing deals with Office Depot, Advantec, and United Franchising Group. • Held discussions with multi-billion dollar European staffing firm to buy company and/or modify HireMeNow.com’s technology platform for various European countries.

MIVA (NASDAQ: MIVA) was a global developer and marketer of performance-based advertising services that I helped grow from less than $1 million in revenue to approximately $200 million. • Partnered with CEO to manage all aspects of the business; managed day-to-day finance activities (including Sarbanes-Oxley compliance) through June 2004. • Acquired and integrated five businesses in 2004 with a total purchase price of $233 million. • Re-branded core and acquired companies under the MIVA brand in June 2005. Previous name was FindWhat.com through June 2005. • Grew revenue from $452,000 in 1999 to $195 million in 2005 (grew revenue organically from $452,000 in 1999 to $72 million in 2003). • Grew EBITDA from ($2 million) in 1999 to high of $37.1 million in 2004 (grew EBITDA organically from ($2 million) in 1999 to $20 million in 2003). • Grew headcount from 35 in three domestic offices at start of 2000 to 500 in five domestic and eight European offices by end of 2005 (grew headcount organically from 35 at start of 2000 to 161 by end of 2003). Implemented company’s bonus plan and refined its overall compensation and stock option plans. Implemented orientation for new hires to understand company’s history and goals. • Served on the board of directors from 2002 to 2006. • Grew market capitalization from a low of $6 million in December 2000 to a high of $717 million in October 2004, becoming part of S&P's SmallCap 600 Index. • Raised $34.3 million in six private placements, including raising funds in summer 2000 and early 2001 (very difficult capital-raising environments) to carry company to cash flow break-even. • Took over direct management of European operations in 2005 ($100 million revenue) while hiring new Managing Director. • Managed review of strategic alternatives with Deutsche Bank in late 2005-early 2006.

FindWhat.com (NASDAQ: FWHT), an online advertising company offering keyword-targeted, pay-per-click sponsored listings, changed its name to MIVA in June 2005, after acquiring Espotting, Comet Systems, SearchFeed, and Miva. • Hired by three co-founders to bring professional management to this start-up, especially given that the company was publicly-traded and founders had little experience managing or positioning a public company to investors. • Took company from an Over-the-counter listing to a NASDAQ National Market Listing (opened NASDAQ for trading on March 22, 2004 in Times Square). Increased Wall St. research coverage from 0 firms to a high of 14 firms, including Thomas Weisel, Jeffries, First Albany, Legg Mason and Soundview. Met or exceeded estimates provided to Wall St. every quarter as CFO. • Oversaw company’s legal and litigation activities, including patent litigation with Yahoo. • Introduced United Way campaign to Fort Myers office; received best first-time campaign award.

I helped this PE-backed owner and operator of radio stations in mid-sized markets grow from 0 stations to 38 in 11 different cities (incl. Buffalo, Syracuse, Atlantic City) and then sell to Citadel Broadcasting for approx. $200 million. • Analyzed and led negotiations and due diligence for 13 separate completed acquisitions and one sale, along with the review and negotiation of dozens of other potential transactions. • Collaborated with CEO on numerous day-to-day and longer-term operational and strategic decisions. • Backed by Veronis, Suhler & Stevenson’s second private equity fund – realized approx. 25% annualized return for VS&S’s limited partners. • Structured, negotiated, and monitored four different loan agreements with three different senior lenders (IBJ Schroeder, Fleet Boston, and Summit Bank). • Oversaw annual budget process, preparation of financial statements, and cash management. • Served on board of directors and oversaw all legal, administrative, & communications responsibilities.