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Alex Hofmann
CEO & Founder at 9 Count, Inc.
Professional Background
Alex Hofmann is a distinguished tech entrepreneur known for his unwavering commitment to fostering connectivity through impactful digital platforms. With a wealth of experience that spans several highly successful digital companies, Hofmann has carved out a niche in building dynamic social networks and nurturing strong community ties. His latest professional milestone was serving as the President at musical.ly, where he played a pivotal role in the app's explosive growth, propelling it to become one of the world's fastest-growing entertainment social networks.
Under Hofmann's leadership, musical.ly experienced a dramatic increase in user engagement – within a mere three months of his arrival, daily downloads surged from 200 to an impressive 400,000. The app not only reached the top of the charts in 21 countries but also amassed over 500 million users worldwide. This remarkable growth is a testament to Hofmann’s vision and ability to leverage innovative marketing strategies to enhance user experience and engagement.
In his capacity at musical.ly, Hofmann was responsible for steering multiple essential company functions: he led global marketing, content creation, entertainment partnerships, and talent collaborations, while managing corporate operations for both North and South America. His negotiation prowess was evident as he successfully closed deals with all three major music labels and various publishers, securing musical.ly’s position within the competitive entertainment tech landscape. Among his most notable accomplishments was orchestrating a landmark product partnership with Apple Music, in addition to securing original content collaborations with notable media giants like Viacom and NBCU and forging partnerships with prominent artists like Bruno Mars and Katy Perry.
After a rewarding tenure, Hofmann transitioned from musical.ly in early 2018 to explore new opportunities and ventures, following the company's merger with the Chinese tech conglomerate, Bytedance. Currently, he dedicates his time to advising and investing in emerging startups within the tech landscape while continuing to provide support to his former team at musical.ly.
Education and Achievements
Alex Hofmann's academic background set a solid foundation for his thriving career in tech entrepreneurship. He holds a Master of Science (M.S.) in Business Administration from Fachhochschule Ludwigshafen, a renowned institution recognized for cultivating outstanding professionals in the business field. Hofmann's educational experiences endowed him with essential skills in management, marketing, and strategic operations that he adeptly applied throughout his impressive career trajectory.
Hofmann's remarkable contributions to the industry have not gone unnoticed. In 2017, he earned a prominent spot on Variety's prestigious list of “30 Execs to Watch” included in its Digital Entertainment Impact Report, citing his influential role in shaping the future of digital entertainment. His expertise has also been highlighted by Billboard, which featured him on its Digital Power Players List – a testament to his innovative approach and significant influence in the realms of music and technology. Most recently, he was honored with the WSJ Technology Innovator Award, further solidifying his status as a leading figure in tech innovation.
Achievements
- Leadership at Musical.ly: Spearheaded the North American expansion of musical.ly, resulting in rapid user growth and enhanced global market engagement.
- Strategic Partnerships: Negotiated and finalized major partnerships with leading music labels, resulting in improved content availability and user experience for the app's audience.
- Billboard Recognition: Featured on Billboard's Digital Power Players List, spotlighting individuals who are molding the future of music and technology.
- Variety Acknowledgement: Recognized by Variety as one of the “30 Execs to Watch,” highlighting his impactful contributions to digital entertainment.
- WSJ Technology Innovator Award: Awarded by The Wall Street Journal, which celebrates transformative technology experts and their contributions to the industry.
With a passion for transformative technology and a track record of successful ventures, Alex Hofmann is a true visionary in the tech industry. Currently based in Los Angeles, he continues to inspire and mentor budding entrepreneurs while actively engaging in startup investments. His exceptional ability to forge strong communities through digital platforms positions him as a leader whose impact on the tech world will be felt for years to come.
Highlights
Are you an experienced Operations Leader looking for your next challenge? 9count is a dynamic mobile app company led by the former President of musically (now TikTok), with a vision to create products that help and connect people. We're looking for a skilled and efficient Director of Operations to maintain control of our diverse business operations and help us revolutionize the way people interact online. As a member of our management team, you'll be responsible for ensuring the efficiency and success of our business, and have the opportunity to join the ground floor of a venture-backed startup. Apply now and be a part of creating products that help millions of users from all over the world connect and form new relationships!
https://lnkd.in/enyZzEav
In 2018, Bytedance acquired us for ~ $1bn. In 2018, after 3 years of being President of musically (now called TikTok), I left the company.
In 2019, my new company 9count launched Wink to become one of the best places to make friends online.
Today, we can proudly say that we have accomplished that. Our product, Wink, is the #1 U.S. made friend-making app in the world. South Korean friend-making app Azar (acquired by Match Group for $1.73bn in 2021), Chinese app Soul (revenue of $75M/yr), and Singaporean app Yalla (revenue of $300M/yr) are still leading on a global level in terms of revenue and users. Our goal is to be one of the top 3 friend-making apps in the world by 2025.
In 2022, we launched Summer to become one of the best places to find a date.
TechCrunch, Tubefilter, and Forbes have been writing about Summer, with Summer now being considered the fastest growing new dating app of 2022. Today, Summer has a 4.5 star rating. This is an incredible start, especially when compared to a 3.8 rating for Tinder and a 4.3 rating for Bumble. By 2026, our goal is to be one of the top 3 dating apps in the western world.
In 2015, I told Reid Hoffman that musical.ly could become the #1 app in the world. Hoffman and Greylock invested in us, and today, TikTok/Douyin has more users than Instagram.
Today, I am saying that with the right investors, 9count can become the #1 company in the world to introduce new people to each other; a multiproduct tech company headquartered in the U.S.
We continue to grow revenue at an impressive 15% MoM. Continuing to grow at the same pace, we will be making $18mm+ in 2023.
Let that sink in for a second.
In our first four years, we are on pace to make more than Hinge or Calm did at the same stage.
But we would like to accomplish much more. That is possible with more funding. The two leading dating apps reportedly spend $150M+ annually on paid user acquisition. We spend almost nothing on Summer. To close the gap, we need to invest as well. It’s that simple.
At this point in my career, if it is not a big outcome, it is not worth it.
French friend-making app Yubo raised $47.5mm in 2020. Shortly, we will surpass the metrics Yubo had when raising the $47.5mm.
If you connect with 9count’s vision and want to invest in one of the top 50 most promising startups in the world, contact me. We have runway all the way into 2024, but will be discussing our next financial round with interested investors starting in Q2, 2023. We’re excited to meet with you.
If you want a second opinion on us, feel free to contact Hans Tung. Hans is consistently recognized among the top venture capital investors in the world, a 10-time Forbes Midas Lister - #6 globally in 2022. His portfolio includes 18 companies valued at more than $1 billion. Hans and I started working with each other when he joined the musical.ly board in 2015, and he joined our board at 9count in 2019.
Thank you for your interest and trust so far.
Let’s make it count.
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Mesh works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Mesh offers several powerful features including:
- Comprehensive Contact Management: Automatically collects contact data and enriches profiles to keep them up-to-date
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- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
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Mesh is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
Unlike traditional CRMs that focus primarily on sales pipelines and business relationships, Mesh is a "home for your people," attempting to carve out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. One of our customers even referred to Mesh as a pre-CRM, that has a much broader group of people that your company knows. Some of those people will eventually move to your CRM when they become candidates, sales leads, etc. Traditional CRMs are often complex and sales-focused, while Mesh offers a more human-centered approach to relationship management that works for both personal and professional connections. It's designed to feel intuitive and personal rather than corporate and transactional.
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Mesh is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Mesh is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Mesh offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Mesh offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Mesh for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Mesh accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Mesh offers extensive integration capabilities. Mesh introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Mesh supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Mesh also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
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Mesh makes it much easier to stay in touch with the people you care about. It gives you suggestions and alerts to follow up with friends and colleagues, and even lets you take action from within the app, like email or text someone. Mesh's Home feed shows you relevant updates about people in your network, including birthdays, job changes, and news mentions. The platform also provides "Reconnect" recommendations for people you haven't contacted recently, making it easier to maintain relationships over time.
Mesh is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Mesh stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Mesh excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Mesh is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Mesh offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Mesh's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Mesh has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Mesh is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Mesh beneficial.
Mesh offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Mesh offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Mesh's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Mesh offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Mesh focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Mesh also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Mesh offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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