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Merlin Kauffman
Founder + Former CEO + Chairman Of The Board at Soothe
Merlin Kauffman is a prominent American technology entrepreneur and investor born on July 20, 1985.2 He is the founder and executive chairman of Soothe, Inc., an on-demand massage app that has raised over $110 million in funding.4
Career Highlights
Kauffman's entrepreneurial journey began at a remarkably young age:
- At 11, he was hired by AOL12
- At 17, he bootstrapped his first startup2
- At 18, he co-founded eWireless, LLC, selling his 50% stake within a year1
In 2004, Kauffman founded True Magic, LLC, a prominent domain name investment firm. The company holds a portfolio of over 15,000 domain names, including valuable properties like Exclusive.com, Lookup.com, and Conferences.com.15
Notable Ventures
Soothe, Inc.: In May 2013, Kauffman founded Soothe, an on-demand massage therapy service. The company:
- Connects certified massage therapists to consumers in real-time
- Offers various massage modalities, including Swedish, deep tissue, and sports massage
- Provides corporate wellness services through Soothe At Work
- Expanded to 12 cities within two years of launch
- Raised $48 million by 20152
Investments and Advisory Roles: Kauffman has invested in numerous early-stage technology companies, including:
- Circa (2012)
- Fitspot (2016)
- Digits (2019)2
Current Role
Kauffman is currently associated with Magic Labs, where he holds the position of Creator.3 He is also known for his work in the NFT space, being the creator of Metasaurs and Metasaurs Punks, which has grown into one of the fastest-growing communities in the NFT world.6
Merlin Kauffman describes himself as a serial entrepreneur, startup advisor, investor, and intellectual property expert.3 His diverse experience and successful ventures have established him as a notable figure in the technology and entrepreneurship landscape.
Highlights
It was 5 years ago that I created Soothe, and today, we have just announced raising an additional $31M of funding from our private equity partners at Riverside Company, for a total of $78.6M raised to date.
I’m stepping down as CEO and transitioning to Chairman of the Board, and handing the baton to our current CFO, Simon Heyrick. Congratulations - I know you will do well as the new CEO of Soothe.
Thanks to everyone who made Soothe possible, especially my technical co-founder Bradley Herman who laid the foundation for the first 18 months, and Chris To who took over the role of CTO, and has been by my side leading the charge to this point.
And the biggest thanks to our 12,500 massage therapists who spread the relaxation of massage over 65 cities and 4 countries (US, Canada, UK, and Australia). Without you and the rest of the team led by Jeff Bishop, Jason Cai, Matt Liebman, and Bill in Vegas, Soothe wouldn’t be possible.
It’s been an amazing journey, and there is something bittersweet about arriving at the destination. However, I know the ride has only just begun, as I await inspiration for my next voyage.
Thanks everyone for the love and support along the way.
Soothe At Work is growing very fast. We would love to relax your office with chair massage services as a wellness benefit.
Increase your office productivity and boost happiness and morale with Soothe At Work.
Reach out to [email protected], and we will set you up with a complimentary trial.
