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Michael Cassidy
CEO @ M3: The Future of Brand Commerce
Michael Cassidy is an accomplished entrepreneur and the CEO of M3: The Future of Brand Commerce, a company he founded in June 2023. M3 focuses on creating new revenue streams for merchants, retailers, and e-commerce businesses by leveraging advertising and sponsorship dollars from Fortune 1000 companies. This innovative approach aims to transform traditionally ad-free shopping environments into lucrative advertising platforms for brands.134
Prior to launching M3, Cassidy had a significant career in the digital advertising sector. He served as the CEO of Undertone, a leading digital advertising technology company, for over 14 years until its acquisition by Perion in 2015. Under his leadership, Undertone became a prominent player in the ad tech industry.134 Following this, he was involved with BVA, the largest Shopify Plus agency in the U.S., which was acquired by Accenture in 2022. He also established August Spark, a family office that makes strategic investments in various sectors including marketing and technology.123
Cassidy's entrepreneurial achievements have earned him recognition, including being a recipient of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Award in 2011. He has also served as a judge for this prestigious award and has been an active member of YPO (Young Presidents' Organization) since 2008.13 His extensive experience in both founding and scaling companies positions him as a notable figure in the intersection of digital commerce and advertising.
Highlights
I'm excited to announce M3: The Future of Brand Commerce, the new venture I've co-founded with Greg Stellato. M3 stands for Make Merchants Money; that is our purpose and the 'why' we exist.
Since our inception this summer, we've immersed ourselves in market research, learned tremendously from people across the industry, and crafted demos to bring our vision to life. Our efforts have already garnered numerous merchants committed to our 2024 launch, affirming our belief that there is a significant market challenge and that we are building a compelling solution.
M3 creates new revenue streams for e-commerce companies and retailers by enabling digital partnerships and on-site advertising that complement without competing.
We provide solutions tailored to their specific needs—needs that retail media, built for a different purpose, does not address.
We're appreciative of everyone who's offered their insights and support along the way. Here are just a few of the many we owe thanks to. Eric Franchi, Christian Anthony, Anthony Choe, Jay Sole, Michael Lasser, John Sabella, Travis Hess, Theresa R., Alexander Lazoff, Rich Maglione, Alex Sherman, Luke Johnson, Jyot Singh, Brian Kilcourse, steve rowen, Richard Kostick, Michael Bouteneff, Steve Noble, Kyle Widrick, Will Margiloff, Heath Golden, Jay Friedman, Tony Franklin, Rob Master, T. Luke Sherwin, Colleen Sherry, Kevin Hartbarger, Michael Maginnis, Adam Kasper, Shamim Samadi, Kyle Vidasolo, Natalie Gilliam, Jim Price, Joanne Leong, Stuart Armstrong.
Stay tuned as we unveil more about our story, perspective, and detailed launch plans. Follow our page, join the conversation, and please message us if you see opportunities to collaborate.
