Mike is an Internet executive, investor and strategic advisor. A long-time entrepreneur, Mike founded his first successful Internet company in college and since then, has founded, built and sold numerous online and mobile businesses. His experience and expertise in both large and small companies focuses on strategy, growth, and operational efficiency resulting in over $500M in successful investor outcomes.
Most recently Mike Jones served as the CEO of Myspace. In this role, Mike oversaw global business strategy and operations for Myspace, Myspace Music, and Myspace Mobile, which included board and strategic roles with joint venture partners in Myspace China and Myspace Japan / Softbank. During his tenure, he was responsible for the relaunch of Myspace, one of the most high-profile turn-around challenges in the industry. This included stabilizing a historically negative traffic and user trend, reducing the operational cost of the business by nearly 90 percent and pivoting the product from its legacy as a social network to a social entertainment destination, then selling the business on NewsCorp behalf to SpecificMedia.
Mike has over 18 years of strategic, operational and senior management experience in businesses ranging from early stage start-ups to private equity backed assets and from mid-stage business to large turn-around operations. A serial Internet entrepreneur, Mike has founded, advised, invested and sold numerous businesses, including application platform Userplane, which he led from startup to its acquisition by AOL, Tsavo Media, Movoxx, PeopleMedia, Brizzly and Myspace. Mike is actively involved with early-stage start-ups as an investor, advisor and board member. As an active early stage investor, Mike has personally invested in over 30 startup businesses including Klout, Betterworks, Formspring, ShoeDazzle and LunchMoney to name a few.
Mike earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Business and Marketing from the University of Oregon.
Investor @ From January 2015 to Present (1 year) Board Member @ From January 2013 to Present (3 years) CEO @ From October 2011 to Present (4 years 3 months) Board Member @ From January 2012 to Present (4 years) Board Member @ From January 2012 to Present (4 years) Board Member @ From April 2009 to Present (6 years 9 months) Investor @ From January 2013 to December 2015 (3 years) Board Member @ From April 2009 to January 2015 (5 years 10 months) Greater Los Angeles AreaInvestor @ From December 2010 to December 2013 (3 years 1 month) CEO @ From April 2009 to September 2011 (2 years 6 months) CEO & Board Member @ From 2008 to June 2009 (1 year) Board Member @ From 2008 to April 2009 (1 year) Senior Vice President @ From 2006 to 2008 (2 years) CEO Userplane, SVP AOL @ From November 2000 to 2008 (8 years) CEO @ From August 1997 to September 2000 (3 years 2 months) Editor-in-Chief @ From January 1995 to January 1998 (3 years 1 month)
BS @ University of Oregon From 1993 to 1997 The Best Degree @ University of Oregon Michael Jones is skilled in: Business Development, Product Marketing, Consumer Marketing, Partner Management, Start-ups, Entrepreneurship, Online Advertising, Product Management, Strategic Partnerships, E-commerce, Mobile Devices, Venture Capital, Digital Media, Monetization, Social Media Marketing