Michael Mignano
Michael Mignano | |
|---|---|
 Michael Mignano | |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Delaware |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur, investor |
| Employer | Spotify |
| Notable work | Anchor |
| Title | Co-Founder, Anchor |
Michael Mignano is an American entrepreneur. He is the co-founder of the podcasting platform Anchor and formerly led Spotify's talk audio (podcasts, live, and video) business.[1][2] In 2019, Mignano was regarded by Fortune Magazine as one of the most influential young people in business in their annual "40 under 40" list.[3] Mignano studied Computer Science at the University of Delaware.[4]
Business career[edit]
Mignano began his career in the music industry at Atlantic Records before transitioning into tech, first at photo-sharing platform Aviary and then Adobe.[5] In 2016, after struggling to produce podcasts on his own, he started Anchor to make it easier for aspiring creators to broadcast audio with co-founder, Nir Zicherman.[6] The pair received financial backing from a variety of venture capitalists, including Accel, Google's venture arm GV, and the co-founders' former boss from Adobe, Scott Belsky.[7]
In February 2019, Anchor was acquired by Spotify[8] for more than $150M[9] and Mignano became responsible for overseeing the Swedish audio streaming company podcast tech business, as well as their expansion into video and live audio.[10] Under Mignano's leadership, Anchor has grown to power more than 75% of all podcasts.[11] In 2022, after announcing he'd be leaving Spotify to focus on early stage tech investing,[12] Mignano introduced a new feature enabling users to create, edit, and share podcasts directly in the Spotify app.[13]
In 2019, Mignano was featured as one of the main keynote speakers at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, TX.[14]
References[edit]
- ^ Ifeanyi, K. C. (2019-05-11). "Anchor is Spotify's best bet to beat Apple for control of your ears". Fast Company. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
- ^ "Spotify Names New Leader to Strategize Creator Growth". Bloomberg.com. 2022-06-06. Retrieved 2022-06-12.
- ^ "Michael Mignano". Fortune. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
- ^ "Undergraduate Students - Computer & Information Sciences - UD". 2005-03-04. Archived from the original on 4 March 2005. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
- ^ "Anchor Cofounder Michael Mignano Becomes Latest Podcast Executive To Leave Spotify". Insideradio.com. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
- ^ Titlow, John Paul (2016-02-09). "Can This App Rewire Podcasts For The Future?". Fast Company. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
- ^ Spangler, Todd (2019-02-06). "Spotify Buys Podcast Startups Gimlet Media and Anchor, Plans Up to $500M in Acquisitions in 2019". Variety. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
- ^ Steele, Anne (2019-02-06). "Spotify Is Acquiring Pair of Podcasting Companies, Signaling Broad Ambitions". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2022-04-08.
- ^ Shapiro, Ariel (2022-05-02). "Anchor co-founder Michael Mignano to leave Spotify". The Verge. Retrieved 2022-05-03.
- ^ "Spotify's podcast tech chief is leaving the company". Engadget. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
- ^ "Anchor Cofounder Michael Mignano Becomes Latest Podcast Executive To Leave Spotify". Insideradio.com. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
- ^ Leight, Elias (2022-05-02). "Anchor Co-Founder Michael Mignano Resigns From Spotify". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
- ^ Shapiro, Ariel (2022-06-21). "The Obamas head to Audible". The Verge. Retrieved 2022-06-22.
- ^ "Keynotes PJ Raval, Dawn Ostroff, Matt Lieber, Michael Mignano & More Featured Speakers Join SXSW 2019". SXSW. 2019-02-27. Retrieved 2022-04-10.