Alex Hofmann (executive) explained

Alex Hofmann
Occupation:entrepreneur and investor
Known For:musical.ly, live.ly, 9count
Nationality:German-American
Awards:
  • Billboard's Digital Power Players
  • WSJ Innovator Award

Alex Hofmann is a German-American entrepreneur and investor best known as the former president of musical.ly, as well as the founder of the technology company 9count, the parent company of notable social media apps like Summer (formerly Spark) and Wink.[1]

Background

Hofmann was born and grew up in Germany.[2] [3] Hofmann worked at the enterprise software company SAP, where he held the position of director of marketing and product management in the San Francisco Bay Area.[4] [5]

In May 2015, Hofmann joined Musical.ly as the first president of North America, and during his tenure at Musical.ly the global user base grew to over 215 million by the end of May 2017, and became a popular social video network among Gen Z users.[6] [7] [8]

On November 10, 2017, musical.ly was acquired by ByteDance for as much as $1 billion, and merged it later into TikTok on August 2, 2018.[9] On January 8, 2018, Hofmann made a post on his LinkedIn profile announcing that he was stepping down from his position as the president of musical.ly.[5]

9count

In 2019, Hofmann along with Joe Viola co-founded 9count, a technology company based in Marina del Rey, California.[10] Since its inception, 9count launched several social apps such as dating apps Summer (formerly Spark), Wink, and Popstream, Juju, and Everland.[11]

In September 2022, it was announced that 9count had raised $6 million in a fundraising round. As of May 2022, 9count has raised a total of $21.5 million which increased to $27.5 million in funding by September 2022 from investors including Crosscut, GGV Capital Redpoint, Signia, Greycroft, Progression, I2BF and Waverley Capital. In 2023, 9count was recognized as one of the top 50 startups globally by The Information.[12]

Awards and recognition

Hofmann was recognized in Billboards 2017 Digital Power Players list, acknowledging his influence in the music and tech industries.[13] In the same year, Hofmann received the WSJ Innovator Award for his contributions to innovation in social media.[14] [15]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Brown . Abram . Early TikTok Executive Returns With New App And Sights Set On A Different Industry: Dating . 2024-09-09 . Forbes . en.
  2. News: Usborne . Simon . 2016-12-10 . 'It's crazy, for sure': meet the stars of Musical.ly . 2024-09-08 . The Guardian . en-GB . 0261-3077.
  3. Web site: Martins . Chris . 2016-10-20 . Musical.ly’s Teenage Revolution: How the Trend-Setting Lip-Sync App Is Changing the Music Industry . 2024-09-08 . Billboard . en-US.
  4. Web site: Spangler . Todd . 2018-01-08 . Alex Hofmann, Musical.ly’s President of North America, Exits After Bytedance Acquisition . 2024-09-09 . Variety . en-US.
  5. Web site: Jarvey . Natalie . 2018-01-08 . Musical.ly President Departs Following Acquisition . 2024-09-08 . The Hollywood Reporter . en-US.
  6. Web site: Friedlander . Emilie . 2016-09-28 . Teen-Focused App Musical.ly Is the Music Industry's New Secret Weapon . 2024-09-09 . VICE . en-US.
  7. News: The Social Media Platform That Has Gen Z Obsessed . The Wall Street Journal.
  8. Web site: Rys . Dan . 2017-04-28 . Musical.ly, Apple Music Ink New Partnership, With More to Come . 2024-09-09 . Billboard . en-US.
  9. Web site: Salinas . Sara . 2018-11-22 . TikTok is the latest app to skyrocket in popularity. Here's why it might have staying power . 2024-09-09 . CNBC . en.
  10. Web site: Torres . Destiny . 2022-09-05 . 9count Raises $6 Million in Funding to Improve Its Social and Dating Apps . 2024-09-09 . Los Angeles Business Journal . en-US.
  11. Web site: Mangalindan . J. P. . Read the 17-page pitch deck that 9count used to raise $6 million to grow its Gen-Z app studio . 2024-09-08 . Business Insider . en-US.
  12. Web site: The Information 50 Most Promising Startups 2023 . The Information.
  13. Web site: Billboard Staff . 2017-08-28 . Revealed: Billboard’s 2017 Digital Power Players, Guiding the Future in Music and Tech . 2024-09-09 . Billboard . en-US.
  14. Web site: Rys . Dan . 2018-01-08 . Musical.ly North America President Alex Hofmann Leaves the Company . 2024-09-09 . Billboard . en-US.
  15. News: Reese Witherspoon Addresses 'Ugly Truth' About Harassment in Hollywood During Powerful Speech . People . en.

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