Michael Koziol

Michael is a founder, builder, and operator with more than 25 years of experience in digital services, marketing, product design, and more general digital transformation and range that crosses multiple business categories. He has a proven track record of building businesses, teams, and value at different levels of scale - from startups to a 1500-person global organization.

Former Global CEO of the leading digital strategy, design, and innovation firm Huge. Consistently delivered growth and profitability over more than 7 years as the company expanded from 400 employees to 1,500 (all organic), 7 to 13 global offices, and more than 3.5x revenue. Co-founded and oversaw the Huge Café – a consumer-facing brand and retail business that doubled as a retail innovation lab that implemented digital + physical design and experience strategies and piloted modern point-of-sale systems, facial recognition, augmented reality marketing, and more.

Founded early digital strategy, design, and marketing agency Ant Farm Interactive, which was acquired by publicly traded Nurun (now Publicis) in 2004. Served as an officer and executive in Nurun responsible for corporate strategy, global growth, and M&A. Nurun was acquired by QMI in 2008.

Produced branded entertainment with AT&T and others, including documentary and content productions with artists like blink-182 and pro-skaters Paul Rodriguez and Manny Santiago.

 

Balancing the Day-to-Day and Building Long-Term Value

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
9:00-9:50 AM PT

As an owner and operator of a digital marketing, product design and development, technology services, or other related firm, you have chosen one of the most exciting, fulfilling, and valuable entrepreneurial endeavors possible. These businesses operate at the intersection of creativity, technology, and business impact; are (should be) naturally profitable; and have the potential for significant non-linear growth. But as client service-, human capital-, and innovation-driven businesses- they are also some of the most complex and challenging to operate and grow. You likely spend your days managing client relationships, expectations, and results; team, talent, and culture; delivery and quality control; and operations and scale - all while staying ahead of the curve on the evolving technological landscape and inflection points. And we haven’t even talked about how to manage your company as a personal investment and make sure that everything you’re doing is working to build enduring long-term value and setting you up for a potential liquidity event (if that’s anywhere in your ambition).

In this talk we will discuss strategies for operations and ownership and how to best balance the priorities of each of these critical responsibilities. 

 
 

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