Marin Software

Marin Software (NYSE:MRIN) is an online advertising company used by brands and agencies to measure, manage and optimize more than $7 billion in annualized ad spending across the web and mobile devices. Customers of Marin Software include Razorfish, Neo@Ogilvy, University of Phoenix, Macys, PriceGrabber, Salesforce.com and Reply. Marin Software is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices worldwide. Marin Software was founded in April, 2006 by Christopher Lien, Wister Walcott and Joseph Chang. All three founders are still with the company with Lien as the Executive Chairman, Walcott as Executive Vice President of Products and Professional Services, and Chang as Chief Technology Officer. Lien came up with the concept for Marin Software following a brief stint working for an online ad firm in 2005. He realized that search advertisers had no viable software for managing their online campaigns, especially larger advertisers. Lien shared his idea with Chang and a former high school classmate, Wister Walcott. Chang had built J.Crews website and was a co-worker with Lien at Bluelight.com, Kmarts ecommerce site, when it launched in 1999. Walcott, who came from software giant Siebel, required a bit more convincing. Alongside Lien, the duo drove up and down Californias highway 101 in early 2006, interviewing search marketers in Silicon Valley about their experience managing online ads. After a half-dozen interviews, Walcott was convinced that new software was needed.