Endeavor

F O U N D E R & C E O O F T A P A D I N C . Are Traasdahl has more than 17 years of experience in mobile and digital content. He is the Founder & CEO of Tapad Inc. In 2016, Telenor Group acquired Tapad for $360 million, making it the fifth largest venture-backed M&A exit in New York since 2009. Traasdahl is a frequent contributor for outlets such as CNBC and Bloomberg News, and he has been featured in Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, Ad Age and other major news outlets. He was recently named Global Startup Awards' Founder of the Year in 2016 and EY Entrepreneur of the Year in 2014. He was also named one of Business Insider's "Most Important People in Mobile Advertising: 2013." Traasdahl also currently holds several board positions and heads Spring Capital, an investment holding company. Prior to Tapad, he founded Thumbplay, a mobile entertainment service that he grew to more than $100 million in revenues in less than three years before he exited the company (the company, later acquired by Clear Channel, is now called iHeartRadio). What is the best advice you would give to a company looking to scale? Make sure you have the right people working beside you and that they share the company's values and mission. They will be the ones spreading the culture of the company when the team grows. What is the relationship between company culture and business success? The culture is the personality of the company and it shapes how employees feel about the organization. It has a tremendous impact on how the team performs. If you build a company culture that makes your employees happy, it will ultimately affect the business' performance. The relationship is evident. What have you enjoyed the most throughout your time as a Board Member? Seeing firsthand how companies are growing and shaping Miami's entrepreneurial community as well as building a relationship with mentors and fellow board members has been extremely gratifying. BOARD SPOTLIGHT ARE TRAASDAHL F I F T H A N N I V E R S A R Y E D I T I O N P A G E 7 6

• Cover