Gavin Appel

Back in 1995 (years before Larry and Sergey founded Google) I was building internet marketing and SEO strategies as a GM of Asia Pacific's first and fastest growing SEO company. I went on to become CTO of Hitwise at a time when 'startup' wasn't a thing - there were no playbooks, blogs or comparative metrics to guide us.

 

We had a team of incredibly smart people who pushed the boundaries by putting our customers at the heart of every decision. 

​

In turn, we built one of the most recognised global internet measurement companies.

 

Hitwise was acquired by Experian in 2007 for US$240M. I was promoted to SVP on Experian's technology executive team, collectively managing 900 people across 26 cities, to lead global product innovation and offshore engineering. A stark contrast from the startup world, I quickly adapted to influence change within a corporate environment. It’s here that I gained a real appreciation for the power of building a great people culture.

 

After clocking up millions of points traveling, I joined Square Peg as a founding Partner in 2013. As a VC I unearthed new skills in investment and due diligence, and found a love for thinking about the most important drivers of business success. I loved putting my global network to use to uncover the next exciting startup and big trends. Moving on from the VC world, I wanted to be more hands on and actively help businesses go on to greatness.

 

Throughout my career, the most valuable advice I received was from people who had direct operational experience. But they're few and far between in tech and startup. So I founded Ignition Lane to share decades of experience with ambitious leaders who realise what got them here won't get them there.