OpenWeb is happy to announce the appointment of Jim Daily as its new Chief Executive Officer. Daily brings a proven track record of driving business growth and innovation, having previously served as the North American CEO and Global President of Teads, where he scaled the team from zero to 300 employees, grew the North American business from $0 to $275 million in annual revenue, and secured major partnerships with leading publishers such as ESPN, Conde Nast, Washington Post and others. Most recently, he founded and served as CEO of LinksDAO, turning a passion for golf into an $11 million business in just 10 months. Daily will start at OpenWeb on April 1st, 2025.
Drawn to OpenWeb’s mission to improve online conversation and support quality journalism, Daily joins the company at a pivotal moment. Daily’s deep expertise in publisher technologies and monetization strategies makes him uniquely suited to lead the company’s next phase of growth helping publishers navigate increasingly complex challenges in today’s media environment. In his nearly 10 years leading Teads as North American CEO and Global President, Daily launched the North American business and grew it to over $275MM in annual revenue and was pivotal in the growing it’s global business to $750MM across 30 countries. He forged relationships with 90% of the top-100 advertisers in the world and spearheaded strategic partnerships with publishers such as ESPN, Conde Nast, Washpo and the BBC. Under his leadership, OpenWeb will focus on continued product enhancements, expanding commercial strategies, and delivering innovative technical solutions that maximize publisher revenue.
OpenWeb’s network includes over 5,000 publishers and 150 million monthly users who have spent 5.5 billion minutes on the platform. OpenWeb has partnerships with some of the world’s leading publishers including CNN, The Arena Group, Fandom, and Mail Online as well as deals with major advertisers such as Ford, Virgin Atlantic, Adobe, and Porsche. Additionally, the company recently launched Aida, a proprietary LLM-based moderation technology which recognizes nuance, learns context, and nearly doubles industry benchmarks for accuracy. The 2024 debut of In-Conversation Ads which seamlessly serves high-visibility, curated ad placements to the most engaged users in the OpenWeb network, brings even more value to publishers.
“Jim is the perfect leader to take OpenWeb into its next chapter,” said Tim Harvey, who served as Interim CEO and will be Executive Chairman. “His passion, expertise, and deep industry knowledge will infuse the company with energy and momentum as we continue to scale. We are thrilled to welcome him aboard.”
“OpenWeb has established itself as a powerhouse in community engagement and digital conversations,” said Jeff Horing, Managing Director at Insight Partners. “With Jim’s leadership, the company is well-positioned to build on its strong foundation and reach new heights. His experience in growing digital platforms and driving innovation will be a game-changer.”
“What drew me to OpenWeb is simple – the mission. The idea of fostering healthier, more meaningful online conversations is something I believe in deeply and it’s critical for business and also society.” said Jim Daily, OpenWeb’s incoming CEO. “The team has already built something truly special, and I’m ready to guide OpenWeb as we scale our impact—championing thoughtful engagement and empowering communities to connect in more meaningful ways.”
