Dax Hamman

I'm the CEO and co-founder of FOMO.ai, a writer, a speaker, and depending on how far out you let me talk, a futurist.

My whole career has followed one pattern: take the bright shiny object everyone is excited about and turn it into something clients can actually buy and use. I did it first with display media at iCrossing, where we coined the concept of Performance Display. Then with programmatic at Chango, which we sold to Rubicon Project for $122 million, where I stayed on to run product as it became a billion dollar public company. Now I'm doing it again with AI at FOMO.ai, helping hundreds of business owners drive sales and leads without paid ads.

Along the way I've founded five companies, exited two, written a book, and been quoted saying reasonably sensible things in The Wall Street Journal, Campaign, AdExchanger, and most of the ad trade press. I write two newsletters: Hard Part First, on the parts of building a business that technology can't do for you, and 84Futures, on where all of this is heading.

Born in England, trained in biology and evolutionary genetics at UCL (University College London), based in Denver, and an occasional colorblind photographer. Also co-founded great kids, my only venture with a 100% success rate so far.

Now

Writing

• Hard Part First — the parts of building a business that technology can't do for you. Weekly, free.
• 84Futures — where all of this is heading. Speculative stories from the near future. Also on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Audible.
• Bylines in Campaign, ClickZ, Search Engine Land, MarTech, Ad Tech Daily, and Adotas.
• I also created and hosted The Achievers Show, 30+ interviews with founders and operators about how they actually got there. On Amazon Music and YouTube.
• There's also a book, THRIVE! (2023), which hit #1 in its Amazon category, very much to my own surprise.

Talks & Press

• Quoted on the front page of The Wall Street Journal's Marketplace section on Facebook's ad network launch. April 22, 2014
• Named one of the Top 40 Strategists in Digital Marketing by the Online Marketing Institute. 2013
• Speaker at SES New York (2013 real-time bidding panel, and "How the Search O/S is Changing the Display Game", 2010), SES San Francisco 2013, and SES Accelerator San Diego 2012.
• Speaker at Brand Innovators summits, and on AI to Gill Capital Partners' clients. 2025
• Podcast & video interviews: What's Working, Founder's Future, LinkBuilding HQ, Sunny Ray, Bright Brainz, Tanya Kabuya, the IAB, and Ambition.
• Also quoted in AdExchanger and Tealium's industry announcements, and on Denver television for Denver CASA.

Career

• 2023 –FOMO.ai — Founder & CEO
• 2026 –Intro — Expert & Growth Coach
• 2021 –HiveCast.fm — Co-Founder
• 2019 – 2023Fireside Group — Co-Founder (acquired)
• 2019 – 2022HomeGauge — Chief Marketing Officer
• 2018 – 2020audience.ai (Networked Insights) — Chief Marketing Officer
• 2015 –PebblePost — Advisor
• 2015 – 2016Rubicon Project — Chief Product Officer, following the acquisition of Chango
• 2010 – 2015Chango — Co-Founder (CRO, CMO, then CPO). Acquired by Rubicon Project for $122M
• 2007 – 2011iCrossing — VP Display Media (sold to Hearst). Created the industry concept of Performance Display
• 2005 – 2007Bluestreak — SVP, International Operations Director (sold in two parts)
• 2004 – 2005Pod1 — Chief Revenue Officer
• 1998 – 2004Cape Media — Co-Founder & Director

Also advised Edison Interactive, Amavitae, and Suiteness along the way. BSc Biology & Genetics, University College London.

Community

From 2018 to 2020 I served as an Ambassador for Child Advocates – Denver CASA, which gives children a voice in the court system. I wrote about why I became an ambassador and a day in court with CASA.