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Print Edition StoriesVirtual Goods Market Inc. has hired former IGN Entertainment executive Dale Strang as its new CEO, replacing interim CEO Dayna Grayson, the company reports. The Cambridge-based virtual goods software maker does business as Viximo.
Grayson, a principal at Viximo backer North Bridge Venture Partners, had served as CEO since the company replaced former CEO Rob Frasca in April. She will retain a board seat at the company, Strang said.
Strang, a New Hampshire native, was at IGN for three years starting in 2005, while the company, known for its online reviews of new video games, added digital game distribution. He said online publishers of all descriptions are learning from the gaming industry’s embrace of digital-goods commerce.
Founded in 2007 by Brian Balfour and Sean Lindsay, Viximo provides white-label virtual goods selling software for media publishers, including micro-payments, virtual currency, analytics and virtual-goods content.
“It’s the opportunity for web publishers to build a direct consumer revenue stream,” Strang said. “Large social networks that aren’t in that business yet, but they have large audiences that are highly interactive. That’s a perfect use case. They’re looking for ways to really get into this exploding market.”
Viximo reports customers of its white-label software product include 24 web publishers, reaching an aggregate usership of 60 million each month. The company has also developed virtual goods for sale on its network for more than 40 brands, it reports.
Immediately prior to joining Viximo, Strang was briefly president and co-founder of the San Francisco-based ad network startup 5to1.com. He said the company’s founders, including former AOL executive Michael Barrett, never intended to take full-time roles with 5to1. Barrett is now CEO of online ad optimizer AdMeld. He said he and Barrett will retain advisory roles with 5to1. Barrett still holds the chairman’s seat on 5to1’s board, according to the company’s website.
Before IGN, Strang was vice president and publisher at Ziff Davis Media for eight years.
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