Ben brings over 15 years of business experience in establishing new markets as well as building and leading customer-facing teams to his role at Moloco, where he oversees sales and growth management across the EMEA region.
Before joining Moloco, Ben was the Managing Director for Central Europe at AppsFlyer. Under his leadership, the business expanded by over 300 times in 6.5 years, achieving an eight-figure annual recurring revenue (ARR) while spanning 20 countries. His responsibilities included sales, customer success, marketing, and partnerships. Before joining AppsFlyer, Ben held pivotal leadership roles at Fyber, where for over four years, he led the client services teams in the EMEA region.
Ben is an alumnus of Manchester Business School, holding a BSc and a PGCert in Management. He currently resides in Berlin with his wife and two sons.
In your own words, what’s your role in the app business right now?
Our mission at Moloco is to help app businesses grow using operational machine learning. We help apps create a flywheel in which they acquire new users in a profitable way and help them monetize their user base via relevant ads. To do so we are working with industry stakeholders, such as publishers, advertisers, operating systems, measurement and other tech providers to create a transparent and efficient digital ads market. Part of my role is to educate about the misaligned incentives, which are causing inefficiencies and destructive practices and in doing so influence market participants to create a healthy ecosystem for the benefit of all.
How did you end up working in apps? / get started?
Thanks to my wife’s push, I attended a Google conference in 2011 in Munich where I met a VC, who kindly connected me with his portfolio company called SponsorPay, which was just getting started in mobile app ads. The company later rebranded as Fyber and eventually sold to Digital Turbine long after I had left to join AppsFlyer.
What are you most excited about in apps right now?
Given that we are an ML company at the core, it’s super exciting to me to see the widespread adoption of AI in all aspects of app businesses, from ideation and development to UI/UX, marketing, and beyond. I’m curious to see and use all of the brilliant and fun new apps that are yet to be developed.
Is there anyone you’d like to shout out to who has influenced your journey in the app industry?
I’d like to send a heartfelt thanks to Yaron Valler, who was the VC I mentioned earlier. Yaron helped me get started in this vibrant app ecosystem of ours. Others have had huge impacts on me, but I’ve mentioned them previously in other places and I wouldn’t want to take away from Yaron’s impact by mentioning others here again, but I truly do appreciate you all. Thank you!
What’s in your app tech stack?
I don’t have one, but if I did it would be the Moloco SDK for ad monetization.
What do you like most about working in apps?
The ever-changing landscape presents huge challenges and therefore opportunities, which means you constantly have to learn and adapt. It never gets boring.
What one thing would you change about the app industry / market? Where do you think there’s an opportunity for apps / or unmet needs?
With my magic wand, I’d create a “perfect” market for ads, which is void of fraud, privacy-friendly, open, transparent, efficient, and with independent measurement. On that level playing field, the best technologies and the best teams will drive the most value to app businesses, and in that environment, great businesses will flourish and create more value for end-users.
If you weren’t working in apps what would you be doing?
While we are waving magic wands around, allow me to continue dreaming: I’d like to be a philosopher, angel investor and golfer… not doing any of that these days, but there is still hope. 😄
iOS or Android?
Crazy story: Android at heart, but sucked into iOS because a friend gifted me his raffle ticket and made me promise that I’d use the iPhone if his ticket wins… now I even have an Apple Watch and headphones and a MacBook and apparently, there is no way back.
What app(s) have been most useful to you over the last year?
I’ve been traveling a lot for work this past year and Navan has been super helpful.
Is there anything else we should know about you?
I like life. ❤️️
Do you know someone driving change and growth in the app industry? Nominate an app leader here.
