Reverb, a leading online marketplace for buying and selling new, used, and vintage musical instruments, has named David Mandelbrot Chief Executive Officer, effective January 28, 2020. Mandelbrot has more than two decades of leadership experience within the technology, media, and entertainment industries.
Under Mandelbrot’s leadership, Reverb will focus on driving growth by improving the tools that enable music makers all over the world to find the perfect instrument and expanding the services that help sellers of all sizes connect with more buyers. Mandelbrot will also be focused on continuing Reverb’s international growth. Reverb—which operates as a standalone business following its recent acquisition by the global unique and creative goods marketplace Etsy—plans continued expansion of its teams in Chicago and Amsterdam.
Etsy’s CEO Josh Silverman commented, “We are excited to have David take the helm at Reverb to guide its continued growth. His experience with successfully leading innovative companies across the technology and entertainment industries, and his passion for music, make him ideally suited for the role. We believe Reverb has a long runway for continued growth, and I’m confident David is the right leader to maximize its position in the musical instruments space.”
“As a long-time guitar enthusiast, I’ve been an active Reverb user since shortly after it was founded—I have sold several items and spent countless hours exploring the wonderful instruments uniquely available on Reverb. To join a company that combines my passion for music with my marketplace and technology experience is truly a dream come true. Plus, what could be a better way to find the perfect fingerstyle blues guitar than joining Reverb?” said Mandelbrot. “The Reverb team has created something magical. I’m looking forward to keeping that magic alive while continuing to find new ways to help buyers and sellers connect over the perfect piece of music gear. It is also thrilling to be part of Etsy, a company I’ve long admired for its mission-driven business model and successful performance track record.”
Mandelbrot brings to Reverb extensive leadership experience in both tech marketplaces and entertainment. Most recently, Mandelbrot was CEO of Indiegogo, where he led the crowdfunding platform as it helped users raise more than $1 billion for hundreds of thousands of projects. Prior to joining Indiegogo, Mandelbrot spent more than a decade as a top executive across various tech companies, including two that he co-founded. Mandelbrot spent nearly seven years at Yahoo!, most notably as VP and GM of Yahoo!’s expansive media and entertainment division, growing the company’s music, movies, TV, finance, and sports businesses, among others. Since 2017, Mandelbrot has been an advisor to atVenu, the world’s leading live entertainment commerce platform for managing tours, venues, and festivals in every major market.
Mandelbrot will report to Etsy CEO Josh Silverman and succeeds Reverb’s founder and former CEO, David Kalt, as part of the previously announced transition plan.
