Fundraising Fox

Marin Software

San Francisco, US · Founded 2006 · 234 employees on LinkedIn · 1 known investors

Find your way into Marin Software

216 people in our graph share verified history with the Marin Software team — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.

Mike Volpiunlockedknows Christopher Lien · together at Stanford University Graduate School of Business (overlapped)
×6knows the team · via Stanford University Graduate School of Business
knows the team · via Marin Software
×3knows the team · via Dartmouth College
knows the team · via Trilogy

Marin Software is developing AI-driven performance marketing technology that plans and optimizes advertising campaigns. The company appears to be undergoing an acquisition, with shareholder inquiries directed to an administrator.

Founders & leadership

Marin Software was founded in 2006 by Wister Walcott and Christopher Lien.

WWWister Walcott
Wister WalcottinCo-founder and EVP, Product and TechnologyWalcott is co-founder and EVP of Product and Technology at Marin Software, which builds AI-driven performance marketing technology for optimizing advertising campaigns. He has experience scaling SaaS operations and building customer-facing teams.
CLChristopher Lien
Christopher LieninFounder and CEO2006–2025Christopher Lien is an executive at Marin Software, which develops AI-driven performance marketing technology for advertising campaign optimization. He has held roles in business development, digital marketing, finance, and sales across SaaS and internet companies, and served as a board member at public and private companies.
NK
Nancy KatoExecutive
JKJohn Kaelle
John KaelleinChief Financial Officer2011–2015
PWPeter Wooster
Peter WoosterinAdvisor2016–2023
DADavid A Yovanno
David A YovannoinChief Executive Officer, Board Director2014–2016

Board

DH
Donald HutchisonBoard director
BD
Bruce DunlevieBoard director
JB
James BarreseBoard director
GC
Gordon CrovitzBoard director
PA
Paul Auvil IIIBoard director
AL
Allan LeinwandBoard director

Investors · 1

Reported raises · per SEC filings

Form D private placements

$17.3M disclosed across 1 round · 2014

$17.3MraisedJun 2014 · 32 investors · Other Technology
Rule 506(b)
Officers, directors & promoters on the filing
  • Nancy KatoExecutive Officer
  • Wister WalcottExecutive Officer
  • John KaelleExecutive Officer
  • Peter WoosterExecutive Officer
  • James BarreseDirector
  • David A YovannoExecutive Officer, Director
  • Gordon CrovitzDirector
  • Paul Auvil IIIDirector
  • Donald HutchisonDirector
  • Allan LeinwandDirector
  • Christopher LienExecutive Officer, Director
  • Bruce DunlevieDirector
Offering amount
$17.3M
Amount sold
$17.3M
First sale
Jun 2014
Incorporated
Corporation, Delaware
Federal exemptions
06b
Full filing on SEC EDGAR ↗

Source: SEC EDGAR Form D. Amounts as filed; amended filings shown once at their latest values.

Founder mafia

3 people who came through Marin Software went on to found or lead other companies.

Competitors · 8

by search overlap
SEMrush386 shared keywordsSemrush provides competitive intelligence, SEO, keyword research, and content generation tools for growth marketers and small teams to improve visibility and optimize their acquisition funnel across Google and AI search.
Sprout Social366 shared keywordsSprout Social offers a social media management platform with AI, automation, integrations and analytics tools for marketing teams. The product helps teams manage social content, customer interactions, workflows and performance reporting from a single platform.
AdEspresso316 shared keywordsAdEspresso provides split testing and optimization tools for Facebook and Instagram advertising campaigns. The platform helps marketers find the right audience for social media ads.
Hootsuite309 shared keywordsHootsuite is a social media management platform that helps organizations manage, analyze, and optimize their social media presence across multiple networks. The company serves businesses of all sizes, from small companies to enterprises, providing tools for social marketing, listening, employee advocacy, and customer service.
The Brief291 shared keywordsThe Brief (formerly Creatopy) is an AI-powered platform for automating banner and ad design creation, serving marketers and designers who need to produce display ads and social media creatives at scale. The tool uses AI agents to generate customizable ad banners, support multiple formats and sizes, and enable localization and personalization for ad campaigns.
Searchenginejournal288 shared keywordsSearch Engine Journal is a digital media resource providing SEO news, best practices, and marketing guidance for professionals and entrepreneurs seeking to optimize their online presence and advance their careers.
Sprinklr266 shared keywordsSprinklr provides an AI-native customer experience platform that manages feedback, customer interactions, and contact center operations across multiple channels. The platform serves large enterprises by automating feedback analysis, conversational analytics, quality management, and social listening to improve customer satisfaction and agent performance.
Wix261 shared keywordsWix is a website builder and domain registrar that enables users to create professional websites and online presence. The platform serves businesses, creators, agencies, and enterprises with design tools, business management features, and AI-powered capabilities.

Companies competing with Marin Software for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.

Acquisitions · 1

Early investors' stakes continue via these deals
Perfect Audience

Perfect Audience is a retargeting platform for SaaS and online retail companies to reconnect with previous visitors and recover lost sales opportunities.

In the news

Frequently asked questions

What does Marin Software do?
Marin Software is developing AI-driven performance marketing technology that plans and optimizes advertising campaigns. The company appears to be undergoing an acquisition, with shareholder inquiries directed to an administrator.
Who founded Marin Software?
Marin Software was founded by Wister Walcott, Christopher Lien in 2006.
Who are Marin Software's investors?
Marin Software's investors include Sapphire Ventures.
How much funding has Marin Software raised?
Marin Software has disclosed $17.3M raised across 1 round.
Where is Marin Software headquartered?
Marin Software is headquartered in San Francisco, US.