Chuck Davis

Chuck brings more than 20 years of leadership and strategic experience to his position as Chairman and CEO of Prodege, a Los Angeles-based internet, media, and TCV portfolio company. Prodege, a cutting-edge marketing and consumer insights platform, leverages its global audience of reward program members from leading properties such as Upromise.com, Swagbucks.com, MyPoints.com, and InboxDollars.com to power its business solutions.

Chuck started his career in publishing with roles at various publications before joining his initial digital venture as the first president of e-commerce for The Walt Disney Company in Los Angeles. During his tenure, Chuck launched many merchant and travel businesses including Disneystore.com, Disneyvacations.com, and ESPNstore.com, in addition to supervising advertising sales, marketing, and online subscription initiatives. He became President and CEO of Shopzilla, also known as BizRate.com, and led the company to become the largest, most profitable, and fastest-growing comparison-shopping site online. Shopzilla was acquired by the E.W. Scripps Company for $569 million in 2005. Landing at Fandango as its Chairman and CEO, he built the entertainment website to become the nation’s top moviegoer destination before it was acquired by Comcast Corporation. Fandango is a former TCV portfolio company.

Interests

In addition to serving as a board member and advisor for several companies, Chuck is invested in the business leaders of tomorrow. He is a trustee emeritus of the Brown University Corporation. Chuck was voted Entrepreneur of the Year in 2004 by Ernst & Young for Los Angeles and previously served as a judge for its annual competition for 9 years. He was also elected International Chairman of the Young Presidents’ Organization for 2012-13. Chuck was voted into the LAVA (Los Angeles Venture Association) Hall of Fame in 2015. Chuck was an entrepreneur in residence at Harvard Business School (HBS) from 2011-17, meeting students representing 50 startups each year. He has coached many all star soccer teams and is a referee for his local American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) league.

Education

• Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Brown University (1978 — 1982)
• Master of Business Administration (MBA) Harvard Business School (1984 — 1986)
• Staples High School (1975 — 1978)

Companies

• Director Cyndx (2015)
• CEO & Chairman PRODEGE, LLC (2013)
• Venture Partner Technology Crossover Ventures (2011)
• Board Director Boingo Wireless (2011)
• Corporation Trustee & Trustee Emeritus Brown University (2007)
• Visiting Lecturer, Engineering 09 Brown University (2003)
• Executive Chairman The Teaching Company (The Great Courses) (2007 — 2018)
• Judge Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of Year (2009 — 2018)
• Entrepreneur-in-Residence Harvard Business School (2012 — 2017)

Skills

• Public Speaking
• Angel Investing
• Sales