Merlin Kauffman
Merlin Kauffman, also known as Dr. DMT (born July 20, 1985), is an American technology entrepreneur and investor. He is the creator of the abandoned NFT project, Metasaurs by Dr. DMT, CEO and co-founder of the play-to-earn gaming studio, MetaGames, and founder and executive chairman of the on-demand massage app, Soothe, Inc.[1][2]
Career[edit]
Kauffman's career started when he was hired by AOL at the age of 11 and he bootstrapped his first startup at the age of 17.[3]
In May 2013, Kauffman founded Soothe, an on-demand massage therapy service that connects certified massage therapists to consumers in real time via the app or web.[1] The company works with 1,500 independent massage therapists and provides several massage modalities, including Swedish, deep tissue, sports massage, couples massage, happy-ending massage, and prenatal massage.[4][5] It also provides in-office chair massage through its corporate wellness program, Soothe At Work.[6] Soothe At Work has had clients such as Facebook, Hulu, and Microsoft.[6] Within two years of launch, Soothe had already expanded to 12 cities and raised $12.7 million.[4] By 2015, Soothe had raised a total of $48 million.[7] Kauffman has invested in numerous early-stage technology companies, including Circa in 2012, Fitspot in 2016, and Digits in 2019.[6]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Murphy, Jen (2017-02-25). "Dodgeball: A Massage Expert's Perfect Escape". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
- ^ "Metasaurs Founder Reveals Identity, Announces Chainlink Integration Ahead of NFT Mint". Chainlink Today. 2021-10-11. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
- ^ Shandrow, Kim Lachance. "Hire Team Members Who Are 'Willing to Turn Your Dreams Into a Reality'". Entrepreneur. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
- ^ a b "On-Demand Massage Startup Soothe Unwinds With $10.6M In New Funding". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
- ^ "An investor just poured $10.6 million into an on-demand massage startup". Fortune. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
- ^ a b c McAlone, Nathan. "This startup works with companies like Facebook and Microsoft to give employees on-demand massages". Business Insider. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
- ^ Solomon, Brian. "Soothe Raises $35 Million To Accelerate On-Demand Massage Growth". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-03-10.