Justin Choi

President & CEO

Justin Choi is a serial entrepreneur, digital inventor, founder of 3 ventures and CEO of Nativo.

With more than a dozen key patents, the Nativo platform is the most advanced end-to-end ad platform, used by premium publishers to power their monetization strategies and by brands to create meaningful connections with consumers.

Previously, Justin founded Cie Digital, a hybrid innovation consultancy and venture studio. Cie Digital partners with both large enterprises and early stage startups to fund, build and accelerate innovation. At Cie Digital, Justin provides cross-industry strategic guidance to C-suite executives and first-time founders alike.

Cie Games was born of Cie Digital, producing one of the largest apps on Facebook and two top grossing mobile app games, including Racing Rivals. By licensing and advertising with brands from Ferrari to NASCAR, Justin incorporated brands within virtual gaming environments, reaching 70M+ players. Cie Games was acquired by Electronic Arts by way of Glu Mobile.

Justin is an expert in gamification, deep data analytics and social and mobile advertising.

Justin was born in South Korea to a single teenage mother. At age 11, Justin received his first computer, an Apple IIGS. A hefty investment for his small family, the computer changed the course of his life, exposing him to a rich array of experiences and disciplines from music to graphic design and programming. Justin has never stopped dreaming and inventing since.

Jason Kalin

Chief Business Officer

Jason Kalin has been overseeing the company’s publisher strategy, sales and operations at Nativo since 2012. Prior to Nativo, he held various sales leadership and operations roles at Visible Measures, a video advertising-technology company, and Marchex, a leading B2B call and conversational analytics company.

Jason was also an early employee and Director of Sales at IndustryBrains, a B2B online advertising solutions startup that was acquired by Marchex. Jason also serves as a RIHub Venture Mentor for entrepreneurs in the New England area and holds degrees in History & Education from Syracuse University.

Rob Leff

Chief Financial Officer

Rob serves as Chief Financial Officer and leads the finance organization for Nativo. He brings extensive background and expertise in financial operations and strategy, mergers and acquisitions, financial planning and analysis, business intelligence, predictive analytics and data science, operational finance, revenue management, accounting and investor relations.

Before joining Nativo, Rob served as Chief Investment Officer and CFO for VideoAmp, where he was integral to continued exponential growth including securing financing. Rob also served as CFO at OpenX, implementing an innovative industry-first publisher payment guarantee program. Prior to that, Leff spent 7+ years as Chief Financial Officer at Fandango, where he led the company through tremendous growth and global expansion, including the acquisitions of Flixster and Rotten Tomatoes among other major deals. Rob is a graduate from Northwestern University and has an MBA from Kellogg School of Management.

Marcelo Muniz

VP of Software Engineering

Marcelo Muniz is a highly experienced software development professional with nearly two decades of experience in the advertising and gaming industries. As the Vice President of Engineering at Nativo, Marcelo oversees the Engineering team, and he is focused on creating a cutting-edge, enterprise-grade advertising platform that is both scalable and reliable.

Prior to joining Nativo, Marcelo held a senior role at Cie Digital Labs, where he opened and managed their international R&D branch in Brazil. Marcelo's expertise in software development has been instrumental in driving innovation and growth for the companies he has worked for, and he is now bringing that experience to Nativo.

In addition to his work in the tech industry, Marcelo is also the co-founder of Dicionário Informal, the largest Portuguese online dictionary where users can create and share content. Marcelo's passion for technology and his commitment to creating innovative solutions are a driving force behind his success, and he continues to push the boundaries of what is possible in his role at Nativo.

Mark Putrus

Chief People Officer

Mark serves as Chief People Officer and oversees the company’s people strategy and operations, with a focus on delivering groundbreaking people solutions that translate into greater employee engagement and a company where everyone feels like they belong. He is passionate about cultivating a purpose-led, values-driven, inclusive culture, balancing new technology with the human touch to create an inspiring people experience.

Before joining Nativo, Mark served as Chief People Officer for Zovio (Nasdaq: ZVO), an educational technology company, leading a team responsible for redesigning all aspects of the company’s people and culture strategy and led efforts to drive organizational transformation.

Mark also has served in senior human resources roles at ResMed (NYSE: RMD) and commercial leadership roles at Metagenics, Shire Regenerative Medicine, and Bard Peripheral Vascular. Mark is a graduate of the University of Southern California.

Sam Amiri

Chief Revenue Officer

With over 15 years of experience, Sam Amiri is a proven revenue-driving leader in the media and advertising technology space, recognized for his expertise in scaling companies, leading teams through acquisitions, and launching innovative products that disrupt the market. He has a strong track record of growing revenues from early-stage startups to multi-million-dollar entities, achieving success across programmatic, digital, OOH, and advanced video media disciplines.

Sam has played a pivotal role in several high-profile mergers and acquisitions, including the rebrand and integration of sales organizations at Infillion following its acquisition of True[X] from Disney. Throughout his career, he has excelled in building high-performing teams, optimizing sales strategies, and fostering a culture of continuous learning, leading to consistent overachievement in both revenue and team retention.

In addition to his role at Nativo as Chief Revenue Officer, Sam serves as an advisor to several media and tech companies, focusing on go-to-market strategies, business intelligence, revenue operations, and product development. He has an exceptional ability to navigate complex organizational change, build strategic partnerships, and deliver innovative solutions that drive sustainable growth.

Michael Lehman

President

Michael serves as President at Nativo. He brings an extensive background and expertise in the media and advertising technology space, and is skilled in building and leading global commercial and operational teams, driving revenue growth for early/mid-stage companies, and forging strategic partnerships.

Before joining Nativo, Michael served as Senior Vice President at TripleLift, where he oversaw Platform Sales, Client Service, Ad Operations, Yield Management, and a variety of other functions. Michael was integral in growing the company from early stage through its sale to Vista Private Equity partners in May of 2021. Prior to that Michael spent 5 years at The Rubicon Project. He is a graduate of Cornell University and lives in Brooklyn, NY with his wife and two daughters.

Life at Nativo

Our employees are innovators, collaborators and risk takers driven by curiosity and an entrepreneurial spirit to elevate advertising and improve the open web experience.

What does that look like? Glad you asked.

What We Do

At Nativo, we enable brands to unlock the power of content to engage and influence their audiences. Our patented technology leverages machine learning and artificial intelligence to automate the distribution of content in a non-interruptive, fully integrated experience within trusted environments.

Our Vision

Elevate advertising by enabling brands to unlock the power of content to engage and influence their audiences.

Our Mission

Solve the mid-funnel and drive consideration by making content as easy to execute, scale, and measure as advertising.

Our Culture

Our values are instilled into everything we do. They’re reflected in the platform we built, the relationships we have with our clients and our dedication to improving the advertising ecosystem. They’re also the framework for the environment we strive to provide for our most valuable asset: our employees.

Our Values

Our values are informed and influenced by every team member at Nativo. They are more than just words on a page—these principles guide how we make decisions and serve as a north star in helping us achieve our ambitious goals. They keep us grounded and ensure we remain true to who we are.

Our Benefits

At Nativo, we are a people-first culture that believes wholeheartedly that our team members are the foundation of our success. That’s why we provide a wide range of benefits and programs to support our team members and their families. This guide provides an overview of those benefits!

Discount
Programs

In partnership with PerkSpot as well as ADP’s LifeMart, we deliver personalized discounts through your own discount portal, where you can browse deals, search by brand or category, and enjoy savings on a variety of products and services.

Company Sponsored Insurance Plans

Medical, dental, vision, life insurance, income protection, HSA / FSA and more.

Health &
Wellness
Stipend

$250 yearly to use for wellness activities (think: massage, gym memberships, kayak trip, etc).

Partnerships
with Other Benefits Vendors

RocketLawyer, GymPass, Cleo Family, OneMedical.

One-time for Remote Office Setup

All Nativo new hires are given a $750 budget to outfit their home office in whatever way they need to make it the most comfortable and conducive to working from home.

401(K) Retirement Plan with Company Match

Nativo matches 25% of deferrals up to 6% of income - fully vested after two years of service.

Discounted
Pet Insurance

We value all parts of our team members’ families - no matter if they have fur or not!

Stock
Options

We believe everyone should be a stockholder and share in the benefits of our success. We are committed to helping our team members build long-term wealth through our equity program.

Referral
Bonuses

We think our team members are exceptional, and you all likely know talented people who would thrive working with us! Our referral program is an excellent opportunity to thank and reward you for helping us attract top talent. Incentives range from $2,000 - $5,000.

Your Time

Generous Vacation Time
Unlimited PTO for salaried team members, generous time off for hourly team members.

Paid Holidays + Winter Break
12 company-paid holidays, as well as time off between Christmas and New Years during the Winter months.

Summer Fridays
Wrap up your week early between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

New Parents
‍12 weeks paid leave for birthing parents, 8 weeks paid leave for new parents and mindful return to work transition. 3-month diapers and wipes subscription.

Sick + Bereavement Leave
‍12 weeks of paid sick leave in order to help you recover, as well as paid time off for loss (including pregnancy loss).

Civic Duties
Paid time off for voting in local, state, and national elections.

Our Leadership

Nativo plays a crucial role in guiding an organization towards its goals and ensuring effective decision-making through senior leadership. Strong leadership fosters a positive work culture, encourages innovation, and establishes a clear vision for the company’s future. Effective leaders inspire and motivate teams, driving collective success and growth.

Executive Team