 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Online marketing, consumer surveys, market research |
| Founded | 2005 |
| Founder | Josef Gorowitz |
| Headquarters | El Segundo, California |
Key people | Charles "Chuck" Davis, CEO |
| Products | Swagbucks, MyPoints, Tada, InboxDollars, CouponCause, Pollfish, Bitburst,[1]AdGate Media, Upromise |
Number of employees | 600[2] |
| Website | www.prodege.com |
Prodege, LLC (/proʊdeɪˈʒeɪ/) is an Americanonline marketing, consumerpolling, andmarket research company based inEl Segundo, California. The company developsconsumer rewards and polling programs under various brands including Swagbucks, MyPoints, InboxDollars, CouponCause, Tada, Ysense, Upromise, and Pollfish.[3]
Prodege was founded inTorrance, California, in 2005 by entrepreneur Josef Gorowitz. The company originally partnered with search providers to build a platform for raising charitable donations. Supporters of the charities would earn money for the charities while surfing and shopping using white labeled web browsers.[4] The company started offering the custom browsers to brands as a way to earn money from their fans' online activities.[5] Early customers included theGreen Bay Packers football team, and singerKanye West.[6]
In February 2008, Prodege launched the online rewards portal Swagbucks.com – under co-founders Josef Gorowitz and Scott Dudelson – and introduced Swag Bucks (SB) as a digital currency earned for activity throughout its network of websites.[4][7] By shopping and playing online games, customers would earn SB, points which could be redeemed for gift cards and other merchandise.[4][8]
In January 2013, Prodege founder Josef Gorowitz appointed formerShopzilla andFandango CEOChuck Davis as the company's executive chairman.[9]
In May 2014, Prodege announced thatTechnology Crossover Ventures (TCV) had invested $60 million into Prodege.[10] Prodege also announced Executive Chairman Chuck Davis had been appointed as Prdege’s new CEO and Chairman, while Josef Gorowitz assumed the title of Founder and President. Chuck Davis was also mentioned as being aTCV Venture partner.[11][12]
In July 2014, Prodege announced its acquisition ofSodaHead.com, an online polling technology platform founded by Jason Feffer. SodaHead.com CEO Chris Dominguez and Founder Jason Feffer joined Prodege's executive leadership team in the move.[13]
In April 2016, Prodege bought rewards site MyPoints fromUnited Online, the company formed by the merger of online services companiesNetZero andJuno Online Services.[14]
In August 2017, the company acquiredGreenwood Village, Colorado–based cash-back shopping and coupon site ShopAtHome.[15]
In May 2019, the company bought Cotterweb Enterprises, a Minnesota-based operator of reward sites in the US, Canada, and the UK.[2] In July, Prodege partnered with online local service deal companyGroupon to develop a local merchant reward card program for customers.[16]
By 2020, Prodege’s products had over 120 million users, and as of 2019, had rewarded $725 million to its users since its inception.[17]
In February 2020, Prodege bought digital coupon company CouponCause.[18] In May, Prodege bought Upromise, a loyalty program focused on saving for college, from student loan companySallie Mae.[17] Prodege partnered with Isometric Solutions and Panel Consulting to provide polling for the Prediction Survey, a political forecast developed by Thomas Miller during the2020 Georgia Senate election.[19]
On May 24, 2021, ShopAtHome.com was relaunched as Tada.com.[20]
In February 2022, Prodege acquired Pollfish, a DIY market research platform.[21]
In July 2022, Prodege acquired AdGate Media, a digital advertising service company founded in 2011, originally based inNew York City.[22]
Prodege offers online marketing services under several different consumer brands.