Spotter, which provides capital, services and software aimed at helping creators and brands grow their online businesses, hired former Adobe Systems and Microsoft exec Ivo Manolov as chief technology officer.
In the CTO role, Manolov will be responsible for leading all technology with a focus on launching Spotter’s suite of AI-powered software tailored to YouTubers. David Carroll, Spotter’s original CTO, last fall moved into a new role as chief of AI research and development.
Founded in 2019, Spotter provides creators upfront financing in exchange for licensing their older YouTube videos as well as resources to grow their fanbases. To date, Spotter says it has deployed nearly $900 million to YouTube creators including MrBeast (aka Jimmy Donaldson), Airrack (Eric Decker) and Deestroying (Donald De La Haye Jr.).
Manolov comes to Spotter from Adobe, which he joined in 2019 leading engineering, product, partnerships, data science and development operations as VP of the digital video and audio division. At Adobe, he led a team that oversaw development of the company’s software products for video and audio editing and motion graphics design, including Premiere Pro, Premiere Rush, After Effects, Media Encoder, Audition, Character Animator, the video editor in Adobe Express and Adobe Podcast.
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Prior to Adobe, Manolov worked briefly at meta, where he led engineering for Facebook Watch and part of Facebook Messenger. He started his career at Microsoft in 2000, and spent 18 years at the company, leading various teams within Windows, the Developer Division, Xbox, Windows Server and Skype.
“AI is redefining, amplifying and democratizing creativity like never before, and I am thrilled to be joining a company that is so focused on making a positive impact on creators worldwide,” Manolov said in a statement provided by Spotter. “I am a huge believer that the right tools can make creative people exponentially more productive and usher in completely new ways for creative expression. The team at Spotter is obsessed with improving the lives of creators through the power of technology and I am proud to join in this mission and play a role in shaping the new products we will be bringing to market.”
Aaron DeBevoise, CEO and founder of Spotter, said the company had been actively searching for a CTO to lead engineering efforts “as we continue to invest in our AI-powered creative suite and double down on our data infrastructure to support our entire business.” DeBevoise continued, “It is critical that we build a world-class engineering culture that delivers outsized value to our creators at velocity, and we are proud to have Ivo to step in as part of our leadership team.”
L.A.-based Spotter also recently announced the hiring of Sam Rogoway, former chief product officer at linktree and founder of fan-engagement platform Victorious (acquired by Headspace), as chief operating officer. The company also announced the recent promotion of Nic Paul, who has been with Spotter since 2019, from COO to president.
