Universal travel rewards platform KeyoCoin has announced the appointment of Dan Marchese, ex-Director of Mobile for TripAdvisor (and Viator). Dan will become the company’s advisor for mobile app development and strategy. Dan is joining KeyoCoin at a critical time for the company, as it prepares to integrate its universal travel rewards program into the flagship mobile travel concierge app KeyoPass.
KeyoCoin, which was founded less than two years ago, has secured seed funding to develop a revolutionary blockchain-based universal travel rewards platform, mobile marketplace, and decentralized utility token.
Currently working for the Blue Shield of California, Dan spent six and a half years (between July 2010 and November 2016) as Director of Mobile for TripAdvisor (Viator, prior to acquisition), the world’s largest travel site with a market capitalization of $8.66 billion.
During this tenure, Dan was the chief architect and creator of Viator’s tour and activity app. He built two mobile-focused development teams out of the product and engineering departments and went on to direct overall strategic planning and growth of mobile channels to achieve triple-digit YOY growth of mobile footprint, user engagement, and revenue.
A product and marketing leader with over 16 years of experience developing bespoke mobile, ecommerce and digital services, he is currently continuing his mission to create valuable consumer experiences at Blue Shield, where he leads consumer mobile and digital product management.
Matt Baer, CEO and Founder of KeyoCoin commented: “Dan’s experience in migrating the multi-billion dollar travel booking sector from offline, to online, to mobile, really is something to behold. It’s this expertise, and eagerness to keep travel at the cutting edge of technological innovation that makes him so uniquely equipped to help us build the mobile marketplace of the future. Dan’s the perfect fit for KeyoCoin, and I’m sure will provide valuable and unique insight, especially in the tours and activities side of the business.”
Dan Marchese added: “It’s one thing to build a successful app for an industry leader, and quite another to build one for an up-and-coming challenger brand; I’m looking forward to the challenge. The KeyoCoin team are an extraordinarily talented bunch of people, and they have every chance of shaking up the way things are done in the travel booking space.
“The team clearly understands the need for a slick an intuitive mobile booking platform, but also has some genuinely exciting ideas when it comes to incentivizing travelers to get the most out of their adventures while benefiting providers in the process. I’m looking forward to being part of that journey.”
