About
Colin Hodge is a global growth architect, serial founder, and author who has scaled startups organically to over 100M users. He is best known for co-founding the viral dating app DOWN, which he grew organically to over 17 million users and led through a successful acquisition.
Colin’s expertise lies in building growth by understanding user psychology to drive disruptive marketing and sticky products. Following his exit, he served as Chief Growth Officer, leading data driven initiatives and global growth for 17Live, Asia’s premier livestreaming platform, and launched its U.S. counterpart as CEO of LiveAF. He also served on the Board of Directors for a Silicon Valley social company with over $200M in annual revenue, in addition to advising various companies.
Today, Colin travels the world as a strategic advisor and speaker, helping founders and non-profits navigate difficult decisions and build sustainable growth. He is also the author of an upcoming book, Outrageous Startup Growth, where he shares his hard-earned wisdom from scaling startups, navigating high-stakes negotiations, and achieving successful exits.
“A great exit comes from understanding the psychology of all stakeholders - yourself as the seller, the buyers, and others at the table - then creating the right environment so a deal materializes. I help founders translate their viral energy and operational grit into a strategic narrative that buyers will pay a premium to own.”
Schedule a call with an Exitwise advisor to learn more about engaging Colin to Maximize Your Exit™.
Previous Exits
DOWN sold to Paktor Group (M17 Entertainment)
Valuation: Undisclosed (Acquired 2016)
As co founder and CEO, Colin Hodge scaled DOWN into a cultural phenomenon using a word of mouth strategy that bypassed traditional paid acquisition. This organic scale led to a multi million dollar acquisition by Paktor Group, where Colin then spearheaded global expansion efforts for a portfolio of apps serving over 100M users.
Strategic Buy-Back & Turnaround of DOWN
Valuation: Undisclosed (Re-acquired 2018)
In a rare and sophisticated strategic move, Colin re-acquired DOWN from M17 Entertainment. After the buy back, he re-engineered the product and growth strategy to return it to a top 10 ranking in the U.S. App Store. This transaction highlights his unique ability to identify undervalued digital IP and execute complex turnarounds that maximize asset value, then capitalize on them with sustainable growth.
Public Offering of 17Live
Valuation: Undisclosed (2024)
As Chief Growth Officer of 17Live following the merger in 2017, Colin turned around their marketing, infused data-driven tactics into the product through establishing their first growth team, and led the company's global expansion. During his three year tenure, worldwide revenue increased more than 4x, built on focused growth on MAU and ARPU. The company later listed publicly in 2024.
Media & Education
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Todd Sullivan
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