DRW VC Portfolio Series: Shane Wiley, Cuebiq

This series spotlights different people across DRW Venture Capital’s investment portfolio. Read more about our portfolio companies and the unique roles they play in the fintech space. Shane Wiley is Chief Privacy Officer at Cuebiq, a consumer insights and measurement company that specializes in offline brand intelligence to help clients win market share and increase revenue.

What is your role at Cuebiq?

I serve as Cuebiq’s Chief Privacy Officer. I have been with the company since August 2018.

What did you do before you worked at Cuebiq?

Prior to joining Cuebiq, I led Yahoo’s Global Privacy & Data Governance team for 14 years. As Privacy & Data Governance lead at Yahoo, my team supported over 1.4 billion users across hundreds of products, services and platforms in over 80 markets in 40+languages operating across PC, mobile devices and cutting-edge consumer electronics.

After the Verizon acquisition and creation of Oath, as Vice President of Privacy I was responsible for privacy and technical integration across 50 well-known consumer brands, such as Yahoo, AOL, Tumblr, Huffington Post, and Flickr, and driving their global GDPR compliance efforts. I formally retired at the end of April 2018.

What problem is Cuebiq solving and what makes you excited about it?

I came out of retirement to join the Cuebiq team because they hit all of my key areas of interest:

• I have a sweet spot for all-things tech and mar tech. Cuebiq not only plays in the space but it also has strong mobile roots, tied to our data.
• The company is based in NYC, but has a strong connection to the EU. In fact, the Cuebiq R&D team is based in Milan, Italy.
• Cuebiq has always shown a heavy commitment to privacy, which is a strong brand differentiator at both strategic and tactical levels.
• Precise location data is one of the toughest privacy areas in our field. This provides a great opportunity to set industry standards and best practices.
• Cuebiq has has a team of HIGHLY dedicated and passionate professionals who bonded over a shared mission and dedicated to meeting shared goals.

Overall, this mix was impossible to resist.

As you think about the Cuebiq business, what has been the most surprising market development for you?

The general shift in privacy consciousness in the US. With the advent of GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) in the EU, the passage of CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act), coupled with alarming privacy gaffs from large, well known online and telecommunications brand names, it appears that everyone is finally shifting to a position of privacy as a priority. Fortunately Cuebiq had cemented privacy as a core principle since its very inception in 2016 so it was easy to amplify and accelerate their activities around privacy.

What industry developments do you think will most impact the Cuebiq business?

The legislative and regulatory landscape will impact most businesses in the US, including Cuebiq - but likely not as much for us as for others. With GDPR in force in the EU, CCPA set to go into effect on January 1st 2020, many states coming forward with different variations of privacy laws, and growing consensus that a federal omnibus privacy law is needed, expectations on businesses being privacy compliant is and will continue to grow significantly. Actually, I would say that the bar is already higher, and rightfully so, based on what we hear from clients and prospects day in and day out.

Fortunately, this will only help Cuebiq stand out due to our strong commitment to holding an industry-leading privacy position that radiates throughout everything we do and the solutions we bring to clients. In this evolving landscape, a number of players in the space may find their business models and approaches under fire and difficult to maintain in their current form. Where other companies will need to invest time and resources to shift to a legally compliant privacy position, we are at an advantage as we have had a forward-thinking approach to privacy from the start.

About Cuebiq

Cuebiq is a leading consumer insights and measurement company leveraging the largest database of accurate and precise location data in the U.S. Its data intelligence platform analyzes anonymous location patterns to allow businesses to glean actionable insights and better understand the offline consumer journey. Cuebiq’s SaaS platform provides clients offline location analytics, real-time audience optimization, cross-channel footfall attribution, as well as geo-behavioral audiences for cross-platform ad targeting. Cuebiq is headquartered in New York with offices in San Francisco, Chicago, Italy, and China.

Cuebiq is also a leader in utilizing data and insights in the service of a variety of causes through its “Data for Good” initiative. The company shares location intelligence with researchers at top universities and nonprofit organizations to drive innovation for causes such as improving quality of life in underserved communities, natural disaster response, and smart city development.

Interested in joining the Cuebiq team? Click here to learn more.