WATERLOO — TextNow, a mobile app provider of free and low-cost phone services, today announced it has appointed Mike Grishaver as its new vice-president of product.
Grishaver will be responsible for leading the product vision, strategy and development that supports TextNow’s 15 million monthly active users, the company said in a news release. Grishaver will report to TextNow’s founder and CEO, Derek Ting.
“As we continue to make phone service accessible to everyone at any budget, TextNow’s mobile experience is a top priority,” Ting said in the news release. “Mike strikes the right balance between data-centric and creative visionary as a product leader. His expertise in building user-friendly mobile products that leverage robust technology is key to scaling TextNow. I’m excited to welcome Mike to the TextNow family and grow the company with his partnership.”
Bringing more than 20 years of experience in product management, design and monetization to TextNow, Grishaver will develop the company’s internal product team and design the company’s long-term global strategy for its cross-platform products. Most recently, Grishaver served as senior vice-president of product at Beachbody, where he led the company’s primary product, Beachbody On Demand, to more than 1 million paying subscribers. He also launched the company’s Openfit health, fitness and nutrition product across the web, Android, iOS and Roku platforms.
Grishaver’s earlier experience includes serving as the senior vice-president of product at Etsy, vice-president of product management at Pandora, and working as a product management and monetization lead at LinkedIn. At Etsy, Grishaver was instrumental in growing mobile gross merchandise sales by 47%. While at Pandora, the company hit mobile revenue growth of 101% year-over-year. Mike has 12 patents from his time at LinkedIn, where his teams launched the company’s first social advertising products.
“Today, consumers spend more time on mobile devices than watching TV and 90% of smartphone time is spent in apps. TextNow’s ability to provide phone service through a mobile app versus a traditional carrier aligns with that trend and positions the company as a true disruptor in the telecom industry,” Grishaver said in the news release. “TextNow’s team is smart, agile, and creative. I’m excited to join them in building a product that brings affordable connectivity to users around the world.”
