Kim Perell

Kim Perell grew up in Portland, Oregon. She said in an interview that both parents were entrepreneurs: her father worked in real-estate development and her mother in organizational-behavior consulting.⁠[1]

She graduated from Pepperdine University with a Bachelor of Science in business administration, magna cum laude. She recalled working at Merrill Lynch and a direct-marketing company while studying, which helped steer her toward marketing.⁠[2][3][4]

She joined online-storage business Xdrive, working on marketing and advertising revenue. She said the team sold advertising to agencies to monetize its free-user service, but the revenue could not cover the company’s spending.⁠[4]

Xdrive went into bankruptcy and she lost her job after experiencing layoffs of colleagues. The experience helped motivate her subsequent move into entrepreneurship.⁠[4]

She founded digital-marketing company Frontline Direct in Hawaii. On her website, she recalls receiving a $10,000 loan from her grandmother and starting work at a kitchen table.⁠[5][6][4]

Adconion Media Group acquired Frontline Direct, and she continued running the acquired business.⁠[5]

Frontline Direct and Adconion Audience Network merged to form Adconion Direct, and she became CEO of the combined cross-channel digital-advertising business.⁠[5]

Adconion announced her appointment to its board in January. In June, the company announced that she had won an EY Entrepreneur of the Year award for the San Diego region, qualifying for the national competition.⁠[3][7]

She was appointed president of Adconion Media Group, overseeing global operations while continuing as CEO of Adconion Direct.⁠[5]

Singtel subsidiary Amobee announced an agreement to acquire Adconion’s North American and Australian businesses at a $235 million enterprise value, with approximately $209 million payable excluding debt. She subsequently served as Amobee’s president. These transaction figures were not her personal net worth.⁠[8][9]

Amobee promoted her from president to CEO, succeeding Mark Strecker. She had already overseen its worldwide business units, product lines and technology development.⁠[9]

Under her leadership, Amobee announced an agreement to acquire Turn at a $310 million enterprise value, seeking to expand data management, analytics and programmatic advertising. Regulatory approvals and other closing conditions remained outstanding at announcement.⁠[10]

She published The Execution Factor: The One Skill that Drives Success with McGraw Hill. Drawing on entrepreneurial experience, it presents execution through five traits: vision, passion, action, resilience and relationships.⁠[11]

She delivered The Secret to Success: It’s Not What You Think at TEDxPepperdineUniversity, discussing execution, learning from failure and persistence.⁠[2][12]

Amobee announced that she was stepping down as CEO and that Samba Natarajan would succeed her. The company said she planned to focus on supporting startup entrepreneurs.⁠[13]

She and James Brennan co-founded Miami-based 100.co, with Perell as CEO. Its CLAIRE platform analyzes consumer trends to inform product development, positioning and celebrity partnerships.⁠[14]

Her second book, Jump: Dare to Do What Scares You in Business and Life, was published by HarperCollins Leadership, addressing fear, preparation and calculated risks in professional and personal change.⁠[15]

Through 100.co, she partnered with model Winnie Harlow to launch sun-care brand Cay Skin. The brand said consumer-trend analysis informed development and that Cassandra Devor was hired to lead the business.⁠[16]

She launched sparkling-tea brand Juni with Jay Shetty and Radhi Devlukia, serving as co-founder and CEO as the business expanded from online sales into retail distribution.⁠[17][18]

Her third book, Mistakes that Made Me a Millionaire: How to Transform Setbacks into Extraordinary Success, was published by Matt Holt Books. Organized around ten mistakes, it examines setbacks, relationships and decision-making.⁠[19]

She continued appearing as an investor on Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch. In season 13, episode 8, she evaluated pitches alongside Dhani Jones and Jon Bier, emphasizing focused business propositions.⁠[20]

Juni announced that it ranked No. 187 on that year’s Inc. 5000 list and said its products were available at more than 8,500 U.S. retail locations, including Whole Foods, Target and Kroger channels.⁠[18]

School of Hard Knocks Podcast released an approximately 39-minute interview covering early funding, company growth, mentorship, evaluating founders, and the relationship between family and work.⁠[21]

She and her husband have two sets of twins. She also works in angel investing and entrepreneurial mentoring; her publisher’s 2025 biography reported investments in more than 100 companies.⁠[19]

Her website is https://kimperell.com/ (opens in a new window), X account https://x.com/kimperell (opens in a new window), YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry channel https://www.youtube.com/@KimPerell (opens in a new window), and LinkedInLinkedInLinkedIn is a social networking platform for professionals. It was founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman and others, launched in 2003, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2011; after Microsoft acquired it for approximately $26.2 billion in 2016, it became a wholly owned Microsoft subsidiary. Its revenue comes from membership subscriptions, advertising, and recruitment solutions.Open the full entry profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimperell/ (opens in a new window). Her website and channel link to each other.⁠[22][23]