{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"NC Tweener Talks","title":"Mike Doernberg: From ReverbNation to PlayMetrics, Spinoffs, PE, and a Lifetime of Building in the Triangle","html":"<iframe width=\"100%\" height=\"180\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\" seamless src=\"https://share.transistor.fm/e/8519ec56\"></iframe>","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2349,"description":"In Part 2 of this two-part deep dive, Triangle Tweener Talks host Scot Wingo sits down with legendary Triangle founder Mike Doernberg to explore his journey on scaling multiple companies, spinning out new ventures, navigating private equity, and why he never left North Carolina.\nTune in to hear:How ReverbNation grew from a side project into a 6M-artist platformThe spin-out journey behind Adwerx, and why it workedMike’s framework for identifying spinoff opportunities inside existing companiesWhy the team is the company, and why incubated teams can struggleThe origins of PlayMetrics and the youth-sports system-of-record visionHow Mike navigates private equity without losing culture or controlWhat PE adds that venture capital often can’tWhat it’s like to scale from 25 people to 450+Mike’s long view on the Triangle startup ecosystem, then vs. nowWhy he never moved to the Bay AreaWhether a Mike-led venture studio might be next 👀\nWhere to Find Mike Doernberg:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeldoernberg/\nPlayMetrics: https://home.playmetrics.com/\nWhere to Find Scot Wingo:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thescotwingo/Tweener Times: https://www.tweenertimes.com/X: https://x.com/scotwingoIn this episode:\n00:05 — Welcome to Part 2 with Mike Doernberg\n00:12 — Coming back from “Home Depot retirement”\n00:18 — The origin and explosive growth of ReverbNation\n00:27 — Solving the cold-start problem before it had a name\n00:33 — Building Promote.it → the foundation for Adwerx\n00:42 — Spinning out Adwerx and structuring the deal\n00:52 — Should Mike run a venture studio? Scott pushes him\n01:00 — Why incubating ideas is easier than incubating founders\n01:10 — The spinout challenge: talent dilution\n01:15 — The path to PlayMetrics and modernizing youth sports\n01:27 — Selling Reverb to focus fully on PlayMetrics\n01:38 — Navigating private equity the right way\n01:47 — How PE can empower (not suffocate) founders\n01:55 — Running a 450-person org and learning a new leadership...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/UEzoK7N1siD9YRaSVBWfZ8B3suSS2aonEIZ5NwBH1Gs/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS80NjBh/YWVhZTA4ZTUyY2Fl/MDdhNzQwZWFhNDI4/MDc3Zi5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}