VerticalScope Bolsters Senior Leadership Team With Appointment of Paul Lee as Chief Product Officer

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--VerticalScope Holdings Inc. (“VerticalScope” or the “Company”) (TSX: FORA), a technology company that has built and operates a cloud-based digital platform for online enthusiast communities, announced today that effective immediately, Paul Lee will serve as the company’s Chief Product Officer, and will report to VerticalScope’s Founder and CEO, Rob Laidlaw.

Mr. Lee will join the executive leadership team at VerticalScope, where he will be responsible for accelerating product development to further improve the community experience for its 50 million-plus members, and make its community content more easily accessible to VerticalScope’s 100 million-plus monthly active users.

Mr. Lee is an accomplished entrepreneur and leader with 14 years of experience in product leadership. He most recently served as Co-Founder and CEO of Threadloom, a venture startup funded by Pierre Omidyar, Prosus Ventures, and Stanford University. VerticalScope acquired Threadloom in Q4 2021.

“Enthusiast communities have played a meaningful role in my life, and the lives of many people around me,” said Mr. Lee. “I am excited to continue working with an incredible team with a shared conviction in the value of these communities to connect people around common interests and enable them to live fuller lives by sharing their passions. VerticalScope helps consumers find authoritative perspectives on what matters most to them, and I’m thrilled to be a part of the next phase of growth.”

Prior to Threadloom, Mr. Lee was Senior Product Manager at Google – where he co-led Google Product Search and founded Google Local Shopping – and a consultant at McKinsey & Company. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and an MA and BA from Stanford University.

Founder and CEO Rob Laidlaw commented, “Paul is a unique product visionary with deep experience in both online product shopping and enthusiast communities. Since joining VerticalScope in November, Paul has brought a wealth of product expertise to our organization. Today’s appointment reflects our excitement about the impact Paul will have to further accelerate VerticalScope’s business growth while deepening our product-led culture.”

In conjunction with this appointment, the Company also announced today that Sameer Lalji will no longer be with the Company. VerticalScope is incredibly grateful for the many contributions that Sameer has made over the past two years.

About VerticalScope
Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, VerticalScope is a technology company that has built and operates a cloud-based digital platform for online enthusiast communities in high-consumer spending categories. VerticalScope’s mission is to enable people with common interests to connect, explore their passions and share knowledge about the things they love. Through targeted acquisitions and development, VerticalScope has built a portfolio of over 1,200 online communities and over 100 million monthly active users. VerticalScope is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: FORA).

Forward-Looking Statements
This news release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities legislation that reflects the Company's current expectations regarding future events. Forward-looking information is based on a number of assumptions and is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the factors discussed under "Risk Factors" in the Annual Information Form dated March 31, 2022. Actual results could differ materially from those projected herein. VerticalScope does not undertake any obligation to update such forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required under applicable securities laws.