# David Kashak

> David Kashak is the Israeli-born engineer and advertising-technology founder who built Connatix from a self-funded native-advertising prototype into a global video platform. After launching with small publishers in 2014, he steered the company through a decisive move into video, a $15 million growth-equity round, a later investment from Court Square Capital Partners and the 2024 merger with JW Player. He now serves as co-founder and chairman of JWX, the successor to JWP Connatix.

- **Role:** Co-Founder and Chairman at JWX
- **Organizations:** JWX, JWP Connatix, Connatix, Conduit, Verint
- **Education:** Engineering, Tel Aviv University
- **Known for:** Bootstrapped Connatix from a self-funded prototype to approximately $15 million in annual revenue by 2016, according to his contemporaneous founder interview., Built an early network of 40 to 50 publisher sites within about three months of the March 2014 product launch., Led Connatix through a pivot from native advertising into online video technology.

## Career timeline

- **After university** — Started as a programmer at a cybersecurity company in Israel.
- **2001** — Relocated to New York, moved into product management and later led a United States business unit at what became Verint.
- **2013** — Joined Conduit as its first New York employee and worked in business development; publisher conversations led to the initial Connatix concept.
- **2014** — Launched Connatix with a small group of publishers; by midyear the network included roughly 40 to 50 websites.
- **2015-2016** — Developed and launched a native video product, a pivot that accelerated the company’s growth.
- **2017** — Raised $15 million in growth equity led by Volition Capital after bootstrapping the business to profitability.
- **2021** — Secured a significant investment from Court Square Capital Partners to support expansion, product development and M&A.
- **2024** — Connatix merged with JW Player to form JWP Connatix; Kashak moved from CEO to chairman.
- **2025** — Welcomed John Nardone as chief executive of JWP Connatix while continuing as chairman.

## Achievements

- Bootstrapped Connatix from a self-funded prototype to approximately $15 million in annual revenue by 2016, according to his contemporaneous founder interview.
- Built an early network of 40 to 50 publisher sites within about three months of the March 2014 product launch.
- Led Connatix through a pivot from native advertising into online video technology.
- Raised $15 million in growth equity led by Volition Capital in 2017 after the company had become profitable.
- Expanded Connatix to more than 3,000 publishers and 1,000 advertisers worldwide by the 2021 Court Square investment announcement.
- Guided Connatix into its 2024 merger with JW Player, creating a combined platform reported to serve more than 2,000 media companies and reach over one billion unique users.

## Latest updates

- **2025-03** — As chairman, Kashak announced the appointment of John Nardone as chief executive of JWP Connatix and thanked outgoing CEO Dave Otten for managing the merger and transition.
- **2024-10** — Connatix and JW Player announced their merger; Kashak transitioned from Connatix CEO to chairman of the combined company.

## Links

- Website: https://jwx.com/about-david-kashak
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-kashak-a958b3

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/david-kashak
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-26