# Francesco D'Orazio

> Francesco D'Orazio is a London-based researcher, product strategist and entrepreneur who founded Pulsar. His work connects social science with software for understanding online communities, content diffusion and public narratives. Earlier ventures include ZZUB and Myrl; he also co-founded the Visual Social Media Lab and helped establish AudienceCON. Recent first-party material identifies him as Pulsar's Founder and President.

- **Role:** Founder and President at Pulsar
- **Organizations:** Pulsar, Face, ZZUB, Myrl, Visual Social Media Lab, AudienceCON, The Audiences Podcast, IULM University, University of Toronto
- **Education:** PhD in Sociology and New Media, Sapienza University of Rome, Doctoral research placement, University of Toronto, McLuhan Program in Culture and Technology
- **Known for:** Founded Pulsar and helped develop its audience intelligence platform., Co-authored research comparing how Gangnam Style and Harlem Shake spread through Twitter., Worked with Jessica Owens and Twitter UK on follow-up research into video diffusion.

## Career timeline

- **1997** — Began university; subsequently researched the spread of rumours in online forums and blogs.
- **2005** — Founded ZZUB, according to the SI Lab biography; a later interview dates his first startup to 2004.
- **2005-2006** — Conducted doctoral research in the McLuhan Program at the University of Toronto.
- **2007** — Founded Myrl, a social network for avatars.
- **2009** — Co-directed the first IULM Social Media Lab course with Stefano Mizzella.
- **2010** — Led technology and social media at London research and innovation agency Face.
- **2013** — Founded Pulsar; co-authored the Gangnam Style versus Harlem Shake study with Jessica Owens.
- **2014** — Co-founded the Visual Social Media Lab.
- **2018** — Became Pulsar CEO; public career records give October 2018.
- **2023** — Founded The Audiences Podcast and AudienceCON, according to the SI Lab biography.
- **2025** — Identified as Founder and President in the March Narratives AI launch announcement.
- **2026** — Published The Arctic, Reframed, analysing three years of media and public narratives.

## Achievements

- Founded Pulsar and helped develop its audience intelligence platform.
- Co-authored research comparing how Gangnam Style and Harlem Shake spread through Twitter.
- Worked with Jessica Owens and Twitter UK on follow-up research into video diffusion.
- Co-founded the Visual Social Media Lab, connecting academic and commercial image research.
- Co-directed IULM Social Media Lab with Stefano Mizzella.
- Helped launch Narratives AI at Pulsar in March 2025.
- Authored The Arctic, Reframed, published in September 2026.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Published The Arctic, Reframed, examining media and social narratives across September 2023-September 2026; bylined as Founder and President, Pulsar.
- **2026-01** — Appeared on the Mobile Dev Memo Podcast to discuss AI for audience insights, feature planning and product optimisation; introduced as President and Chief Product Officer.
- **2025-12** — Featured in a Pulsar webinar recap with brand strategist Safaniya Stevenson about narrative intelligence and cultural interpretation.
- **2025-08** — Published the LinkedIn article Simulating Audiences or how to talk to 1000 people in 45 seconds.
- **2025-03** — Commented on the launch of Pulsar Narratives AI as Founder and President.

## Links

- Website: https://www.pulsarplatform.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francescodorazio/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/abc3d

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/francesco-dorazio
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-21