# Jack Philbin

> Jack Philbin is the Chicago-based co-founder and CEO of Vibes, the mobile engagement company he started with childhood friend Alex Campbell in 1998. His career spans early concert and radio messaging, mobile wallet marketing, industry board service and the development of AI-assisted and RCS messaging products.

- **Role:** Co-Founder & CEO at Vibes
- **Organizations:** Vibes, MMA Global, CTIA Wireless Innovation Council, National Runaway Safeline (former board member)
- **Education:** Bachelor of Arts in Economics, Boston College, MBA, Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management
- **Known for:** Co-founded and continues to lead Vibes, established in 1998., MMA Outstanding Individual Achievement award, 2005., Mobile Marketer Mobile Evangelist of the Year, 2013.

## Career timeline

- **1998** — Co-founded Vibes with Alex Campbell in Chicago.
- **2002** — Arranged Text-2-Screen use at a US concert in July.
- **2003** — Established a cross-carrier iRadio text-request line at KTTB B96 in Minneapolis during the summer.
- **2005** — Received the MMA Outstanding Individual Achievement award.
- **2006** — Joined the CTIA Wireless Innovation Council.
- **2007** — Earned an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
- **2008-2022** — Served on the National Runaway Safeline board, September 2008 through December 2022.
- **2013** — Vibes acquired Lumata’s US brands business and launched Wallet Manager; Philbin was named Mobile Evangelist of the Year by Mobile Marketer.
- **2016** — Vibes acquired Red Fish Media following a $45 million investment from Syniverse.
- **2023** — Vibes expanded its platform with the Nexus AI engine.
- **2025** — Vibes announced early access for RCS Studio on October 22.
- **2026** — Vibes announced self-serve RCS Studio Professional on July 16.

## Achievements

- Co-founded and continues to lead Vibes, established in 1998.
- MMA Outstanding Individual Achievement award, 2005.
- Mobile Marketer Mobile Evangelist of the Year, 2013.
- Served as chairman of the MMA North America board and vice chairman of its global board.
- Led Vibes during its expansion into mobile wallet marketing, AI-assisted campaign planning and RCS messaging.

## Latest updates

- **2026-07** — Vibes announced RCS Studio Professional on July 16, with self-serve plans starting at $149 per month.
- **2025-10** — Vibes announced RCS Studio early access on October 22; Philbin publicly described its provisioning, experience-building and delivery capabilities.
- **2025-08** — A Mobile Ecosystem Forum podcast published August 22 featured Philbin discussing AI, RCS and mobile wallets with Dario Betti.

## Links

- Website: https://www.vibes.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackphilbin

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/jack-philbin
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-26