# Jason VandeBoom

> Jason VandeBoom is the Chicago-based founder and CEO of ActiveCampaign, the marketing automation company he began in 2003 as a side project while studying fine art. A self-taught software engineer, he bootstrapped the business for 13 years, steered a difficult shift from installed software to SaaS, and later raised $360 million while keeping the company private. He also chairs the board of Future Founders and is now directing ActiveCampaign's move from rules-based automation toward account-aware marketing AI.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at ActiveCampaign; Board Chair at Future Founders
- **Organizations:** ActiveCampaign, Future Founders, Young Presidents' Organization, The Economic Club of Chicago
- **Education:** Fine arts studies; left to focus on ActiveCampaign, Illinois Institute of Art
- **Known for:** Bootstrapped ActiveCampaign from 2003 until its first outside investment in 2016., Led the company through a high-risk transition from perpetual on-premise licenses to subscription SaaS., Built ActiveCampaign into a privately held business reporting more than $250 million in annual recurring revenue, over 180,000 customers in more than 170 countries, and more than 700 employees.

## Career timeline

- **2003** — Moved to Chicago for fine-art school and founded ActiveCampaign as a side project; the first software sale was $35.
- **2013-2016** — Led the multi-year transition from eight installed-software products toward one cloud-based SaaS platform focused on marketing automation.
- **2016** — Accepted ActiveCampaign's first outside funding, a $20 million growth investment, after roughly 13 years of bootstrapping.
- **2020** — ActiveCampaign raised a $100 million Series B as it accelerated global hiring and product investment.
- **2021** — Raised a $240 million Series C at a valuation above $3 billion; ActiveCampaign reported 145,000 customers and $160 million ARR.
- **2021** — Received an EY Entrepreneur Of The Year award associated with the Midwest program.
- **2022** — Appointed Board Chair of Future Founders after joining its board in 2020.
- **2025** — ActiveCampaign introduced Active Intelligence as the company shifted its product story toward autonomous marketing.
- **2026** — Announced the acquisition of Feedback Intelligence and the Wavelength release of Active Intelligence 3.0.

## Achievements

- Bootstrapped ActiveCampaign from 2003 until its first outside investment in 2016.
- Led the company through a high-risk transition from perpetual on-premise licenses to subscription SaaS.
- Built ActiveCampaign into a privately held business reporting more than $250 million in annual recurring revenue, over 180,000 customers in more than 170 countries, and more than 700 employees.
- Raised $360 million in total funding, including a $240 million Series C in 2021 at a valuation above $3 billion.
- Named to Crain's Chicago Business 40 Under 40 and recognized in the 2021 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year program.
- Serves as Board Chair of Future Founders, supporting young entrepreneurs.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — ActiveCampaign released Active Intelligence 3.0: Wavelength, adding proactive drafts, scheduled work, monitoring, external signals and account-aware memory.
- **2026-07** — ActiveCampaign announced a Google Ads connector for Active Intelligence to bring AI-guided creation and reporting into paid campaigns.
- **2026-03** — The company used its spring innovation keynote to present AI that can take actions inside marketing workflows rather than only answer questions.
- **2026-02** — VandeBoom announced ActiveCampaign's acquisition of Feedback Intelligence, adding AI evaluation and conversational analytics capabilities.
- **2025-05** — ActiveCampaign unveiled Active Intelligence and framed its next product era around autonomous marketing.

## Links

- Website: https://www.activecampaign.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jvandeboom
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/jvandeboom

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/jason-vandeboom
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-28