# Matt Hixson

> Matt Hixson is the Oregon-based co-founder and CEO of Tellagence, a contextual-intelligence company that grew from his 2011 meeting with researcher Nitin Mayande. A former CPA and Tripwire operator, Hixson has spent his career moving from finance to enterprise software, social strategy and AI-assisted consumer insight, while leading Tellagence's longstanding work with YouTube and Google.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at Tellagence
- **Organizations:** Tellagence, Tripwire, PricewaterhouseCoopers, YouTube, Google
- **Education:** Bachelor of Science in Accounting, Truman State University, Study abroad program, IPAG Business School, Master of Business Administration, University of Oregon Lundquist College of Business, High Potentials Leadership Program, Executive Education, Harvard Business School
- **Known for:** Co-founded Tellagence in 2011 with Nitin Mayande., Built a career spanning accounting, finance, enterprise software, social strategy and contextual AI., Led Tellagence's longstanding client relationship with YouTube and Google focused on social media applications and analytics.

## Career timeline

- **1998 onward** — Began his professional career in accounting, including work as a senior associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers, and qualified as a CPA.
- **Before 2011** — Held finance and controller roles, then worked across business development, product operations, executive support and social strategy at Tripwire.
- **2011** — Met researcher Nitin Mayande and co-founded Tellagence around their shared interest in contextual intelligence and online communities.
- **2012** — Represented Tellagence as a finalist in the development-stage category of the OEN Tom Holce Entrepreneurship Awards.
- **2013** — Introduced Tellagence Discover and publicly argued for relationship- and context-based measures of influence rather than follower counts alone.
- **2011-present** — Leads Tellagence as co-founder and CEO, including its longstanding client relationship with YouTube and Google for social media applications and analytics.
- **2025-2026** — Expanded his public work through interviews, podcasts and Tellagence research on AI, marketing, culture and consumer conversation.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Tellagence in 2011 with Nitin Mayande.
- Built a career spanning accounting, finance, enterprise software, social strategy and contextual AI.
- Led Tellagence's longstanding client relationship with YouTube and Google focused on social media applications and analytics.
- Was a 2012 finalist in the development-stage category of the OEN Tom Holce Entrepreneurship Awards.
- Helped bring Tellagence Discover to market as a product for finding themes, language and emerging signals in social conversation.
- Earned an MBA from the University of Oregon and completed Harvard Business School's High Potentials Leadership Program.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Promoted a proposed SXSW 2027 session, 'She's Coming for Blood: Why Context Matters,' about cultural context, sentiment and AI blind spots.
- **2026-07** — Appeared on Advertising Week's AI: Machine-Made Marketing podcast for the episode 'Your Customers Already Told You,' discussing customer intent and why knowing which data matters is more valuable than collecting more of it.
- **2026-05** — Published Tellagence research examining 152,700 records around the 2016 fashion revival and arguing that active buying and algorithm fatigue mattered more than simple nostalgia.
- **2026-01** — Published a Tellagence analysis of 77,100 records around Dr Pepper's viral 'Good and Nice' jingle, highlighting a parallel debate over creator compensation.
- **2025-08** — Joined Good News Studio for a video conversation about AI, movies, creativity, work and the value of social data.

## Links

- Website: https://www.tellagence.ai
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthixson
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/matthixson
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/Tellagence

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/matt-hixson
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-26