# Mike Doernberg

> Mike Doernberg is the founder and CEO of PlayMetrics, a North Carolina youth sports operations software company. An NC State accounting graduate who began at Ernst & Young, he previously led The Marathon Group, SmartPath and ReverbNation, each acquired by another company, and co-founded Adwerx. He leads the organization formed by PlayMetrics’ 2025 merger with Stack Sports, which acquired SportsEngine assets in 2026.

- **Role:** CEO and Founder at PlayMetrics
- **Organizations:** PlayMetrics, ReverbNation, eMinor, Adwerx, SmartPath, The Marathon Group, DoubleClick, Merant, Ernst & Young, Bull City Venture Partners, NC Tweener Fund
- **Education:** BA in Accounting, North Carolina State University
- **Known for:** Led three earlier ventures that reached acquisitions: The Marathon Group by Merant, SmartPath by DoubleClick and ReverbNation by BandLab., Co-founded Adwerx, which developed from advertising technology inside ReverbNation., Built PlayMetrics into a youth sports software company and became CEO of its combination with Stack Sports.

## Career timeline

- **1987** — Began work at Ernst & Young; later served as a manager.
- **1993** — Became CEO of The Marathon Group.
- **1999** — The Marathon Group was acquired by Merant; held a vice president and general manager role there.
- **2001** — Became CEO of SmartPath.
- **2004** — SmartPath was acquired by DoubleClick; became VP and GM of Marketing Automation.
- **2006** — Began leading ReverbNation as CEO and co-founder.
- **2014** — Co-founded Adwerx; became an adviser to Bull City Venture Partners.
- **2015** — Adwerx became an independent company under CEO Jed Carlson.
- **2018** — Began serving as PlayMetrics CEO in May; describes 2018 as the start of the venture in his public account.
- **2021** — ReverbNation was sold to BandLab, allowing the eMinor team to focus on PlayMetrics.
- **2025** — Became CEO of the combined PlayMetrics and Stack Sports organization following their June merger.
- **2026** — Led PlayMetrics through the SportsEngine asset acquisition and further divestitures to focus on youth sports operations.

## Achievements

- Led three earlier ventures that reached acquisitions: The Marathon Group by Merant, SmartPath by DoubleClick and ReverbNation by BandLab.
- Co-founded Adwerx, which developed from advertising technology inside ReverbNation.
- Built PlayMetrics into a youth sports software company and became CEO of its combination with Stack Sports.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — PlayMetrics announced completed divestitures of non-core assets to concentrate on its youth sports operations platform.
- **2026-07** — Triangle Business Journal reported PlayMetrics was adding 26,000 square feet of space to support hiring after the SportsEngine acquisition.
- **2026-05** — PlayMetrics completed its acquisition of substantially all SportsEngine assets from Versant, including software and payments products.
- **2025-12** — Appeared in the second part of a Triangle Tweener Talks interview about ReverbNation, PlayMetrics, spinouts and private equity.

## Links

- Website: https://home.playmetrics.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeldoernberg/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/m1chae12

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/mike-doernberg
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-24