# Nathan Hanks

> Nathan Hanks is the co-founder of BrightAI, a physical AI platform company that deploys IoT sensors and edge AI to monitor and optimize critical infrastructure for enterprises. Previously, he co-founded ReachLocal, scaling it to $500M in annual revenue and 2,200 employees before its NASDAQ IPO in 2010 and subsequent acquisition by Gannett in 2016. He also founded Music Audience Exchange (MAX), a music sponsorship technology platform. At BrightAI, Hanks and his team bootstrapped the company to $80M in revenue before raising a $15M seed round in November 2024 and a $51M Series A in July 2025, with the company now surpassing $100M in annual revenue and 250,000+ AI endpoints deployed.

- **Role:** Co-founder at BrightAI
- **Organizations:** BrightAI, ReachLocal, Music Audience Exchange (MAX), iD Tech (Board Director)
- **From:** New York City, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Master of Business Administration (MBA), Centenary College of Louisiana, Bachelor of Science, Political Science, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Mathematics and Computer Science, Northwestern State University
- **Known for:** Co-founded ReachLocal and scaled it to $500M annual revenue and 2,200 employees across 15 countries, Led ReachLocal to a successful NASDAQ IPO in 2010, Bootstrapped BrightAI to $80M in annual revenue before raising institutional funding

## Career timeline

- **Early career** — Worked at family crop-dusting service, local grocery store, radio, and recruiting while in college and grad school in Louisiana
- **2003** — Co-founded ReachLocal alongside Zorik Gordon, Michael Kline, Robert Wright, John Mazur, and Robert Spitz
- **2010** — ReachLocal IPO on NASDAQ; company had grown to 2,200 employees, 24,000 clients in 15 countries, and $500M annual revenue
- **2016** — ReachLocal acquired by Gannett
- **Mid-2010s** — Founded Music Audience Exchange (MAX), a music sponsorship technology platform
- **2019** — Co-founded BrightAI with Alex Hawkinson (CEO, formerly of SmartThings), Douglas Burman, and Robert Parker
- **2023** — BrightAI emerged from stealth in November 2023
- **2024-11** — BrightAI announced $80M bootstrapped revenue milestone; raised $15M seed round from Upfront Ventures
- **2025-07** — BrightAI raised $51M Series A from Khosla Ventures and Inspired Capital; surpassed $100M in annual revenue

## Achievements

- Co-founded ReachLocal and scaled it to $500M annual revenue and 2,200 employees across 15 countries
- Led ReachLocal to a successful NASDAQ IPO in 2010
- Bootstrapped BrightAI to $80M in annual revenue before raising institutional funding
- Deployed 250,000+ AI endpoints across 50,000+ locations with BrightAI
- Raised $66M total funding for BrightAI including a $51M Series A from Khosla Ventures
- Built a cross-company talent network of 150+ people who have followed him across ventures
- BrightAI surpassed $100M in annual revenue as of July 2025

## Latest updates

- **2025-07** — BrightAI raised $51M Series A from Khosla Ventures and Inspired Capital, with participation from BoxGroup, Marlinspike Capital, VSC Ventures, and Rsquared VC. Total funding reached $66M+.
- **2025-07** — BrightAI surpassed $100M in annual revenue and has 250,000+ AI endpoints deployed across 50,000+ locations.
- **2024-11** — BrightAI emerged publicly with $80M bootstrapped revenue and raised a $15M seed round from Upfront Ventures.
- **2023-11** — BrightAI emerged from stealth after four years of development.

## Links

- Website: https://bright.ai
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanhanks
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/NateHanks

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/nathan-hanks
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-25