# Shaul Olmert

> Shaul Olmert is an Israeli entrepreneur and novelist, co-founder and former CEO of Playbuzz, now EX.CO. His career includes digital products at MTV Networks, leadership roles at SundaySky and Conduit, and the mobile publishing ventures Piggy and KwaKwa. In September 2026, Cesura AI announced his appointment as CEO. He is the author of The Dream Sellers (2021) and Gutfreund (2026), and writes Hebrew book recommendations at Sipur Tov.

- **Role:** CEO at Cesura AI
- **Organizations:** Cesura AI, Playbuzz / EX.CO (co-founder and former CEO), Piggy / Flying Pigs (co-founder), KwaKwa (former CEO), MTV Networks / Nickelodeon, SundaySky, Conduit, GameGround, Oberon Media / iPlay
- **Nationality:** Israeli
- **Education:** Master’s degree in Interactive Telecommunications, New York University
- **Known for:** Co-founded Playbuzz, whose interactive content reached the top of Facebook publisher-sharing rankings in November 2014., Led Playbuzz through international expansion and venture financing; nearly $70 million raised was reported at his CEO departure in 2019., Co-founded Piggy, which announced $7.7 million in seed funding in November 2022.

## Career timeline

- **1990s** — Taught computers; met future Playbuzz co-founder Tom Pachys as a pupil.
- **2001-2003** — Studied at New York University.
- **Before Playbuzz** — Held digital media and management roles at Oberon Media, MTV Networks, SundaySky and Conduit.
- **2012** — Co-founded Playbuzz with Tom Pachys.
- **2013-12** — Playbuzz launched its public website.
- **2014-11** — Playbuzz topped Facebook publisher-sharing rankings with approximately nine million shares.
- **2019-10** — Stepped down as Playbuzz CEO; Tom Pachys succeeded him; the announcement said Olmert would become president.
- **2020-09** — Publicly introduced Flying Pigs, founded with Ilan Leibovich, and the planned Piggy product.
- **2021** — Published his first Hebrew novel, The Dream Sellers.
- **2022-11** — Piggy announced $7.7 million in seed funding led by Insight Partners.
- **2024-07** — Appeared as KwaKwa co-founder and CEO on Founders’ Marketing Compass.
- **2026** — Published Gutfreund, his second novel, with Yedioth Books.
- **2026-09** — Cesura AI announced his appointment as CEO.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Playbuzz, whose interactive content reached the top of Facebook publisher-sharing rankings in November 2014.
- Led Playbuzz through international expansion and venture financing; nearly $70 million raised was reported at his CEO departure in 2019.
- Co-founded Piggy, which announced $7.7 million in seed funding in November 2022.
- Published the Hebrew novels The Dream Sellers (2021) and Gutfreund (2026).

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Cesura AI announced Shaul Olmert as CEO, working alongside co-founders Yuval Haber and Itai Hochman.
- **2026-09** — The literary journal Maala published a review of his 2026 novel Gutfreund.
- **2026-10** — An author discussion of Gutfreund was listed for October 14 at the Yedakol library; the listing establishes scheduling rather than attendance.

## Links

- Website: https://sipurtov.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaulmert
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/shaulmert
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shaulmert

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/shaul-olmert
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-21