# Wen Miao

> Wen Miao is the co-founder and CEO of Lava.ai, a San Francisco-based company building real-time AI-powered customer engagement and loyalty platforms for sports teams, entertainment venues, and enterprise brands. Before Lava.ai, he was SVP and GM at TIBCO Software, where he led global client services and launched real-time predictive customer engagement platforms. Lava.ai counts Real Madrid, the LA Rams, the Sacramento Kings, and the Cleveland Browns among its clients, and has raised over $33.7M in funding. In 2015, Computerworld named Miao a Premier 100 IT Leader.

- **Role:** CEO and Co-founder at Lava.ai
- **Organizations:** Lava.ai, TIBCO Software
- **Education:** Master of Engineering, Fluid Mechanics / Industrial Engineering, Stanford University
- **Known for:** Co-founded Lava.ai, which serves 50+ world-class sports, entertainment, and retail brands, Named Computerworld Premier 100 IT Leader (2015) while at TIBCO Software, Led TIBCO Engage Cloud Business Unit, launching real-time predictive customer engagement platforms

## Career timeline

- **~2000s** — Management consulting at AT&T Solutions
- **~2000s** — Presales at i2
- **~2000s** — Director of Presales at Xelus and IONA
- **~2010-2012** — Director of Professional Services Group at TIBCO Spotfire
- **2012-2015** — SVP and GM, Global Client Technical Services & TIBCO Engage Cloud Business Unit at TIBCO Software
- **2015** — Named Computerworld Premier 100 IT Leader by IDG
- **2016** — Co-founded Lava.ai with Vivek Ranadivé
- **2019** — Launched Realtime AI™ data activation technology; partnered with Real Madrid and Sacramento Kings
- **2024-09** — Lava.ai closed $33.7M funding round led by Adobe, Incubayt Investments, Page One Ventures, and SBX Capital
- **2025-03** — Lava.ai announced partnership with Square to enhance fan engagement across sports and entertainment venues

## Achievements

- Co-founded Lava.ai, which serves 50+ world-class sports, entertainment, and retail brands
- Named Computerworld Premier 100 IT Leader (2015) while at TIBCO Software
- Led TIBCO Engage Cloud Business Unit, launching real-time predictive customer engagement platforms
- Secured $33.7M+ in funding for Lava.ai from investors including Adobe
- Built partnerships with Real Madrid, LA Rams, Sacramento Kings, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, and Portland Trail Blazers
- Lava.ai platform integrates with 200+ infrastructure systems (POS, ticketing, payment, IoT, blockchains)
- Platform delivers 25-55% increases in customer spend for clients
- Launched Express Beer facial recognition program for Cleveland Browns
- Partnered with Square in 2025 to scale fan engagement platform across sports and entertainment

## Latest updates

- **2025-03** — Lava.ai and Square announced a partnership to bring AI-powered fan engagement to sports, entertainment, and leisure venues, launching first with the LA Rams.
- **2024-09** — Lava.ai raised $33.7M in a funding round from Adobe, Incubayt Investments, Page One Ventures, and SBX Capital.

## Links

- Website: https://lava.ai
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wen-miao-0a1116

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/wen-miao
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-14