# Zac Brandenberg

> Zac Brandenberg is the Austin-based co-founder and CEO of DRINKS, a technology business enabling digital alcohol commerce. His career spans an early online playing-card business, performance advertising platform Hydra and social gaming company Meteor Games. At DRINKS, his work combines commerce infrastructure, regulatory technology and personalized merchandising.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at DRINKS
- **Organizations:** DRINKS, Hydra, Meteor Games, GreatUSAFlags.com
- **Education:** Dual B.A. in Economics-Accounting and Government, Claremont McKenna College
- **Known for:** Founded and led Hydra, which reached $108 million in 2008 revenue according to contemporary reporting., Co-founded DRINKS and led its transition toward alcohol commerce technology., Led DRINKS through the 2023 sale of Wine Insiders while retaining technology relationships with the buyer.

## Career timeline

- **1999** — Completed undergraduate studies at Claremont McKenna College.
- **2003** — Operated GreatUSAFlags.com and launched Hydra, a performance advertising network.
- **2007** — Hydra ranked No. 10 on the Inc. 500, according to his public biography.
- **2010** — Adknowledge acquired Hydra; Brandenberg became CEO of Meteor Games in July after investing in it since 2008.
- **2012** — Meteor Games shut down in January; contemporary reporting described Brandenberg as its former CEO.
- **2013** — Co-founded DRINKS.
- **2022** — DRINKS acquired Electriq Marketing and partnered with Shopify on embedded wine tax and compliance.
- **2023** — DRINKS sold Wine Insiders to Full Glass Wine Co. to focus on commerce technology.
- **2024** — DRINKS launched its Drinks-as-a-Service platform.
- **2025** — Quince introduced wine through a partnership with DRINKS.
- **2026** — DRINKS announced a Commerce7 partnership intended to expand its supplier network.

## Achievements

- Founded and led Hydra, which reached $108 million in 2008 revenue according to contemporary reporting.
- Co-founded DRINKS and led its transition toward alcohol commerce technology.
- Led DRINKS through the 2023 sale of Wine Insiders while retaining technology relationships with the buyer.

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — Published a Forbes Technology Council opinion article on how AI shopping agents could change brand loyalty and product discovery.
- **2026-01** — DRINKS announced a partnership with Commerce7, with winery availability in its supplier network planned to begin in H1 2026.
- **2025-12** — Quince launched a curated wine category through DRINKS, initially featuring a 2015 Dom Pérignon Champagne.

## Links

- Website: https://zacbrandenberg.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zac-brandenberg

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/zac-brandenberg
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-26