# Zach Simmons

> Zach Simmons is the co-founder and former CEO of Discuss, the online qualitative-research company founded in 2012. A former Amazon Web Services technical product manager and Chicago Booth MBA, he built software for customer interviews and focus groups, bootstrapped the business in its early years, and led it through enterprise adoption and growth rankings. In January 2026, he announced a strategic investment in Appraiva and became its board chair.

- **Role:** Board Chair at Appraiva
- **Organizations:** Appraiva, Discuss, Amazon Web Services
- **Education:** MBA, University of Chicago Booth School of Business
- **Known for:** Co-founded Discuss.io in 2012 and served as CEO., Led Discuss during enterprise adoption by customers including Unilever and PepsiCo., Discuss ranked 124th in Deloitte’s 2019 Technology Fast 500, with 1,013% growth over its measurement period.

## Career timeline

- **2006–2008** — Attended University of Chicago Booth School of Business; earned an MBA.
- **Before 2012** — Worked as a technical product manager at Amazon Web Services, including responsibility for S3.
- **2012** — Founded Discuss.io; Jim Longo is also identified as co-founder.
- **2015** — Reported nearly two years of bootstrapping and a global Unilever rollout in an April interview.
- **2016** — Brought longtime friend and adviser Shalendra Chhabra into Discuss as VP of product.
- **2017** — Discuss raised a $5 million Series A led by Unilever Ventures with Pereg Ventures participating.
- **2019** — Discuss ranked 124th in Deloitte Technology Fast 500, with Simmons named as CEO.
- **2026-01** — Announced a strategic interest in Appraiva and appointment as board chair; appeared on Acquire.com’s acquisition interview series on January 27.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Discuss.io in 2012 and served as CEO.
- Led Discuss during enterprise adoption by customers including Unilever and PepsiCo.
- Discuss ranked 124th in Deloitte’s 2019 Technology Fast 500, with 1,013% growth over its measurement period.
- Startup Weekly recorded Discuss’s Inc. 5000 rank of 296 and three-year growth of 1,509%.
- Acquired a strategic interest in Appraiva and became board chair in January 2026.

## Latest updates

- **2026-02** — In a February 3 LinkedIn post, Simmons discussed his Acquire.com conversation and advocated buying products with proven traction before focusing on execution and growth.
- **2026-01** — Announced acquiring a strategic interest in Appraiva and becoming its board chair.
- **2026-01** — Featured in Acquire.com’s January 27 interview, “Why Clear Execution Made This Acquisition a Sure Thing,” discussing Appraiva and buying a business with existing demand.

## Links

- Website: https://about.me/zachsimmons
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachsimmons/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/zach-simmons
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-16