Mark Pearson (born 1980) is a London-based businessman. He founded and was CEO of Markco Media, a European discount network.
In June 2014, Markco Media, the parent company of MyVoucherCodes, was acquired by Monitise plc for ã55m.
Pearson grew up on a council estate in Liverpool with his mother and sister.
At age 23, Pearson founded Roses by Design, selling fresh rose petals with custom messages. Through this venture, he discovered affiliate marketing when Interflora and Flowers Direct requested to place discount code banners on his website.
In November 2006, aged 26, Pearson launched MyVoucherCodes with an initial investment of ã300. The business operated from his bedroom until 2009, when he established an office in Croydon, later relocating to central London in 2011.
Pearson has invested approximately ã5m across nine companies, with minimum investments of ã100,000.
His investment portfolio includes Shopwave, an iPad payment system for retailers, and Calq, a mobile analytics firm. He invested ã1m in Ve Interactive, which expanded from 30 to 700 employees across 18 global offices. Ve Interactive reached a valuation of $3bn in June 2015 before entering administration in April 2017. A consortium including Pearson subsequently acquired the company for ã2m.
In October 2014, Warner Music Group acquired Playlists.net, another of Pearson's investments.
In December 2013, Pearson and Paul Rous, a former Goldman Sachs corporate financier, along with Sapphire Capital Partners LLP, established Fuel Ventures, an early-stage e-commerce investment fund and startup studio.
The fund raised ã539,900 through crowdfunding platform Seedrs, with tennis player Andy Murray among its investors.
In 2010, Pearson appeared on Channel 4's The Secret Millionaire, donating ã115,000 to three Nottingham-based charities addressing gun crime and domestic violence.
In 2012, he established Hackathon London, connecting developers with investors and mentors. He later sponsored the Young Rewired State Hackathon in Scotland when it faced cancellation.
The Sunday Times Rich List 2011 valued his fortune at ã60m.