Prodege
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Online marketing, consumer surveying, market research |
| Founded | January 1, 2005 in Torrance, California, United States |
| Founder | Josef Gorowitz |
| Headquarters | El Segundo , United States |
Area served | United States, Canada, United Kingdom |
Key people | Josef Gorowitz (Founder and President), Charles "Chuck" Davis (CEO and Chairman) |
| Products | Swagbucks, MyPoints, InboxDollars, CouponCause, Tada, Ysense, Upromise, Pollfish |
| Website | prodege |
Prodege, LLC () is a United States-based firm specializing in online marketing, consumer surveying, and market research. Headquartered in El Segundo, California, the company operates various consumer rewards and polling platforms under well-known names such as Swagbucks, MyPoints, InboxDollars, CouponCause, Tada, Ysense, Upromise, and Pollfish.
History
Established in 2005 in Torrance, California by entrepreneur Josef Gorowitz, Prodege began by collaborating with search providers to create a platform that enabled charitable fundraising through users’ online interactions. Initially, the company offered customized browsers to brands aiming to monetize fan engagement; early partnerships included the Green Bay Packers and artist Kanye West.
In February 2008, co-founders Gorowitz and Scott Dudelson introduced Swagbucks.com, launching the Swag Bucks (SB) digital currency that users could earn by shopping and playing games online. These points were redeemable for gift cards and various products.
Charles "Chuck" Davis, former CEO of Shopzilla and Fandango, was named executive chairman by Josef Gorowitz in January 2013.
By May 2014, Prodege secured a $60 million funding round from Technology Crossover Ventures (TCV). At this time, Chuck Davis assumed the roles of CEO and Chairman while Gorowitz continued as Founder and President. Davis also held a venture partner position at TCV.
In July 2014, Prodege expanded its portfolio by acquiring SodaHead.com, an online polling platform founded by Jason Feffer; several SodaHead executives joined Prodege’s leadership team following the acquisition.
Prodege pursued further growth through acquisitions: in April 2016 it acquired MyPoints, a rewards site previously owned by United Online; in August 2017 it purchased ShopAtHome, a cash-back shopping platform; and in May 2019 it acquired Cotterweb Enterprises, which operates reward sites throughout the US, Canada, and UK. Additionally, in July 2019 Prodege collaborated with Groupon to launch a local merchant rewards card program.
By 2020, the combined user base of Prodege’s platforms exceeded 120 million members, with total rewards distributed amounting to $725 million since the company’s inception.
Early in 2020, Prodege expanded its offerings by acquiring CouponCause, a digital coupon provider, as well as Upromise—a college savings loyalty program formerly part of Sallie Mae. That same year, Prodege partnered on polling efforts for the political Prediction Survey conducted during the 2020 Georgia Senate election.
In May 2021, ShopAtHome.com was rebranded as Tada.com.
Continuing its expansion trajectory, Prodege acquired Pollfish—a self-service market research platform—in February 2022. Later that year in July, it added AdGate Media to its portfolio; AdGate is a New York City-based digital advertising company founded in 2011.
Services
Prodege manages a variety of digital marketing brands centered on consumer incentives and participation:
- Swagbucks – a platform enabling users to earn monetary rewards and gift cards through shopping and other activities.
- MyPoints – a website offering online rewards.
- InboxDollars (known as InboxPounds in the UK) – a rewards service that allows users to earn by completing different tasks.
- CouponCause – a coupon platform that channels users' savings toward charitable organizations.
- Upromise – a loyalty program designed to help members accumulate savings for important goals such as education.
- Tada – provides rewards linked to grocery purchase receipts.
- Ysense – a rewards system granting gift cards for shopping and survey completion.
- Pollfish – a market research tool delivering insights for businesses.