Hey, I’m Race 👋
I co-founded Pixly, scaled it to 8-figure ARR, and led $100M+ in influencer marketing budget before we were acquired in 2022. Now I invest in ambitious founders building what’s next.
😸 Good morning from the Johnson household
I moved to San Francisco in 2012 with no roadmap, just curiosity. Since then, I’ve lived through the chaos of startups, the rush of growth, and the lessons that only come from doing the work.
🚀 Building Pixly From Scratch
Just a laptop, a few wild ideas, and a belief that influencer marketing could be done way better.When we started Pixly, the space was a mess. Brands chasing vanity metrics, creators undervalued, and results hard to measure. Gustav and I wanted to change that. We built a company focused on performance, accountability, and data-driven creativity.It worked. We helped brands like Fortnite and Manscaped spend hundreds of millions on influencer campaigns that actually performed. And along the way, we helped redefine what “influencer marketing” means.After 9 years of building, I finally took a step back. It was time to focus on family, to breathe a little, and to figure out what’s next.
⭐️ Moments I’m Proud Of
| 1️⃣ Co-founded Pixly in 2017 with one goal: redefine influencer marketing. |
| 2️⃣ Bootstrapped from day one — no outside capital, just grit and execution. |
| 3️⃣ Pioneered a performance-driven influencer model that created a whole new category. |
| 4️⃣ Built a lean tech platform to run complex campaigns with a fraction of the team. |
| 5️⃣ Scaled revenue from $0 to tens of millions in ARR. |
| 6️⃣ Grew from 2 founders to a team of 14. |
| 7️⃣ Acquired by Acceleration (ACC) in June 2022. |
| 8️⃣ Handed off operations seamlessly to a new leadership team — proud to see Pixly still thriving today. |
❤️ Some of My Favorite Activations
Fortnite x MrBeast Gaming (25M views)
Casetify x Bailey Sarian (6M views)
Basketball Arena x Dude Perfect (85M views)
Opera GX x TheRussianBadger (23M views)
🏎️ Fun Facts
Yep — my name really is Race. My parents named me after the Jonny Quest character “Race Bannon.”I grew up behind the wheel. First go-karts, then formula cars. In 2005 and 2006, I raced in Formula BMW, chasing the F1 dream and going head-to-head with drivers who are now in Formula 1 and IndyCar.
Want to get in touch? Message me on LinkedIn or shoot me an email — I’d love to connect!