Jay Ives '16

Where you've been in your career and where you are going...

I have led marketing teams at some of the most iconic unicorn startups throughout Silicon Valley: Poshmark (IPO in 2021), Thumbtack ($3.2B valuation), and more. When I saw COVID-19 crush San Francisco’s most iconic local businesses, I decided to quit my cushy 9-5 job in Tech to go full-time with my then side hustle, Jives Media. I originally founded Jives Media out of high school to help my entrepreneur parents with their small businesses. Organically, over time, this side hustle grew. Today, we are a team of 20 employees, consisting of award-winning marketers, data analysts, and MBA brand strategists. Our core mission is to help empower small and medium size businesses across the country through high impact, transparent, and data backed marketing services including: search engine optimization, paid media, web design, and creative services. I am the sole founder and owner of Jives Media. I bootstrapped the agency from the ground up, stemming from my initial investment of $1,000. Today, I own 100% of the company. In 2022 alone, we have generated +$500 Million of revenue for our clients, nationwide. We are widely considered one of the top agencies in the United States, and have won numerous awards for our work.

How would you capture the essence of your work in a newspaper headline...


VT Alum Gives the Power Back to Local Businesses with Strategic Marketing 

How Virginia Tech equipped me for the 'real world'...

Virginia Tech equipped me for success by providing me with a much deeper understanding of data. More importantly, I learned how to communicate and visualize data in a meaningful way for stakeholders to make key decisions.

A key habit, practice, or skill that's worth the effort...


Asking important questions.

Biggest misconception about my job or industry...



I believe a misconception about the marketing industry is that one 'fix' can solve all your problems. In result, there are agencies who are too quick to share a solution with a proper diagnosis. Similar to human health, a proper marketing diagnosis and prescription is the difference between life and death. Quality matters! Good Marketers: listen. Great Marketers: ask quality questions. Best Marketers: actively listen, diagnose, and then prescribe.

A person who has inspired me...


My mother. A single mom and entrepreneur who has given me everything!

My no-fail, go-for-it motivational song...



Can't Stop - Red Hot Chili Peppers

Top of my bucket list...



Roadtrip the Americas.

Something very few people know about me...




I've been cage-free shark diving!

The work project/initiative you're most excited about...

Right now, I am most excited about leveraging all the wins in artificial intelligence (AI) to best help our clients scale their businesses. My undergraduate and Master of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Business Analytics (MSBA-BA) degrees from Virginia Tech have given me the superpower of understanding data and pattern recognition at a high level. I am super passionate about finding opportunities through data. From there, we are able to prescribe marketing solutions with the latest and greatest AI technology (of course, with humans coaching)!

Fondest Virginia Tech memory or tradition...

Being a member of the Virginia Tech MSBA-BA capstone team that contracted with Amdocs, a leading software and services provider in Israel. We traveled to Tel Aviv to present our work to Amdocs’ executive team. This was an invaluable opportunity to gain experience working with international clients and adapting to diverse business cultures.

Best part of being a Virginia Tech alum...

The amazing alumni and beating UVA!

Words of encouragement to a current Virginia Tech student...


Look for the intersection of service and leadership. Reverse engineer your business solutions by first understanding where you can help. From there, you can identify opportunities that will make a real impact...Take things one step at a time and stay true to yourself and the mission!

Best advice I've gotten...


Ask, 'how can I help', more often. It is amazing the doors this one, simple question can open :)

A cause I'm most passionate about...



In the summer of 2011, I co-founded the 'Beat the Streets' organization. The organization coordinates with the Loudoun County Court system and the local juvenile detention centers to assist at-risk youth. The Beat the Streets team serves as mentors and hosts several events each year such as bowling nights, movie nights, and barbecues for adolescents struggling to transition into adulthood.

Last book I read...



Making Movies by Sidney Lumet (highly recommend)

Favorite way to end the day...




Sunset and cooking dinner.

My hidden talent...



Excellent thumb wrestler.