Meet Brian Iacaponi

The Beginning

In 1998, at just 15 years old, I stumbled into the world of affiliate marketing.

My friend, Frank, and I were in high school, struggling to pay attention to whatever the topic of the day was during class all the while our computers were busy running at home, building up email lists in AOL chat rooms, then shooting off an email promoting some random adult web site that netted us a cool $75 commission per person we got to sign up. We'd return home each day after school to see how much money we had passively made, usually in the mid to high hundreds or even $1,000+ range. Not bad for a day's "work" while bored in a classroom.

That was the wild, wild west of the Internet and online marketing in general. As time went on, my affiliate marketing efforts became legitimate with real business models and longevity behind them. I got my first taste at just how scalable the business model could be after flying to India, at age 26 with my newly minted MBA in hand, to interview for a chief technology officer position at a Dubai-based affiliate marketing company doing $100M+ annually. That inside look, combined with my affiliate marketing knowledge, showed what was possible.

I eventually exited this company to go off on my own and have since then founded multiple businesses in the affiliate marketing, lead generation, and software industries, along with working as a technology leader to various tech companies helping to keep my skills sharp.

One of these leadership roles was as a director of technology innovation for one of the biggest animal welfare non-profits in the United States. It was at this organization that I helped build an animal welfare startup incubator and accelerator program, helping young startup founders and CEOs navigate the unpredictable world of tech startups. This experience showed me how much I really enjoyed mentoring others and providing guidance to hopefully minimize the number of bumps and bruises they receive along their own journey.

As the years have gone by, I've been asked countless times, from friends I've known since childhood to strangers approaching me to talk about my latest fun car, how to do what I do and how they can do it, too.

In early 2024, I decided it was time to put myself front and center and become a voice in the affiliate marketing space. Thus, Affiliate Academy was born, realizing a clear demand for this knowledge combined with a sincere passion for mentoring those new to the world.

It's been a long road since those early days in high school, but fast-forward over 25 years later, I'm still at it; only this time, I'm bringing you along for the ride.

For more reading, check out my LinkedIn profile, which details my work experience going back to the late 1990s, education, and many of my accomplishments at some of the affiliate marketing companies I've worked at or founded over the years.

On a personal side, I reside about an hour south of Boston, Massachusetts near the start of Cape Cod, though up until last year, I was splitting my time between Asheville, NC and Massachusetts. I'm married to Justine, my wife of 13+ years now, and have a 5-year old daughter, Skylar. My dogs, Snickers and Piper, also say hello.