Jon

Cairo

About

Hearing my Dad question his Yellow Pages ad spend when I was 9 years old—unsure if it worked but scared to stop—planted a seed. That challenge, proving and improving marketing value and the stakes involved, hit home, even at that young age, and it stuck with me.

Today, I bring a unique mix: hands on e-com know-how, engineering and development skills, a deep, under the hood understanding of the digital marketing ecosystem, and an ability to bend advertising and technology systems to the will of the merchants I work with. I’ve driven results for the fastest growing brands in the world, helping generate hundreds of millions of dollars in incremental revenue.

About

Experience

Elevar • Charleston, SC, USA • 2021—Present

Lead Solutions Engineer

As a bridge-builder at Elevar, I collaborate closely with tech giants to engineer bleeding-edge marketing solutions. My work doesn't just push boundaries; it often sets new benchmarks, influencing approaches adopted industry-wide. From writing prototypes to presenting at conferences, I play a key role in shaping both our technology and our narrative, fuelling the rapid growth that culminated in Elevar's acquisition in April 2024.

Deliver sales engineering, solutions design, and data architecture for leading high-growth online retailers, including many notable brands like Skims, Vuori, Netflix and many more.
Engineer and manage API integrations connecting Elevar with key advertising/marketing platforms (Meta, Google, TikTok, Snapchat, Klaviyo) and numerous other data destinations.
Key contributor to R&D, driving innovations that enable merchants using Elevar to increase revenue by at least 25%! Nope. Not just a made up number, ask and i'll show you! 😉
Cultivate and manage strategic technology partnerships with the biggest players in tech.
Perform comprehensive data analytics: test vendor services, build data pipelines, conduct internal analyses, prototype new features, and develop ROI metrics to quantify and prove product value.
Act as a key educator, developing and delivering training materials (podcasts, seminars, documentation) for internal staff, agency partners, sales teams, and clients.
Technical Proficiency: Expertise across a modern toolchain including TypeScript, Google Cloud (BigQuery, Pub/Sub), AI/LLM (Gemini), testing frameworks (Vitest), data analysis platforms (Hex), and tracking tools (GTM/GTM SS/GA4/Looker etc…)

Miga • Edmonton, AB, Canada • 2016—2021

Founder

After graduation, I immersed myself in e-commerce, bootstrapping two Shopify stores that generated 7 figures in revenue. One venture grew into Canada's largest online Minoxidil retailer, and was acquired by a pharmaceutical company in early 2021. The second, operating in the sporting goods sector, was acquired by a regional retailer in late 2021. Scaling these businesses gave me insights into the power of e-commerce, the crucial role of marketing and ad tech, and the complex digital and logistical challenges merchants face. These lessons continue to shape my understanding of the e-commerce landscape and motivate the problems I'm interested in solving.

Handling everything from Shopify development and inventory procurement to performance marketing, product creation, and warehousing meant 'wearing every hat' which cultivated a unique empathy for and understanding of the online merchant experience.

Brands I've Worked With

Education

Bachelor Of Computing Science • University Of Alberta • 2012—2016

Software Engineering

Pursuing a Computing Science degree at the University of Alberta advanced my programming and software development capabilities, empowering me to build the solutions I had previously only envisioned. Critically, the program's blend of theory and practical application revealed the potential of machines to solve business problems. These insights sparked a passion for employing technology to solve real-world challenges, a fascination that continues to drive my thinking.

Skills

Sales Eng.

Dev

Data