Mike Doernberg: From ReverbNation to PlayMetrics, Spinoffs, PE, and a Lifetime of Building in the Triangle

In Part 2 of this two-part deep dive, Triangle Tweener Talks host Scot Wingo sits down with legendary Triangle founder Mike Doernberg to explore his journey on scaling multiple companies, spinning out new ventures, navigating private equity, and why he never left North Carolina.

Tune in to hear:

• How ReverbNation grew from a side project into a 6M-artist platform
• The spin-out journey behind Adwerx, and why it worked
• Mike’s framework for identifying spinoff opportunities inside existing companies
• Why the team is the company, and why incubated teams can struggle
• The origins of PlayMetrics and the youth-sports system-of-record vision
• How Mike navigates private equity without losing culture or control
• What PE adds that venture capital often can’t
• What it’s like to scale from 25 people to 450+
• Mike’s long view on the Triangle startup ecosystem, then vs. now
• Why he never moved to the Bay Area
• Whether a Mike-led venture studio might be next 👀

Where to Find Mike Doernberg:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeldoernberg/
PlayMetrics: https://home.playmetrics.com/

Where to Find Scot Wingo:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thescotwingo/
• Tweener Times: https://www.tweenertimes.com/
• X: https://x.com/scotwingo

In this episode:
00:05 — Welcome to Part 2 with Mike Doernberg
00:12 — Coming back from “Home Depot retirement”
00:18 — The origin and explosive growth of ReverbNation
00:27 — Solving the cold-start problem before it had a name
00:33 — Building Promote.it → the foundation for Adwerx
00:42 — Spinning out Adwerx and structuring the deal
00:52 — Should Mike run a venture studio? Scott pushes him
01:00 — Why incubating ideas is easier than incubating founders
01:10 — The spinout challenge: talent dilution
01:15 — The path to PlayMetrics and modernizing youth sports
01:27 — Selling Reverb to focus fully on PlayMetrics
01:38 — Navigating private equity the right way
01:47 — How PE can empower (not suffocate) founders
01:55 — Running a 450-person org and learning a new leadership mode
02:03 — Why Mike stayed in the Triangle — and how the ecosystem evolved
02:16 — Triangle vs. Bay Area: culture, risk, and quality of life
02:30 — Final reflections & Scott’s challenge on a future venture studio
02:38 — Outro & sponsor thank-yous

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This episode of Triangle Tweener Talks is hosted by Scot Wingo, presented and produced by Triangle Tweener Fund, with creative assets and design support from Walk West.

We couldn’t share posts like this without our amazing sponsors:

Gold Sponsors:

• Balentine: https://www.balentine.com/triangle-entrepreneurs
• EisnerAmpner: https://www.eisneramper.com
• Robinson Bradshaw: https://www.robinsonbradshaw.com

Silver Sponsors:

• Automated Consulting Group: https://automated.co
• Bank of America: https://business.bofa.com/en-us/content/technology-industry-group.html

2025 Sponsors:

• Extensis HR: http://www.extensishr.com/

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Triangle Tweener Talks is sponsored by:

• Atomic Object: https://atomicobject.com/