We believe creators belong at the center of the product purchasing journey.

Our technology empowers creators to recommend products they love and offers consumers a seamless shopping experience that integrates with existing brand operations.

Our Story

Wayward was born out of a simple idea - product discovery and the purchase journey are broken.

We began deeply exploring this problem in 2022 and realized that common modes of shopping lack the trust that shoppers need to make purchase decisions. That’s why we’ve dedicated ourselves to developing technology that celebrates creators by giving them a platform to recommend products that they genuinely love.

Previous solutions like today’s antiquated affiliate shopping model have simply thrown shoppers over the wall to brands in a way that feels disjointed, high friction, and leaves behind the trusted creator that drove the initial interest and purchase intent for the user.

We’ve created a shopping experience that helps users find and purchase products they love, through creators that they trust, that plugs into how brands already operate today.

Wayward is an Artica company.

Artica is building the next generation of commerce and content products - for brands, creators, and consumers alike.

Our leadership team

We're on a mission to change how brands, creators, and consumers do commerce.

Michael Rowell

CEO & Co-Founder

As the visionary behind Wayward, Michael has a track record of founding successful companies, including Efinancial and Assurance. His leadership led to the stealthy bootstrapping of Assurance to a $2.35B acquisition in less than 4 years. Michael is committed to innovation that enhances products and eliminates waste.

David Fagnan

Chief Analytics Officer

David leads our team of data scientists who are leveraging data in new ways to provide better experiences for consumers and entrepreneurs. Prior to Wayward, David lead a team of data scientists at Zillow responsible for modernizing Zestimate, deep-learning and personalization.

Ali Decker

Head of Corporate Development

Ali's team is responsible for building strategic partnerships with brands and creators, as well as implementing key initiatives across Artica. Prior to Wayward, Ali was VP of Investment Banking at FT Partners where she executed M&A transactions worth $30B+. She also spent several years at GE Capital.

Kristen Gee

Chief of Staff

Kristen (or KG) plays a critical role in managing and communicating company priorities. With previous experience as Chief of Staff at T-Mobile, she brings expertise in leading business planning, employee communications, and executive support for large business units.

Marcus Heijer

Product

Marcus is laser-focused on reimagining the consumer and brand experiences across the entire purchase journey, from product development to launch. Prior to joining Wayward, Marcus worked as a program manager on the Azure UX team, where he was instrumental in driving improvements to the Azure Portal.

Etan Shapiro

Head of Design

Etan leads design at Wayward. Prior he was the founding designer leading product design and marketing design at Assurance (acquired for $2.35B). He’s designed digital products across domains including: e-commerce, publishing, SaaS, ad-tech, finance, and marketplaces for startups to Fortune 500 companies.

Jake Coburn

Director of Brand Growth

Jake leads the Brand Growth team, focused on cultivating Wayward’s strategic partnerships with Brands and enhancing the product to better serve their needs. Prior to joining Wayward, Jake played a pivotal role in driving demand growth for prominent global marketplaces across various sectors, including impact.com, Assurance IQ, and Rover.com.