Joey Rahimi

Some people talk about disrupting industries. Joey Rahimi just gets to work.

Born in Manhattan and raised on the energy of one of the world's most idea-dense cities, Joey brought that same restless, forward-thinking spirit with him when he arrived in Pittsburgh in 1997 to study Entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon University. It was a fitting program for someone who wouldn't wait until graduation to start building — by the time he walked across the stage in 2001, he had already co-founded his first company.

That company was Niche.com (then known as College Prowler), a platform Joey co-founded out of his CMU dorm room. Serving as Chief Marketing Officer, he helped grow it into a go-to resource for students navigating one of the biggest decisions of their lives. It was the kind of idea that only makes sense in retrospect: useful, scalable, and built by someone who understood the audience because he was the audience.

From there, Joey kept building. In 2008, he co-founded Branding Brand, where he served as Chief Information Officer and helped shape the company into a pioneering force in mobile commerce and digital marketing. Over nearly a decade, he led teams of designers, developers, marketers, and analysts — sharpening the belief that great brands aren't just created, they're engineered with data, intention, and a relentless commitment to the customer experience.

Throughout it all, Joey has been the founder of Aiken House, a venture studio he has led since 2001. Aiken House brings together a team of marketers, developers, and data scientists with one shared mission: helping startups grow. It's not a traditional agency and it's not a traditional investor — it's a hands-on growth partner that rolls up its sleeves alongside founders at the moments that matter most.

At the core of everything Joey does is a genuine obsession with growth. It's not just what he does — it's how he thinks. He is constantly testing and deploying the latest marketing tactics, tools, and AI-powered software across the full spectrum of growth channels: paid ads, SEO, SEM, email, SMS, influencer marketing, affiliate programs, and more. That curiosity spans every vertical too — whether the business is a SaaS platform, an e-commerce brand, a B2B company, or a local business, Joey brings the same relentless, data-driven energy to figuring out what moves the needle. In a landscape where AI is rewriting the rules of marketing faster than most teams can keep up, Joey stays ahead of the curve so his clients don't have to.

That hands-on philosophy extends to his work around fractional leadership. Joey is a strong advocate for the fractional model — the idea that growing companies don't always need a full-time CMO or CIO to access world-class strategic thinking. He works with businesses as a fractional marketing and brand leader, embedding himself in their teams to drive real results without the overhead of a full-time executive hire. It's a model built for the way smart startups operate today.

Over the course of his career, Joey has mentored, advised, and helped grow more than 20 startups across a wide range of industries — from REALLY.com, blinkcommerce.io, and Atlas Robotics to Responsival, Goal 5, Kickstand Cocktails, Woodside Ventures, Artie's Hot Sauce, and more. The throughline across all of them is simple: great founders deserve great growth partners, and Joey has made it his mission to be exactly that.

When he's not writing about the future of AI-driven growth or leading fractional engagements, you'll find Joey waving a Terrible Towel at a Steelers game or at home spending time with his wife and kids.

Joey Rahimi is proof that the best entrepreneurs don't just chase trends — they understand them deeply enough to help others navigate them. Pittsburgh is lucky to call him one of its own.

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