Referna names founder Yaniv Nizan CEO

Referna has appointed founder Yaniv Nizan as chief executive officer as the referral network for independent professionals expands after its June launch. The move formalizes leadership around a business built to make trusted referrals more systematic for solo experts and small firms.

Why it matters: - Referna is trying to turn informal referrals into a repeatable growth channel for independent professionals. - The CEO appointment gives the company a clearer leadership structure as it scales. - The company has already shown invitation-led growth and category expansion since launch.

What happened: - Referna named founder Yaniv Nizan its chief executive officer on September 29, 2026. - The announcement came from Newark, Delaware. - The company said the move formalizes Nizan’s leadership as Referna builds referral infrastructure for independent experts. - Referna launched in June. - The company is currently forming new professional cohorts, with applications open at Referna.

The details: - Before Referna, Nizan built three networks: IntentClick at Kontera, SOOMLA’s payer-data network, and SOOMLA’s ad-creative network. - IntentClick reached $4 million in annual recurring revenue at Kontera. - As CEO and co-founder of SOOMLA, Nizan led the company through its acquisition by ironSource, now part of Unity. - Referna matches members into small circles of non-competing peers who serve the same client base and meet regularly. - Those members refer business to one another. - Referna says the platform has expanded across multiple professional categories. - Referna was accepted into the Google for Startups Cloud Program to support technical growth. - Referna is built by InTouch123, Inc.

Between the lines: - The appointment signals that Referna is leaning on Nizan’s track record in network-building as a core part of its go-to-market story. - The business model focuses on structure and repeatability, not just introducing people casually. - Acceptance into Google’s startup program suggests the company is also investing in product and infrastructure, not only sales. - Nizan said building networks has been a recurring theme across his career and that Referna is meant to make the right introductions happen consistently instead of leaving them to chance.

What's next: - Referna is continuing to recruit members into new cohorts. - The company is likely to keep using invitation-led growth as it expands. - Technical development may accelerate under support from the Google for Startups Cloud Program.

The bottom line: - Referna is formalizing leadership around a founder with a long history of building network-driven businesses, and it is betting that structured referrals can become a scalable product for independent professionals.