Stephen Messer (born May 12, 1971) is an American Internet entrepreneur, inventor and investor who has founded several global businesses, most notably LinkShare (sold in 2005 for $425 million) and Collective[i]. Messer served as LinkShare's CEO and chairman of the board, helping to create the sector of online marketing commonly referred to as affiliate marketing. Under his leadership, LinkShare expanded its network of websites to become one of the largest of its kind with its global reach extending from the United States to Japan, Canada and Europe. Messer was a board member of both LinkShare and LinkShare Japan until 2006.