Pixel Union Apps taps entrepreneur Danny Halarewich as new CEO
“I love to build things and this was an opportunity to lead a highly respected team in a space that I’m passionate about," said Halarewich, who started his new role on June 1.
Pixel Union, the digital design agency that operates as part of the WeCommerce family of companies, recently hired entrepreneur Danny Halarewich as chief executive officer for its Apps division.
Pixel Union specializes in theme design and development work and supports many major companies and creators operating on platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce and Tumblr. Notable customers have included the White House, Tesla and the LA Lakers.
Halarewich has a rich entrepreneurial history in BC’s tech scene.
More than a decade ago he founded Limewheel Creative, a web design and development agency that consulted for Fortune 500 companies like MasterCard and Yahoo.
Following this success, he launched LemonStand, an e-commerce platform that helped hundreds of small businesses launch online stores. One of those businesses was Halarewich’s own—Boondoggle Goods Co., which made socks with Volkswagen Westfalias on them.
Halarewich says Boondoggle was a creative outlet and experiment in creating physical products, as well as a way for him to channel his love “for funky socks, product design, Volkswagen Westfalia vans and ecommerce.” He ultimately sold that business.
As for LemonStand, which was considered a Shopify competitor at the time, Halarewich scaled the startup until it was acquired by MailChimp in February of 2019, raising venture capital along the way from BDC’s IT Venture Fund and various investors including Barry Lynn and Paul Rochester.
Halarewich stayed on at MailChimp as head of commerce for around 14 months, announcing mid-April 2020 that he was moving on. “The next few months, I’ll be exploring what my next professional adventure(s) might be while taking some time off with my family,” he shared on Twitter. “I’m staying curious, talking to lots of builders, and will be as helpful as possible. Feeling excited to tackle something new and BIG.”
Fast-forward a year and Halarewich, who has since moved his family to the South Okanagan, has landed his next big thing. He started at Pixel Union on June 1, 2021.
“I love to build things,” he wrote over email, “and this was an opportunity to lead a highly respected team in a space that I’m passionate about… which happens to have huge growth potential.”
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