Speaker Profile

Michael Heaven

Small inputs. Right moments. Disproportionate outcomes.
Co-Founder & MD, Butterfly Effect  ·  Social Chain Founding Team  ·  Mark Cuban Portfolio Operator
Based in Switzerland  ·  New York City
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Michael Heaven
Biography

50-Word Bio

Michael Heaven is Co-Founder and MD of Butterfly Effect, an award-winning creator marketing agency. He was on the founding team at Social Chain (grew to a $300M market cap), ran a Mark Cuban-backed TikTok agency, and has delivered campaigns for Uber, McDonald's, and Formula E.

150-Word Bio

Michael Heaven has spent a decade at the intersection of creator culture, commercial strategy, and technology. He joined Social Chain on the founding team and helped grow it from a Manchester startup to a $300M market cap, launching its US operation in New York. He was then headhunted to run Offbeat Media, a Mark Cuban-backed TikTok agency managing communities reaching 200M+ North American users. In 2023, he co-founded Butterfly Effect — an AI-first creator marketing agency that won Best Small Agency at the 2024 Global Agency Awards. He has delivered campaigns for Uber, Square, McDonald's, Formula E, and brands across regulated industries including nicotine and finance. Based between Switzerland and New York, Michael speaks about creator strategy, attention economics, and the honest reality of building businesses from scratch.

300-Word Bio

Michael Heaven has built his career at the intersection of creator culture, commercial strategy, and technology — joining founding teams before the market caught up, then building what came next.


He was part of the founding team at Social Chain, one of the UK's most recognised social-first creative agencies. During his seven years there, he helped grow the business from a startup to a $300M market cap and led the launch of its US operation in New York — building from zero in a market where nobody knew the name. His client work earned Drum's Social Media Agency of the Year (2015 and 2016) and Digiday's Best Use of Live Video for campaigns with Panasonic and Team GB.


He was then headhunted to run Offbeat Media, a Mark Cuban-backed agency operating TikTok and social communities reaching 200M+ North American users — one of the earliest institutional bets on creator-led distribution at scale.


In 2023, Michael co-founded Butterfly Effect, an award-winning creator marketing agency built on a thesis: AI would transform workflows, distributed teams would become superior, and creators would become the primary marketing channel. The agency won Best Small Agency at the 2024 Global Agency Awards and has delivered campaigns for Uber, Square, McDonald's, Formula E, and brands across regulated industries including nicotine and finance.


He speaks on creator strategy and influencer marketing operations, attention economics, thesis-driven company building, and the honest reality of entrepreneurship — including the parts that polished case studies leave out. Every talk is grounded in real systems, real numbers, and real decisions made under pressure. Based in Switzerland, formerly New York.

$300M
Social Chain market cap at exit
200M+
Social community reach managed (Offbeat)
150+
Specialists at Butterfly Effect
10+
Years on founding teams across 3 companies
2024
Global Agency Awards — Best Small Agency
Career Highlights
Social Chain
Founding Team & US Market Launch
2014 – 2021
Joined the founding team of the UK's most talked-about social agency. Grew company to $300M market cap. Pioneered the US launch from New York in 2016. Key clients: BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Disney, 20th Century Fox.
Offbeat Media Group
General Manager
2021 – 2023
Headhunted to run a Mark Cuban-backed TikTok and social media agency. Managed communities reaching 200M+ North American users. Implemented data-driven strategies that boosted revenue and engagement at institutional scale.
Butterfly Effect
Co-Founder & Managing Director
2023 – Present
Built an AI-first creator marketing agency on a thesis before the market arrived. 150+ specialists across distributed teams. Clients: Uber, Square, McDonald's, Formula E. Winner: 2024 Global Agency Awards — Best Small Agency.
Brands & Clients
Uber McDonald's Square Formula E BBC ITV Channel 4 Disney 20th Century Fox Panasonic
Signature Talks

Every talk is tailored to the audience. Michael speaks across five conference verticals. The full menu is below — most talks are 25–45 minutes and include Q&A or fireside formats on request.

Digital Marketing & Advertising

The Attention-to-Revenue Pipeline: Where Most Businesses Break
40 min keynote
Full-funnel marketing · attention economics · behavioural conversion · measurement
How Brands Actually Grow: The Evidence-Based Version
30 min keynote
Ehrenberg-Bass principles · 47 touchpoints · behavioural science · mental availability
Marketing Is Not a Department: Why the Best Operators Think in Systems
25–35 min keynote
Cross-disciplinary strategy · brand + sales + product integration

Creator Economy & Social Media

The Influencer Marketing Operating System: Infrastructure, Not Glamour
40 min keynote
CRM systems · rate cards · outreach workflows · scaling creator partnerships
Three Platforms, One Pattern: What a Decade of Being Early Taught Me
30 min keynote
Platform adoption curves · attention windows · organic reach decay
Building in Public: The Middle Section Nobody Talks About
25 min talk or fireside
Founder vulnerability · honest storytelling · identity transitions

General Business & Entrepreneurship

The Butterfly Effect: How Small Inputs Create Disproportionate Business Outcomes Signature
35 min keynote
Decision architecture · compounding small advantages · the Butterfly Effect as business philosophy
Building an International Business in a Local Market
30 min keynote
Market entry · international expansion · cultural adaptation · reputation from scratch
Mental Models for Operators: The Thinking Tools Nobody Teaches You
25 min talk or workshop
Decision frameworks · first-principles thinking · operating under uncertainty

Tech & Startups

Building on a Thesis: How We Built an AI-First Agency Before the AI Wave
35 min keynote
Thesis-driven founding · AI in marketing · distributed teams · building before consensus
Zero to One to Zero Again: What Repeated Reinvention Teaches You About Startups
30 min keynote or fireside
Identity transitions · founder resilience · building from scratch
The Strategist's Mind: Cross-Disciplinary Thinking as Competitive Advantage
25–35 min keynote
Mental models · brand + product + sales integration · decision-making under uncertainty

Regulated Industries (Finance, iGaming, Nicotine & NGP)

Creator Partnerships in Regulated Finance: The Compliance-First Playbook
35 min keynote
Influencer marketing in regulated sectors · compliance workflows · fintech brand growth
The Psychology of Adoption: Getting People to Change When They Don't Want To
30 min keynote or panel
Behavioural science · MINDSPACE framework · diffusion of innovation · System 1/2 psychology
Attention Without Ads: Building Brand Equity in Restricted Media Environments
25 min fireside
Organic strategy · earned media · community-driven growth · brand touchpoints beyond paid

Book Michael

Every talk is tailored to the audience. Fill in the form and Michael will respond within 48 hours.

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Direct Contact

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Based in
Switzerland  ·  Available globally