The UXM
United States
John is the co-founder and CEO of The UXM global marketplace and community monetization platform. He is an entrepreneur, e-commerce and digital business pioneer, technologist, marketing specialist, songwriter, musician, and writer. He has over 20 years of successful experience in digital and e-commerce helping companies grow by applying innovative product development, marketing, and advertising utilizing techniques forged-in-fire and refined over time.
Business & Technology
Startup successes. As a startup CEO, John built an e-commerce company that generated over 100,000 paying customers in less than one year. He was a key manager and early employee for a direct-to-consumer startup that grew from 0 to over $400 million. John was also the founder and CEO of an international consumer products startup that established new brands and operations simultaneously in three countries - Hong Kong, Japan, and mainland China.
He has started or helped early-stage companies in e-commerce, entertainment & media, authentication technology, adTech, marTech, blockchain, cryptocurrency creation, electronic publishing, consumer products, direct marketing, and business technology. Successfully helped startups quickly achieve impressive milestones such as successfully introducing the world’s first digital music magazine, launching new consumer products and brands simultaneously in China and Japan, and turning a US-based e-commerce company into a multi-million dollar business in less than one year.
John was born in the USA and has launched and managed businesses in the US, mainland China, Hong Kong, and Japan. He has lived in the US, Hong Kong, and Beijing.
Music & Media
John Leper is an American songwriter, musician, technologist, and entrepreneur. He was a member of The Majik. He also recorded as Sonic High Priest and is half of the Leper and Rankin songwriting team with Rich Rankin.
The Majik featured Art Devlin (vocals and keyboards), Rich Rankin (lead and rhythm guitars), Hoppy Riddle (bass guitar), and John Leper (drums). The group was based out of the South New Jersey area circa 1980 and was compared to such bands as The Cars and Talking Heads. Two albums were recorded by this four-piece band. The first album just called the 'White Album' was written in a traditional 'classic rock' style while the second album including their single 'I Don't Need You To Tell Me So' was written in a 'new wave' or alternative style. The second album known as the 'Black Album' was recorded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in a 'live' or no overdubbing style session that lasted two days. Thirteen songs were recorded but only ten made it to the final pressing.
Leper and Rankin recorded a collection of rock-techno-alternative-dance tracks in the 90s collectively called the “The Nighttime Chronicles”. The collection included “You”, “Raving Mad”, “In The Nighttime”, and “World Inside You”. Leper and Rankin have collaborated on a number of music and non-music projects, including a comic strip series about a young boy who is the kid next door by day and a cyber world superhero by night.
John recorded a techno-trance dance soundscape titled “A Touch of Brimstone” under the moniker Sonic High Priest in the 90s.
In the mid-90s John created and published “Listen To The Music” one of the world’s first 100% digital music magazines. The digital publication was among the first to fully respect the intellectual property rights of artists and the music industry even before official rights management technology was readily available.
As an entrepreneur, John has delved into ventures in technology, marketplaces, e-commerce, and new business models.