Recognition highlights the go-to-market leadership behind three AI product launches and the company's third annual Horizon user conference
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. /CitizenWire/ -- Dark Matter Technologies (Dark Matter®), an innovative leader in mortgage technology, today announced that Wes Horbatuck, senior vice president of marketing, has been named a 2026 HW Marketing Leader by HousingWire. The award recognizes marketing executives across the housing finance industry who have demonstrated measurable impact, strategic leadership and excellence in execution over the past 12 months.
Horbatuck, who was also recognized as a HousingWire Marketing Leader in 2024, has served as the architect of Dark Matter's external positioning at a pivotal moment in the company's evolution. Over the past year, he led go-to-market strategy for three major AI-driven product launches, directed the company's third annual Horizon user conference and led go-to-market execution for 15 new partner integrations through the Exchange℠ Service Network, including messaging alignment, asset development and partner coordination.
Horizon 2026, held in April in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, served as the launchpad for Ask Aiva®, a conversational AI embedded in the loan origination workflow; a Developer Platform expansion introducing model context protocol (MCP) connectivity, which enables lenders and partners to build integrations on top of the Empower® loan origination system through a published API layer; and the expansion of ElevateSM, the company's loan servicing and recapture solution. Horbatuck built the event narrative, led keynote and closing content, directed the stage experience and coordinated across product, engineering and executive leadership to position Dark Matter as an AI-first mortgage technology company with tangible solutions for the market.
Beyond the conference, Horbatuck built Dark Matter's LinkedIn presence from the ground up, generating more than 67,000 impressions and over 3,700 new organic followers in under 90 days with no paid media spend. He also created and hosts the Spotlight podcast, extending Dark Matter's voice directly to industry practitioners.
"People are kind enough to give me credit for being an ideas guy, but the truth is that ideas are the easy part. The hard part is turning them into reality," said Horbatuck. "I have the privilege of working with people who execute at an incredibly high level and aren't afraid to tell me when an idea needs work. Lyndsey Hearn, our director of growth marketing, Brenna Paquette, our creative director, and Tina Kisner, our events manager, are three of those people. I couldn't do this without them."
"HousingWire's Marketing Leaders represent the professionals shaping how housing companies connect, compete and grow in a constantly evolving market," said HousingWire CEO Clayton Collins. "We're proud to recognize the marketers driving meaningful impact across housing."
For a complete list of the 70 winners for this year, visit the HousingWire website.
ABOUT DARK MATTER TECHNOLOGIES:
Operating with the nimble nature of a startup and the disciplined maturity of one of the industry's leading providers, Dark Matter Technologies delivers powerful technology with unparalleled automation and relentless innovation to leading mortgage lenders, servicers and companies nationwide. For more information, visit https://www.dmatter.com.
Learn More: https://www.dmatter.com
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