Pearl.com

Pearl.com is the world’s largest source of professionals online, and provides people with easy access to 10,000 independent, verified professionals in 700 specialties for one-on-one answers to just about any question or concern. Whether you need a medical explanation, help with a legal question or a way to save money on your car, tech or appliance repair, Pearl.com gives customers access to “wisdom when you want it™.”

Formerly known as JustAnswer®, the company has been growing revenue an average of 123 percent year over the last five years and currently generates revenue in 196 countries and 22 currencies.  Pearl.com was founded in 2003 by serial entrepreneur Andy Kurtzig as a way for his then-pregnant and worried wife to talk with an OB/GYN about her round-the-clock health concerns in a more convenient way. Today, the company has evolved into a platform for people around the world to communicate directly with verified professionals in hundreds of categories as varied as pet behavior and tax law to antique appraisal and computer repair, anytime, from anywhere, affordably.

Recognized by the Better Business Bureau with an A+ rating and boasting relationships with brands such as Dr.Phil.com, PetMD and Car Talk, Pearl.com is now one of the largest and fastest growing providers of access to professional services online. The company has increased revenue for 33 quarters since inception and grown an average of 123% per year since 2008. The Board of Directors includes Charles Schwab, Larry Sonsini (Observer), Bob Finocchio and Sandy Robertson.

Andy Kurtzig is the founder and CEO of Pearl.com. Pearl.com is the third in a series of successful companies Kurtzig has founded. He started his first company, Anser Corp, a software company that automated calendar listings for the newspaper industry, while a student at the University of California at Berkeley. Having landed several high-profile clients, including the San Francisco Bay Guardian and The Post Newspaper Group, Kurtzig sold ANSER two years after its inception.

Later, Kurtzig founded online human resources management service eBenefits, which linked small businesses to a variety of HR management services, including health benefits, insurance plans, a payroll service, and mutual funds for 401(k)s. After seven years managing eBenefits and partnering with Fortune 500 companies such as Automatic Data Processing (ADP) and Marsh & McLennan, and after raising $8 million of venture capital financing from NEA, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, and WR Hambrecht, he sold the company to an Inc. 500 Company.

Kurtzig is also an angel investor with past successful investments including StubHub (acq'd by eBay); and iLike (acq'd by MySpace). An active philanthropist, Kurtzig and his wife Sara founded and host the annual Royal Ball to support the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Kurtzig earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration at the University of California at Berkeley.

There are three simple steps to asking a question on Pearl.com:

1. Ask your question and choose the type of professional you need (e.g. doctor or lawyer).
2. Pick a price based on desired response time and answer detail. Prices vary, but most questions average around $30. Monthly subscriptions for unlimited access to professionals are also available.
3. Receive your answer during a back-and-forth online conversation with a professional. Customers typically receive a response to their question within seven and a half minutes.