Today's entrepreneur: Andy Kurtzig

Katie Gatto · January 6, 2011 · Short URL: https://vator.tv/n/159b

No. 1 mistake: Aggressively publicizing (PR) their business before the business is ready to deliver

Entrepreneurs, and those who work at startups, are a special part of the workforce.

They embrace innovation and disruption.They live on the edge, and, at times, chase the latest shiny object. But their willingness to fail and try something new often enable them to make a big difference.

The Vator community is made up of these unique people. To that end, we've changed our user profiles to allow entrepreneurs to express their interests and lessons about entrepreneurship.

These profiles will allow us to highlight an entrepreneur every day.

Today's entrepreneur is Andy Kurtzig.

I am: an Entrepreneur

Name companies you've founded or co-founded:

ANSER Corp, eBenefits, JustAnswer

Name companies you've invested in:

StubHub (acq'd by eBay), Viagogo, iLike (acq'd by MySpace), ClearContext, Vator, etc...

If you are an entrepreneur, why?

I want to change the world.

List your favorite startups:

Viagogo, ClearContext & Vator!

What's most frustrating and rewarding about entrepreneurship/innovation?

Doing everything. It's one of my favorite parts (I get to be involved in lots of things and learn a broad set of skills) and my least favorite (I can't always do my favorite things and/or the things I'm best at.)

What's the No. 1 mistake entrepreneur's make?

Aggressively publicizing (PR) their business before the business is ready to deliver.

What are the top three lessons you've learned as an entrepreneur?

1. Focus (mostly on the customer)
2. Execution
3. Recruiting/Management

Katie Gatto

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Related Companies, Investors, and Entrepreneurs

iLike

Startup/Business

Joined Vator on February 26, 2008

iLike is the Web's leading social music discovery service and the dominant music application on Facebook Platform®, Bebo, and Hi5. With over 20 million registered users, iLike helps consumers discover and share playlists, new music, and concerts that match their tastes. The iLike Sidebar for iTunes recommends new music, creates automatic playlists, and connects people through music. iLike's Artist Service Platform is a suite of services to help artists build viral fan communities. By leveraging iLike's "Artist-Fan Graph," a vast database of connections between consumers and their favorite artists, iLike's Artist Services Platform transforms the way artists cultivate and communicate with their fanbases on iLike and Facebook. iLike is privately funded by Ticketmaster (IAC), Khosla Ventures, Bob Pittman, and other private investors. Based in Seattle, WA, the company also operates indie music community GarageBand.com.

viagogo

Startup/Business

Joined Vator on April 30, 2008

viagogo is an online ticket exchange that allows people to buy and sell live event tickets in a safe and guaranteed way.

viagogo's mission is to bring efficiency and transparency to what has traditionally been a murky market place, thus allowing consumers to buy and sell tickets in a safe and guaranteed way.

At viagogo, every transaction is guaranteed. To support this, we offer full ticket tracking, managed logistics and live customer service support.

* Buyers: Once you purchase a ticket or win an auction and receive a confirmation email from us, viagogo makes sure that you receive your ticket on time for the event. If a problem arises and you do not receive your ticket, viagogo will provide similar or better tickets at the same cost.
* Sellers: We collect the money once the purchase occurs so we can make sure that you get paid.

viagogo takes security very seriously - all transactions are safe and secure. We use the most up-to-date SSL encryption technology to protect your personal and transaction information.

Pearl.com

Startup/Business

Joined Vator on January 26, 2010

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.

ClearContext Corporation

Startup/Business

Joined Vator on April 17, 2008

ClearContext helps people who are overwhelmed with information. The company's first product is an add-in for Microsoft Outlook that helps identify, manage, and organize the information that flows through email. ClearContext analyzes contacts and messages to prioritize incoming email and automatically organize it for users. Additionally, ClearContext pulls together and displays all the related information about a project in a single view - emails, contacts, appointments, tasks, etc. ClearContext enables users to quickly process through hundreds or thousands of incoming messages and focus on their important projects, while also organizing information for quick and easy future access.