Pearl's Andy Kurtzig interview with Bambi Francisco

Bambi Francisco Roizen · August 6, 2012 · Short URL: https://vator.tv/n/28d6

Why Pearl's experts give it credibility and make this service stand out

If you're an Apple fan, you know how much of a convenience it is to be able to just pick up the phone and get Apple Support. Imagine if you could pay a relatively minimal fee to ask questions about a number of topics, from legal, medical, mechanical, financial and so on. Wouldn't it be great if there were a service with tens of thousands of experts available to answer tough questions personalized for your situation?

There is such a service. It's called Pearl. The 8-1/2 year old site is basically a professional services company that gets you to experts who can answer questions. Sure you could say it's a Q&A site. But because Pearl's service qualifies everyone who answers questions and ensures that they are professionals, it has a lot more credibility than many other Q&A sites.

Recently, I caught up with Andy Kurtzig, founder and CEO of Pearl.

"We don't think of us as a Q&A site. We’re in the professional services space," said Kurtzig, after I called his company a Q&A site... It’s about talking to a lawyer, a doctor, a veterinarian.. but it’s just as much Q&A as going to the doctor’s office."

Watch the interview to hear more about how Kurtzig brings expert answers to people. Pearl answers about 10,000 questions a day and has the same number of experts.

Pearl is on a revenue-run-rate of $100 million and closed a $25 million round in the last year. In our next interview, we dig deeper into Pearl and learn more what will drive growth in Pearl this year.

(Note: Kurtzig will be one of our keynotes in our upcoming Splash SF event on September 27. Hear Kurtzig share his lessons building his company from the ground up, bootstrapping until last year, when he raised $25 million.)

(Full disclosure: Kurtzig is an investor in Vator.)

Bambi Francisco Roizen

Founder and CEO of Vator, a media and research firm for entrepreneurs and investors; Managing Director of Vator Health Fund; Co-Founder of Invent Health; Author and award-winning journalist.

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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.