Eventbrite Co-Founder Julia Hartz on Bootstrapping, Taking the Company Public, and Leading Through Crisis

Eventbrite co-founder and former CEO Julia Hartz reflects on nearly two decades of building and leading the event ticketing company, from its early days to going public and returning to private ownership. She discusses fundraising, crisis management, and the decisions behind major strategic shifts.

■ Early Career and Founding
- MTV/Jackass internship, FX Networks, and the 2006 founding with Kevin Hartz and Renaud Visage
- Bootstrapping with personal funds before raising an angel round

■ Fundraising and Going Public
- 27 venture rejections in fall 2008 and how results were re-pitched in 2009
- Sequoia partnership and the 2018 IPO at a $1.67B valuation

■ Crisis Leadership and CEO Transition
- Becoming CEO in 2016, acquiring a major competitor, and navigating COVID-era negative revenue
- Restructuring, customer-first decision making, and managing shareholder expectations

■ Public-to-Private and What's Next
- The roughly $500M sale, competition from platforms like Hopin, Luma, and Partiful
- Post-CEO reset, exploring AI, and thoughts on future ventures

This is suited for founders, operators, and investors interested in company building, fundraising, and leadership under uncertainty. Viewers gain perspective on marketplace strategy, crisis management, and the tradeoffs of public versus private ownership.