Julia Hartz

Co-founder of Eventbrite, Eventbrite

Search every verified Julia Hartz interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Julia Hartz, co-founder and former CEO of Eventbrite, has discussed the company's evolution from a ticketing service to a marketplace for live experiences, which she described as "the Etsy for live experiences." She noted that Eventbrite now focuses on helping event creators market their events and discover events through the platform, calling the shift in relationship with the consumer "the biggest shift." Hartz also reflected on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, stating that the company went from "record high ticket sales to negative revenue in 14 days" and that "something we had spent 14 years building was basically evaporated in the span of two weeks." She described the early days of the pandemic as "very dark, but very definitive," with no "gray moment." Hartz has also spoken about leadership and company-building. She said she "stopped trying to make people happy and stopped worrying about if I was doing a good job or not." Regarding Eventbrite's IPO, she recalled that "everybody said don't do it," but added that the process "forced us to codify who we are and what we're building." She attributed 70% of the company's success to work ethic and focus, and 30% to luck. Hartz expressed a negative view of the current fundraising environment for founders, calling it "a terrible thing" and stating that she does not "envy founders today who have to go out and raise a bunch of money." She also said she believes technology will be "a tailwind for live experiences" but cannot replace "the feeling you get" from in-person gatherings.