Eventbrite is a billion dollar tech business. That much we know.
Since launching in 2006 the online event ticketing company has raised over $200m in venture capital and has around 500 employees worldwide.
In 2013 alone, the company sold more than $1 billion worth of tickets and helped organize over 1 million events.
All very impressive numbers.
Hot Topics sat down with its CTO and Co-founder Renaud Visage to dig beneath the numbers and understand what it takes to build a billion dollar tech business.
Visage begins by explaining how he met his two other co-founders, the husband and wife team of Kevin and Julia Hartz and what he looks for in a co-founder.
“You look for complementary skills – can you divide everything entailed in building a startup between you and create specific areas of responsibility?”
He goes on to discuss how his role has evolved and how he has adapted as the company has grown into a billion dollar tech business.
“It’s a constant challenge. Technology changes really fast and your product doesn’t change as fast as that technology. Staying relevant whilst remaining focused on what you’ve built and improving it is a tough challenge. That’s why you hire people with specific skills to compliment you.”
Many entrepreneurs discuss a point at which the company they run grows past a point at which they feel comfortable.
In response to a question around the stage of growth at which Visage experienced the most enjoyment, he said “when you are a small team you have a lot of power and responsibility. It is really fulfilling to see that your own actions have such a direct impact on making it happen. As the company grows you put more question into what your personal value is”
To find out more of Visage’s opinions around building a billion dollar tech business, watch the video above.
