Julia Hartz co-founded Eventbrite in 2006 with a bold vision: make ticketing accessible for anyone creating an event. Nearly two decades later, she’s still at the helm as CEO, having taken the company public in 2018 and steered it through one of the toughest crises imaginable—the pandemic, when live events disappeared overnight.

In this episode, Julia takes us behind the scenes of Eventbrite’s rise from scrappy startup to IPO, and the resilience it took to reinvent during COVID. She opens up about being co-founders with her husband, the challenges and rewards of leading as a solo CEO, and why she believes the future of gathering is brighter—and quirkier—than ever.

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Today, Sammi and Julia cover…

00:00 Julia Hartz’s Social Currency 

02:09 Julia’s Early Career in TV 

05:05 The Meet-Cute That Led to Eventbrite 

08:44 Startup Model 

25:58 Work-Life Balance? 

32:24 Unlocking Productivity by Knowing Yourself 

35:19 Transition to Solo CEO 

37:49 Taking Eventbrite Public 

43:43 Navigating the Pandemic 

47:45 The Resurgence of In-Person Events 

52:21 Trends and Quirky Subcultures in Events 

57:36 Social Currency Corner 

01:03:31 Eventbrite Challenge

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