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“I became really enamored not necessarily with the technology but with the people hosting the events and bringing people together. That was just the root of our mission.”
In this episode of The Entreprenista Podcast, Stephanie and Courtney sit down with Julia Hartz, co-founder and former CEO of Eventbrite, to unpack her extraordinary 20-year journey from aspiring ballerina to one of the few women to found and take a company public as CEO. Julia shares how a chance meeting with her future husband and co-founder led to the creation of Eventbrite, the lessons learned from 27 consecutive investor rejections, and how relentless curiosity, resilience, and customer obsession fueled the company's growth.
Julia opens up about navigating some of the toughest moments in entrepreneurship—including leading Eventbrite through the COVID-19 pandemic when the company's revenue effectively disappeared overnight. She discusses the mindset shifts that helped her grow as a leader, the realities of raising capital, taking a company public, and the emotional process of stepping away following Eventbrite's acquisition.
What We Talked About:
The Journey of Julia Hartz [2:17]
Building Eventbrite: Idea to Execution [15:31]
Navigating Challenges During Covid [22:08]
Leadership During Crisis [29:27]
Taking Eventbrite Public [37:45]
Life After the Sale [45:52]
Connect with Julia:
@juliahartz on Instagram
Julia Hartz on LinkedIn
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Guests
Julia Hartz
Hosts
Stephanie Cartin
Co-founder of Socialfly and Entreprenista.
Stephanie Cartin is the co-founder and CEO of Entreprenista, an all-in-one platform – which includes a private community & business membership called The Entreprenista League that's made up of over 2,000 women founders at all stages of business, a weekly newsletter received by 60,000 readers, two podcasts, in-person educational & networking events, and an award program – that women founders at all stages can turn to for everything they need to grow.
Stephanie is also the co-founder of Socialfly (acquired by Truform Media Group in 2024), Markid, and Pearl Influential Capital. She has won countless awards, including the SmartCEO Brava award, which recognizes the top women CEOs in New York, and a Stevie Award for Women-Run Workplace of the Year. She has also appeared in Bloomberg, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Refinery29, and more.
Courtney Spritzer
Co-founder of Entreprenista.
Courtney Spritzer is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, author, and community builder with a passion for creating brands and platforms that empower women to lead, grow, and thrive.
In 2012, she co-founded Socialfly, a leading social-first digital and influencer marketing agency. Over the course of a decade, she helped scale the business into an award-winning agency working with Fortune 500 brands and emerging startups, building a powerhouse team and culture along the way. In 2024, Socialfly was acquired.
In 2018, Courtney launched the Entreprenista Podcast to spotlight the stories of inspiring women founders. That passion evolved into Entreprenista Media in 2021, a media platform and community supporting women entrepreneurs at every stage of growth. She now co-leads the continued expansion of The Entreprenista League, a membership-driven community and ecosystem for founders.
As an angel investor, Courtney supports female-led and mission-driven startups aligned with her vision for a more inclusive and equitable business landscape.
She is the co-author of Like, Love, Follow: The Entreprenista’s Guide to Using Social Media to Grow Your Business (2015), a strategic guide for leveraging social platforms to drive business success.
Her work and ventures have been featured in Bloomberg, Forbes, Inc., Entrepreneur, and The New York Times. She is committed to championing visionary founders and helping build the next generation of impactful, community-driven businesses.
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