Buying live event tickets sucks.
Between the fees, resells, and poor customer service, the experience could use an overhaul.
Founder Jason Shatsky and TicketRev are aiming to do just this.
Founded in 2021, TicketRev is a marketplace that lets buyers choose their ticket prices.
Naturally, this allows teams to sell more tickets and reach more fans and fans can have a better buying experience at a price point that meets their pockets.
We sat down with Jason to discuss his entrepreneurial background, the vision behind TicketRev, and some of his overall thoughts on the future of the industry.
Check it out below.
Hello, who are you, and what is the name of your company?
My name is Jason Shatsky, and I’m the Co-Founder & CEO of TicketRev. We help sports teams increase their ticket sales and reach new fans by letting buyers choose their preferred price for tickets.
Fans can download our app at TicketRev.com.
I founded my first company as a middle and high school student – buying the latest exclusive sneaker releases and flipping them on my own website.
There I learned how marketplaces work and how to accurately predict supply and demand. This experience led to the founding of TicketRev.
What was the process of getting the company off the ground?
We initially launched our product in 2021. The original version of TicketRev was a rather scrappy design but it was enough to get off the ground and test the viability of our concept.
From there, we continued to test and iterate by collecting as much data and feedback as possible from our earliest users. Eventually, we raised our pre-seed round and launched the next version of our product, which significantly helped gain traction.
How is the company doing today and what does the future look like?
Fortunately, our company is doing well today. After raising our pre-seed round, we expanded from a consumer marketplace to also white-labeling our technology directly to sports teams. We continue to operate our app in addition to having partnerships with some of the top brands in sports.
We believe that our model is the best way to buy and sell live event tickets. We will continue to build products and iterate until all fans and teams alike are using TicketRev.
Through starting the business have you learned anything particularly helpful or advantageous?
The most important lesson I’ve learned thus far in my journey is the need to have great people around me. This includes my co-founders and our advisors and investors.
Having knowledgeable people to lean on through every step of the entrepreneurial journey – whether it be sales, operations, fundraising, etc. – is the most important thing great entrepreneurs can do.
What advice do you have for founders looking to raise capital?
First, your goal should never be solely to raise capital. Raising capital is a responsibility and liability that is meant to fund the growth of your business.
The goal should always be to build a product that your customers love, then allow capital to merely be a way to help get your product into the hands of more customers. Founders who focus too much on raising capital often get caught up in the wrong mindset.
Raising capital is isn’t easy but building relationships with investors before raising is always helpful. Most of all, founders should be able to communicate clearly and promptly what their business is, how it works, where and how they’ll use the investment funds, the terms of their raise, and what metrics the funding will help them achieve.
What are some predictions you have for the industry over the next year?
Ticketing has been notoriously difficult on fans, especially over the past few years, so I predict we’ll continue to see new entrepreneurs attempt to help improve our industry.
I’m particularly excited about the potential of facial recognition technology to enter a venue. I had a chance to try this out last year at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia and it was incredibly cool.
Are there any particular tools, software, or resources you use to be more productive?
Superhuman is my favorite productivity tool.
It helps me get through email 10x faster and keep track of all of my communication. I highly recommend making the switch.
What advice do you have for founders trying to build a team and hire talent?
The best team members have complementary skills as you but have a shared vision and desire for success. As CEO you have to continuously keep your team motivated and communicate clearly what the goals of your company should be.
Are there any books & podcasts you recommend?
I enjoyed Good Company by Arthur Blank.
I’m a bit biased because Blank is an alumnus of my school and I had the chance to meet him but it’s a great mix of his entrepreneurial journey and his journey as an NFL owner, all driven by his commitment to his core values.
Are you currently hiring and if so, where can people apply and find out more?
We’re not actively hiring but are always interested in meeting new people and potential candidates. My email is jason@ticketrev.com if you’d like to introduce yourself.
