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Home > The Startup Story > Marco Zappacosta, co-founder and CEO of Thumbtack
Podcast: The Startup Story
Episode:

Marco Zappacosta, co-founder and CEO of Thumbtack
Category: Business
Duration: 01:05:55
Publish Date: 2020-12-22 09:30:00
Description:

About this episode

My guest this week is Marco Zappacosta. He is the co-founder and CEO of Thumbtack. Thumbtack is a local service marketplace that helps people like you and me find and hire skilled professionals. With Thumbtack, you can literally find a skilled professional for anything; I could even outsource the “honey-do” list from my wife.

What is so especially amazing about Marco and is his story is that he is a self-taught entrepreneur. He founded Thumbtack as a startup right out of college. During our conversation, Marco shares that he and his partner founded their startup in the least conventional way possible. They didn’t start Thumbtack with a known problem but founded it and then brainstormed what problem they could solve.

Though it may have been unconventional, Thumbtack has grown to some incredible heights. We discuss this success throughout the episode as well as key tactics Marco used to navigate the 7 funding rounds that brought in over 400 million dollars from iconic venture firms. Tune in as we unpack the entrepreneurial journey of Marco Zappacosta.

In this episode, you'll hear:

  • All about Marco’s childhood with immigrant entrepreneur parents.
  • Why he didn’t want to be an entrepreneur at first.
  • How pension reform became a point of interest for him.
  • How he transitioned from pension reform to Thumbtack.
  • How he and his partners founded their startup without a known problem.
  • The solutions they eventually decided to provide.
  • Which side of their potential audience they focus on.
  • Challenges and obstacles all entrepreneurs face.
  • Their challenges in the startup stages of Thumback.
  • What a winning pitch for capital looks like.
  • How critical communication has been for Marco as a leader.
  • Why he reworked the entire experience of Thumbtack.

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The Startup Story is now on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/jamesmckinney
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Marco on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcozappacosta/

Thumbtack: http://www.thumbtack.com

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EPISODE CREDITS

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Contact him today at https://emeraldcitypro.com/startupstory

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