Biography:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/rand-fishkin-sparktoro-snackbar-studio-2024.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nRand Fishkin is cofounder and CEO of SparkToro<\/a>, makers of fine audience research software, pun-filled Google Alerts alternative Alertmouse<\/a>, and indie game developer Snackbar Studio<\/a>. He’s dedicated his professional life to helping people do better marketing through his writing<\/a>, videos<\/a>, speaking<\/a>, and his book, Lost and Founder<\/a>. When Rand’s not working, he’s usually traveling with or cooking a fancy meal for the love of his life, bestselling author Geraldine DeRuiter<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nRand was previously the cofounder of Moz, and Inbound.org, and a co-author on The Art of SEO. He’s keynoted 200+ events around the world on marketing, technology, and startup topics. You can find him online (from most to least used): <\/strong>Bluesky<\/a>, LinkedIn<\/a>, Threads<\/a>,<\/strong> Instagram<\/a>, Mastodon<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, Facebook<\/a>, Slideshare<\/a>, Quora<\/a>, and Pinterest.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nBooking Rand to Speak:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nI’m currently accepting travel-required speaking invitations after: May 2026<\/strong>. For booking inquiries, please drop a line to rand@sparktoro.com<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSpeaking requirements:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- For virtual speaking events, a $1,000 donation to https:\/\/www.givedirectly.org\/<\/a> is appreciated.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- For in-person events, requirements vary based on location:\n
\n- <3 hour flight from Seattle – $6,000<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 3-6 hour flight from Seattle – $8,000<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 6+ hour flight from Seattle – $18,000<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
<\/a> A sample of Rand’s presentations & videos:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- It’s the End of Traffic As We Know It<\/a> (The Marketing Meetup 2025)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Zero-Click Marketing<\/a> (Turing Fest 2024)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The Future of Digital Marketing<\/a> (Demand 2024)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- $50M in Mistakes: What the Moz Founder Learned from Failure<\/a> (Million Stories Media)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- How to Stay Ahead of Marketing’s Big 5 Trends<\/a> (Clearscope 2024)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Building a Startup Without Burning Out: Lessons from SparkToro<\/a> (Hubspot 2023)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Meaningful with Paul Campillo: Marketing is a Product (2020)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Feel free to republish the photos below with credit back to this page.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/rand-blue-jacket-low-res.jpg\")
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Full resolution version here<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/rand-fishkin-2021-midres-1024x1024.jpg\")
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Click for full resolution version<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nProfessional Backstory:<\/strong> Rand dropped out of the University of Washington in 2000 to work full-time in web design, an endeavor that brought failure and debt. In 2003, desperate for ways to pay off the company debt, he created the SEOmoz blog, which, over the next decade, became the world\u2019s most popular community and content resource for search marketers. In 2007, the company (Moz) transitioned from consulting to software. That same year, he proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Geraldine DeRuiter, with a TV commercial that received <\/span>widespread publicity<\/span><\/a> (and, later, an awkward <\/span>appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show<\/span><\/a>). The two married in 2008 in a move Rand considers the best of his life.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\nDuring Rand’s 17 years at the company, Moz grew to 200+ employees, $50M+ in revenue, and traffic to 30M+ visitors\/year. Rand stepped down as CEO in 2014 during a rough bout with depression<\/a> and left Moz in 2018, remaining on the board of directors until 2020. <\/span>The company was sold to private equity in 2021; I wrote about the end of that journey here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIn 2018, Rand started SparkToro with Casey Henry and published, with Penguin\/Random House, Lost and Founder:<\/strong> A Painfully Honest Field Guide to the Startup World<\/a>. Rand previously co-contributed to two books: <\/span>Art of SEO<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>Inbound Marketing & SEO<\/span><\/a>. He’s\u00a0been profiled in the <\/span>Seattle Times<\/span><\/a>, featured in Puget Sound Business Journal\u2019s <\/span>40 Under 40<\/span><\/a>, named to BusinessWeek\u2019s <\/span>30 Under 30<\/span><\/a>, written about in Newsweek, <\/span>The Next Web<\/span><\/a>, the <\/span>Inc 500<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>hundreds<\/span><\/a> of other publications. He is, however, most proud of his prominent appearances in Geraldine’s books All Over the Place<\/a> and If You Can’t Take the Heat<\/a>.<\/span> Geraldine and Rand are also small investors in TinySeed Accelerator<\/a>, Seattle Ultrasonics<\/a>, TeamSportz<\/a>, Techstars Seattle<\/a> and Backstage Capital<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- Get in touch:<\/strong> email rand@sparktoro.com<\/a><\/em> (please don\u2019t use Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc. I’m not great about checking them)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Photos:<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\nFor official\/press\/event usage, feel free to take any of the following (please link back to this page in reference):<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n![\"Rand](\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/rand-wistia-videoshoot-1024x1024.jpg\")
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\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/rand-profile-c-768x1024.jpg\")
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\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/rand-profile-b.jpg\")
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\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/rand-black-sweatshirt-low-res.jpg\")
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\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/rand-profile-a-768x1024.jpg\")
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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nRand Fishkin is cofounder and CEO of SparkToro<\/a>, makers of fine audience research software, pun-filled Google Alerts alternative Alertmouse<\/a>, and indie game developer Snackbar Studio<\/a>. He’s dedicated his professional life to helping people do better marketing through his writing<\/a>, videos<\/a>, speaking<\/a>, and his book, Lost and Founder<\/a>. When Rand’s not working, he’s usually traveling with or cooking a fancy meal for the love of his life, bestselling author Geraldine DeRuiter<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rand was previously the cofounder of Moz, and Inbound.org, and a co-author on The Art of SEO. He’s keynoted 200+ events around the world on marketing, technology, and startup topics. You can find him online (from most to least used): <\/strong>Bluesky<\/a>, LinkedIn<\/a>, Threads<\/a>,<\/strong> Instagram<\/a>, Mastodon<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, Facebook<\/a>, Slideshare<\/a>, Quora<\/a>, and Pinterest.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n I’m currently accepting travel-required speaking invitations after: May 2026<\/strong>. For booking inquiries, please drop a line to rand@sparktoro.com<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking requirements:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a> A sample of Rand’s presentations & videos:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Feel free to republish the photos below with credit back to this page.<\/p>\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Full resolution version here<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n Professional Backstory:<\/strong> Rand dropped out of the University of Washington in 2000 to work full-time in web design, an endeavor that brought failure and debt. In 2003, desperate for ways to pay off the company debt, he created the SEOmoz blog, which, over the next decade, became the world\u2019s most popular community and content resource for search marketers. In 2007, the company (Moz) transitioned from consulting to software. That same year, he proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Geraldine DeRuiter, with a TV commercial that received <\/span>widespread publicity<\/span><\/a> (and, later, an awkward <\/span>appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show<\/span><\/a>). The two married in 2008 in a move Rand considers the best of his life.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n During Rand’s 17 years at the company, Moz grew to 200+ employees, $50M+ in revenue, and traffic to 30M+ visitors\/year. Rand stepped down as CEO in 2014 during a rough bout with depression<\/a> and left Moz in 2018, remaining on the board of directors until 2020. <\/span>The company was sold to private equity in 2021; I wrote about the end of that journey here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2018, Rand started SparkToro with Casey Henry and published, with Penguin\/Random House, Lost and Founder:<\/strong> A Painfully Honest Field Guide to the Startup World<\/a>. Rand previously co-contributed to two books: <\/span>Art of SEO<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>Inbound Marketing & SEO<\/span><\/a>. He’s\u00a0been profiled in the <\/span>Seattle Times<\/span><\/a>, featured in Puget Sound Business Journal\u2019s <\/span>40 Under 40<\/span><\/a>, named to BusinessWeek\u2019s <\/span>30 Under 30<\/span><\/a>, written about in Newsweek, <\/span>The Next Web<\/span><\/a>, the <\/span>Inc 500<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>hundreds<\/span><\/a> of other publications. He is, however, most proud of his prominent appearances in Geraldine’s books All Over the Place<\/a> and If You Can’t Take the Heat<\/a>.<\/span> Geraldine and Rand are also small investors in TinySeed Accelerator<\/a>, Seattle Ultrasonics<\/a>, TeamSportz<\/a>, Techstars Seattle<\/a> and Backstage Capital<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\nBooking Rand to Speak:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Click for full resolution version<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Photos:<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
For official\/press\/event usage, feel free to take any of the following (please link back to this page in reference):<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/rand-ctaconf-2-700px.jpg\")
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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"randfish-mozcon3-sml\"](\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/randfish-mozcon3-sml.jpg\")
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