MARKETING SERVICES, FINALIST
With three successful media companies under his belt, David Goldberg had become an adventurous entrepreneur embracing challenges to innovate industries. But when he came across family start-up SurveyMonkey, founded in 1999 by Ryan Finley, he realized the company’s potential to become a leader in an entirely new market.
Goldberg bought the company with a team of investors in 2008, moving the office to Palo Alto, Calif. As CEO of the free online survey software and questionnaire tool, he has successfully taken the company to the next level in the years since. Under his leadership, SurveyMonkey has more than doubled its revenue.
SurveyMonkey’s successful approach to the survey market stems from its start as a “freemium” business, even before the term existed. To keep SurveyMonkey on top of its industry, Goldberg has maintained the simplicity and ease of use of the interface while also continuously developing new and innovative ways for clients to gather, analyze and share data. He has expanded its user base, as well, now offering the product in 15 languages.
To foster both innovation and scalability, Goldberg has surrounded himself with like-minded individuals who have dual skill sets gleaned from being involved in start-ups and established corporations. All of SurveyMonkey’s executives have worked at both types of companies. Goldberg empowers his employees to make decisions, fostering a flexible environment that encourages trust and collaboration.
His own passion for entrepreneurship hasn’t waned with time. Goldberg speaks with entrepreneurs and/or judges local start-up competitions when traveling overseas and sits on the boards for the Initiative for Global Development and the New Schools Venture Fund.
HOW TO REACH: SurveyMonkey, www.surveymonkey.com
