# Ben Congleton

> Ben Congleton is the co-founder and CEO of Olark, a remote software company building live chat and AI chat tools. He began with a teenage web consulting and hosting business, studied at Virginia Tech and the University of Michigan, and helped grow Olark through customer revenue after initial seed funding. His public writing focuses on independent businesses, customer conversations, shared company values and learning from leadership mistakes.

- **Role:** Co-founder & CEO at Olark
- **Organizations:** Olark, Nethernet Consulting, Netherweb
- **Education:** BS, Business Information Technology, Virginia Tech, BS, Computer Science, Virginia Tech, MS, Computer Science, Virginia Tech, PhD studies; left without completing the doctorate, University of Michigan, School of Information
- **Known for:** Co-founded Olark, which reports serving more than 12,000 businesses., Helped grow Olark through customer revenue after $85,000 in initial outside capital, as discussed in a 2014 interview., Built an all-hands support practice that rotates the team through customer conversations.

## Career timeline

- **1997** — Started Nethernet Consulting with cousin Roland and a $100 family loan.
- **1998** — Invested in a first web server as the business moved into hosting.
- **2008** — Sold Netherweb in December to focus on the next venture.
- **2009** — Olark participated in Y Combinator and launched its paid live chat product.
- **2012** — Helped draft Olark’s company values with the team at its August retreat.
- **2013** — Declined pursuing acquisition; later wrote about the resulting founder disagreements.
- **2019** — Published reflections on Olark’s first decade and renewed customer conversations.
- **2026** — Continues to be identified by Olark as Chief Executive Olarker.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Olark, which reports serving more than 12,000 businesses.
- Helped grow Olark through customer revenue after $85,000 in initial outside capital, as discussed in a 2014 interview.
- Built an all-hands support practice that rotates the team through customer conversations.
- Co-created Olark’s company values with employees.

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — His public LinkedIn feed discusses attending Automate 2026 and promotes Accessibility Camp Bay Area.
- **2024-01** — Published Leadership Lessons from Biking with Kids on LinkedIn on January 14.

## Links

- Website: http://www.be-n.com/portfolio
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencongleton
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/jaminben

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/ben-congleton
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-13