# Brett Hurt

> Brett Alexander Hurt is an Austin-based technology entrepreneur, investor, and author. He founded Coremetrics, co-founded Bazaarvoice and led its 2012 IPO, and co-founded data.world, serving as its founding CEO before its 2025 acquisition by ServiceNow. He now leads Love Conquers Fear and co-owns Hurt Family Investments with his wife, Debra. His writing includes The Entrepreneur’s Essentials, The Lattice, and Love Conquers Fear: Humanity, AI, and the Age of Abundance for All.

- **Role:** CEO at Love Conquers Fear; co-owner of Hurt Family Investments
- **Organizations:** Love Conquers Fear, Hurt Family Investments, data.world, Bazaarvoice, Coremetrics, Hurt Technology Consulting, BodyMatrix, Deloitte Consulting, The Aspen Institute
- **Education:** BBA in Management Information Systems, The University of Texas at Austin, MBA in High-Tech Entrepreneurship, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
- **Known for:** Founded Coremetrics, acquired by IBM in 2010; public biographies put the transaction at approximately $300 million., Co-founded Bazaarvoice and led it through its February 2012 IPO., Co-founded data.world and led it before the 2025 ServiceNow acquisition; deal terms were not disclosed.

## Career timeline

- **1990** — Created the Internet-based multiplayer game Renegade Outpost.
- **1994** — Graduated from UT Austin; subsequently worked as a systems analyst at Deloitte Consulting.
- **1998** — Launched BodyMatrix with Debra while studying at Wharton.
- **1999** — Founded Coremetrics, building on analytics developed for BodyMatrix.
- **2005** — Co-founded Bazaarvoice with Brant Barton in May.
- **2010** — IBM acquired Coremetrics.
- **2012** — Led Bazaarvoice through its IPO; left the CEO role in November and joined Austin Ventures as a venture partner. Began Lucky7 in December.
- **2013–2014** — Served as entrepreneur-in-residence at UT Austin’s McCombs School of Business.
- **2015** — Co-founded data.world with Matt Laessig, Jon Loyens, and Bryon Jacob; selected as an Aspen Institute Henry Crown Fellow.
- **2016** — data.world publicly launched on July 11.
- **2019** — Completed the first free online edition of The Entrepreneur’s Essentials.
- **2022** — Published an expanded print edition of The Entrepreneur’s Essentials in May.
- **2025** — ServiceNow announced its data.world acquisition in May; the deal closed July 7. Hurt pursued Love Conquers Fear rather than joining ServiceNow. His podcast launched September 24.
- **2026** — Published Love Conquers Fear: Humanity, AI, and the Age of Abundance for All; recognized by the Austin Technology Council Hall of Fame.

## Achievements

- Founded Coremetrics, acquired by IBM in 2010; public biographies put the transaction at approximately $300 million.
- Co-founded Bazaarvoice and led it through its February 2012 IPO.
- Co-founded data.world and led it before the 2025 ServiceNow acquisition; deal terms were not disclosed.
- Selected for the Aspen Institute’s 2015 class of Henry Crown Fellows.
- Recognized by Goldman Sachs at its 2022 Builders and Innovators Summit.
- Received the Austin Business Journal Best CEO Legacy Award in 2017.
- Inducted into the Austin Technology Council Hall of Fame in 2026.
- Author of The Entrepreneur’s Essentials, available free online.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Published the LinkedIn article Love Is an Invitation, Not an Imposition on September 10.
- **2026-07** — Joined Jamie Metzl for an Aspen Institute conversation about AI and humanity’s future, moderated by Chadia El Meouchi, on July 24.
- **2026-06** — Love Conquers Fear: Humanity, AI, and the Age of Abundance for All was scheduled for June 23 and is now offered as available on his official website.
- **2026-05** — Recognized at the Austin Technology Council Hall of Fame ceremony reported May 21.

## Links

- Website: https://lucky7.io/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bretthurt/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/brettahurt
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LoveConquersFear2025

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/brett-hurt
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-25