# Michael Ortner

> Michael Ortner co-founded Capterra in 1999 and led the business software marketplace before and after its 2015 acquisition by Gartner. A Georgetown business graduate who later earned a philosophy degree from the University of London, he is now involved in education, philanthropy, investing, and writing, including b.school, the Ortner Family Foundation, Run With Saints, and The Catholic School Playbook.

- **Role:** Co-Founder and Seminar Leader at b.school; Founder of the Ortner Family Foundation
- **Organizations:** Capterra, b.school, Ortner Family Foundation, Run With Saints, Catholic School Playbook, Cana Academy, Religious Freedom Institute, Classical Learning Test, GoodSeeker, Price Waterhouse, J.P. Morgan, Digex
- **Education:** Business degree, Georgetown University, Philosophy degree, University of London
- **Known for:** Co-founded Capterra and led it through its 2015 acquisition by Gartner., Capterra was recognized by the Inc. 500 and received workplace awards under his leadership., Co-founded b.school for liberal arts and humanities graduates pursuing business careers.

## Career timeline

- **1995** — Graduated from Georgetown University; subsequently worked at Price Waterhouse and J.P. Morgan.
- **1999** — Worked at Digex and co-founded Capterra.
- **2001** — Capterra secured its first paying customer after approximately 18 months.
- **2002** — Capterra adopted pay-per-click advertising and began gaining more paying vendors.
- **2007** — Capterra appeared on the Inc. 500; Ortner and Rakesh Chilakapati debated introducing user reviews.
- **2015** — Gartner acquired Capterra.
- **2017** — Published his farewell to Capterra in September.
- **2018** — Led GoodSeeker’s seed round and joined its advisory board, according to the company announcement.
- **2019** — Spoke to the Thomas Aquinas College Business Club about liberal arts and business careers.
- **2021** — Founded b.school, according to SENT’s 2023 profile; its team page lists him as co-founder and seminar leader.
- **2025** — Discussed his foundation and coauthored book The Catholic School Playbook in an August Word on Fire interview.
- **2026** — Appeared on episode 74 of the Evangelization & Culture Podcast on May 5.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Capterra and led it through its 2015 acquisition by Gartner.
- Capterra was recognized by the Inc. 500 and received workplace awards under his leadership.
- Co-founded b.school for liberal arts and humanities graduates pursuing business careers.
- Founded the Ortner Family Foundation and Run With Saints.
- Coauthored The Catholic School Playbook.
- Led a GoodSeeker seed investment round announced in February 2018.

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — Joined Tod Worner for episode 74, How to Save Catholic Schools, on the Evangelization & Culture Podcast.
- **2025-08** — Discussed Catholic education, his foundation, family routines, and The Catholic School Playbook in a Word on Fire interview published August 12.

## Links

- Website: https://www.ortnerfamilyfoundation.org/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeortner/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/michael-ortner
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-27