Seth Kravitz / home

I've been building companies for twenty years. Some of them worked. A couple got acquired. One almost killed me.

Along the way, I've done almost every job. Coded the first version, ran the ad campaigns, managed the warehouse, hired the team, fired the team, made payroll when there wasn't enough to make payroll. I've been the founder, the CEO, the interim CEO for someone else's company, and the advisor who gets the call at 11pm when things are falling apart.

I don't have all the answers. But I've been in enough rooms to know which questions actually matter.

If it helps to know the specifics: I co-founded at 21, bootstrapped it to #24 on the Inc. 500, and sold it to Bankrate. Built and sold DebtHelp.com in under two years. Ran as CEO for seven years, grew it into a 7-figure subscription business serving photographers in 149 countries. Co-founded , which became the largest startup showcase in the Midwest before it was acquired. Now I'm building and advising a handful of companies I believe in.

Crain's 40 Under 40. Tech 25. Chicago Innovation Award. A bunch of other stuff that looks good on a wall.

But none of that is why people actually call me.

"Everything's on fire."

I've had the 3am panic. The "how do I make payroll on Friday" conversation with myself. The moment where everything feels like it's collapsing at once. When founders call me in that state, I'm not giving them a framework. I'm helping them breathe, separate the real problems from the noise, and figure out the next single step. Sometimes that's all you need.

"I need someone who's actually done this."

There's a specific frustration when you're getting advice from people who've only ever advised. I've had the bank account hit zero. I've been in the room when the acquirer changes the terms at the last minute. I've rebuilt a company after my personal life exploded. I'm not smarter than anyone. I've just been through enough that very little surprises me anymore.

"What do you think about [new thing]?"

People keep asking me about AI, automation, new platforms, emerging tech. I've been playing with machine learning since 2014, using the since 2021, building my own tools to automate the tedious parts of running a business. I'm not a futurist in the "making predictions on stage" sense. I just pay attention early and I'm usually happy to share what I'm seeing.

"I don't know who to ask."

Half the value I provide is "I know someone." Twenty years of building companies, running Technori, and advising across industries means I've met a lot of people who are very good at very specific things. Sometimes the best thing I can do is make an introduction and get out of the way.

"I can't see it clearly anymore."

When you're inside a problem, everything looks the same size. The existential threat and the minor annoyance both feel urgent. I've sat across from hundreds of founders at this point, and I'm usually able to help them see which thing is actually the thing. Not because I'm smarter. Just because I'm outside it.

Companies I've advised:

If any of this resonated, I'd like to hear from you.

I work with a small number of founders and companies at a time. No formal process. No pitch deck required. Just tell me what you're working on and we'll see if I can help.