Eric Baker (businessman)
Eric Baker | |
|---|---|
| Born | Eric H. Baker Los Angeles, California, US |
| Education | Harvard College Stanford Business School |
| Known for | Founder and CEO, Viagogo Co-founder, StubHub |
Eric H. Baker is an American businessman, the founder and CEO of Viagogo, and co-founder of StubHub.
Early life
Baker was born and grew up in Los Angeles.[1][2] Baker graduated from Harvard College in 1995, and received an MBA from Stanford Business School in 2001.[3]
Career
Baker worked for McKinsey & Company for two years, and then Bain Capital, a private equity firm in Boston.[3][2]
StubHub
A year after enrolling at Stanford, Baker co-founded StubHub in 2000 with classmate Jeff Fluhr.The idea came when Baker saw a Broadway play and struggled to buy secondhand tickets. He remembered the need for a more efficient way to buy these tickets and developed the idea during a Stanford competition.[4][2] Baker and Fluhr withdrew from the competition after being chosen as finalists due to concerns that someone might take their idea.[2][1] The two began to network with potential investors in the music and sports industries. By March 2000, the company was incorporated and five months later, the duo had raised $600,000 in seed funding.[5] While Fluhr dropped out of Stanford to focus on StubHub full-time, Baker opted not to immediately join the company.[6] While he was completing his MBA, the first version of the website launched without him in October 2000.[7] He rejoined StubHub as its president in 2001.[8] However, Baker and Fluhr clashed on the direction of the company and Baker was fired from StubHub in 2004.[6]
In 2006, Baker moved to London.[6] Baker did not sign a non-compete with StubHub so was able to launch a new ticketing marketplace, Viagogo, later that year. Viagogo initially focused on Europe and launched with inaugural partners Manchester United and Chelsea Football Club.[6] Baker has been its CEO since then.[9] Baker owns Viagogo through his Delaware-based company, originally named Pugnacious Endeavors.[10]
In 2020, Viagogo completed its acquisition of StubHub out of eBay, with the combined company rebranding as StubHub and Baker as CEO.[6]
In May 2018, the UK Government's digital minister, Margot James, advised that consumers should not use Viagogo for secondary ticket sites as "they are the worst".[11][12]
In August 2018, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority took Viagogo to the High Court for breaking the law; Baker did not issue any comment or statement. The company reached a resolution with the CMA in November 2018.[13]
References
- ^ a b "Viagogo: who runs it and who owns it? | Money". The Guardian. March 24, 2017. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
- ^ a b c d "Eric Baker: Respectable face of ticket touting". Telegraph. January 12, 2008. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
- ^ a b "Eric Baker – Founder and CEO, Viagogo.com – MusicTank". Musictank.co.uk. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
- ^ Steele, Anne (November 29, 2019). "The Tale Behind StubHub's Sale: How Eric Baker Bought Back the Ticket Seller". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on December 3, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
- ^ Eng, Dinah (July 23, 2012). "StubHub: Anatomy of a game-changing idea". CNN. Fortune. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Kirsch, Noah. "The Worst Deal Ever: The Inside Story Of The Epically Bad Decision By StubHub's Cofounder To Buy His Company Back". Forbes. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
- ^ Warner, Andrew (October 29, 2009). "How Questioning Basic Assumptions Made StubHub A $310 Million Company - With Jeffrey Fluhr". Business Podcast for Startups. Mixergy. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
- ^ "Eric H. Baker: Executive Profile & Biography". Bloomberg. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
- ^ "Eric H. Baker: Executive Profile & Biography". Bloomberg. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
- ^ "Viagogo: who runs it and who owns it? | Money". The Guardian. March 24, 2017. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
- ^ "Viagogo taken to High Court by competition regulator". BBC News. August 31, 2018. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
- ^ Johnston, Chris (May 30, 2018). "Don't buy tickets from Viagogo, minister warns". BBC News. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
- ^ "Viagogo ordered to clean up ticket sales". BBC News. November 27, 2018. Retrieved December 21, 2018.