Based in Austin, Texas, Bazaarvoice develops outsourced technology, services, analytics, and expertise to encourage and harness word of mouth marketing and bring it closer to a company’s brand and customer experience. The company is privately held with venture capital funding from Austin Ventures and six serial entrepreneurs, including the founder of Half.com and Performics.

Brett Hurt, Founder and CEO

Brett is the Founder and CEO of Bazaarvoice, where he is responsible for guiding the company’s strategy and overseeing day-to-day operations. Brett is a seasoned executive and is widely recognized throughout the online industry for turning groundbreaking ideas into leading businesses.

Brett has extensive experience in the online marketing arena, especially as it pertains to the eCommerce industry. He founded Coremetrics in February 1999 after spending 10 years developing Internet-based software. Brett helped grow Coremetrics into the leading marketing analytics solution for the eCommerce industry, servicing more than 1,000 clients today. Forrester Research eventually rated Coremetrics #1 in the industry. Prior to Coremetrics, Brett was the founder and CEO of Hurt Technology Consulting and BodyMatrix, an online retailer of sports nutrition products, which he sold. Before that, he was a consultant at Deloitte Consulting and Andersen Consulting (now Accenture). Brett has more than 15 years of Internet programming experience and has developed multiple software applications, including Internet marketing analysis solutions, eCommerce platforms, Web-based classroom management applications, virtual communities, multiplayer online games, and Bulletin Board System (BBS) software. He started programming when he was seven-years old, launched a BBS on a 110-baud modem when he was ten, and created one of the first Internet-based multiplayer games in 1990. Brett holds an M.B.A. in High-Tech Entrepreneurship from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a B.B.A. in Management Information Systems from the University of Texas at Austin.

Brett serves on the Board of Directors of Shop.org, the leading non-profit industry association for retailers online and a division of the National Retail Federation, the largest trade organization for retailers. This is his second term on the Shop.org Board, where he previously served for two years. He also serves as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Wharton School and served as a Board of Advisors member to the non-profit Web Analytics Association. Brett actively advises several early-stage technology companies. He is an inventor (US Patent #7,050,989) and a regular speaker at various industry events and universities.

Brett is one of the few, the proud – a native Austinite. Outside of Bazaarvoice, his biggest project is raising Rachel, his beautiful three-year old daughter, with Debra, his wife of eleven years. He also enjoys spending time with their sometimes insane miniature pinscher, Onyx, and reading AlwaysOn, Business Week, Wired, and almost anything written by Bruce Sterling, William Gibson, or Neal Stephenson (except for the “Baroque Cycle”… sorry, Neal).

Sam Decker, Chief Marketing Officer

Sam Decker is a recognized expert in eCommerce, word of mouth, and direct marketing. A frequent speaker at marketing and eCommerce events and author of an award-winning marketing blog (www.deckermarketing.com), Decker brings 14 years of marketing and online retailing experience to Bazaarvoice. As Chief Marketing Officer Decker is responsible for leading Bazaarvoice corporate marketing, PR and product strategy. Before joining Bazaarvoice, Decker spent seven years of leadership at Dell, Inc. in marketing, eBusiness, CRM, and customer-centricity. From 1999-2003, he led Dell’s consumer web site, building Dell.com into the largest consumer eCommerce web site at $3.5B in annual sales, and established global best practices in merchandising, analytics, product management, and operations. Sam pioneered Dell’s customer-centricity strategy and customer segmentation using Six Sigma methodology. Later he directed marketing for Dell’s $1B+ installed-based marketing division, responsible for eBusiness, marketing communications and brand management. Before Dell, Decker spent over six years leading marketing at B2C and B2B startups and is recognized as a pioneer in online community building. Prior to that, he consulted with companies such as Apple, Claris, Adobe and Borland to help them develop word-of-mouth and installed-based marketing strategies. Decker has authored two books on word of mouth and guerilla marketing, serves on the Board of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association, is President of Austin Texchange, and serves on the Board of Advisors for the Web Analytics Association. Decker holds a BS in Business Marketing Management from California Polytechnic University. Sam is originally from the California Bay Area, but the great barbecue, lakes, and friendly people make Austin his home. Away from work, Sam spends time with his top three priorities: his wife, son, and daughter. Sam aspires to one day enjoy an impressive collection of unused technology, get his money’s worth out of Netflix, tap into a growing stack of unopened business books, and share ideas on his blog once in a while for how to lead, live and market in a world where customers do the talking.

Brant Barton, Co-founder and Vice President of Client Services and Business Development

Brant is the Co-Founder and VP of Business Development of Bazaarvoice, where he leads the company’s industry partnership program, supports company expansion into new market verticals and geographies, and helps shape product strategy. Brant brings over 10 years of online and start-up experience to Bazaarvoice, and speaks frequently at eCommerce industry and partner events on the topic of Web 2.0, user-generated content, and social commerce.

Prior to Bazaarvoice, Brant served as Director of Account Services at Coremetrics, a leading provider of analytics solutions for the eCommerce industry. At Coremetrics, Brant’s team of web analysts, support engineers, and trainers serviced over 400 of the Web’s most successful and demanding brands, including The Home Depot, QVC, Victoria’s Secret, Office Depot, Williams-Sonoma, and many others, while consistently exceeding the company’s high customer retention, satisfaction, and measured ROI targets. Brant began his career at Sapient, a leading interactive services consultant, and has held founding management team positions at two technology start-up companies. Obsidiana.com, a Latin American web portal network for women, was acquired by StarMedia Network in 2001. ProcessMAP, an ASP for environmental, health and safety management solutions, is an innovator and leader in its category. Brant is a proud native of Mississippi and earned his B.S. in Management Information Systems from the University of Alabama, home of the Crimson Tide. Roll Tide!

Outside of Bazaarvoice, Brant and his wife Andrea love to hit their favorite Austin restaurants (Uchi, Fonda San Miguel, Café Josie, Mikado, and Clay Pit are their top 5!) and enjoy spending time at home with their dog Marley. Their current obsessions include Guitar Hero 3 on XBOX 360, watching the latest season of The Office, and planning for a new addition to their family, due in May 2008!

Michael Osborne, Senior Vice President of Sales

As Vice President of Sales, Michael is responsible for driving Bazaarvoice’s growth through expansion of the client base and revenue. Prior to joining Bazaarvoice, Michael served as Director of Client Services at Coremetrics where he led a large team of Account Executives and Account Analysts, responsible for over $30 million in annualized revenue. Michael and his team directly managed and grew the relationships with clients such as Bank of America, Victoria’s Secret, Columbia House, and many more. Michael’s expertise is in sales leadership, achieving growth goals, and building and motivating world-class teams of sales and service people coupled with a strong understanding of how online businesses operate. Michael previously worked as Presales and Partner Manager at Trilogy Software in Austin, TX, an enterprise-software firm specializing in solving the most complex business problems through technology solutions. Michael worked directly with Accenture and IBM Global Services to facilitate Trilogy implementations across numerous financial services clients. Before that, Michael worked with companies such as Intel and Microsoft, leveraging his BS in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. When not in the office, Michael can be found on a golf course chasing that ever-elusive 80, or in his backyard playing fetch with his Jack Russell terrier, Icarus. Michael is an avid photographer and well versed in all things technological. When friends need a recommendation on which new gadget to buy or how to install the one they just bought, Michael is usually their first call. He’s a self-proclaimed “Grill Master” and someone who just might be caught singing karaoke from time to time.