Rand Fishkin

Rand Fishkin

Cofounder & CEO at Alertmouse
Greater Seattle Area

Rand Fishkin is the cofounder and CEO of Alertmouse, Snackbar Studio, and SparkToro. He previously founded Moz, which was acquired, and cofounded Inbound.org. His expertise includes marketing and entrepreneurship.

News 7 Podcasts 1
Sydney Jackson / GeekWire

Tin Can CEO Chet Kittleson and Founders Share Key Startup Lessons at Seattle Flow Day on May 15

At Seattle Flow Startup Day, experienced founders including Tin Can CEO Chet Kittleson shared lessons from their hardships, emphasizing building passionate companies, maintaining emotional stability, hiring capable people, disciplined fundraising, questioning the need for venture capital, and considering acquisition early. Kittleson recounted surviving a disastrous network outage that nearly ended his startup, highlighting resilience and customer-driven growth.

Thomas Wilde / GeekWire

Rand Fishkin Raises $2.15M From 38 Angel Investors for Seattle-Based Snackbar Studio's Debut Game Launch in 2026

Rand Fishkin, co-founder of SparkToro, launched Snackbar Studio, an indie video game company in Seattle, raising $2.15 million from 38 angel investors to develop their first game, The Snackbar at the End of the World, planned for a 2026 PC release. The funding model uses personal networks rather than VC money, with open-source pitch and funding documents to support other indie developers.

Shift AI with Boaz Ashkenazy Guest

Chill Work as the Path to Produtivity with Sparktoro CEO Rand Fishkin

In this episode of Shift AI, Rand Fishkin, Co-founder and CEO at SparkToro, shares his experience as a successful entrepreneur and offers insightful perspectives on the current state of generative AI, the challenges faced by VC-backed businesses and the importance of prioritizing the lives of founders and team members. sparktoro.com shitaipodcast.com simplyaugmented.com Connect with Rand Fishkin ⁠Twitter⁠ ⁠LinkedIn⁠ Connect with Boaz Ashkenazy ⁠Twitter⁠ ⁠LinkedIn⁠ Email: ⁠shift@simplyaugmented.com⁠ simplyaugmented.com shiftaipodcast.com

42 min
Kurt Schlosser / GeekWire

Sarah Bird departs Moz after 14 years and seven-plus years as CEO following June acquisition by iContact (J2 Global)

Sarah Bird is leaving Moz after 14 years at the Seattle SEO software startup, including more than seven years as CEO; Moz was acquired by iContact (a J2 Global subsidiary) this past June and Bird transitioned to EVP and chief revenue officer of the Moz Group before announcing her departure. She plans to take the winter off to rest and has no firm next steps yet.

Taylor Soper / GeekWire

iContact (J2 Global subsidiary) acquires Seattle SEO firm Moz; terms undisclosed

Seattle SEO software startup Moz, founded in 2004 by Rand Fishkin and Gillian Muessig, was acquired by iContact (a J2 Global subsidiary); terms were not disclosed and Moz will keep its brand while joining J2’s email marketing portfolio. Moz, which employs 177 people, is profitable, serves clients like Alaska Airlines and Zillow, and will pair resources with iContact for combined search and email marketing solutions.

Organizations

See all 6
  • Alertmouse Cofounder & CEO 2025–present, CEO · current
  • Snackbar Studio Cofounder & CEO 2023–present · current
  • SparkToro logo
    SparkToro Executive Officer, Director, Promoter 2018–present, Cofounder & CEO 2018–present · current

Education

Online