Ross Buhrdorf: A Serial Entrepreneur
In 2017, Buhrdorf co-founded ZenBusiness to help small businesses get off the ground and a particular aim to serve aspiring entrepreneurs from underrepresented backgrounds. ZenBusiness is now a global company with a fast-growing customer base.
Through ZenBusiness, and his success at launching prior successful business ventures including HomeAway (sold to Expedia in 2015), Buhrdorf has deep insights into entrepreneurs’ aspirations, fears, and dreams. He recently commissioned the Entrepreneurs Empowerment Study, an empirical study of more than 2,000 aspiring and newfound entrepreneurs, the first and most extensive of its kind, to uncover the fears and myths that would-be entrepreneurs face as they start a business.
Buhrdorf was named Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young in 2023. He is a member of the Santa Fe Institute, a pioneering research institute that attempts to answer humanity’s biggest questions. An active mentor and angel investor in the technology community, Buhrdorf is a …