Alex Algard

His father was Swedish and his mother was Korean.Feldman, Amy (August 23, 2016){{cite web | url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/amyfeldman/2016/08/03/alex-algard-risked-everything-to-turn-his-struggling-firm-whitepages-into-a-growing-tech-company/#165b97ae73d0 | title=Alex Algard Risked Everything To Turn His Struggling Firm, Whitepages, Into A Growing Tech Company Forbes.com| website=Forbes| accessdate= Apr 26, 2017}}

Algard has a BA degree in Economics (1996) and a MS degree in Engineering (1998) from Stanford University.{{cite news |title=White Pages Founder Alex Algard Gives Up CEO Slot There To Focus On Caller ID Spinoff |first=Amy |last=Feldman |date=September 9, 2016 |work=Forbes |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/amyfeldman/2016/09/16/whitepages-founder-alex-algard-gives-up-ceo-slot-there-to-focus-on-caller-id-spinoff-hiya/#6a3c9aa1803a }}{{cite news |title=Whitepages gets new CEO as founder steps down to focus on spinout company |first=Matt |last=Day |date=September 16, 2016 |work=Seattle Times |url=http://www.seattletimes.com/business/technology/whitepages-gets-new-ceo-as-founder-steps-down-to-focus-on-spinout-company/}}

Algard founded Whitepages in 1996 after purchasing the domain name for $900. He began the business by developing an online database of public phone directory information. The website began generating revenue through advertisements, that reached $66 million a year by 2008.{{cite news |title=Founder returns to Whitepages.com |first=Brad |last=Broberg |date=September 30, 2007 |work=GeekWire |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2007/10/01/focus10.html }} Algard also created an Internet community called CarDomain Network with a high school friend in 1999.{{Cite magazine |title=Things I Can't Live Without: Alex Algard |date=2006-01-01 |magazine=Inc. |url=https://www.inc.com/magazine/20060101/life-essentials.html |last=Fried |first=John |access-date=2022-11-02}}{{short description|High tech entrepreneur and founder and CEO of Whitepages}} The site facilitated communication between niche car enthusiasts.{{Cite magazine |title=Where Car Nuts Chit Chat and Share their Photographs |date=2006-10-25 |magazine=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/25/automobiles/autospecial/where-the-car-nuts-chitchat-share-their-photos-and.html |last=Tedecshi |first=Bob |access-date=2022-11-02}}

In 2010 Whitepages' two biggest clients, Yellowpages.com and Superpages.com, cut their expenditures after Google ventured into local business searches. Subsequently, when profits plummeted, the company's investors became agitated, and Algard bought out Whitepages' investors for $80m. Algard pledged his assets, savings accounts and his family's home to the bank to raise the extra $30m in capital required for the buyout. In the spring of 2016, Algard created a new company to identify mobile phone spammers and robocalls and to ensure that important calls were not missed.{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/01/29/report-americans-got-billion-robocalls-last-year-up-percent/ |title=Report: Americans got 26.3 billion robocalls last year, up 46 percent from 2017 |date=2019-01-29 |access-date=2022-11-02 |newspaper=The Washington Post |last=Fund |first=Brian }} He named the organization Hiya. Deals with T-mobile and Samsung, as well as a Balderton Capital-led series A round followed.{{Cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/amyfeldman/2017/10/19/at-whitepages-alex-algard-bought-out-his-vcs-now-at-hiya-hes-raised-18m-to-fight-phone-spam/?sh=1f75fe4a7bfb |title=At Whitepages, Alex Algard Bought Out His VCs. Now At Hiya He's Raised $18M To Fight Phone Spam |date=2017-10-19 |access-date=2022-11-02 |website=Forbes |last=Feldman |first=Amy }}

When he was a teenager, his family moved to Vancouver, B.C.{{cite news |title=Alex Algard risked everything to turn his struggling firm Whitepages into a growing tech company |first=Amy |last=Feldman |date=August 3, 2016 |work=Forbes |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/amyfeldman/2016/08/03/alex-algard-risked-everything-to-turn-his-struggling-firm-whitepages-into-a-growing-tech-company/#20497d7573d0 }}

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.cardomain.com/ CarDomain.com Official website]
• [http://www.whitepages.com/ Whitepages.com Official website]

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Category:1975 births

Category:Living people

Category:Businesspeople from Seattle

Category:Canadian businesspeople

Category:Stanford University School of Engineering alumni

Category:Swedish businesspeople

Category:Businesspeople from Stockholm