Joshua Dziabiak

{{Short description|American entrepreneur and business executive}}

{{infobox person

| name = Joshua Dziabiak

| image = Joshua Dziabiak picture.png

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1987}}

| birth_place = Freedom, Pennsylvania, United States

| citizenship =

| education =

| alma_mater =

| occupation = Businessman, Founder

| organization =

| known_for =
The Zebra
ShowClix
Gawq

| spouse =

| website =

}}

Joshua Dziabiak (born 1987) is an American entrepreneur and business executive. He is the Founder of Gawq, ShowClix, MediaCatch and Co-Founder of The Zebra.

Joshua started his first company MediaCatch at the age of 14 and sold the company three years later, making him a millionaire before the age of 18. Joshua served as The Zebra's Chief Operating Officer and Chief Marketing Officer from 2012 to 2020, when he stepped down and started Gawq. He remains on The Zebra's Board of Directors.{{cite news|last1=Chowdhury|first1=Rishi|date=September 11, 2010|title=Millionaire by the Age of 18 – Josh Dziabiak Founder of ShowClix|publisher=YHP Online|url=http://yhponline.com/2010/09/11/josh-dziabiak-founder-of-showclix/|access-date=April 7, 2015}}{{cite news|last1=Smith|first1=Jacquelyn|date=April 14, 2014|title=Startup Founder: Always Listen to Your Gut in These 2 Situations|work=Business Insider|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/startup-founder-when-to-listen-to-your-gut-2014-4|access-date=April 7, 2015}}{{cite web|title=ShowClix CEO departing for Austin to join Insurance Zebra|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/print-edition/2013/01/04/showclix-ceo-departing-for-austin.html|access-date=February 6, 2020}} He is a "mentor" with AlphaLab, a seed-accelerator program for startup companies.{{cite news|title=Mentors – AlphaLab|publisher=AlphaLab official website|url=http://alphalab.org/mentor/josh-dziabiak/|access-date=April 7, 2015}}{{cite news|last1=Perez|first1=Sarah|date=27 January 2016|title=The Zebra, A "Kayak For Auto Insurance," Grabs $17 Million To Better Educate Drivers About Rates & Coverage|publisher=Tech Crunch|url=https://techcrunch.com/2016/01/27/the-zebra-a-kayak-for-auto-insurance-grabs-17-million-to-better-educate-drivers-about-rates-coverage/|accessdate=14 March 2016}}

Early life and education

Dziabiak was born in Freedom, Pennsylvania, in 1987.{{cite news|title=Josh Dziabiak and Lynsie Camuso: Showclix|url=http://newventurist.com/2011/06/josh-dziabiak-and-lynsie-camuso-showclix/|access-date= April 7, 2015|publisher=New Venturist|date= June 21, 2011}} He lived on a 20-acre farm from where his parents ran their own septic-cleaning business.

The family purchased a computer when Dziabiak was 12 years old and he begged them to get Internet access after one of his friends asked him if he had a website.

He left school in the ninth grade during the height of his first business venture, turning to home schooling where he taught himself using CD ROMs.

He eventually moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, after selling his first company before the age of 18.

Career

Dziabiak began his entrepreneurial career at the age of 14.{{cite news|last1=Sandel|first1=Adam|date=May 31, 2014|title=Joshua Dziabiak: To Be Young, Gifted, and Gay|work=The Advocate|url=http://www.advocate.com/business/2014/05/31/joshua-dziabiak-be-young-gifted-and-gay|access-date=April 7, 2015}}{{Cite web |title=The Story of Joshua Dziabiak: Founder of Media Catch :: millennialentrepreneurs.com |url=https://millennialentrepreneurs.com/the-story-of-joshua-dziabiak-founder-of-media-catch/ |access-date=2023-10-03 |language=en-US}} He used a dial-up connection to surf the Internet and designed his own personal website. This was during the time that most companies did not have an Internet presence, and Dziabiak began designing websites for local businesses. Dziabiak charged a couple hundred dollars for each design, also selling the businesses hosting services. He turned his venture into a company, Media Catch, with 14 full-time employees before he turned 16 years old. He sold the company the following year to a Canadian executive, making Dziabiak a millionaire prior to turning 18 years of age.{{cite news|last1=Chowdhury|first1=Rishi|date=September 11, 2010|title=Millionaire by the Age of 18 – Josh Dziabiak Founder of ShowClix|publisher=YHP Online|url=http://yhponline.com/2010/09/11/josh-dziabiak-founder-of-showclix/|access-date=April 7, 2015}}

Dziabiak used the proceeds from the sale of Media Catch to launch Next In Line Records, an online record label.{{cite news|last1=Todd|first1=Deborah M.|title=Pittsburgh-Based Showclix Allows Ticket Purchases from Smartphones|url=http://www.post-gazette.com/business/businessnews/2011/09/20/Pittsburgh-based-Showclix-allows-ticket-purchases-from-smartphones/stories/201109200261|access-date= April 7, 2015| work = Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date= September 20, 2011}} His plan was to distribute music online, but the company did not work out. Dziabiak had a roster of recording artists that played small- and medium-size venues. He noticed how costly it was for these artists to manage ticket sales for these venues without paying expensive fees to Ticketmaster.

In 2006, he launched ShowClix, a company that helped artists and event organizers with online ticket sales, on-site event operations and promotions, as well as box-office management.{{cite news|title=How to Make $1 Million Before You Graduate|url=https://www.forbes.com/2011/03/11/how-to-make-a-million-before-you-graduate-entrepreneurs.html|access-date= April 7, 2015| work = Forbes |date= March 11, 2011}} Dziabiak was the company's chief executive officer, growing it to 60 employees and $100 million in annual sales in seven years. The company was recognized as one of the “Best Places to Work in Pittsburgh” by the Pittsburgh Business Times.{{cite news|title=Here Are Best Places to Work (Small Companies) Winners|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/slideshow/2013/10/29/here-are-best-places-to-work-small.html|access-date= April 7, 2015| work = Pittsburgh Business Times |date= October 29, 2013}}

Dziabiak stepped down as ShowClix's Chief Executive Officer in 2013 to join as Co-founder of The Zebra.{{cite news|last1=Spencer|first1=Malia|date=January 4, 2013|title=ShowClix CEO Department for Austin to Join Insurance Zebra|work=Pittsburgh Business Times|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/print-edition/2013/01/04/showclix-ceo-departing-for-austin.html?page=all|access-date=April 7, 2015}} The company initially offered quotes from 33 different insurers (approximately 90 percent of the market), requiring only a zip code and vehicle information to obtain a quote.{{cite news|last1=Perez|first1=Sarah|date=September 5, 2013|title=Insurance Zebra Launches A Kayak For Auto Insurance|publisher=TechCrunch|url=https://techcrunch.com/2013/09/05/insurance-zebra-launches-a-kayak-for-auto-insurance/|access-date=April 7, 2015}} After co-founding The Zebra and serving 8 years as its Chief Operating Officer and Chief Marketing Officer, Joshua stepped-down to start Gawq in March of 2020.{{Cite web|title=Gawq wants to burst your 'echo chamber' with its smarter news app|url=https://techcrunch.com/2020/12/17/gawq-wants-to-burst-your-echo-chamber-with-its-smarter-news-app/|access-date=2020-12-30|website=TechCrunch|date=December 17, 2020 |language=en-US}}

=Awards and recognition=

Dziabiak was named to Inc. magazine's 30 Under 30 list in 2010.{{cite news|last1=Joyner|first1=April|title=Joshua Dziabiak, Founder of ShowClix|url=http://www.inc.com/30under30/2010/profile-joshua-dziabiak-showclix.html|access-date= April 7, 2015| work = Inc. |date= July 19, 2010}} The following year he was the recipient of the Pennsylvania Future Business Leaders of America Award.{{cite web|title=Pennsylvania Future Business Leaders of America|url=http://www.pafbla.org/recawd/BPOY/main.php|website=PAFBLA.org|access-date= April 7, 2015}}
In 2011, he was listed as one of 30 Internet Millionaires under the age of 30,{{cite news|title=Young Rich List – 30 Under 30 Internet Millionaires|url=http://www.incomediary.com/top-young-entrepreneurs|access-date= April 7, 2015|publisher=Income Diary}} as well as being featured as part of CNN's Small Business Success video series.{{cite web|title=CNN Visits ShowClix|url=https://blog.showclix.com/cnn-visits-showclix/|website=ShowClix official website|access-date= April 7, 2015}}{{cite news|last1=Spencer|first1=Malia|title=ShowClix Headed Downtown|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/blog/innovation/2011/08/showclix-headed-downtown.html|access-date= April 7, 2015| work = Pittsburgh Business Times |date= August 10, 2011}}
He also made Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2017.{{cite news |title=Six Austin Entrepreneurs Make the 2017 Forbes 30 Under 30 List |url=http://www.siliconhillsnews.com/2017/01/05/six-austin-entrepreneurs-make-the-2017-forbes-30-under-30-list/ |accessdate=7 July 2018 |publisher=Silicon Hills |date=5 January 2017}}{{Cite web |date=4 January 2023 |title=The Zebra Co-Founders Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 2017 List |url=https://www.thezebra.com/about/press/zebra-co-founders-named-forbes-30-under-30-2017-list/ |website=The Zebra}}