Marco Zappacosta

Marco Zappacosta is an influential American entrepreneur, best known as the co-founder and CEO of Thumbtack, an online marketplace that connects homeowners with local service professionals. Born in 1985 in Stanford, California, Zappacosta grew up in Atherton and comes from a family with a strong entrepreneurial background; his father, Pierluigi Zappacosta, co-founded Logitech, a major player in the computer hardware industry.

Education and Early Career

Zappacosta graduated from Columbia University in 2007 with a degree in political science. During his college years, he was actively involved in advocacy work, notably serving as the director of Students for Saving Social Security, which aimed to engage students in discussions about Social Security reform. This experience sparked his interest in making a significant impact through entrepreneurship rather than traditional political avenues.12

Founding Thumbtack

In 2008, Zappacosta co-founded Thumbtack alongside Jonathan Swanson, Jeremy Tunnell, and Sander Daniels. The company was launched with the vision of creating an online platform that simplified the process of finding and hiring service providers. Initially, the team scraped data from Craigslist to build a directory of verified professionals, which attracted early investment from notable angel investors, including Jason Calacanis.123

Under Zappacosta's leadership, Thumbtack has evolved significantly, introducing features that streamline the booking process between customers and service providers. By 2021, the company had reached a valuation of $3.2 billion and became a leader in the home services marketplace, surpassing even Yelp in the number of professional listings.24

Recent Developments and Vision

Zappacosta's leadership style emphasizes the importance of values and mission alignment within his team. He is also exploring the integration of artificial intelligence to enhance Thumbtack's services and improve customer experiences. As the company considers future growth and potential public offerings, Zappacosta remains focused on long-term goals and the impact of their services on communities.25

In addition to his role at Thumbtack, Zappacosta has shared insights on the evolving nature of work, particularly the shift towards remote work, highlighting its implications for management and organizational culture.5 His journey reflects a commitment to innovation and a desire to create meaningful connections between service providers and customers.