Eric Baker (businessman)
Eric H. Baker | |
|---|---|
| Born | Error: Need valid birth date: year, month, day Los Angeles, United States |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, CEO |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Known for | Founder and CEO of Viagogo, co-founder of StubHub |
Eric H. Baker (born May 1973) is an entrepreneur from the United States, recognized as the founder and CEO of Viagogo and also as a co-founder of StubHub.
Early life
Raised in Los Angeles, Baker completed his undergraduate studies at Harvard College in 1995 and later obtained an MBA from Stanford Business School in 2001.
Career
Following graduation, Baker spent two years working at McKinsey & Company before moving to Bain Capital, a private equity firm located in Boston.
In 2000, together with Stanford peer Jeff Fluhr, Baker co-established StubHub initially as part of a Stanford competition. Although Fluhr left Stanford to dedicate himself fully to StubHub, Baker postponed his full-time involvement. The platform launched in October 2000 without Baker’s participation; he returned as president in 2001. Due to disagreements with Fluhr, Baker exited the company in 2004. StubHub was subsequently acquired by eBay in 2007 for $310 million.
Baker founded Viagogo in 2006 and has held the CEO position since its founding. His ownership of Viagogo is maintained through his Delaware-registered entity Pugnacious Endeavors. In 2020, Viagogo purchased StubHub from eBay and consolidated the businesses under the StubHub brand, with Baker continuing as CEO.
Viagogo has encountered regulatory challenges: In May 2018, the UK Government's digital minister advised consumers against using Viagogo, describing it as the poorest performer among leading secondary ticket platforms. In August 2018, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) initiated legal proceedings against Viagogo for breaches of law; these issues were resolved by November 2018. By January 2019, the CMA issued a warning that Baker faced potential imprisonment due to insufficient consumer protections.