SparkToro
sparktoro.com
Audience research tool that shows what any audience reads, watches, follows and talks about.
RF
Rand Fishkin
Co-founder of SparkToro and Moz; author of Lost and Founder; runs Snackbar Studio
Rand Fishkin at a glance
- Known for
- Co-founder of SparkToro · Co-founder and former CEO of Moz · Author of Lost and Founder
- Nationality
- American
- Education
- Attended the University of Washington; left in 2000 to work in web design
- Partner
- Geraldine DeRuiter (author; lead writer at Snackbar Studio)
- Working on
- CEO of SparkToro, Snackbar Studio and AlertMouse
- Based in
- Seattle, United States
- Indie since
- 2003
- Active products
- SparkToro, AlertMouse and Snackbar Studio
Facts checked 2026-10-29
About Rand Fishkin
Rand Fishkin is an American entrepreneur and marketer best known as the co-founder of SparkToro, an audience research tool, and earlier as the co-founder and longtime CEO of Moz, the SEO software company. He is also one of the loudest voices for building software companies without venture capital, a theme of his 2018 book Lost and Founder.
Fishkin dropped out of the University of Washington in 2000 to work full-time in web design. He started the SEOmoz blog in 2003 while the family consulting business was paying off debt, and in 2007 the company moved from consulting to software. Over his 17 years there, Moz grew to more than 200 employees and over $50 million in revenue. He stepped down as CEO in 2014, left the company in 2018 and stayed on its board until 2020; Moz was sold in 2021.
In 2018 he started SparkToro with Casey Henry, a former Moz colleague, and published Lost and Founder: A Painfully Honest Field Guide to the Startup World with Penguin Random House. SparkToro raised a $1.3 million angel round in 2018 using a structure designed to pay investors back from profits rather than chase a giant exit, and the company says it is not seeking more capital. Its research on zero-click searches and Google's market share is widely cited, including by the US Department of Justice and FTC.
Fishkin now runs several small companies on the same model. In 2024 he launched and funded Snackbar Studio, a Seattle indie game studio building a top-down RPG called Snackbar, with his wife, author Geraldine DeRuiter, as lead writer. GeekWire reported the studio raised $2.15 million. In 2025 he co-founded AlertMouse, an alternative to Google Alerts, with Adam Doppelt and Nathan Kriege. His next book, Zero Click Marketing, is co-written with SparkToro's Amanda Natividad.
He matters to indie founders because he has lived both paths: a venture-backed company with hundreds of staff, and a deliberately tiny, profitable one. His blog posts and talks on why most startups should skip VC are reference material in the bootstrapper community.
Products by Rand Fishkin
AlertMouse
alertmouse.com
Email alerts for mentions of people, brands or topics across the web, built as a Google Alerts alternative.
Snackbar Studio
snackbarstudio.com
Seattle indie game studio making Snackbar, a top-down chill-action RPG.
SEO software company (formerly SEOmoz) that he co-founded and led as CEO until 2014.
Community for inbound marketers that he co-founded; no longer online.
Awards & recognition
Videos with Rand Fishkin
Rand Fishkin, Cofounder & CEO, SparkToro, interviewed by Kevin Lee (complete interview), 5/20/22
IntervieweMarketing Association· 2022
Interview de Rand Fishkin, fondateur de SparkToro au SMX Paris 2024 - Abondance
InterviewAbondance· 2024
Interviews & press
- Rand Fishkin leaves Moz, announces a new start-up
Search Engine Land · Article · 2018
- Seattle tech vets launch Alertmouse, a startup to track who's talking about you
GeekWire · Article · 2025
- Episode 537: On launching, funding and growth with serial SaaS founder Rand Fishkin
Startups for the Rest of Us · Podcast
- First product
- Went full time
- Funding
- Exit
- Launch / milestone
- Started 2003
- 2000Went full time: Left the University of Washington to work full-time in web…
- 2003Launch: Started the SEOmoz blog
- 2007Milestone: SEOmoz moved from consulting to SEO software
- 2014Milestone: Stepped down as CEO of Moz
- 2018First product: Launched SparkToro
- 2018Funding: Left Moz, co-founded SparkToro with Casey Henry, raised a…
- 2021Exit: Moz was sold; he had left its board in 2020
- 2024Launch: Launched and funded the indie game studio Snackbar Studio
- 2025Launch: Co-founded AlertMouse, a Google Alerts alternative
Timeline
- 2000 — Left the University of Washington to work full-time in web design.
- 2003 — Started the SEOmoz blog.
- 2007 — SEOmoz moved from consulting to SEO software.
- 2014 — Stepped down as CEO of Moz.
- 2018 — Left Moz, co-founded SparkToro with Casey Henry, raised a $1.3M angel round and published Lost and Founder.
- 2021 — Moz was sold; he had left its board in 2020.
- 2024 — Launched and funded the indie game studio Snackbar Studio.
- 2025 — Co-founded AlertMouse, a Google Alerts alternative.
How Rand builds
- Most startups are better off without venture capital, which pushes founders toward all-or-nothing outcomes.
- Raise small, founder-friendly money that can be repaid from profits, or none at all.
- Market where your audience already spends attention instead of relying on search clicks.
- Be honest in public about failure, depression and the hard parts of founding.
Learn from Rand Fishkin
[book]
Lost and Founder: A Painfully Honest Field Guide to the Startup World
2018 memoir and guide to the startup world, published by Penguin Random House.
by Rand Fishkin
[book]
Zero Click Marketing
Book on marketing in a world where platforms keep users from clicking out, co-written with Amanda Natividad.
by Rand Fishkin
Rand Fishkin FAQ
Who is Rand Fishkin?
Rand Fishkin is an American entrepreneur and marketer best known as the co-founder of SparkToro, an audience research tool, and earlier as the co-founder and longtime CEO of Moz, the SEO software company.
Who founded SparkToro?
SparkToro was founded in 2018 by Rand Fishkin (CEO) and Casey Henry (CTO), who had worked together at Moz. It makes audience research software.
Did Rand Fishkin found Moz?
Yes. He co-founded Moz, originally SEOmoz, which began as a blog and consultancy in the early 2000s and became SEO software in 2007. He was CEO until 2014 and left the company in 2018.
What is Rand Fishkin doing now?
He runs SparkToro, the indie game studio Snackbar Studio and AlertMouse, a Google Alerts alternative he co-founded in 2025, and is co-writing Zero Click Marketing with Amanda Natividad.
Did SparkToro take venture capital?
No. SparkToro raised a $1.3 million angel round in 2018 using a structure meant to return money to investors from profits, and says it is not seeking additional capital.
What is Lost and Founder about?
Lost and Founder (2018) is Rand Fishkin's candid account of building Moz, covering venture capital, leadership mistakes and depression, written as a field guide for founders.
What is Rand Fishkin known for?
Rand Fishkin is best known for Moz, SparkToro (2018) and AlertMouse (2025), out of 5 products listed on IndieMakerList.
Where is Rand Fishkin from?
Rand Fishkin is an American indie maker, now based in Seattle, United States.
What is Rand Fishkin's education?
Rand Fishkin's education: Attended the University of Washington; left in 2000 to work in web design.
Where is Rand Fishkin based?
Rand Fishkin is based in Seattle, United States.
Has Rand Fishkin sold a company?
Yes. Moz has been acquired; the sale terms aren't public.
How long has Rand Fishkin been an indie maker?
Rand Fishkin has been building independently since 2003, about 23 years.
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