From Bankruptcy to $745M Exit: How Kass Lazerow Lost Friends, Got Sued, Then Built a Tech Empire
After her first startup collapsed into bankruptcy, Kass Lazerow faced lawsuits from family members and lost friendships. Six years later, she sold that same company for $24 million, then built Buddy Media into a $745 million acquisition by Salesforce.
When Kass Lazerow’s first e-commerce venture collapsed into bankruptcy, the financial loss was only the beginning of her troubles. The 54-year-old entrepreneur watched relationships shatter as friends and family who’d invested in her business saw their money disappear—and in one particularly painful case, a relative actually sued her.
Yet from this devastating failure emerged one of tech’s most remarkable comeback stories. The same couple who faced financial ruin and personal betrayal would eventually sell their second company for a staggering $745 million, proving that entrepreneurial resilience can overcome even the most crushing setbacks.
