ALUMNUS PROFILE
Brian Ratner ’89 Brian Ratner has been featured on the Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers and the Legal 500 Leading Lawyers lists since 2014, and has been selected by Lawdragon as one of the 500 Leading Lawyers in America for the past two years. But heading the International Practice at global litigation law firm, Hausfeld, is only the tip of the iceberg. He is also the President of CertifiKID, a family-run company that recently appeared on the popular ABC television show, Shark Tank, and landed one of the top deals in the show’s history.
Please tell us a little about your life since Valley School. After graduating from Valley School, I went to Shady Side Academy. Then, I attended college at Indiana University in Bloomington and law school at the University of Pittsburgh. After practicing law for many years at a Washington, D.C. plaintiff-side litigation firm of 75 lawyers, I was part of a group of 25 that separated to start Hausfeld, a new global litigation law firm, in 2008. As a Partner at Hausfeld, I serve on our Global Executive Committee, am head of the firm’s International Practice, and specialize in global antitrust litigation. Hausfeld is now 100 lawyers-strong and operates in 11 offices across 6 countries. In addition to practicing law, I am co-founder and President of CertifiKID.
You recently appeared on Shark Tank and landed a deal with Mr. Wonderful. Tell us about your product. Recognized by CNBC, The Washington Post, and Washingtonian Magazine as one of the best deal websites for parents, CertifiKID is a resource that helps parents find kids’ activities, family entertainment, camps, classes, birthday party packages, getaways, family-friendly products and services and more, all at unbeatable prices. People sign up with the website (www. certifikid.com) or app, and then get a daily deal email of exclusive offers at incredible savings on everything families want and need. We have over one million subscribers, and we offer more than 300 regional deals daily. We’re located in the Greater Washington area (D.C., Maryland, Virginia), New York, LA, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Chicago, South Florida, Dallas, Atlanta, and—of course—Pittsburgh!
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Where did the idea for CertifiKID come from? My wife, Jamie, was an early follower of deal websites like Groupon and LivingSocial, but as a mom with 2 toddlers, she wasn’t interested in the spas and restaurants they focused on. She has always been an entrepreneur at heart, and noticed the gap in the “daily deal” market for the family/mom niche, so she pitched the concept to me during a drive home to Greensburg for the Christmas holiday of 2009. We’d brainstormed lots of start-up ideas over the years, but this one felt special, and the landscape and timing were right. The idea meshed with who Jamie is as a person, and the stage of life our family was in at the time. Almost immediately, we were off to the races. We built a website in 5 months. We went live with our first deal in Washington, D.C. in May of that year, and were profitable within 3 months.
Tell us about your Shark Tank experience. We were unlike many of the businesses that appear on Shark Tank because we were already quite mature. We had grown CertifiKID without external investors and were always profitable. From the start, we took all the risk and kept all the control. We didn’t need financial backing, but we saw Shark Tank as a fantastic opportunity to gain exposure and replicate our strengths in new markets across the country. We went in with our eye on Kevin O’Leary. We knew him to be an investor whose portfolio reflects his interest in profitable family-focused and women-led businesses. He always says, “If you want to make money, invest in a busy mom.” Kevin drove a tough bargain, but we walked away with $600,000, and he has been an incredible partner for us. Four days after we appeared on Shark Tank, we were on The View with Kevin. That was a remarkable experience, and sales have been booming.
What in your personal history prepared you for the CertifiKID experience? At CertifiKID, I handle high-level strategic planning, finances, legal, and H.R. I acquired business acumen through my practice as an attorney and management role at my firm. I am experienced at negotiating and resolving business disputes, and I use that training to approach challenges we encounter at CertifiKID. Since I am a founding Partner of my law firm, I have been through the start-up process, and am heavily involved in firm management, I am capable of navigating the ups and
