Industry News
by Bret Piatt
December 26, 2018

Cyber Talk Radio: Dearduck, Buying for Others

Bret Piatt, CTR Host, and Katy Aucoin, Dearduck CEO - Episode 117 of Cyber Talk Radio

This past Saturday, December 22, episode 117 of Cyber Talk Radio hit the air on 1200 WOAI and iHeartRadio streaming. I was joined by Katy Aucoin, Dearduck CEO, to discuss how Dearduck was founded and a new way of online shopping, Buying for Others (BFO).

Katy’s love for getting to know others from age 5 eventually turned into her business idea focused on Buying for Others (BFO). Retailers, both online and brick and mortar, are continually tracking purchasing data to make smart recommendations for future purchases. So, what is Dearduck and why was it created? Katy started Dearduck to try to help people and retailers find out what others love and make buying easier and more personalized. Brands are forced to stereotype people based on their general information that they track and gather, which isnt always accurate. Katy shares a prime example about her boyfriend and pink yoga pants. We’ll let you tune in to the replay to hear that full story. :) Katy moved Dearduck to San Antonio from Houston to join RealCo, an accelerator based in town. Since moving the company, she has found that San Antonio is very accessible for entrepreneurs for mentorship, investing, and more. One of their first customers is very popular, Pearl Brewery! The goal of Dearduck is to in a way make the Internet smarter by helping people and businesses learn about people’s relationships, likes, dislikes, and preferences through targeted personalized profiles and targeted emails.

In the second half of the show, I take some time to talk to Katy about female entrepreneurship in San Antonio as we recently hit on the topic with Cat Dizon during San Antonio Startup Week. What is it like being a female CEO? Katy points of that the metrics show that female CEOs are at a disadvantage. Katy’s advice is don’t think about it, understand the disadvantages and be able to react those uniquely. What are some of the disadvantages? It’s hard for them to get funding and many times the questions they are asked in investor meetings vary than what a male CEO would be asked. How can venture capitalists and investors eliminate biases? Katy shares her thoughts and also highlights that the support in San Antonio has been fantastic. Hiring as a female CEO, I asked Katy what the differences are if any and interesting experiences to share. Her goal is to build a great team and a desirable company to work for. By the way, Dearduck is hiring! Starting in January 2019, they are looking for a technical lead and account managers. Dearduck was born to build relationships so Katy is continuously meeting people at events and working to build new relationships. How did you come up with the name Dearduck? According to Katy and the Dearduck site, their mascot is Frank, the duck. “Dear” is a term of endearment that also calls to mind letter writing. “Duck,” along with being an cute animal, is also a term of endearment that’s been around since Shakespeare’s time. The words together work on multiple layers of meaning, and they also succeed on face value to capture the essence of the brand’s fun, playful and smart personality.

Listen to the full episode replay to learn more about Dearduck and how they are creating a new way of shopping.

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