April Underwood
EventbriteAbout April Underwood
April Underwood (age 45) is an independent Class I director of Eventbrite (EB), serving since June 2022. She is co-founder and managing director of Adverb Ventures and co-founded #ANGELS, with a prior career as Slack’s Chief Product Officer (2018–2019), CEO of Nearby (2020–2021), and product leadership roles at Twitter, Google, Travelocity, and Intel. She holds a B.B.A. in Management Information Systems and Business Honors from The University of Texas at Austin and an M.B.A. from UC Berkeley Haas .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adverb Ventures | Co-founder & Managing Director | Current | Early-stage tech investing; product/engineering expertise |
| #ANGELS | Co-founder | Since Mar 2015 | Women-led angel investing collective backing tech startups |
| Nearby | Chief Executive Officer | May 2020–Dec 2021 | Built hyperlocal marketplaces; founder-led CEO |
| Slack Technologies | Chief Product Officer; VP Product | CPO: Mar 2018–Feb 2019; VP: Jun 2015–Mar 2018 | Led product at collaboration software leader |
| Director/Product and Biz Dev roles | Apr 2010–Feb 2015 | Product leadership in social media/comms | |
| Google; Travelocity; Intel | Product/Engineering roles | Prior to 2010 | Technical/product foundations |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zillow Group (NASDAQ: ZG) | Director | Since Feb 2017 | Current public company directorship |
| TPB Acquisition Corp. | Director | Feb 2021–Feb 2023 | Departed at business combination with Lavoro Limited |
Board Governance
- Independence: Independent; Board determined all directors except the CEO are independent; all committee members are independent .
- Committees: Compensation Committee member (appointed Sep 11, 2024); previously Audit Committee member until Sep 11, 2024 .
- Attendance: Board met 4 times in 2024; each director attended at least 75% of Board and committee meetings; all directors attended the 2024 Annual Meeting .
- Board structure: CEO/Chair combined (Julia Hartz); Lead Independent Director (Sean Moriarty); regular executive sessions of independent directors .
- Committee activity: Compensation Committee (5 meetings in 2024) oversees CEO goals, exec pay, director pay, incentive/equity plans, succession, and compensation risk; Meridian engaged as independent comp consultant, no conflicts .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Program Terms | April Underwood – 2024 Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer | $35,000 per non-employee director; paid quarterly | Included in Fees Earned/Paid in Cash ($43,614) |
| Committee member retainers | Audit: $10,000; Compensation: $7,500; Nominating: $5,000 | Part-year Audit, part-year Compensation reflected in cash fees |
| Lead Independent Director premium | $20,000 (if applicable) | N/A (Underwood not Lead Independent Director) |
| Chair retainers | Audit: $25,000; Compensation: $15,000; Nominating: $10,000 | N/A (Underwood not chair) |
| 2024 cash fees | Fees Earned/Paid in Cash | $43,614 |
- Election to receive retainers in stock: Directors may elect to take retainers as unrestricted stock; Underwood did not elect retainers in stock (took cash) in 2024, while several peers did .
Performance Compensation
| Equity Award | Grant Date | Shares/Units | Grant-Date Fair Value | Vesting | Deferral |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual RSU grant (director retainer) | Jun 6, 2024 | 37,453 RSUs | $199,999 | Vests in full on earlier of first anniversary or next annual meeting | Underwood elected deferral to DSUs |
- Initial grant for new directors: $200,000 RSUs pro-rated if not aligned with annual meeting; Annual RSU grant $200,000 each year for continuing directors; RSUs fully accelerate on “sale event” per plan; value based on closing price at grant .
- No performance metrics apply to director equity (service-vesting RSUs only; directors may defer settlement) .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Other public company boards | Zillow Group (since Feb 2017) |
| Interlocks | No compensation committee interlocks or insider participation issues in 2024; members were independent; none served as EB officers |
| Potential overlaps | No related-party transactions involving Underwood disclosed |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Technology product development and engineering leadership (Slack CPO; Twitter product; Google, Travelocity, Intel) .
- Venture investing and startup advisory (Adverb Ventures; #ANGELS) .
- Education: B.B.A. (UT Austin); M.B.A. (UC Berkeley Haas) .
- Skills matrix highlights include product-led growth, operating experience, marketplace experience, M&A strategy (board exhibits broader matrix; Underwood contributes tech/product-marketplace acumen) .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership (Class A) | 48,275 shares (includes 6,852 shares via options exercisable within 60 days) |
| Outstanding RSUs/deferred stock units | 77,433 units |
| Stock options outstanding | 6,852 shares |
| Ownership as % of Class A outstanding | 0.06% (48,275 / 78,987,066) |
| Hedging/pledging | Prohibited for directors under insider trading policy |
| Director stock ownership guideline | Must hold ≥5x annual cash retainer by later of Jan 1, 2027 or 5 years from election; retain 25% of net shares until compliant |
| Section 16 compliance | All required reports timely for 2024; no delinquencies |
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independent director; active committee member (Compensation); prior Audit experience; regular board oversight structure with Lead Independent Director and executive sessions; robust director ownership guidelines; prohibition on hedging/pledging; strong shareholder support on Say-on-Pay (95% “For” in 2024), indicating compensation governance credibility .
- Alignment: Annual $200k RSU grants with optional deferral to DSUs; additional equity holdings support skin-in-the-game; board-wide ownership guidelines drive alignment by 2027 .
- Attendance/engagement: Met at least 75% attendance thresholds; committee activity documented (5 Compensation Committee meetings) .
- Conflicts/related-party exposure: No related-party transactions or interlocks involving Underwood disclosed; Stripe payments reviewed due to former director’s employer, not connected to Underwood .
- RED FLAGS: None disclosed specific to Underwood (no hedging/pledging; no related-party transactions; independent status; attendance thresholds met) .