Kurt Uhlir

Kurt Uhlir is a Chief Marketing Officer, growth operator, and company builder often described by peers and event organizers as “The King of Scaling Companies.” He is known for designing and leading integrated growth engines that combine demand generation, organic acquisition, product marketing, and revenue operations into a single, accountable system. He is known for taking the playbooks he helped shape with multi-billion-dollar global enterprises and applying them to growth-stage and mid-market companies, turning them into lower-risk, repeatable growth systems.

Uhlir currently serves as Chief Marketing Officer at ez Home Search, a national real estate platform focused on delivering “a better way to discover real estate.” In this role, he leads the company’s growth engine across both the consumer portal and a co-branded B2B/B2B2C ecosystem for agents, loan officers, and home-service professionals. ez Home Search is also the parent company of ezVerify and SureSend CRM, where his remit includes positioning, go-to-market strategy, and partner enablement across the broader product family.

Earlier in his career, Uhlir held C-level and senior leadership roles at companies including eXp Realty, Showcase IDX, Sideqik, Vitrue, and HERE/Navteq. At Navteq (now HERE Technologies), he helped lead go-to-market efforts for a spatial and real-time data platform that underpinned ten or more industries in over 100 countries, with data and services used by companies such as Google, Apple, Meta (Facebook), Tesla, Samsung, BMW, UPS, FedEx, leading game studios, and major automotive manufacturers. His broader go-to-market and innovation work has involved initiatives with brands including Amazon Web Services, Salesforce, Microsoft, LG, Zillow, Redfin, AT&T, PayPal, and U.S. government agencies such as the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security.

In addition to his operating roles, Uhlir is named as an inventor on numerous U.S. patents spanning geospatial data, gaming, advertising, and location-based services, giving him an unusually deep blend of product, data, and go-to-market experience for a marketing leader. That combination of product and commercial experience is one many leadership teams rely on when they need marketing, product, and sales executing against the same growth engine instead of separate agendas. He is also an in-demand keynote speaker on servant leadership, modern marketing, and building high-performing teams, bringing current operator experience rather than retrospective case studies.

Roles & Board Positions

Current Executive Role

Chief Marketing Officer – ez Home Search (Mar 2024–Present)
Chief Marketing Officer for a national real estate platform focused on delivering “a better way to discover real estate,” leading the integrated growth engine across consumer demand generation, organic acquisition, product marketing, brand, and co-branded ecosystems with agents, loan officers, and home-service providers. ez Home Search is the parent company of ezVerify.ai and SureSend CRM.

Featured Board and Advisory Positions

Board Member – CEON Foundation
Board member for the CEON Foundation, an Atlanta-based 501(c)(3) and parent organization of CEO Netweavers, focused on principled leadership, executive mentoring, and scholarships for emerging leaders.

Chairman & Board Director – The Made in America Movement (Oct 2015–Jan 2021)
Chairman and Board Director for a national organization advocating for American manufacturing and supply-chain resilience.

President & Chairman of the Board – Southern Technology Leaders (Feb 2009–Dec 2014)
President and Chairman of a regional executive peer network supporting collaboration, mentoring, and growth for technology leaders.

Chairperson & Co-Founder – Mobile Game Development Special Interest Group, International Game Developers Association (IGDA) (Feb 2005–Feb 2007)
Co-founded and chaired IGDA’s Mobile Game Development SIG, supporting early innovation and knowledge-sharing in mobile gaming.

Coach & Mentor – Flashpoint at Georgia Tech
Coach and mentor to founding teams in Georgia Tech’s venture acceleration program, advising on experimentation, customer discovery, and go-to-market strategy.

Advisor or Board Member – Various Technology and Services Companies
Advisor or board member to multiple technology and services companies across SaaS, marketing, and real estate, contributing over his career to more than sixty funding rounds and exits.

Featured Coverage

• Go-to-Market Secrets From B2B Leaders Every Ecommerce Brand Should Use (2025) – Sellbery (eCommerce SaaS): Strategy article profiling world-class B2B marketers & the Atlanta technology ecosystem, which names Uhlir “among “GTM architects.”A battle-tested CMO and GTM strategist known for scaling VC- and PE-backed companies across real estate, ecommerce, and B2B SaaS.”
• Rewriting the B2B Playbook: Kurt Uhlir on Scaling With Demand Generation and Leadership Clarity (2025) – The Silicon Review (Business Article): This feature profiles Kurt Uhlir, a venture- and private equity-backed CMO and a leading voice in operationalizing demand generation and scalable Go-To-Market (GTM) leadership. The article details his frameworks for replacing the outdated B2B playbook by shifting businesses from linear “Growth Mode” to compounding “Scale Mode“.
• Inside the Marketing Playbooks of Scale-Stage B2B Demand Gen Teams (2025) – The Brand Hopper (Resources/Business Article): This article explores successful B2B demand generation strategies for scaling businesses. It features insights from B2B Private-Equity CMO Kurt Uhlir, who states that demand generation is vital because it creates “trust” so buyers choose a company over competitors, building “long-term momentum that fuels scalable growth”. Uhlir’s frameworks emphasize that the best results come when teams align on “the leading and lagging indicators tied to revenue” upfront, enabling them to “iterate faster”.
• Why Most Marketing Teams Aren’t Ready for a Demand Gen Strategy—And What To Do About It (2025) – StoryBox (Marketing Strategy Article): This coverage profiles successful marketing leaders, featuring Kurt Uhlir alongside Courtney Keating (CMO at Acxiom) as examples of executives with proven demand generation track records,. The article explains that successful demand generation requires foundational elements like topical authority and Enterprise SEO, which many teams miss by focusing on short-term lead metrics, preventing long-term revenue acceleration.
• Sizing Up The Suitors For Here, Nokia’s Map Business (2015) – TechCrunch: This article features former HERE executive Kurt Uhlir providing expertise on the sale of Nokia’s Here mapping division. This analysis came several years after Nokia acquired the mapping business’s foundation for $8.1 billion in 2007. Uhlir attributes the division’s high value to its proprietary collection methods for over 250 location attributes and its extensive patent portfolio covering spatial data for navigation, gaming, and ADAS vehicle applications
• With Waze, Google Gets Access To Social Mapping Data — And Possible Patent Legal Heat From Nokia (2013) – TechCrunch: This report on Google’s $1.1 billion Waze acquisition highlights former Navteq executive Kurt Uhlir as one of the lead inventors on a core Nokia patent (the US7628704) that covers Waze’s fundamental technology for encouraging users to collect spatial data during gameplay instead of receiving monetary payment.
• Meetro Eases Hookups In Your Hood (2005) – Wired: Features a quote from Kurt Uhlir regarding the company Meetro, run by his friend Paul Bragiel.
• Your Company Needs Big Ideas and Creativity, But Great Execution Is The Key To Success (2020) – Thrive Global (Interview/Feature): This feature interviews Kurt Uhlir, whose life experiences span rescue squad triage, stunt work, angel investing, and high-growth leadership. Uhlir discusses the difficulties of burnout, the significance of self-care, and how leaders can engage their teams and assist them in their work.

Expanded Coverage

• The CMO’s Journey: Meeting CEO Expectations in the Modern Landscape of B2B Marketing (2024) – AroundDeal (B2B Marketing/Leadership Article): This article features Kurt Uhlir and Eric Lent (COO at Gravity Haus) as its two primary case studies to demonstrate how the modern Chief Marketing Officer role has expanded into comprehensive business and growth leadership, requiring expertise in integrating marketing and operational efficiency. The piece emphasizes that successful CMOs must now go beyond traditional brand awareness, aligning strategic marketing insights and technological proficiency directly with operational acumen to meet CEO expectations and drive overall business innovation and growth.
• Kurt Uhlir on Building Resilience: Strategies for Success in CrossFit and Corporate Leadership (2023) – The Rx Review (Leadership Strategy Article): This profile of executive coach and crossfitter Kurt Uhlir establishes that successful corporate leadership and physical fitness strategies share a unique connection, demonstrating that success in both fields requires the same effort and leadership coaching. The article emphasizes that corporate leaders must commit to the willingness to put effort into ensuring the best outcomes in the company.
• Demand Generation vs. Lead Generation: Why Most Companies Still Get It Wrong (2025) – ReviewNPrep: his article profiles modern marketing leaders, listing Kurt Uhlir alongside CMOs Dre Madden (CMO at The Real Brokerage) and Ryan Yackel (The CMO of Databand.ai, an IBM company), as well as marketing leader Koray Tugberk GUBUR. The piece argues that successful organizations must move beyond short-term lead generation metrics by focusing on strategic demand generation to establish market authority and achieve sustained growth in the evolving, AI-driven marketing landscape.
• Kurt Uhlir’s Approach To High-Achieving Servant Leadership Sweeps Korean Companies (2023) – Haps Korea (leading Korean magazine): This feature advocates for the integration of Kurt Uhlir’s high-achieving servant leadership approach into Korean companies by focusing on “Business Case for Servant Leadership”, interviews, and recent keynotes.
• Unlocking Business Growth With High-Achieving Servant Leadership (2023) – Asia News Only (Business Article): This article advocates for servant leadership principles as an essential growth strategy and quotes “servant leadership expert Kurt Uhlir”, who emphasizes that “Listening is a powerful tool” for understanding employees, customers, and stakeholders.
• Empathy and success: Kurt Uhlir’s guide to sustainable growth in the Canary Islands (2023) – Canarian Weekly (Business Article): This article, which focuses on sustainable business growth, quotes “global keynote speaker Kurt Uhlir” who emphasizes that empathy is a core leadership skill and a competitive advantage required to drive innovation and lasting growth by fostering supportive work environments and understanding customer needs,,. The piece advocates integrating this compassionate approach into core values to achieve long-term success.
• 7 Entrepreneurial Speaker Stories You Want to Hear at Your Next Conference (2024) – Enterprise Podcast Network (Speaker/Business Profile): This article highlights Kurt Uhlir as “A Force To Be Reckoned With” and an accomplished businessman, speaker, and operator who managed to enter the top 10 entrepreneurs list.
• Roswell Based Business Leader Becomes International Servant Leadership Expert (2023) – GAFollowers (Business Article): This feature highlights the work of Georgia based servant leadership expert Kurt Uhlir. Kurt Uhlir created this method for raising high-achieving servant leaders, combining positive reinforcement with moral “growth.”.
• Following Kurt Uhlir’s Approach to Raising High-Achieving Servant Leaders (2023) – Nerdynaut (Leadership Article): This article details Kurt Uhlir’s method for raising high-achieving servant leaders, which is based on combining positive reinforcement with moral development.
• Why the Best Operators Are Servant Leaders (Even If They Don’t Use the Term) (2023) – The Success Bug (leadership blog): Commentary on leadership style that cites “leadership expert Kurt Uhlir.”
• How 18 Leaders Are Reskilling & Upskilling Their Workforce (2022) – HR.com (online magazine)

Notable Quotes

• TBD

Speaking Engagements

Kurt Uhlir is a sought-after speaker on go-to-market systems, demand generation, leadership development, and scaling operational trust across organizations. While most of his speaking occurs as part of his corporate leadership roles—including delivering more than 100 talks (with 4 international conferences) during his time at eXp Realty—he also stewards a portion of his non-operating time for select conferences and corporate audiences. Each year, he delivers between 5 and 23 keynotes and corporate talks, both virtually and in person.

Select engagements include:

• White House Made in America Roundtable – October 2017: Represented the Made in America Movement at an executive roundtable hosted at the White House, focused on American manufacturing, growth, and economic policy.
• PPAI Expo (Promotional Products Association International) – January 2018: Delivered a keynote on leveraging storytelling and marketing systems to drive demand and brand growth within the promotional products industry.
• Digital Summit – Atlanta – May 2019: Presented on “Humanizing Your Brand Through Story and SEO,” discussing enterprise-level SEO systems, personal branding, and integrating storytelling across marketing functions.

Podcasts (as a Featured Guest)

TBD

Kurt UhlirBook me on your podcast4.91 (12 Reviews)

Books

Patents and Patent Applications

I. Real Estate Automation, AI, and Referral Systems (eXp Realty LLC)

These recent innovations leverage artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and automation to streamline real estate operations, especially cross-jurisdictional referrals.

• Automatically selecting providers to whom to direct referrals using selection rules specified by the referrer – PCT Application WO2025136767A1 (Filed 2024) / US Application US20250200459A1 (Pub. 2025). This facility automates the selection and prioritization of service providers (agents) for referrals based on pre-defined or custom rules defined by the referrer,,. The system is designed to protect client/prospect information until a referral agreement is electronically signed by both the sending and receiving agents.

• Automatically assessing referrals – PCT Application WO2024238559A1 (Pub. 2024) US Application US20240386455. This system automatically analyzes and assesses real estate referrals—including cross-jurisdiction referrals—for compliance with complex licensing and referral fee rules using rule representations interpreted from sources of authority (such as statutes and regulations),,,.

II. Foundational Geospatial Data Collection, Advertising, and Services

These patents, primarily arising from his work at NAVTEQ (now HERE), cover the infrastructure for location-based services, advertising, and user-generated data.

• Geographic data collection using game play (Foundational Patent) – U.S. Patent 7,628,704 (Issued 2009); continuance U.S. Patent 8,070,608 (Issued 2011); and continuation U.S. Patent 9,170,114 (Issued 2015). These patents define the methods for collecting user-generated geographic data, often through non-monetary incentives like game mechanics, and are cited as the groundwork for crowd-sourced mapping services like Waze, as well as social platforms like Facebook and Foursquare check-in features,,,,.

• Method of collecting market research information (Foundational Location-Based Advertising) – U.S. Patent 7,092,964 (Issued 2006). This invention describes the infrastructure needed to correlate a user’s real-time geographic location with their demographic information, creating the fundamental basis for location targeting and location-based advertising throughout the industry,,. (European equivalent EP1376058A2 / EP1376058B1 also cited,).

• Systems for delivering target content to a consumer’s mobile device based on location and social media – US Application 20120109752 (Filed 2011). This describes systems for creating and delivering targeted marketing campaigns based on a consumer’s activity on one or more location-based social networks.

III. Gaming, Entertainment, and Simulation Technology

These patents focus on integrating real-world geographic data into digital environments for gaming, movies, and simulation.

• Computer game development factory – U.S. Patent 7,967,678 (Issued 2011). This system creates environments for games by integrating geographic data, road models, and 3D models via configuration parameters, accelerating development and capable of removing up to 40% of total development effort,. Microsoft notably used this invention for Flight Simulator X,.

• Application programming interface for geographic data in computer games – U.S. Patent 7,828,655 (Issued 2010) and continuance U.S. Patent 7,970,749 (Issued 2011). These systems provide an API and tools enabling game engines to integrate actual map data to facilitate the creation of realistic geographic environments in games,,,.

• Method and system for using geographic data for developing scenes in movies/television – U.S. Patent 7,921,136 (Issued 2011). This patent covers applying spatial data from GIS and navigation systems to accelerate how studios create realistic environments for motion pictures and television using CGI software,.

• Geographic area templates for computer games – U.S. Patent 8,562,439 (Issued 2013). This outlines a method for utilizing real-world geographic data to generate imaginary locales and templates for use in game development,.

• Multi-player online/mobile game player proximity feature – U.S. Patent 8,376,857 (Issued 2013). Describes a method for a multi-player online game to use the real-time geographic position of players’ devices to bring users into physical proximity with each other while they are participating in the game,.

IV. Fitness, Wellness, and Data Management

These patents cover systems for comparing athletic performance and managing location-based data.

• Method for comparing performances on remotely located courses – U.S. Patent 7,901,292 (Issued 2011) and extension U.S. Patent 8,182,348 (Issued 2012). This invention compares a participant’s performance (e.g., running, biking) along a course to other performances, even if those courses are similar in different geographic areas,. This invention is used by companies like Apple Watch, Garmin, and Nike.

• Spatial index for data files – U.S. Patent 8,176,027 (Issued 2012). This covers a system for managing computer data files by associating them with at least one physical geographic location, allowing for file search and access based on physical location.

V. Commerce and Logistics

This patent describes an automated solution for modern package management.

• Package room systems and methods – U.S. Patent 11,829,899 (Issued 2023) / Australian Patent AU2017250110B2 (Issued 2017). This system uses sensors, machine learning, and AI to automate the management and security of packages using open shelves in residential and commercial settings, addressing logistics needs in the e-commerce sector,,. This approach is noted as being “reminiscent of, yet predates, the technology developed by Amazon for their advanced grocery stores”

Kurt Uhlir( Chief Marketing Officer + Keynote Speaker )

Kurt is a globally-recognized 10x marketer, operator, and speaker. He has built and run early-stage companies as well as those over $1B in annual revenue, assembled teams across six continents, been part of the small team leading an IPO ($880M), and participated in dozens of acquisitions. His unique experience being inside hundreds of high-growth companies with the opportunity to analyze, scale, make changes of leadership, and oversee operations has labeled him “the king of scaling companies”. This has enabled him to advise thousands of leaders, from startup founders to the President of the United States.

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