Brian Sharples

Mr. Sharples is a successful serial entrepreneur, angel investor, and executive with extensive experience in startup and well-established technology and e-commerce companies, both as a Board member and in leading operations and executive roles. Mr. Sharples has founded and scaled several high-growth startups and oversaw their strategic exits. Mr. Sharples co-founded and served as Chairman and CEO of HomeAway, Inc., a global online marketplace for the vacation rental industry, where he led the company's successful public offering in 2011, and the $3.9 billion acquisition by Expedia in 2015. Prior to HomeAway, Mr. Sharples was President and CEO of IntelliQuest Information Group, Inc., a supplier of marketing data and research to technology companies that went public in 1996 and was sold to WPP Group in 2000. In addition to his operational leadership, Mr. Sharples has served on the Boards of several global technology companies specializing in the consumer space, including KAYAK, RetailMeNot, Inc., and currently serves on the boards of GoDaddy and Ally Financial Group. Mr. Sharples also helped oversee the successful acquisitions of KAYAK (by Priceline) and RetailMeNot Inc. (by Harland Clarke) during his Board tenures. Mr. Sharples also has served on the Boards of several private companies, including most recently as Chairman of Twyla, Inc., a company he co-founded in 2015 that offers a software platform to license and sell limited edition artwork. He also serves as Chairman of private-equity backed Fexy Media, and on the Board of RVShare, a leading online marketplace for RV rentals. Early in his career, Mr. Sharples founded I Motors, an event-based marketplace for used cars, and served as a consultant at Bain & Co. Mr. Sharples holds a B.S. in Economics and Math from Colby College and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business of Stanford University.

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