Brian Sharples
chief executive officer and co-founder
HomeAway

Brian Sharples co-founded HomeAway in February 2005. Under his direction, the company has acquired 11 leading vacation rental Web sites, launched its flagship site, HomeAway.com, and raised $405 million in private equity funding to create the world’s largest vacation rental marketplace.  
 
He is the former president and chief executive officer of IntelliQuest Information Group, a supplier of marketing data and research to Fortune 500 technology companies.  During his tenure, the company was the fastest-growing market research firm in the nation. He also completed two successful public offerings and the subsequent sale of IntelliQuest.
 
An expert in technology brand strategy, he has provided counsel to several market-leading companies including Apple, Microsoft, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Intel and Dell.  He conceived of and hosted the IntelliQuest Brand Tech Forum Conference (co-produced by The Wall Street Journal), which became an industry-leading symposium. Early in his career, Sharples served as a consultant at Bain & Co. 
 
As an angel investor through his company, Moose Pond, he has participated in the successful launch of numerous ventures.  Brian earned a bachelor’s degree in math and economics from Colby College and a master’s degree from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.