With HomeAway slated to go public as early as tomorrow, co-founders Brian Sharples and Carl Shepherd took to the social media airwaves to reminisce about the company's origins and to mark the respective anniversaries of HomeAway (5th) and its VRBO unit (15th).
In the video, CEO Sharples recall how in the early days HomeAway considered the domain name Beyond.com, now a career site, but abandoned the idea because of the name's other-worldly connotations.
And, Shepherd, chief strategy and development officer, recalls the best advice he got about the business came from a venture capital guy who counseled, "Do what's right for the business. Keep moving as fast as you can."
Well, as HomeAway seeks to raise up to $216 million in its IPO on a $2 billion valuation, the company is moving fairly fast.
To mark the anniversaries, HomeAway is running a contest and offering discounted advertising to property owners who want to advertise on both sites.
Here's the video:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8vY2emTFSA