In the green room at Phocuswright with... Fred Lalonde

Fred Lalonde, founder and CEO

Fresh off of a $100 million funding round, the CEO of the price prediction and booking app participates in a panel discussion on air travel at The Phocuswright Conference 2018.

In a series of interviews with executives participating at the event in Los Angeles in November, PhocusWire finds out what makes them tick...

What book do you recommend to others and why?

East of Eden, One Hundred Years of Solitude and The Man Who Laughs. In any order.

What do you do to alleviate stress?

My favorite thing to do is spend time with my daughter, Zoe. She’s six now, and it’s a really fun age. I also love surfing, so that’s my other favorite activity to relieve stress.

If you weren't in travel industry, what company would you like to be part of and why?

To be honest, I really just love being an entrepreneur, so I don’t know if I’d join a company in another industry. There are a lot of other companies that I admire, but I would want to start my own company again.

Why isn't the travel startup survival rate higher than it is?

I don’t think this is exclusive to just the travel industry. I’ve heard that only three out of 10 startups actually survive, so I think it’s just challenging no matter what industry to find product market fit and successfully grow a company.

What are you like outside of work?

There is something outside of work?

What was your childhood aspiration?

I wanted to be a Brontosaurus. Obviously, that dream was short-lived.

Who is the person you most admire within the industry?

Richard Barton. We had a chance to work together when I was at Expedia, and it was an absolute privilege to learn from him, and what I learned, I couldn’t learn anywhere else. He’s had a huge influence on what I’ve done with my career and at Hopper.

What is your proudest professional achievement?

I believe my proudest professional achievement is yet to come. We have big ambitions at Hopper, so our best days are ahead of us.

What's your morning routine?

My morning is all about getting my daughter ready for school.

What would you tell your 20-year-old self?

Buy as much Priceline stock as you can.

What’s the most interesting thing about you that we wouldn’t learn from your resume alone?

My dad was a PhD and an academic. He ran a large research group in Quebec City. As a result, I had access to a lot of computing power in my home at a very young age. We had 20 computers - this was a time when most families had none. We had one of the original “Lisa” computers from Apple; it was the size of a desk.

By age 15, I was a hacker. This was pre-internet, but my friends and I would crack the security on video game cartridges to make bootleg copies we would sell in the schoolyard for $5 each. Hacking phone lines to avoid long-distance charges followed.

I finally realized it was better to use my skills to build something rather than to steal someone’s property. I quit school at 19, and essentially, I was unemployable. I had never held a job and didn’t want to. I wanted to start a company. I later went on to found Newtrade.

What gives you energy?

Solving the next big problem.

Describe your desk or working environment.

At Hopper, we have an open office environment, so I tend to move around to different desks. Having an open office environment tends to foster more collaboration. Right now, I’m very focused on our hotels product, so I’ve been working at a desk with that team recently.

What one mistake do you witness others making more than anything else?

Not thinking big enough.

Tell us about your favorite vacation.

Our family goes to Maine every summer, so my favorite memories are surfing with Zoe in Maine.