UsingMiles.com introduced its site in beta, and publicized the hiring of Jon Nordmark, who invested in the company in 2009, as its new CEO.
Nordmark founded eBags.com and was its CEO for a decade.
UsingMiles.com, a search engine and management tool for customer loyalty programs, will be attempting to expand its relationships in the travel and financial industries and Nordmark sees his experience at eBags, where he had to oversee relationships with some 500 luggage and handbag suppliers, as helping in the effort.
UsingMiles.com said Nordmark became the company's CEO upon the "recent" closing of a $2.7 million Series A funding round, which was led by iSherpa Capital, and included Navin Dimond, CEO of hotel operator Stonebridge Companies, as a strategic investor.
UsingMiles.com actually disclosed the funding round in January 2011 and Normark was CEO at the time.
UsingMiles.com outlined its value proposition in this Tlabs Showcase post in November.
Founder Austin Veith was the CEO at that time.
UsingMiles.com is in beta mode and "just removed its invite-only status," the company says.
Krista Paul, who founded UsingMiles.com in tandem with Veith, explains how the CEO change took place.
"My co-founder and I have both assumed the CEO roles at one time or another," Paul says. "Jon Nordmark started off as an investor about 22 months ago and ended up working full-time on the product. Originally our plan wasn't to bring him on as CEO, but the more we worked for him, the greater respect we had for his ideas, management style, and his past successes and learnings from starting companies like eBags.
"When we approached him [Nordmark] about possibly coming on as our CEO, he said he was definitely interested but he also thought Austin or I could do it," Paul says. "We talked about it for several months and decided that Jon's strengths will best lead this company and I think it will also give my co-founder and I a wonderful chance to learn from the best so we can replicate it in future businesses."