HomeAway’s Brian Sharples’ Entrepreneurial Journey

By LAURA LOREK Reporter with Silicon Hills News As a serial entrepreneur, Brian Sharples, co-founder of HomeAway, has learned many lessons on his entrepreneurial journey. He recounted several of them with Bob Metcalfe, professor of innovation at the University of Texas last week. Metcalfe interviewed Sharples, CEO of HomeAway at the Longhorn Startup Demo Day. […]

12 Austin Companies Make Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500 List

Twelve Austin companies made Deloitte’s annual Technology Fast 500 list, up from eight companies last year. Deloitte ranks the fastest growing private and public companies in the technology industry. Five of the companies made the list last year and again made the list this year including Kinnser Software, 181, Bazaarvoice, 186, SailPoint, 233, HomeAway, 404 […]

Entrepreneur Magazine: “What it Means to Be An Entrepreneur”

Hat tip to Julie Huls, president of the Austin Technology Council, for sharing this Entrepreneur Magazine video featuring local entrepreneurs Brain Sharples, founder of HomeAway and Kim Overton, founder of SPIbelt. It’s a reminder to us all that we can change the world through entrepreneurship. “It is our nature to explore,” according to the video. […]

British Airways Dreamliner: The Wellness Plane

By SUSAN LAHEY Reporter with Silicon Hills News The British Airways direct flight that just started its inaugural journeys back and forth from London to Austin isn’t your average plane ride. It has been calibrated to reduce jetlag. For example, the lighting is different from other planes. The air pressure was set for 6,000 feet […]

HomeAway Acquires Australian-based Stayz Group

In another move to expand its reach into the Asia Pacific Region, HomeAway announced its acquisition of Stayz Group, the leading online vacation rental marketplace in Australia. Austin-based HomeAway paid $198 million to Fairfax Digital, owner of Stayz Group, which publishes Stay.com.au, Rentahome.com.au, TakeABreak.com.au and YesBookIt. Stayz reported revenue of $25.4 million for its fiscal […]

HomeAway Buys a Stake in Bookabach of New Zealand

Austin-based HomeAway just increased its presence in Asia with the acquisition of Bookabach Limited, a New Zealand-based vacation rental site. The world’s largest online marketplace for vacation rentals announced Wednesday that is has secured a 55 percent stake in Bookabach which has more than 8,000 property listings in New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific islands. […]

HomeAway Joins Forces with Expedia

HomeAway, the world’s biggest marketplace for vacation home rentals, has struck an agreement with Expedia to offer its properties on the popular travel search site. The pilot is expected to launch early next year and it will include properties in the U.S. and Mexico, according to a news release. “This is a significant milestone for […]

Fostering Business Ties Between Austin and Frankfurt, Germany

By LAURA LOREK Founder of Silicon Hills News At the W Hotel in downtown Austin the focus was on the high tech region of Frankfurt, Germany on Tuesday evening. Hessen Trade and Invest and FrankfurtRheinMain Corp. sponsored the event, which featured networking and speakers from Texas, a Frankfurt university, Austin-based HomeAway and Frankfurt-based Crytek. John […]

Startup Advice from Serial Entrepreneurs in Austin

By LAURA LOREK Founder Silicon Hills News Startup founders can learn a lot from entrepreneurs who have been there and done that. And on Monday, three serial entrepreneurs in Austin shared some of the challenges they faced in building their companies and some tips on how others can succeed. Sam Decker, co-founder of Mass Relevance, […]

Austin Technology Council adds new board members

Austin Technology Council, announces the addition of Dennis McWilliams of Apollo Endosurgery, Lynn Atchison of Homeaway, John Arrow of Mutual Mobile and Adam Berman of TVA Medical to its board. “These executives reflect the fast growth areas of Austin technology – bio tech and medical, mobile and wireless, consumer and Web 2.0 technologies,” according to […]