In 2004, Carl G. Shepherd co-founded HomeAway, Inc., the first international marketplace for private rentals of vacation homes, and served over the years as President, COO, CDO and as a board member, until the sale to Expedia in 2015.  Leading M&A , Shepherd acquired 24 companies in 8 years building an international business with offices in London, Paris, Frankfurt, Madrid, Singapore, Sydney, Rio de Janero and Austin. He remains an active early investor in travel and adjacent start-ups, and has served on the board of @Leisure Holdings in Amsterdam, Turnkey Vacation Rentals in the US, RVShare, and is Senior Non Executive Director for Hostelworld, PLC in Dublin.  A frequent speaker at travel industry events from Shanghai to Berlin, Shepherd is considered one of the charter members of the sharing economy. Before HomeAway, Shepherd was COO of Hoover’s Inc., VP of Finance and Business Development of Human Code, and CFO of both Hanley-Wood and Texas Monthly, Inc. He began his career in the New York City office of what is now Accenture, specializing in the advertising industry.  He and his wife live in Austin, Texas.