Zillow, a pre-launch consumer online real estate service, today announced the formation of its board of directors. Zillow was created early this year by a group of Internet veterans from Expedia, Amazon.com and Microsoft.
In addition to the company’s founders Rich Barton, chairman and CEO, and Lloyd Frink, president, Zillow’s board of directors includes:
- Erik Blachford, the former CEO and marketing executive of online travel giant Expedia. Blachford was most recently CEO of IAC/InterActive Corp’s travel division, which included online travel businesses Expedia, Hotels.com, Hotwire, Classic Custom Vacations, and Interval International.
- Gregory Maffei, who currently is president and CFO of Oracle. Maffei also has served as CFO of Microsoft Corp. Most recently, Maffei was chairman and CEO of 360networks Corp. He also serves as a director of Starbucks Corp.
- Gordon Stephenson, co-founder and managing broker of Real Property Associates, an independent real estate brokerage in the Northwest. Prior to founding RPA in 1991, Stephenson was a Seattle-based associate broker with both Prudential MacPhersons and Windermere Real Estate.
“Creating a consumer online business in one of the largest industries, real estate, will be a delicate challenge requiring a mix of marketing, technology and real estate smarts,” said Barton. “Erik, Greg and Gordon are the all-star team, and Zillow is extremely pleased to have them on board to help guide us in this new adventure.”
Zillow was created early this year and is set to launch at a future undisclosed date. The company said it has raised $6 million in Series A financing from its directors and employees, and is likely to raise additional venture capital financing this year.
The Seattle startup hasn’t publicly revealed details about how its online business model will work, but early recordings at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office indicate that company has plans for some kind of online marketplace for real estate listings.
Specifically, one record at the Patent Office is for providing an online computer database and online searchable database featuring information and listings for real estate, and to provide real estate research services.
The record also notes the design of computer software, and providing online computer services for real estate, consumer goods and consumer services.
Another patent and trademark record drops hints of plans for an Internet auction business for real estate and online services featuring tours of residential and commercial real estate.
***
Send tips or a Letter to the Editor to jessica@inman.com or call (510) 658-9252, ext. 133.
