America’s fastest-growing companies are also increasingly global. From Canada to New Zealand, see the extent to which Inc. 500 companies are active in specific regions.
Brian Sharples, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer
Sharples co-founded HomeAway with Carl Shepherd in February 2005. Since then, he has raised nearly $405 million in private funding and acquired 17 websites, to create the world's leading online marketplace of vacation rentals.
Sharples is the former president and chief executive officer of IntelliQuest Information Group, a supplier of marketing data and research to Fortune 500 technology companies. While there, he pioneered the development of subscription-based statistical research services and electronic survey systems. He also completed two successful public offerings and the subsequent sale of Intelliquest.
An expert in technology brand strategy, Sharples has counseled several leading companies, including Apple, Microsoft and Dell. He also created the IntelliQuest Brand Tech Forum Conference, which became an industry-leading symposium, and served as a consultant at Bain & Company early in his career.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in math and economics from Colby College and a master’s degree from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Buddy Media, a New York-based start up that provides social media management software to Fortune 500 brands, has nabbed $54 million in funding. The company's CEO Mike Lazerow says the company intends to expand more in Europe and double the size of the company's staff. He also addresses reports of a possible IPO for Buddy.
Peter Thiel, the first outside investor in Facebook, co-founder of PayPal, and serial investor, talks with Stacey Delo about social investing, the timing of a potential Facebook IPO, Google Plus, and what he sees as the next big thing.