Dick Costolo Joins The Board Of Experiences Marketplace IfOnly To Support Continued Platform Growth

NEW YORK, Dec. 8, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- IfOnly, the leading marketplace for experiences, continues to grow its thriving platform for accessing extraordinary, one-of-a-kind experiences and is delighted to welcome Dick Costolo to the Board of Directors. The renowned tech visionary and former Twitter CEO will be joining an illustrious group of longtime board members and observers like Tony Florence (NEA), Allison Pincus (One Kings Lane), Keith Rabois (Khosla Ventures, Square), John Sykes (ClearChannel, VH1), and Harshul Sanghi (American Express Ventures).

Together with CEO and Founder Trevor Traina and his executive team, the board's top priority will be to support IfOnly's accelerating growth and further build out the marketplace.

IfOnly offers unique connections and experiences with over 700 of the world's top talents in a dozen different categories like music, entertainment, sports, food and lifestyle. Harnessing the trend towards spending money on experiences rather than things, IfOnly enables everything from true once-in-a-lifetime adventures to affordable local diversions starting at $25 a person. 

"We started top down with the best of the best in order to build the brand and the trust needed to onboard everyone from a local baker to a famous chef. We believe that Dick will be a great addition to the board as he has tremendous experience in scaling new technologies and helping drive adoption," says CEO Trevor Traina

While signing up the world's top talents remains at the core of the brand, IfOnly is exploring new technology to continue its rapid marketplace growth via a new vendor portal. The platform has the capability to sell any type of experience, no matter the vertical, and each experience can be sold in a number of different ways: from the traditional buy-it-now model to auctions to even sweepstakes for very rare experiences. With just a few clicks local experts can build a profile, post their experiences for sale, and start selling.  The marketplace is now enabling local experiences in the San Francisco market with more local markets coming soon.

COMPANY HISTORY: Since launching in 2013, the company has sold over 25,000 unique experiences to date. Clients engage with athletes, epicureans, artists, musicians, designers, and others who inspire shared interests and foster lasting memories, while each sale on IfOnly also benefits an impactful cause.

IfOnly works with hundreds of charities and luminaries and is expanding rapidly to support the tremendous demand for consumers to follow their passions through experiences rather than things. The trend towards buying less stuff and purchasing more experiences has been gaining momentum, especially among millennials, who say that life experiences take priority over any physical good or status item.

From travelers to locals alike, more than 72%* of people would rather spend their money on experiences than things. IfOnly is at the forefront of this paradigm shift. IfOnly plans to have every possible experience whether it be for vacation or a regular weekend at home.

ABOUT IFONLY: IfOnly is a marketplace for incredible experiences. From unique everyday offerings with local experts to once-in-a-lifetime connections with lauded luminaries, IfOnly provides access to a curated selection of extraordinary experiences that benefit worthy causes around the world. IfOnly was founded in 2012 by serial entrepreneur Trevor Traina and is funded by NEA, Khosla Ventures, Founder's Fund, American Express Ventures, and notable individuals like Yuri Milner, Marissa Mayer, Sheryl Sandberg, Marc Benioff and others. The company is based in San Francisco.

*Amex Lifetwist Study 2013

SOURCE IfOnly