Knock Elects Airbnb Chief Security Officer and Head of Engineering & Data Science for Trust & Safety Vijaya Kaza to Board of Directors

NEW YORK, Feb. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Knock, the real estate technology company on a mission to empower people to move more freely, today announced that Vijaya Kaza, Airbnb Chief Security Officer and Head of Engineering & Data Science for Trust & Safety, has been elected to the company's board of directors. Kaza adds extensive product and engineering experience to the company's board as it embarks upon an aggressive growth strategy to bring the Knock Home Swap™, a revolutionary way for consumers to buy before they sell, to homeowners nationwide.

Kaza brings more than 20 years of experience leading engineering, product and information security teams at global consumer and B2B tech companies in the Bay Area. She has served in her current role at Airbnb since 2019. Under her leadership, Airbnb has scaled its information security practices to support the company's IPO and built innovative technology to stay ahead of fraudsters while maintaining an exceptional consumer experience.

"We are very pleased that Vijaya has chosen to bring her vast product and engineering experience to the Knock board as we continue to ramp up the growth of our business," said Knock Co-Founder & CEO Sean Black. "Vijaya's leadership experience managing Airbnb's Trust technology team and leveraging data science to shape the company's product strategy and consumer experience gives her a unique perspective that will be invaluable as we build a powerful platform that helps people buy their dream home before selling their old house."

Kaza was named one of the Top Revolutionary Women in Security in 2019 by Industry Wired Magazine. Prior to joining Airbnb, she was Chief Development Officer at security technology firm Lookout, and Senior Vice President, Cloud Products & Engineering at FireEye, Inc. Earlier, Kaza held multiple senior engineering roles during her 17-year tenure at Cisco, where she managed a team of more than 600 engineers.

"Knock's impressive growth trajectory is based on the fact that the company is solving a real problem that anyone who is a homeowner and wants to buy a new home has faced in a very unique way," said Kaza. "The company's focus on leveraging technology to bring certainty, convenience and cost savings to the everyday experience of buying and selling a home is a win for consumers and the agents it partners with."

Kaza's board appointment follows the company's recent announcement that it named former Lyft Vice President, Finance, Michelle DeBella as its first Chief Financial Officer.

With the Knock Home Swap, consumers have the convenience and certainty of buying their dream home before selling their old house. They skip the hassles of living through repairs and showings and have home prep covered upfront so their old house sells for the highest possible price. The Knock Home Swap is available today in 15 markets across Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas through 110 real estate brokerage firms with nearly 50,000 agents. Knock plans to nearly double the number of markets it serves in 2021 and be in 75 markets by 2023.

About Knock
Knock is on a mission to empower people to move freely. The Knock Home Swap™ makes it easy for consumers to buy their new dream home before selling their old one, skipping the hassles of living through repairs and showings, paying only one mortgage at a time, and having home prep covered upfront so their old house sells for the highest possible price. Knock currently offers the Home Swap in 15 markets in six states and plans to nearly double the number of markets it serves in 2021 and be in 75 markets by 2023.

Launched in 2015 by founding team members of Trulia.com, Knock has raised more than $600 million in debt and equity from top tier investors, including RRE Ventures, Foundry Group, Redpoint, Greycroft, Corazon Capital, Correlation Ventures, Great Oaks Venture Capital and FJ Labs.

Media contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Knock