RelayRides Welcomes Silicon Valley Veteran Andre Haddad as New CEO

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- RelayRides (http://www.RelayRides.com), the world's first peer-to-peer carsharing marketplace, today announces two executive appointments: Andre Haddad has been named CEO and Jim Barnett joins the RelayRides board and investor group.

Andre was most recently the CEO of Shopping.com, the leading online comparison-shopping network and a company eBay acquired for $600M in 2005. Previously, Andre was Senior Vice President, Product, at eBay where he was responsible for product management, design and research at eBay's global marketplace business, accounting for $5.1B in revenue, $65B in gross merchandise volume and 100M active users in 2007.  Andre had cofounded iBazar.com, a leading online marketplace in Europe, acquired by eBay for $140M in 2001.

"RelayRides reminds me so much of eBay in its early days," said Haddad.  "Much like eBay, RelayRides is a marketplace, connecting people who own cars with people who need cars. RelayRides provides meaningful income to car owners, creating economic opportunity for people. The impact on the environment is massive, as more and more people choose access over ownership. I am thrilled to be part of the RelayRides team. We are the pioneers and undisputed leaders in this space. I can't wait for the day when RelayRides is a household name around the world!"

New board member and investor Jim Barnett has an extensive track record as both an executive and board member for private and public companies.  He is currently chairman of Turn Inc., Extole Inc. and Sojern Inc.

"The sharing economy has a bright future, and RelayRides is blazing a trail with its innovative peer-to-peer carsharing service," Barnett said. "RelayRides' combination of security, accessibility, affordability, eco-friendliness and technological ingenuity puts it at the head of the pack – in both carsharing and the sharing economy as a whole."

RelayRides enables car owners to generate extra revenue – an average of more than $250 per month – by lending their idle autos to neighbors. In using pre-existing cars, the service is more eco-friendly than those of competitors that put new cars on the road. RelayRides backs its service with unmatched security technology and a $1M per transaction insurance policy.

"The addition of Andre Haddad as the new CEO of RelayRides perfectly positions us to continue as a trend-setter in the growing sharing economy," said Shelby Clark, founder and Chief Community Officer of RelayRides. "We have generated great momentum to date, as thousands of new car owners have signed up and our revenue has doubled over the last three months. We look forward to seeing Andre continue to build on his leadership legacy while helping us continue to accelerate our growth."

"Jim Barnett is a seasoned entrepreneur and operator who brings a wealth of knowledge from his experience as CEO or chairman of numerous successful companies, including Turn, AltaVista, and SideStep," Clark added. "Jim's expertise in guiding and building companies makes him a great fit for the RelayRides board."

To learn more and enroll, visit http://www.RelayRides.com.

About Andre Haddad

Andre Haddad was CEO of Shopping.com (http://Shopping.com), the leading online comparison-shopping network, a company eBay acquired for $600M in 2005. Previously, Andre was Senior Vice President, Product, at eBay. He was responsible for product management, design and research at eBay's global marketplace business, accounting for $5.1B in revenue, $65B in gross merchandise volume, and 100M active users in 2007. Andre played several roles at eBay including GM in Europe, VP International Operations and VP User Experience and Design. Prior to eBay, Andre co-founded iBazar, a leading European auction marketplace, which was acquired by eBay for $140M in 2001. Andre was the COO at iBazar, with responsibility over Product, Marketing, Operations and International. 

About Jim Barnett

Jim Barnett is Chairman of Turn Inc., Extole Inc. and Sojern Inc. and an investor in several digital media, advertising and consumer Internet companies. Jim was most recently the co-founder, CEO and chairman of Turn Inc., the digital advertising industry's only integrated, end-to-end platform for data and media management. Jim also served as the President of Overture Search, a company he joined via its acquisition of AltaVista Company; President and CEO of AltaVista, where he led the company's highly successful turnaround and sale to Overture; President of Ancestry.com; President and CEO of ThirdAge Media; and President and CEO of Infogrammes North America.

About RelayRides

RelayRides is the world's peer-to-peer carsharing marketplace. RelayRides enables car owners to make money while providing those in need of a car with affordable access to one. The company backs its service with a $1M insurance policy and features proprietary, best-in-class technology for a convenient, secure and smooth exchange. RelayRides is a venture-funded company backed by Google Ventures, August Capital and Shasta Ventures.

More information about RelayRides and its service is available at: http://www.RelayRides.com.

Media Contact:

Mark de la Vina
Consort Partners
relayrides@consortpartners.com
Tel: +1 415 282 4795

SOURCE RelayRides