on 19 March 2010
Now the lid is partially open on the Expedia alumni startup, some other details have started to emerge via the launch of a project site under the name NewTravelco.com.
Confirmed on the founding team with ex-Expedia president and chief executive Rich Barton are former colleagues Simon Breakwell, Greg Slyngstad and Sunil Shah.
They are joined by fifth member of the team, Bethany Douglas, although it is unclear what her role will be and background.
A solitary blog post on the site highlights how a recruitment programme is now under way.
The company says it is currently looking for a director of business development, director of program management and software engineers.
However, very little is given away about the type and strategy behind the business, except for a mission statement of sorts:
“We believe it is still early days in the internet travel revolution. The increasing power of transparency, connectivity, and mobility will continue to open new worlds to travelers and new channels for suppliers.”
Shortly after Tnooz’s story earlier today, Breakwell post the following tweet:
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Let’s hope that whatever their business model is, it’s more creative than the company name.
Sarah: Well, obviously the company name will change. It’s just a working title. Care to pick a new name? How bout Xpeditious or something like that? I’ll have to give it more thought.
We might see something similar to what Rich did with Zillow – long period of “mystery” to build up the anticipation virally. Then the public launch with the brand. Or they could unveil the brand but keep the product under wraps for a while. Or just keep it NewTravelCo for fun…
Agree it’s never a bad idea to build up buzz for a new start-up virally, but I would expect them to do it with a blog or site that’s a little more sophisticated than something “Made on a Mac.” (See bottom of this page: http://newtravelco.com/Blog/Entries/2010/3/8_Getting_recruiting_going……html) Wouldn’t you?
Otherwise, it makes me wonder if they haven’t yet hired the most crucial elements of any new start-up entering the world of online travel – web developers and designers.
I’m just saying…