Getaround Bolsters Executive Team with Key Hires and Announces Founder Succession
Carsharing platform bolsters leadership with important product, legal, marketing, mobility and culture hires as it looks to its next phase of rapid growth and expansion
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Getaround, the carsharing platform that empowers users to instantly rent and drive great cars shared by people in their city, today announced the expansion of its executive team with the hiring of five senior and experienced leaders. Additionally, Jessica Scorpio Founder and CMO, will step out of the day-to-day and continue an active role on the Getaround Board of Directors. Over the past year, the company has expanded to over 90 cities, logged tremendous growth, secured integrated mobility partnerships, and landed an additional $325M in financing led by SoftBank. As the company continues its aggressive expansion plan, the following key hires will look to strategically cultivate their teams:
Vanessa MacIlwaine joins as VP People & Culture, responsible for Getaround's human resources and workplaces functions. She brings over 20 years of human resources and talent leadership across an array of industries, including experience at Lucasfilm, Williams-Sonoma, Inc., and one of the first peer-to-peer lending companies, LendingClub. Vanessa holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Washington.
Allison Van Houten joins as VP Marketing, responsible for Getaround's brand and consumer marketing. Allison is a senior marketing leader with 13 years of experience in building and scaling great consumer brands, rapidly acquiring and retaining users, as well as launching new products for some of the biggest names in technology and media, including Google, YouTube, and Omada Health. Allison hold a B.S. from Boston University in Communications, and an MBA from University of Michigan, Ross School of Business.
Spencer Jackson joins as Getaround's first General Counsel, bringing nearly 15 years experience as a corporate and intellectual property lawyer advising public and private high-growth tech companies in IPOs, acquisitions, tech transactions and other critical matters. Spencer worked as a corporate and IP attorney at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe for 8 years, then joined Ooma, Inc. as its first General Counsel, taking the company public on the New York Stock Exchange in July of 2015.
Matthew Gore joins as VP and GM of Conveyance, Getaround's turnkey mobility operations and revenue management service, bringing 13 years experience to the team, spanning a breadth of operational leadership and peer-to-peer experience. Most recently, Matt ran Fleet Operations for Uber's autonomous vehicle unit and worked closely with cities and states to craft the legislation that defines the industry today. Prior to Uber, Matt was at the Boston Consulting Group, and earlier, served as an officer for the U.S. Navy.
"We're expanding the Getaround team at an incredibly exciting time as we look to continue scaling and expanding our products to meet the needs of our fast-growing user base," said Zaid. "As executives, they have demonstrated a breadth of significant industry knowledge and experience that will turbocharge our business. I'm excited for what the future holds for these leaders and their teams."
At the same time, Jessica Scorpio, Getaround founder and CMO, will step out of the day-to-day and into a more involved role on the Getaround Board of Directors. In her new role, Scorpio will act as a liaison for the company and the Board of Directors, and serve as a key advisor to Zaid. She will be involved in special projects and forward-looking initiatives to support the company to ensure high business standards, continued innovation, and operational excellence.
"When we started the company eight years ago, I made a deep commitment to our mission, and have spent that time pouring my heart and soul into executing on that mission, growing the business, overcoming hurdles, and building out the leadership," said Scorpio. "I have an incredible amount of confidence in the team and the state of the business, and look forward to continuing to contribute to our goals as an active member of the board."
Outside of her role on the Getaround Board, Scorpio will remain a strong advocate and mentor for first-time entrepreneurs and women in technology. She is active in variety of entrepreneur organizations and will take on additional board seats in the consumer tech space.
"Jessica has played a pivotal role in all aspects of Getaround and laid the foundation for our current business trajectory. She developed the brand and led strategic campaigns, changed legislation in several states, was deployed in new markets to jumpstart growth and leads sales, and was a fundraising powerhouse," said Zaid. "I look forward to her continued creativity and ingenuity at the Board level, and to leveraging her industry knowledge and relationships to assist in the next phase of company's execution."
Getaround looks to continue its aggressive trajectory in 2019 and beyond. In the past year, the company launched several new markets, most notably Boston, New Jersey, Los Angeles, Seattle, San Jose, Miami, San Diego and Philadelphia—all of which are growing several times faster than Getaround's first market of San Francisco—and the service is now available in over 90 cities across the U.S. Also in the past year, Getaround secured and expanded upon strategic and integrated partnerships with Uber and Toyota Motor Corporation, and raised $325M in Series D funding led by SoftBank. The company looks to expand into new cities in North America and around the world, as well as develop mobility partnerships, launch new product offerings, create operational efficiencies, and continue innovating on its connected car technology.
About Getaround
Getaround empowers people to instantly rent and drive great cars shared by people in their city. Cars can be rented by the hour, or the day, with insurance and 24/7 roadside assistance included. By using the Getaround app, people skip the lines and paperwork at traditional rental car counters, and the hassle of buying and maintaining a car.
Powered by Getaround Connect™, the patented connected car technology, Getaround creates a fun and safe carsharing experience without the need to meet the car owner, carry an access card, or coordinate picking up a car key. People share everything from a Prius to a Tesla and earn thousands in extra income each year, offsetting the high cost of car ownership while also making a positive impact on the environment.
Headquartered in San Francisco, Getaround has thousands of cars available throughout major metropolitan areas across the United States. Investors in Getaround include SoftBank, Menlo Ventures, Braemar Energy Ventures, Asset Plus, Triangle Peak Partners, SPARX Group, Toyota Motor Corporation, Cox Automotive Inc., and SAIC Capital.
For more information visit Getaround.com, download the iPhone or Android app, like on Facebook, and follow on Instagram and Twitter.
SOURCE Getaround
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