Frustrated by getting his first mortgage, Doug Lebda saw a need to empower consumers in what is, for most, the largest financial transaction in their lives –- financing their home. He envisioned a process where lenders would compete for the borrower’s business in a fair and open marketplace. And through this process, lenders would be able to connect with exactly the right consumers to grow. With that vision, LendingTree.com was founded in 1996 and has revolutionized how consumers shop for loans and how lenders reach new customers, recently helping the 30 millionth borrower through the mortgage process.
 
After the company was founded in 1996, it was launched nationally in July 1998. Doug led LendingTree through a successful IPO in 2000, through the dot-com meltdown of 2001 and a successful sale to IAC/InteractiveCorp in 2003. From 2005 to 2008, Doug served as IAC’s President and Chief Operating Officer, leading the company through a transition from a holding company to a unified operating company. In 2008, Doug rejoined Tree.com as it spun out from IAC as a separate public company. Today, Tree.com connects consumers and businesses more broadly than just mortgages including cars, auto finance, education and home services.
 
In 2010, Doug launched the LendingTree Foundation which empowers individuals in their personal financial lives through education, action and support by matching clients with personal financial coaches. He’s also a former Trustee for the Darden School Foundation and a former Board member of the Bucknell Alumni Board.
 
In addition to LendingTree and his non-profit work, Doug helps lead other companies that are transforming the way consumers transact online. He’s the Chairman of the Board of Recyclebank (recently named one of the 50 most innovative companies in the world), Co-Founder of Tykoon (an innovative financial platform for families and children) and is an active mentor and angel investor. In his free time, he enjoys time with his 3 daughters, is an avid runner and enjoys an occasional round of golf. He’s also completed two ironman triathlons, and recently summited Mount Rainier with a group of LendingTree employees.

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