#51 Doug Lebda | Founder & CEO, LendingTree

Doug Lebda is the CEO & Founder of Lending Tree. LendingTree (NASDAQ: TREE) is the nation's leading online marketplace that connects consumers with the choices they need to be confident in their financial decisions. LendingTree empowers consumers to shop for financial services the same way they would shop for airline tickets or hotel stays, by comparing multiple offers from a nationwide network of over 500 partners in one simple search and choosing the option that best fits their financial needs.

After experiencing the frustrations and complexities of getting his first mortgage, Doug envisioned a way to simplify the loan shopping process. Instead of physically going to multiple banks, customers could go to a website where the banks would compete for their business. That was 1996, and the website would become the one you’re reading right now.

After launching nationally in July 1998, Doug led LendingTree through a successful IPO in 2000, 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, and in 2008, joined the newly formed Tree.com (rebranded as LendingTree) as it spun out from IAC as a separate public company.

- This episode of The Deal Ranch Podcast is presented by https://huckscurryadvisors.com/

Episode Topics

• How LendingTree survived the early 2000's dot-com bubble
• Convincing Bank of America to partner with LendingTree over Microsoft
• The sale of LendingTree to IAC for 35× EBITDA
• A 45-minute grilling with Jack Welch that sparked a lasting mentorship and paved the way to Doug becoming COO at IAC
• Purchasing LendingTree stock during the 2008 crisis with a majority of his net worth
• The acquisition of QuoteWizard and turning it into one of LendingTree’s most profitable growth engines

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Connect with Lending Tree:

https://www.lendingtree.com/

https://investors.lendingtree.com/