Who We Are
We’re Dedicated. And Proud.
We are honored to partner with American Express.
Leadership Team
We're on a Mission
Successful entrepreneurship. A true passion for travel. That's how we're developing something truly unique.
Brent Handler
Brent pioneered the destination club industry when he and his brother Brad founded Exclusive Resorts in 2002. Brent served as the company's president from 2002 to 2009 during a period of great innovation and growth. Exclusive Resorts amassed more than $1 billion in real estate assets and delivered tens of thousands of vacations to members worldwide. Brent created Inspirato to appeal to a new generation of savvy consumers and attracted over 1,000 members in the company's first year. The innovative business model inspired Forbes magazine to name Inspirato one of "America's Most Promising Companies" in 2011. The company attracted investments from top venture capital firms like Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers and IVP. Brent graduated from the University of Colorado with a bachelor's degree in business.
Watching my children experience things for the first time. My wife. Working with smart, dedicated people. Losing to my 13-year-old in a game of ping-pong in our basement. Vacationing with my family and close friends. Building new businesses that challenge established industries.
Brad Handler
As one of Inspirato's founders, Brad focuses on corporate finance and strategic initiatives. For more than 20 years, Brad has worked at some of the world's most exciting and innovative companies. He started his career at Apple, and later served as eBay's first attorney during a time of tremendous growth in the online world. In 2002, he founded Exclusive Resorts with his brother Brent and served as the company's CEO and Chairman. Brad continues to bring his passion for entrepreneurship to a number of private companies. He is a lecturer at Stanford Law School and the University of Virginia School of Law. Brad earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania, a bachelor's degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and a juris doctorate from the University of Virginia School of Law.
The Tuscan countryside. My wife's smile. Discovering new and exciting vacation destinations.
Martin Pucher
Martin leads Inspirato's corporate operations, human resources and technology teams. Prior to founding Inspirato, Martin was the Executive Vice President of publicly traded Tii Network Technologies, a leading networking products manufacturer. He also served as the company's Chief Marketing Officer and board member. Previously, he served in various management positions at Liberty Media Corporation, including Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer within its digital media group. He was a founding member of DMX Music - acquired by Liberty - which pioneered digital music subscription services to homes and businesses, worldwide. Martin graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a bachelor's degree in engineering.
My wife of 15 years and our three children's endless enthusiasm for life. Technology and innovations. Building new businesses. Learning from the unexpected. The sound of wind hitting a sail.
Brian Corbett
Brian directs Inspirato's real estate, property operations and hospitality functions, and is responsible for enhancing the overall Inspirato membership experience. Prior to founding Inspirato, Brian was Vice President of Product Development and Strategy for Exclusive Resorts, where he created the company's highly successful "Once in a Lifetime" experiential travel program. Brian also served as the company's first director of real estate. He began his career as an economic and management consultant in Washington, D.C. Brian earned a bachelor's degree from Boston University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
My two sons and my supportive wife. The power and beauty of mountains and oceans. Foreign travel. Watching my kids learn, explore and laugh without inhibition. Teachers and innovators. Working with talented people and doing what I love.
Vilia Valentine
Vilia oversees accounting, finance and investor relations at Inspirato, bringing her wealth of experience increasing company value and driving financial growth. Prior to joining Inspirato, Vilia served as the Principal Financial Officer at MDC Holdings, a $1 billion public homebuilding and financial services company. Previously, she spent four years as the CFO for Gaiam Inc., a leading producer of lifestyle media and fitness accessories. Vilia also served as CFO of Verio Inc., a $300 million worldwide web hosting company, and Vice President of Corporate Express, a $4 billion international office products company. In 2009, she was named "CFO of the Year" for public companies by the Denver Business Journal. Vilia earned a bachelor's degree from Colorado State University.
My caring husband and adventurous daughters. Laughter. A walk on the beach. The smell of fresh mountain air. A stroll through Central Park. Admiring old castles, churches and works of art. Sharing these experiences with my family and friends.
Ira Bahr
Ira oversees all customer acquisition, customer communications and channel marketing activities at Inspirato. Prior to joining Inspirato, Ira was the CMO at DISH Network, the third largest provider of pay television in the U.S. with more than 14 million subscribers. Previously, he served as the Senior Vice President of Marketing, Alliances and Communications at Sirius Satellite Radio, where he held the notable distinction for naming the company after the brightest star in the night sky. Ira began his career at BBDO, one of the world's largest advertising agencies, rising to the roles of Senior Vice President and Worldwide Account Director and working with such clients as FedEx, Pepsi-Cola and General Electric. Ira earned a bachelor's degree from Columbia University.
Courage. The confidence to risk everything against the outcome of your own ideas.
Our Investors
Funding the Vision
Thanks to these institutional partners, we will continue our rapid expansion.
Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers
Since its founding in 1972, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers has backed entrepreneurs in more than 500 ventures including AOL, Amazon.com, Citrix, Compaq, Electronic Arts, Genentech, Genomic Health, Google, Intuit, Juniper Networks, Netscape, Sun, Symantec, Verisign, WebMD and Zynga. KPCB portfolio companies employ more than 350,000 people worldwide. More than 150 of the firm's portfolio companies have gone public, and many other KPCB ventures have achieved success through mergers and acquisitions. KPCB focuses its global investments in three practice areas - digital, greentech and life sciences - and provides entrepreneurs with company-building expertise out of its offices in Silicon Valley, Beijing and Shanghai.
Institutional Venture Partners
With $3 billion of committed capital, Institutional Venture Partners (IVP) is one of the premier later-stage venture capital and growthequity firms in the United States. Founded in 1980, IVP has invested in over 300 companies, 89 of which have gone public. IVP is one of the top performing firms in the industry and has a 30 year IRR of 43.2%. IVP specializes in venture growth investments, industry rollups, founder liquidity transactions, and select public market investments. Since its inception, IVP investments include such notable companies as ArcSight (HPQ), Aspect Communications, ComScore (SCOR), Concur Technologies (CNQR), Digital River (DRIV), Dropbox, HomeAway(AWAY), Juniper Networks (JNPR), Kayak, LegalZoom, LivingSocial, MySQL (ORCL), Netflix (NFLX), Polycom (PLCM), Seagate (STX), Shazam, Synchronoss (SNCR), Tivo (TIVO), Twitter, and Zynga (ZNGA).
First Round Capital
First Round Capital is a seed-stage venture capital firm dedicated to helping talented entrepreneurs build great companies. As seed-stage investors, we often provide a company's first outside capital - and are not afraid of funding pre-revenue companies. First Round Capital's portfolio is a community of web-enabled businesses led by entrepreneurs, guided by an active partnership and connected through a technology platform designed to support companies throughout their growth. The firm's current portfolio includes companies like StumbleUpon, OneKingsLane, Bazaarvoice, Modcloth, RockMelt, Uber and Square. First Round Capital invests nationally with offices in San Francisco, New York and Philadelphia.
Access Venture Partners
Access Venture Partners invests in early stage technology companies led by exceptional management teams with the passion and ability to build world class organizations that can redefine markets - and maybe even change the world.
CrunchFund
CrunchFund is an early stage venture capital firm founded by Michael Arrington, Patrick Gallagher, and MG Siegler. The fund invests in and works with information technology companies at any stage but is primarily focused on seed and early stage investments.
