# Ross Buhrdorf

> Ross Buhrdorf is the Austin-based co-founder and CEO of ZenBusiness and the former founding CTO of HomeAway. A University of Texas computer science graduate, investor and Santa Fe Institute trustee, he builds software for business owners and advocates making entrepreneurship more accessible. His forthcoming book, Fear Is a Liar, is scheduled for March 2027.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at ZenBusiness
- **Organizations:** ZenBusiness, HomeAway, Excite.com, Capital Factory, Santa Fe Institute, University of Texas at Austin Computer Science Advisory Council, American National Bank of Texas, KLRU-TV
- **Education:** B.S. in Computer Science, University of Texas at Austin
- **Known for:** Founding CTO of HomeAway through its IPO and $3.9 billion acquisition by Expedia., Helped integrate more than 25 acquisitions at HomeAway, according to his Santa Fe Institute biography., Led ZenBusiness through its $200 million Series C in 2021.

## Career timeline

- **Early career** — Worked at Data General, Tandem Computers and HAL Computers.
- **Before HomeAway** — Served as VP of Engineering at Excite.com.
- **2005** — Became HomeAway chief technology officer; its prospectus dates his service from July 2005.
- **2011** — HomeAway went public; Buhrdorf received a local CTO of the Year award.
- **2015** — Expedia acquired HomeAway for $3.9 billion; ZenBusiness dates its founding by Buhrdorf and Shanaz Hemmati to 2015.
- **2021** — ZenBusiness announced a $200 million Series C at a $1.7 billion valuation.
- **2023** — Named an EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Gulf South award winner.
- **2025** — ZenBusiness launched Velo on July 22.
- **2026** — ZenBusiness expanded Velo access and introduced its blueprint experience in June.
- **2027 (scheduled)** — Fear Is a Liar is scheduled for publication on March 16.

## Achievements

- Founding CTO of HomeAway through its IPO and $3.9 billion acquisition by Expedia.
- Helped integrate more than 25 acquisitions at HomeAway, according to his Santa Fe Institute biography.
- Led ZenBusiness through its $200 million Series C in 2021.
- EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2023 Gulf South award winner.
- 2011 local CTO of the Year award recipient.

## Latest updates

- **2026-06** — ZenBusiness expanded Velo with open access on web and mobile and a personalized blueprint for aspiring business owners.
- **2025-07** — ZenBusiness launched Velo, an AI agent for business guidance and tasks.

## Links

- Website: https://www.zenbusiness.com/ross-buhrdorf/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossbuhrdorf
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/RossInAustin

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/ross-buhrdorf
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-16