Yahoo! Executive Appointed CEO of SideStep

SideStep, the traveler's search engine, announced that Rob Solomon has been chosen as the company's new president and chief executive officer. Solomon has also been named to SideStep's board of directors. He was formerly vice president and general manager of the Yahoo! Shopping Group (YHOO), where he was instrumental in building one of the largest commerce destinations on the Internet.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060116/SFM029 )

Solomon's vertical search expertise is considerable, having significantly grown one of the Web's premiere vertical search sites -- Yahoo! Shopping. Additionally, he brings extensive experience in the travel industry to SideStep, having run Yahoo!'s travel business. Solomon was with Yahoo! for six years.

"Rob Solomon has the track record and ingenuity to strengthen SideStep's position as the leader in travel search and ultimately continue to transform the online travel market," said Jim Barnett, SideStep's chairman of the board. "A veteran of portal and search wars, Rob has seen and touched all aspects of Yahoo!'s business -- from startup to hyper-growth. He possesses the knowledge and leadership to take SideStep to the next level and capitalize on a search engine on the verge of mass expansion."

SideStep leads the travel search category, one of the hottest sectors of the $63.5 billion online travel industry (PhoCusWright). SideStep.com searches hundreds of travel brands to find flight, hotel, rental car and vacation bargains around the globe. In addition, it generates approximately $1 billion in gross bookings annually for its partners.

"SideStep is an innovative company with a strong heritage -- a six year history that began with creating the vertical search market," said Solomon. "I believe in its mission to revolutionize the online travel search sector and look forward to leading the executive team to continue to define and extend a leadership role within the category."

Solomon brings a blend of consumer, commerce, travel and Internet search experience to SideStep. Having served as a Yahoo! corporate officer, Solomon has proven strategy, product and leadership skills. He was instrumental in driving major accolades for Yahoo! including, Shopping Search Engine of the Year (Search Engine Watch) and top ratings in key Comparison Shopping Reports (Consumer Reports and Forbes). He brings relevant experience from top companies such as consumer technology leader Electronic Arts and travel services powerhouse Cendant Corp. A UC Berkeley graduate, Solomon begins his new post on January 23, 2006.

About SideStep

SideStep -- the traveler's search engine -- delivers the most comprehensive selection of travel choices at the best prices to more than 4.7 million consumers each month. SideStep has been named one of TIME Magazine's "50 Coolest Web Sites" and declared "Best of the Web" by Forbes. The company has forged alliances with leading travel brands such as Hilton Hotels Corporation, Marriott International, Continental Airlines, JetBlue, Dollar Rent A Car and Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Headquartered in Santa Clara, California, SideStep is privately held and has raised more than $17 million in funding from Trident Capital and individual investors. For more information, visit http://www.sidestep.com.

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