Awards & Recognition
★Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award (2003)
★University of Michigan's BBA Alumni Award (2012)
★LendingTree named Inc. Magazine's Best Places to Work (2016)
★Company won Deloitte's Technology Fast 500 award (2017)
★Forbes America's Most Promising Companies listing (2018)
Notable Facts
→Founded LendingTree in 1996, pioneering online loan comparison marketplace
→Built company to ~$900M revenue with 1,000+ employees
→Led successful IPO in 2000 and navigated dot-com crash
→Company acquired by IAC for significant sum, later spun out again
→Became minority owner of Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019/2023
→Served on Darden School Foundation Board of Trustees
→Established Lebda Family Foundation for rural healthcare and education
→Co-founded Tykoon financial education platform for children
→Net worth estimated at $137-305 million at time of death
→Completed Executive MBA at UVA Darden in 2014 after initially dropping out to start company