Spencer Rascoff

Spencer Rascoff is the co-founder and former CEO of Zillow Group, and one of the co-founders of Hotwire.com. Rascoff was born in 1975 and grew up in New York and Los Angeles. He graduated cum laude from Harvard University. Rascoff is also on the boards of directors of TripAdvisor and Hutch. Before beginning his consumer web career, Spencer worked in investment banking at Goldman Sachs and in private equity at TPG Capital.

Spencer Rascoff Q&A

What is Spencer Rascoff known for?

Spencer Rascoff is mainly known for founding Zillow Group and Hotwire.com, as well as sitting on the board of directors for TripAdvisor and Hutch.

Why is Spencer Rascoff important to the real estate industry?

As co-founder, Rascoff contributed to the rise and popularity of Zillow, the online real estate database company. Since its origination in 2005, Rascoff has had many roles at Zillow, including Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Marketing Officer. In 2010 he was appointed Chief Executive Officer. As CEO, Spencer led Zillow through its 2011 IPO and 15 acquisitions. Under his leadership, Zillow Group won numerous “best places to work” awards. Spencer frequently writes and speaks about management and culture.

Spencer Rascoff Top Stories

February 21, 2019—Zillow Group is replacing CEO Spencer Rascoff with co-founder and former CEO Rich Barton, the company said in an SEC filing Thursday.

June 24, 2018—Spencer Rascoff believes Zillow's "Instant Offers" program will appeal to sellers who want, or need, to line up the sale and purchase of their home.

The Latest

Pacaso's Spencer Rascoff and Austin Allison (iStock, Pacaso)

National

Spencer Rascoff’s Pacaso is worth $1B

By E.B. Solomont | March 24, 2021 08:51AM

Five months after launching, second-home startup Pacaso is a unicorn. The company, started by Zillow co-founder Spencer Rascoff and other former Zillow executives, said it raised $75 million at a $1 billion valuation —...

Spencer Rascoff’s Pacaso is worth $1B

Spencer Rascoff and Offerpad CEO Brian Blair (Getty, Offerpad)

National

Spencer Rascoff’s SPAC strikes $3B deal with Offerpad

By E.B. Solomont | March 18, 2021 10:23AM

Zillow co-founder Spencer Rascoff is betting big on iBuying — a move that pits him against the real estate...

Spencer Rascoff’s SPAC strikes $3B deal with Offerpad

From left: Fifth Wall’s Brendan Wallace, Tishman Speyer’s Rob Speyer, Social Capital’s Chamath Palihapitiya, Cantor Fitzgerald’s Howard Lutnick, Pershing Square Capital’s Bill Ackman and Opendoor’s Eric Wu

National Issue

Making sense of the SPACe race

By E.B. Solomont | February 23, 2021 07:30AM

When Fifth Wall Ventures decided to jump into the SPAC market in January, it targeted a raise of $250 million to take a startup public. Within three weeks, it upsized the offering — twice...

Making sense of the SPACe race

Spencer Rascoff (Photo via Getty, Spencer Rascoff, iStock)

National

Spencer Rascoff goes for SPAC trifecta

By E.B. Solomont | February 18, 2021 11:20AM

Zillow co-founder Spencer Rascoff is raising a third blank-check company, according to regulatory filings. The 45-year-old’s Supernova Partners Acquisition Company III is seeking $250 million to invest in the tech sector, the filing said....

Spencer Rascoff goes for SPAC trifecta

Spencer Rascoff (Photo by Kevin Scanlon/Illustration by Kevin Rebong for The Real Deal)

National

Spencer Rascoff launches second SPAC

By E.B. Solomont | February 10, 2021 09:43PM

Why have one SPAC when you could have two? Zillow co-founder Spencer Rascoff, who raised $350 million for his first blank-check firm this fall, has just launched a second SPAC, according to a regulatory...

Spencer Rascoff launches second SPAC