US start-up GumHouse has a new chief executive in the form of Rebekah Horne, digital director of DMG Radio Australia and former senior vice president of MySpace International.
Horne, who spent the first eight years of her career in the marking sector of the music industry, has worked for the likes of EMI, Warner Music, Singtel Optus and Fox Interactive Media.
As the former managing director and senior vice president of Myspace International, she was responsible for launching MySpace Australia.
Horne is currently the digital director of DMG Radio Australia, which consists of Nova in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, Sydney’s 95.3FM and Melbourne’s 91.5FM.
DMG Radio also operates Adelaide’s FIVEaa and Star 104.5 on the NSW Central Coast, as well as digital stations Novanation and Koffee.
Earlier this year, DMG Radio Australia launched a group buying website titled getinquick.com.au, enabling businesses to promote themselves to Nova audiences.
According to Horne, DMG timed its entry into the group buying category following a lengthy review of the industry.
“Our key learnings have placed dmg digital in a powerful position to launch a new group buying experience,” she told StartupSmart in March.
“Our goal is to be the leading group buying site in Australia for 18 to 39-year-olds, offering quality targeted deals to our highly engaged audience.”
According to Horne’s LinkedIn profile, she is now the chief executive of LA-based start-up GumHouse, which describes itself as a “social stream video shopping network”.
In essence, GumHouse uses Facebook to personalise users’ shopping experiences. In June, the start-up raised $6 million, according to an SEC filing.
GumHouse’s executive officers include Tom Dare, former vice president of business intelligence at Myspace, and former MySpace chief Mike Jones, who launched a new start-up incubator known as Science.
Interestingly, Jones was Horne’s boss while she was running MySpace International.
Horne has now taken the reigns as chief executive of GumHouse. According to a report by Mumbrella, she has already relocated to the US to take up her new role.
However, it’s understood Horne will continue to act as a strategic advisor to DMG Radio and could return to the company in early 2013, suggesting her role at GumHouse is only temporary.
Horne isn’t the first female tech figure to venture overseas for a new project.
Earlier this year, tech entrepreneur Kate Kendall moved to Silicon Valley to work for a new web start-up launched by the co-founders of YouTube, before returning to concentrate on her Australian-based venture, The Fetch.
