Tech Moves: Zillow Group names new COO as longtime execs depart

Seattle real estate tech company Zillow Group promoted Jun Choo to the role of chief operating officer.

Choo replaces Jeremy Wackman, who took over as CEO in August when co-founder and two-time CEO Rich Barton stepped down.

Choo was previously Zillow’s senior vice president of real estate software. He joined the company nine years ago when it acquired San Francisco-based Trulia.

Choo has led multiple initiatives at the company, creating the Connections platform, Premier Agent market-based pricing and the Zillow Showcase product.

Zillow beat estimates for its third quarter, reporting revenue of $581 million and adjusted earnings of $127 million.

“With more than two-thirds of U.S. homebuyers on Zillow, we are seizing our incredible opportunity to deliver a more tech-enabled and integrated experience to get more people home,” Choo said in a statement.

— Zillow on Thursday also shared additional leadership changes. Susan Daimler, Zillow president, and Matt Daimler, Zillow senior vice president of product, have resigned.

The Daimlers, who are married, co-founded Buyfolio, which was acquired by Zillow in 2012. They previously co-founded SeatGuru, which was bought by Expedia.

“When you’re barreling down the track at 100+ MPH and you love your crew and the ride has just the right mix of turns, dips, comfort and exhilaration, it’s nearly impossible to get off,” Daimler wrote on LinkedIn. “But after twelve years at Zillow the time is right to make the leap and embrace new adventures.”

— Identity verification startup Vouched named Neal Oman as chief technology officer.

Oman was previously CTO at Plunk, a Bellevue, Wash., home improvement tech startup. His other roles include senior technical advisor in AI and analytics at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and tech leadership roles at Seattle-area companies including Here Technologies, Medio Systems and others.

Founded in 2018, Vouched helps companies verify the identity of customers and users by examining driver’s licenses and other forms of identification. The Seattle-based company can provide fraud detection of a person in real-time.

“Vouched’s rapid growth presents an exciting opportunity to build new, AI-based products in the identity space and scale technical operations to seamlessly and reliably support our customer’s existing and emerging needs,” Oman said in a statement.

— Vouched also announced Patrick Williams as senior director of marketing. Williams, who has held leadership roles in marketing for more than two decades, will work remotely from New York City.

“Neal’s technical vision and Patrick’s marketing acumen will be instrumental in driving our next phase of innovation and growth,” said Peter Horadan, CEO of Vouched.

Horadan joined Vouched in August.

— Dr. Nicole Fleming was named deputy chief medical officer for Fred Hutch Cancer Center — a new position for the Seattle nonprofit.

Fleming is a gynecologic oncologist. She’s joining Fred Hutch from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, the largest U.S. cancer center.

Fleming was at MD Anderson for 13 years and is credited with playing a key role in growing the center’s regional cancer care, which is a priority for Fred Hutch.

“I have a real passion and love for women’s healthcare in general, but also for surgery, cancer treatment and research,” she said in a statement.

Fleming will split her time between overseeing daily operations at Fred Hutch’s outpatient clinic in South Lake Union and providing care for patients.

The Fred Hutch has been expanding its patient care services following a merger two years ago with Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. The new arrangement created a single institution that combined research and patient care and also serves as University of Washington Medicine’s cancer program.

— Alberto Santagostino is now CEO of the biotech company AGC Biologics.

Bothell, Wash.-based AGC Biologics is part of the AGC Group, which is a business conglomerate with more than 206 companies worldwide.

Santagostino is based in Switzerland and his more recent previous roles include senior vice president of cell and gene technologies at the Swiss company Lonza, and a partner in the pharmaceutical and medical product practice at McKinsey in Denmark.

AGC Biologics is a “Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization” that helps companies develop and produce pharmaceuticals and other medical treatments.

— Geordie Rose, co-founder and CEO of robotics startup Sanctuary AI, has stepped down.

The Vancouver, B.C., company last year unveiled what it describes as the first commercially available, general-purpose robot of its kind: a 5-foot, 7-inch working machine named Phoenix, powered by an advanced AI software system called Carbon.

Phoenix was built to perform tasks ranging from stocking shelves to unloading a truck to working a register.

Sanctuary launched in 2018 by past founders of quantum computing company D-Wave, AI robotics company Kindred, and the R&D nonprofit Creative Destruction Lab.

James Wells, Sanctuary’s chief commercial officer, is serving as interim CEO. In a blog post, Sanctuary said that its board and executive team is managing the leadership transition and offered praise for Rose.

“His commitment to advancing our mission and this category has inspired our progress and positioned us at the forefront of innovation,” the company said.