Virtually every time VCs talk about how they identify groundbreaking startups, they mention the formative role of a powerful founder-CEO. And looking at the history of famously successful startups of the last several decades — from Apple to Microsoft to Oracle to Facebook — it seems clear they have a point.

Yet looking at the recent spate of IPO filings from high-profile venture-funded companies like Pandora, LinkedIn and Homeaway, the trend actually seems to be one of smaller ownership stakes for founders and, in some cases, reduced leadership roles. Overall, it seems like VC stakes are bigger and founders have already parted with the bulk of their holdings, either through secondary transactions or the dilutive effects of multiple funding rounds.

HomeAway Inc., an Austin, Texas-based operator of an online vacation rentals website, has acquired the publisher of Brazilian vacation rental site AlugueTemporada.com.br. No financial terms were disclosed. HomeAway has raised over $480 million in VC funding, from firms like Technology Crossover Ventures, Institutional Venture Partners, Redpoint Ventures, Trident Capital and Austin Ventures.

HomeAway Inc., an Austin, Texas-based operator of an online vacation rentals website, has acquired BedandBreakfast.com, a global online directory of bed-and-breakfast properties. No financial terms were disclosed. HomeAway has raised over $480 million in VC funding, from firms like Technology Crossover Ventures, Institutional Venture Partners, Redpoint Ventures, Trident Capital and Austin Ventures.

It’s that time of the year again, when I and 90 million or so other viewers worldwide will watch the Super Bowl this Sunday. I’m hoping for a great game. (Go Saints!) But I also will have a keen eye on the ads. This has been an annual pursuit of mine since the mid-1990s when [...]

American Capital has sold its equity stake in HomeAway Inc., an Austin, Texas-based operator of an online vacation rentals website, to existing shareholders. American Capital says the $15 million sale represented a $4 million gain. HomeAway has raised over $480 million in VC funding, from firms like Technology Crossover Ventures, Institutional Venture Partners, Redpoint Ventures, Trident Capital, Austin Ventures and American Capital.

HomeAway Inc., an Austin, Texas-based operator of an online vacation rentals website, has acquired Homelidays SAS, a Paris-based operator of a pan-European for-rent-by-owner vacation rental or “self-catering” site. No financial terms were disclosed. HomeAway has raised over $480 million in VC funding, from firms like Technology Crossover Ventures, Institutional Venture Partners, Redpoint Ventures, Trident Capital, Austin Ventures and American Capital.

HomeAway Inc., an Austin, Texas-based operator of an online vacation rentals website, has raised $250 million in new VC funding. Technology Crossover Ventures led the round, and was joined by return backers investors Institutional Venture Partners and Redpoint Ventures. It had previously raised over $230 million from IVP, Redpoint, Trident Capital, Austin Ventures and American Capital

As the economy has soured, fresh funding has moved out of the reach of many startups. Not so for four-year-old HomeAway, an Austin-based group of vacation-rental Web sites that just announced a stunning $250 million in new funding led by Technology Crossover Ventures, with participation from existing investors Institutional Venture Partners and Redpoint Ventures. That’s $250 million smackeroos – [...]

HomeAway Inc., an Austin, Texas-based operator of an online vacation rentals website, has acquired Owners Direct Holiday Rentals, the second-largest vacation rental website in the UK. No financial terms were disclosed, although existing HomeAway shareholder American Capital Strategies said that it had recently invested an additional $11.5 million into the company.   Other HomeAway shareholders [...]