Valerie Combs

Valerie Combs oversees all communications for IAC, working closely with executive leadership and other stakeholders to build and manage IAC’s corporate brand, as well as the narratives of each of its portfolio companies. She first came to IAC more than a decade ago as Vice President of Communications for IAC-owned search engine Ask.com, where she grew press coverage 30 percent year-over-year. She also served as Ask’s resident Consumer Search Expert, with her commentary appearing in national outlets and broadcast shows, including USA Today, Huffington Post, MSNBC and Fox Business.

Prior to this, Ms. Combs ran communications and marketing for a number of ad tech, social and search start-ups based in San Francisco, including Ingenio (the Benchmark-backed former Keen.com, acquired by AT&T); BuzzLogic (backed by Adams Capital Management); and Tribe Networks (one of the first consumer social networks, founded by Mark Pincus). Ms. Combs started her career at the height of the SF dot-com bubble in 1999, where she led PR for Nokia’s network security division among other enterprise tech start-ups. Ms. Combs has also served as a regular contributor to the SF Weekly. She holds a BA in Journalism and Theater Arts from CSU Chico.