Inman

EXp leader is stepping in to help virtual vendor subsidiary

AJ Canaria of PlanOmatic / Inside Real Estate

EXp World Holdings CEO Glenn Sanford is taking a new role at VirBELA, the virtual world vendor his company acquired in October 2018.

Glenn Sanford, CEO of eXp World Holdings. | Photo credit: eXp World Holdings

Sanford, in October 2019, took a step back from the day-to-day management of eXp Realty, the brokerage under parent company eXp World Holdings. The move to take an executive role at VirBELA will bring Sanford back into the daily fold of running one of his own company’s subsidiaries.

“For the last 10-and-a-half years, I have seen how immersive technology enables companies to compete even when there are challenges due to natural disasters or the economy in general,” Sanford said, in a statement. “EXp Realty, founded back in 2009 has been one of the fastest-growing companies in the U.S. enabled by the use of immersive platforms like VirBELA over the years and we are happy to share what we have learned to help other businesses thrive in tough times.”

The move comes as more and more companies are looking for virtual solutions for remote work or events, as states cancel large gatherings due to shelter-in-place orders. VirBELA, last month, announced a partnership with Event Farm, an event engagement platform, to create a customizable virtual world for companies to hold events.

Sanford, in his new role, will support VirBELA’s business by developing and executing strategic initiatives.

“We created VirBELA to enable companies, educational institutions and non-profits to grow and scale in the cloud and attract great talent no matter where they may be located,” Alex Howland, the president and founder of VirBELA, said in a statement.

“We have seen our clients use the VirBELA platform to scale rapidly and achieve amazing cost savings due to efficiencies and removing the need to travel or occupy office space. [Sanford] is an experienced leader and virtual work pioneer and we are thrilled to have him officially join the team at VirBELA.”

Email Patrick Kearns