Our team is dedicated to saving you money.
Founded in 2007, Yapta is guided by technology experts and veterans of the travel management industry. We understand what it’s like to balance travel budgets, wondering whether it’s better to book airfare now or wait and see. That’s why we developed Yapta price tracking technology for consumers and FareIQ Intelligent Price Tracking™ services for corporations.
We’re delighted with the results. We’ve tracked pricing on millions of flights, executed over one billion price checks and identified over $400 million in savings for travelers. We look forward to helping you streamline your travel budget.
James Filsinger, President & CEO
James has more than 16 years of experience in the travel industry with proven success in CEO, M&A and Business Development roles within global startups and Fortune 500 companies. Prior to joining Yapta, James was CEO of EZYield.com, Inc. where he was responsible for orchestrating the sale of the company to TravelClick in November 2011. Earlier in his career, James was CEO and General Manager of Moneydirect, an international joint venture between Sabre Inc. (USA) and Amadeus IT (Spain) that processed over $2.5 billion in travel payment transactions annually. Prior to Moneydirect, he spent more than a decade at Sabre Holdings where he served as VP of New Business Ventures, among other roles within the organization. James holds an M.B.A. and BA in Accounting, both from Washington State University.
Jerry McGuire, CFO
Jerry McGuire leads Yapta’s financial operations having spent more than 20 years as a consulting CFO to over 50 technology companies. He has helped his clients raise substantial equity and debt financing, aided management teams in strategic and tactical planning, established and managed financial controls and accounting systems, and has managed facilities, human resources and IT functions. Earlier in his career, Jerry worked as a marketing representative with IBM, as a consultant with Deloitte Haskins and Sells, and as Vice President of Finance at SeaMed Corporation. Jerry has an M.B.A. from the University of Southern California.
Karim Meghji, VP, Product & Engineering
Karim came to Yapta after 10 years at Real Networks where he served as a key member of their executive team. Before leaving Real Networks, Karim was VP of Music Software and Services, overseeing Real’s award-winning music subscription service, Rhapsody. Karim was a key member of the team that led the successful delivery of Rhapsody to portable, mobile and living room devices. He was also responsible for a number of successful product and business initiatives including partnerships with BestBuy, Sandisk, Google and Rolling Stone. Karim holds a BS in Computer Science from San Jose State University.
Valerie Layman, VP, Business Development
Valerie is a veteran of online travel, having previously worked at Orbitz as part of the company’s corporate travel division, serving as Director of Product Management. As champion of the OrbitzforBusiness Product, Valerie delivered both online and offline capabilities which expanded the customer base and differentiated Orbitz from its competitors. While at Orbitz, she was also responsible for managing many of the company’s direct-connect relationships with various travel suppliers. Prior to her work at Orbitz, she served as a consultant for Accenture in Chicago. Valerie has a BS in Marketing and an MBA from Kansas State University.
Roger Gould, VP, Sales
Roger is a veteran of the travel management industry. Prior to Yapta, he co-founded and managed Biz Travel Consultants, a travel management consulting firm. He also served as VP of Global Sales at Travel Leaders and spent 16 years at American Express where he held several sales leadership roles in Corporate Services including Business Travel, Commercial Card and Technologies and helped launch the Purchasing Card. Roger holds a BA degree from the University of Florida and an MS from the University of Hartford.