SideCar Hires eBay Exec Gregory Boutte And Hulu Exec Rob Wong As It Looks To Accelerate Growth

Peer-to-peer ride sharing is one of the hottest — and most controversial — markets in the current tech startup world. And one leading player in the space, SideCar, is looking to hit the gas pedal on its growth amidst all the hubbub.

The San Francisco-based SideCar announced today it has hired two key tech executives to join the company and focus on product development and revenue generation: Gregory Boutte, most recently VP of eBay’s electronics and motors divisions, is joining SideCar as Chief Revenue Officer, and Robert Wong, most recently VP of product at Hulu, will serve as SideCar’s EVP of product.

In a post on SideCar’s company blog, CEO Sunil Paul said the two new execs “will help us build our brand visibility and prepare for global expansion.” In a separate press statement, Paul had a couple more comments about what each new hire brings to the table:

“Gregory has a reputation for leadership and execution. His depth of experience in two-sided marketplaces and international operations will be key to Sidecar’s global acceleration. Robert is known in the industry as a product executive with the strategic and tactical expertise to take a breakthrough idea mainstream. Both these hires will play an essential role as we grow our business and rideshare community.”

The company launched its service nearly one year ago in June 2012. At the moment, SideCar has active operations in eight markets — San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, Austin, Philadelphia, Chicago, Boston, Brooklyn, and Washington, D.C. — and, like other transportation apps, has battled its fair share of regulators along the way.

There are certainly a lot of question marks about how ride-sharing will evolve in the months and years ahead, as local governments work out their responses to the new transportation landscape. But the fact that companies like SideCar continue to attract talent from other established areas of the tech industry is a big vote of confidence that it’s a market that is here to stay.