Rob Rueckert
Rob Rueckert is a partner at Sorenson’s Growth and Ventures teams, and co-founded the firm’s Ventures practice in 2017. Influenced by his engineering background, Rob is a “product-first” software investor, focusing on product leadership, technical depth, and differentiation. He enjoys working closely with ambitious leaders and is equally devoted to both solving challenges and celebrating accomplishments.
Q&A
Q: What's your favorite way to stay active?
Running and hiking. Both are best done when paired together.
Q: When you're not working, what are you into?
Trying to satiate an unquenchable thirst for traveling to new places, experiencing different cultures and doing activities that broaden the way he thinks about the world.
Q: What would you love to learn most?
How to play the guitar. Not just “play,” but really be good at it.
Bio
From 2001 to 2015, Rob was with Intel Capital, where he was a managing director and a voting member of their investment committee. While at Intel Capital, he invested in over 50 companies worldwide and across multiple technology sectors. Prior to his investment career, Rob was a software and data engineer for a variety of companies, including Arthur Andersen. Rob holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems from Brigham Young University. He is a Kauffman Fellow.
To Rob, the ideal founder aims to solve large problems with an ambitious product. The founder is stepping out on a limb to make the dream happen, but is also humble enough to know that the dream can only be achieved with the help of incredibly talented people around them. One of the most striking experiences he’s had with a founder came from a due diligence meeting he shared with a high-profile founder at a high-profile company. Throughout the long session of questions at the meeting, the founder rarely spoke, because he had hired incredibly talented people and fully enabled them to do their job. That particular moment has informed the way Rob looks at founders and CEOs: the best thing a CEO can do for their company is allow great people to participate in the company and give them space to truly shine.
“Sales, financing, personal wealth, and competition are all important aspects of building a business – but I’m more attracted to founders who are passionate about their product first.”
Rob’s favorite part of working with portfolio companies is the ability to work with people. He feels fortunate to spend time with the brightest, most ambitious, and talented people in tech, and enjoys being able to aid and abet the go-to-market motion. By scaling marketing, sales, and customer success motions through data-driven continuous feedback, Rob enables companies that, in turn, enable engineers across the industry to innovate quicker, better, and more efficiently.
“The process of aiming high allows potentials to be realized, whether or not being the absolute goal is ever achieved.”
If you’re a founder who is energized by your passion for innovation and drive to build a fantastic business, reach out. Rob would love to connect.
After my experience with Rob when he invested at my last startup, I knew I wanted him to be involved with Harvest. He is the rare investor who is calm, measured, and able to align the company’s best interests with those of his limited partners. He has no ego and is always available exactly when I need his advice, ear, or help with a difficult decision.”
Drew Sievers, Founder and CEO
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The portfolio companies listed above represent a subset of all investments made by Sorenson. It should not be assumed that future portfolio investments will be profitable or equal to the success of the companies in this list. A complete list of Sorenson investments is available upon request.
