Wichita2022

Rob DeSantis cofounded Ariba (which went public and was acquired by SAP) as well as seed stage company, Arkestro (which KDT is currently invested in). He was also an early angel investor in LinkedIn, and has invested, founded and advised many other companies as well.

Rob's dynamic experience spans every stage from founder to investor to mentor, now back to seed-stage founder again. He will engage the audience and has made himself available to answer a wide range of situational questions.

About Rob
Rob co-founded Ariba, Inc. and led its field sales and operations team, helping the company expand from zero to $250 million in four years with positive cash flow after eight months of operation. Eventually, Ariba became the fastest growing software company in the history of the software industry. In 1999, while Rob lived in Holland setting up international operations and customers, Ariba went public and was cited as one of the top 10 IPO’s of all time reaching a $42 billion market cap nine months after the IPO. Rob retired from Ariba as the EVP and CMO in late 2000 where he architected key relationships with companies like Dell, Microsoft, Bank of America and American Express.

Since 2001, he has developed a portfolio of companies primarily in the world of technology and has helped several to achieve billion-dollar outcomes. In 2003, Rob invested alongside Sequoia Capital in LinkedIn and was an early board member. In 2007 he became one of the largest personal investors in Bloom Energy and currently serves as a Senior Advisor to the CEO and his team. Additional companies he has participated in include Sugar Publishing, Hiq Labs, Aeye Inc. and Agiloft Software where he is also a Senior Advisor to the CEO and management team.

Rob obtained a Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Rhode Island.