John Rafael Roa is American entrepreneur and investor. He is best known as the founder and ex-CEO of ÄKTA which was fully acquired by Salesforce.com in 2015.
Video John Roa
Early life and education
John was born and raised in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, the son of Ender and Margaret Roa. He is part Venezuelan descent. His father was an engineer in the automotive industry and his mother was a nurse and teacher. By age 13, Roa had become interested in computer hardware, programming, hacking, and gaming. Roa attended Wayne State University and Lawrence Technological University, before settling on Western Michigan University. He received a BBA in Sales and Business Marketing from Western Michigan University before relocating to Chicago, Illinois in 2008.
Maps John Roa
Career
Roa has been an entrepreneur in technology start-ups since age 14, when he founded a computer repair business in Grosse Pointe, Michigan called Onsite Operations. Roa founded the Chicago-based, tech-consulting and design firm ÄKTA in 2010, recognized in 2014 by Inc. as one of America's Top 500 Fastest Growing Companies. ÄKTA was fully acquired by Salesforce.com in September of 2015.
After retiring as CEO, he launched Roa Ventures in 2016, a firm that focuses on "early-stage investments, projects, and experiments in Chicago, Los Angeles, and London". Roa has previously invested in technology, hospitality, analytics, e-commerce, and retail industries including: The Grand Voyage, Ellison, Social Crunch, The Betty, Rose & Poison, Like a Gentleman, and Caden.
ÄKTA
Roa founded the Chicago-based, tech-consulting and design firm ÄKTA in 2010, recognized in 2014 by Inc. as one of America's Top 500 Fastest Growing Companies. ÄKTA was a leader in the User Experience Design consulting space. ÄKTA was fully acquired by Salesforce.com in September of 2015 for an undisclosed amount.
Nonprofit
In 2011 together with Ruairi Hyland, Roa co-founded Digital Hope, a 501c3 nonprofit organization that partners with independent organizations around the world (places like orphanages and wildlife sanctuaries), to act as an exposure and fundraising engine, all via social media. One hundred percent of proceeds from the organization's online campaigns were put toward donations for each project. As co-founder and Executive Director, Roa traveled to locations himself, along with other volunteers, to give the donations earned by Digital Hope campaigns.
In May 2012, Digital Hope traveled to Colombia Sin Fronteras, a children's school in the barrios (shanty towns) of Valle de Gaira in Northern Colombia. The school itself is run entirely by unpaid volunteers and financed entirely by donations. Roa, Hyland, and volunteer Jock McEwan raised funds in their digital campaign to donate a large variety of school supplies to Colombia Sin Fronteras.
Other Projects
Roa founded SocialCrunch, a psychographic analytics platform, in 2011. SocialCrunch was part of the inaugural TechStars Chicago class of 2013, before being acquired by TasteBud in 2015.
Investments
Roa is an Angel Investor in a number of early-stage companies, including The Grand Voyage, Ellison, SocialCrunch, The Betty, Rose & Poison, Like a Gentleman, and Caden.
Recognitions
In 2012, he was named to Crain's Business 40 Under 40.In mid 2014 Roa, was the recipient of the James Tyree Emerging Business Leadership Award.
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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