Featuring Rob Campbell, CEO and Chairman of Voalté

Speaker Summary Bio:

Rob Campbell is a start-up junkie. He has started five companies and worked at both Apple and Microsoft in the early days of Silicon Valley. He holds the rare distinction of working directly for Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. Rob is best known for his products – PowerPoint and FileMaker – both of which have reached their twenty year anniversaries.
Rob has thirty years of experience in new business creation and in high growth, market-driven companies. He is a proven business and marketing manager with an in-depth knowledge of computer software markets, sales and distribution channels. In the mid 1970′s, Rob founded his first company, Dakin5, Inc. and quickly followed with The Denver Software Company – both of which pioneered the use of personal computers in business applications. When Apple acquired its flagship product, The Controller, Rob joined Apple as the Manager of Application Software reporting to Steve Jobs. At Apple, Rob wrote the book on software acquisition and licensing and spearheaded marketing and distribution for the emerging market for packaged software. Sales increased from less than $300,000 to more than $65 million. When Apple’s plan to spin out a software company was delayed, Rob left Apple to form his third start-up – Forethought, Inc.
At Forethought, Rob and his team focused on bit-mapped icon-based high-value application software including FileMaker and PowerPoint. They quickly became the best selling database and presentation products on Macintosh and PC. In 1987, Microsoft acquired the company and FileMaker was spun out to Claris Corporation. Forethought was Microsoft’s first acquisition. After working for Bill Gates in establishing the market for desktop presentations, Rob became CEO of Selective Software, Inc., an early entrant into direct marketing of software. Selective Software mailed more than five million catalogs per year.
Rob has worked with a wide variety of technology companies, venture capital firms and direct marketing companies. Since 2001 Rob has worked with the University of Florida Warrington School of Business and was selected as the 2005 Entrepreneur in Residence. He serves on the executive board of the Center of Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Rob lives with his wife and children in Sarasota, Florida.