Rob is a serial entrepreneur, and is currently involved in his latest venture as the Founder and CEO of PaeDae, an investor-backed startup in private beta.
He has founded and led six ventures, including the nonprofit Road of Life (2002), Boundaryless Brands (2008), which was acquired in 2011, SpeakerSite (2008), and BULX (2010), which was acquired by Dealyard.com in 2011. He is a mentor at the start-up accelerators Hub Ventures (Part of the Global Accelerator Network championed by TechStars) in San Francisco and Founders Factory in Columbus, OH.
In 2002 Rob sold his car and stocks to fund the initial $2,500 investment needed to found The Keren Emrich Foundation, aka Road of Life. That investment has since been leveraged to distribute over $70 Million worth of health curriculum to over 250,000 children throughout the world. Rob has also worked as a political campaign manager and consultant, served as a page in the Ohio House of Representatives, and worked as a researcher in a molecular genetics lab.
In 2004 (at age 25), Rob was the youngest person to be honored as one of ‘Forty under 40′ by Columbus Business First. He was also named one of “Four People Whose Bright Ideas Bring Light to Others” by Northern Ohio Live. He has lectured on social entrepreneurship at the
John Glenn Institute in Washington, DC, and at the
City Year Social Entrepreneurship Panel, and acted as a panelist & judge for
Start-Up Weekend.Rob and his work have been featured extensively in the media, including coverage by NPR, PBS, Inc.com, major daily newspapers, blogs and the book
21 Questions for 21 Millionaires.
He sits on the corporate board of ANI, part of Nonprofits Insurance Alliance Group, which insures 11,000 nonprofits in 30 states and has generated earned capital of $150 million and assets of $300 million, and is rated A VIII by AM Best. He has also sat on a number of nonprofit boards, including
The Columbus Jewish Foundation and the Tobacco Public Policy Center at Capital University Law School.
Rob received a scholarship to attend
The Ohio State University Honors Program, and graduated with Research Distinction with a degree in
Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Science and Reason. Rob loves to travel, backpack, and participate in almost every outdoor activity. He has walked across Ohio from Cincinnati to Cleveland, over 1,000 miles of the
Appalachian Trail from Georgia to New York.
My Start-up Path
Startup 6: PaeDae (pronounced Pay Day)
(Internet Advertising Technology)
Status: Private Beta
Funding: Investor Backed
Startup 5: BULX
(Flash Sales E-commerce for Durable Goods)
Action & Result: Signed exclusive online distribution agreement with Angie’s List (Nasdaq: ANGI); in less than one year BULX became the worlds first & largest private sales company for home improvement products. It was acquired by DealYard.com in 2011
Funding: Bootstrapped
Lesson: The right team is critical
Startup 4: Boundaryless Brands
(Enterprise E-commerce, Logistics, and Marketing Technology Platform)
Action & Result: Built e-commerce and marketing technology for medium-sized ($20MM to $120MM) distributors of durable goods. Acquired in 2011
Funding: Bootstrapped
Lesson: Focus on the opportunity, not on control
Startup 3: SpeakerSite
(Online Marketplace of Public Speakers)
Action & Result: Built technology, scaled to large adoption but little revenue, three years of ‘ramen profitability’, ceased operation
Funding: Bootstrapped
Lesson: Take on a big market with a burning problem, focus on one company at a time
Startup 2: B.A. Mensch Consulting
(Digital Marketing and Technology Consulting)
Action & Result: Scaled to seven-figure revenue, evolved into next three ventures
Funding: Bootstrapped
Lesson: Be a good person, treat people right
Startup 1: Road of Life | The Keren Emrich Foundation
(Nonprofit, Social Enterprise)
Action & Result: Sold car and stocks, built the first online health curriculum in wiki format, scaled to $70M in distribution to over 250,000 children internationally
Funding: Stage 1, Bootstrapped; Stage 2, Grew to Government, Corporate, Foundation Grants & Major Gifts
Lesson: Meaning trumps everything; do something that matters.
