Robert Desantis

Robert Desantis General Information

Biography

Mr. Robert Desantis is a Co-Founder and serves as Board Member at Arkestro. Mr. Robert Desantis serves as Operating Partner at Grantchester Group. He began his career as a structural engineer for Hughes Aircraft Company. Leveraging his technology experience, he entered software sales. In 1990 he joined a start-up, Rasna Corporation, where he spent five years building field operations in the US and internationally while living in Germany. After Rasna was acquired by Boston-based Parametric Technology Corporation, He spent the next year consulting in the venture capital industry in Silicon Valley. In 1996, he co-founded Ariba, Inc. By leveraging web-based technology, the founders automated the traditional purchasing process in large organizations, revolutionizing commerce between companies. The international operations and customers, Ariba went public and was cited as one of the top 10 IPOs of all time, reaching a 42-Billion-dollar market cap nine months after the IPO. He retired from Ariba as 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 technology companies. In 2003, he invested alongside Sequoia Capital in LinkedIn and became a board member. In 2007 he became one of the largest personal investors in Bloom Energy where he serves as a Sr. Advisor to the CEO and his team. He co-founded hiQ.