This post originally appeared on Tech In Chicago. Visit Tech In Chicago to listen to more interviews with Chicago’s top startup founders and venture capitalists.
John Roa is a serial tech entrepreneur and long time Chicagoan. He got his entrepreneurial start by creating a computer repair business at 14 and hasn't stopped since. Last year, he sold ÄKTA, his tech-consulting and design firm, to Salesforce. Now John is planning to invest in other Chicago startups via Roa Ventures, a fund that focuses on "early-stage investments, projects and experiments". He has also created the non-profit, Digital Hope, and enjoys playing competitive poker and traveling extensively.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
- How John got started as an entrepreneur
- Why he started AKTA and where the name comes from
- What John attributes the success of AKTA to
- How John made the the decision to sell AKTA?
- If he would take venture capital if he could do it again
- Problems he sees in taking venture capital
- Why he's investing instead of starting another startup
- John's criteria for his next startup
- What draws John to travel? He has been to 50+ countries.
- How to build a brand as a new angel investor?
- Similarities between poker and startups
- What Chicago tech is good at & what we could improve on
- Why John doesn’t believe in giving advice
Selected Links From The Episode:
- 6 Ways Playing Poker Can Help You in Business (and 2 Ways It Can't) by John Roa
- The Grand Voyage
- Robert Nand, Founder of The Grand Voyage
Favorite Book:
The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays by Albert Camus
About Tech In Chicago
Tech In Chicago takes you inside the Chicago tech world. Each week Colin Keeley is joined by Chicago’s top founders and investors to talk about the amazing companies being built right here. If you want to learn more about Tech In Chicago, head to TechInChicago.co
I would love to hear your thoughts on the show and any guests I should have on. Please reach out @TechInChicago. You can also find me @ColinKeeley.
