Oliver Roup

Oliver Roup


Website: http://oroup.com
San Francisco, California, United States
Member since October 26, 2011
Quote
I'm interested in data-driven decision-making and monetizing commodities that have been historically unvalued. Quote_down
  • About
Education
1998 MIT , BS , Computer Science
1999 MIT , MS , Computer Science
2009 Harvard Business School , MBA
I am a(n):

Entrepreneur

If you're an entrepreneur or corporate innovator, why?

I want to change the world.

My favorite startups:

Rapportive, Flipboard, CloudFlare

What's most frustrating and rewarding about entrepreneurship/innovation?

The highs are high and the lows are low.

What's the No. 1 mistake entrepreneurs/innovators make?

Sole founder is a mistake, I wouldn't do it again.

What are the top three lessons you've learned as an entrepreneur?

1) It's _all_ about the team.
2) Secrecy is a mistake 99% of the time.
3) When you're not getting anything done, go for a run.
(bonus) Don't put your cellphone number on filings with the SEC.

Full bio

 Previously, Oliver was a Director at Microsoft focused on media products. He has worked for Microsoft founder Paul Allen at Vulcan, at the BBC and for the Founders Fund. He holds two CS degrees from MIT and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Oliver brings over 15 years of software experience to VigLink. Previously, he was a Director at Microsoft in charge of product for various media properties including XBOX Live Video Marketplace, Zune Marketplace and MSN Entertainment. Oliver was also an early employee at Internet Radio pioneer Echo Networks and has worked for Paul Allen at Vulcan, for iPlayer at the BBC and for the Founders Fund. Oliver has issued and pending patents covering micro-transactions, media and metadata. He received his bachelor's and master's degrees in computer science from MIT and his MBA from the Harvard Business School.