Rob was a co-founder of Aconex, a Melbourne-based construction-tech company that was sold to Oracle in 2018 in what was, at the time, the largest technology acquisition in Australian history.

Rob was always drawn to the world of construction and how people work together. His time on site exposed him to the pain of dealing with the complex information flows that occur between the hundreds of companies on large projects, leading to the genesis of Aconex. Aconex grew to become the largest of its kind, with offices in 42 cities around the world, and supported the construction of numerous, globally iconic projects including Marina Bay Sands, the Panama Canal expansion, Dubai Metro, Hong Kong airport and New York City Hall.

Rob’s passion is now running Gravel Road Ventures and Gravel Road Foundation, which have the mission to find and encourage those who can make a positive difference. The investment arm identifies and supports technology founders who can drive a new wave of innovation. They seek out and bring together awesome people to solve difficult and complex problems using technology. The foundation aims to find people, particularly girls and Indigenous Australians with drive and potential but who have something holding them back, the chance to shine.

Rob believes that technology, coupled with smart and passionate people, can be used to make our world better and help tackle environmental destruction and climate change. Imagine what we could achieve if we had all the brightest minds focused on tackling our most pressing problems.