Rich Padula

Rich Padula has had a long and successful career in the technology industry. In 1995, they founded Syclo and served as CEO until 2013. During this time, they were awarded the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award and their mobile applications and platform were recognized as a leader by top analyst firms. In 2013, they became the Chief Strategy Officer for Mobile at SAP. In 2014, they co-founded Avocation Investments, a seed and pre-venture capital firm focused on B2B technology solution space. In 2015, they co-founded Deep Dish Technology and Northwestern University, where they served as an Adjunct Lecturer and co-taught the entrepreneurship class called NUVentions Web and Media. In 2016, they co-founded Encurate Mobile Technology, which provides museums and cultural spaces with authentic mobile options. In 2017, they served as a Strategic Advisor at OneTrack. In 2018, they became a General Partner at R7, a venture capital firm on a mission to create innovation that fundamentally changes our world. Finally, in 2019, they founded Mirata Software, which allows companies to digitize forms and work processes.

Rich Padula received a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Industril Engineering and Management Science from Northwestern University from 1980 to 1984. Prior to that, they attended Shawnee Mission East High School from 1977 to 1980.