Rob Adams

Executive Partner, Alumni Ventures

2024 - Current

In addition to continue managing Congress Avenue and Ring Ventures, I am working to expand the investor base of Alumni Ventures' Limited Partners.

Managing Partner, Texas Funds

2023

Founder and Managing Partner, Congress Avenue Ventures

2019 - 2023

Rob started and runs the Alumni Ventures fund focused on The University of Texas community for Alumni Ventures

Managing Partner

2023

Ring Ventures is part of Alumni Ventures and focuses on the Texas A&M community. Rob was instrumental in working with Larry Warnock to start Ring Ventures, and as Larry become Ring's Director Emeritus, Rob took over as Managing Partner.

Founder and Managing Partner

2019

Congress Avenue Ventures is part of Alumni Ventures and focuses on the University of Texas community and provides high net worth individuals with access to annual venture funds with 25 portfolio companies, diversified across sectors, venture stages and geographies. We do this by following top-tier funds as they invest across the country in opportunities that have UT alums as part of the management team. We follow firms such as Andreessen Horowitz, Bessemer, Lightspeed, Menlo Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, NEA, Shasta, and Sequoia. While Congress Avenue Ventures is currently fund raising and is just starting to invest, our sibling funds have recently invested in companies with founders that are UT alums including: • data.world • Oura • TerraDepth • Capella Space For me this is a great opportunity to combine my knowledge of UT based companies that I’ve been educating and mentoring over the last decade, along with my previous experience running several institutional funds for Austin Ventures. I’m really excited about the opportunity and innovation around bringing venture class returns to individual investors.

Director Emeritus, Texas Venture Labs

2019

As the founder of this program at the McCombs School of Business, I continue to be active in it and serve on the Advisory Board.

Director of Texas Venture Labs, Senior Lecturer, IC2 Fellow

2005 - 2019

Rob Adams is on the faculty of The University of Texas at Austin where he teaches entrepreneurship in the MBA program and is the Director of Texas Venture Labs. He’s a former software executive, entrepreneur and institutional fund manager. He has served on many corporate boards and has founded or financed more than 40 companies, which have launched more than 100 products and raised significant amounts of capital in both public and private markets.

Strategic Advisor, Cutler Center for Investment and Finance

2019

Advisor - CNBC Disruptor 50 Council

2019

Owner

2005 - 2011

Upgrade Automotive focused on the upgrading of classic cars with current automotive technology. The company restored primarily muscle-era cars to their original exterior cosmetic appearance while providing modern engine, brake and mechanical systems.

Founder, Managing Director - AV Labs

1999 - 2005

Founded, raised capital and was the Managing Director of AV Labs, a pioneering early stage $62 million institutional venture fund affiliated with Austin Ventures. We were the original investors in many successful Austin companies including Alterpoint, Covasoft, FowardVue, Lane 15, Mediaprise, Newgistics, Permeo, Salion, Triactive, Troux, and Waveset.

Founder, Managing Director

2003 - 2005

Professor, Co-founder

2002 - 2004