Rob Coneybeer

"Rob is a terrific portfolio advocate, and he's gone really deep into mobile - he's been very helpful in getting us to the right people. He looks for solutions and ways of solving problems, and not just identifying them. I owe Rob a lot. He's helped me so many times." - Rick Thompson, co-Founder Wild Needle & Playdom

"We are actively investing in an emerging wave of technology applications that connect the real world with the internet."

An engineer by training, Rob Coneybeer is an expert in wireless and mobile technology who approaches start-up investing from a deep product perspective. Prior to co-founding Shasta, he was a general partner at New Enterprise Associates (NEA), where he led 15 early-stage investments in companies spanning the semiconductor, software and networking industries. Before becoming a venture capitalist, Rob served as a lead integration and test engineer in the Astro Space division of Martin Marietta, where he helped build the first EchoStar spacecraft.

Rob earned a master of science in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a BS in mechanical engineering from the University of Virginia. He also holds an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was named a Palmer Scholar.

Rob's current areas of active interest include mobile, wireless and Internet-connected devices, as well as technology applications that leverage new infrastructure technologies in novel and creative ways. He is particularly interested in startups that have discovered creative new approaches to connecting the "real world" to the Internet, whether via smart phones, low-cost sensors, or other innovative new devices. Rob likes to pursue new businesses that are rapidly scalable and touch all parts of the economy.

Basically, our objective at Shasta is to become the most valued board member of the companies in which we invest. For some companies that might mean talking once a month; for others it might mean talking every day. What’s important is that a CEO just picks up the phone and calls whenever he or she thinks we can be of help. And that’s different in every case.

I make high-quality introductions whenever and wherever I can, whether it’s a potential partner or customer, or a resource like a recruiter. Every time I meet someone new I think about which company in the Shasta portfolio might benefit from an introduction to that person – regardless of whether or not I serve on their board. I enjoy that.