Rob Glaser, Founder of RealNetworks, Joins Accel Partners

PALO ALTO, Calif., May 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Accel Partners, a leading global venture capital and growth equity firm operating in Silicon Valley, Europe, Israel, China and India, today announced that Rob Glaser has joined the firm as a Venture Partner.  At Accel, Rob will focus on digital media technology, social media, and mobile service investments.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100526/SF10008)

Rob currently serves as Chairman of RealNetworks, which he founded in 1994.  Rob has been a member of the Accel Partners family since it invested in Real (Nasdaq: RNWK) in 1995.  In addition to his role as Chairman, Rob served as Real's CEO from February 1994 through January 2010, leading the company from scratch to over $500 million in revenue.  Real went public in 1997.  

Rob's extensive experience as a digital and social media pioneer should prove to be an asset for Accel's renowned and growing technology portfolio. Jim Breyer, a Managing Partner in Accel's Palo Alto office, said "We have been delighted to work with Rob as an entrepreneur and CEO since 1995.  His thought-leadership in the world of digital media and the consumer internet are well known, and we are very excited to have him join the Accel team in his new role as Venture Partner."

"After years of working with Accel as an entrepreneur, I look forward to working side-by-side with the Accel team to help identify companies which will benefit from the same kind of resources and partnership RealNetworks was so fortunate to have," said Rob. "There are a wealth of promising startups in the world of digital media and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Accel to help them succeed."

Prior to founding RealNetworks, Rob worked for Microsoft for 10 years in a number of executive positions, including Vice President of Multimedia and Consumer Systems.  Before joining Microsoft, Rob founded his first company, Ivy Research, in 1981 to make games for the newly launched IBM PC.  Rob has also been an early stage investor in several successful technology companies including TellMe, PlanetOut, and SmileBox. Rob's relationship with Accel is part-time, enabling him to keep time open for other engagements, including continuing to serve as Chairman of RealNetworks.

Rob is a 1983 graduate of Yale University, with a B.A. and M.A. in Economics and a B.S. in Computer Science.  

About Accel

Founded in 1983, Accel Partners has a long history of excellence and innovation in venture capital, and is dedicated to partnering with outstanding entrepreneurs and management teams to build world-class businesses. Accel today invests globally using dedicated teams and market-specific strategies for local geographies, with offices in Palo Alto, California; London, UK; and Bangalore, India as well as in China via the IDG-Accel Partnership.  

With over $6 billion under management, Accel has helped entrepreneurs build over 300 successful companies, many of which have defined their categories, including Actuate, Acopia, AdMob, Agile Software, Alfresco, AMCC, Arrowpoint, BBN, Brightcove, ComScore, Etsy, Facebook, Foundry Networks, Gameforge, GlamMedia, Groupon, Imperva, Infinera, Interwoven, JBoss, Kayak, Macromedia, Maven Networks, metroPCS, NextG Networks, Polycom/PictureTel, Portal Software, QlikTech, Rapt, RealNetworks, Redback Networks, Riverbed, UUNet, Veritas, Walmart.com, Webroot, Wily Technology, XenSource and Zimbra. For more information, please visit the Accel Partners web site at www.accel.com or find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/accel.

SOURCE Accel Partners