Our History...

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Rob was a co-founder of Aconex, a Melbourne-based construction-tech company that was sold to Oracle for $1.6bn in 2018 – at the time, the largest technology acquisition in Australian history. 

Rob (left) was drawn to the world of construction when he left university and took a role working on high-rise projects for Australian construction giant Multiplex. 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, laying the foundation for the genesis of Aconex.

A cloud-native application from its inception in 2000 (before “cloud” meant anything more than condensed water vapour), Aconex grew under the guidance of Rob and co-founder Leigh Jasper (right), becoming the largest of its kind, with offices in 42 cities around the world. It 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. The application is now a core product within Oracle’s Construction & Engineering suite.

Rob’s passion is 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 start-ups which can drive a new wave of innovation. The foundation aims to find people (particularly young girls & indigenous Australians) with drive and potential but who have something holding them back – and giving them a chance to shine.

Find out more about our charitable foundation.