introduced to Opscode. But Hill says he eventually realized that he was better as an operations guy than as an early stage investor-type.
Separately, Opscode had begun looking for a more experienced executive to help it manage what looked like big growth with enterprise customers. As they searched for a new CEO, they were increasingly getting familiar with Hill.
“Because Mitch and I spent so long getting to know each other, we’ve had plenty of time to work out the concerns and questions that I think every founder goes through in this transition,” Robbins says. “You start off with a high degree of anxiety and are concerned that maybe the incoming CEO will take things in a diff direction than you. In our case … every one of those concerns has turned around into, ‘Man— I really want him taking that over.'”
Opscode has raised about $13.5 million over its lifetime, from investors including DFJ and Battery Ventures. Hill says Opscode isn’t looking to raise money for the near future, and is more focused on its Private Chef service, which was introduced a couple of months ago and is being shipped to early customers now. Opscode wouldn’t say anything about its revenue figures, but says it sees lots more growth ahead—and like many, it’s hiring, both in Seattle and in a satellite office in Raleigh, NC.
“We think that by the end of this year, we’ll be spending a large amount of time implementing Private Chef to enterprise customers,” Hill says. “For a company that really just started seeing revenue form the hosted platform a year ago, the trajectory from here looks really good.”
