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Roger Sippl
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<h2 id="early-life-and-education">Early life and education</h2> <p>Roger J. Sippl,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> the sixth of seven children, grew up in <a href="/facts/Wausau%2c_Wisconsin/rlXK8acM">Wausau, Wisconsin</a>. His father Charles J. Sippl Jr. (1924-1991)<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> wrote the first computer dictionary in 1963. Sippl attended <a href="/facts/Corona_del_Mar_High_School/EVajh7Jz">Corona del Mar High School</a> in Corona Del Mar, California. For college, he attended <a href="/facts/UC_Irvine/gS3nEt3V">UC Irvine</a> where he was pre med for two years, and then transferred to <a href="/facts/UC_Berkeley/MXVEjklr">UC Berkeley</a>. There, he studied Biochemistry, Immunology and Computer Science. </p> <h2 id="career">Career</h2> <p>Sippl is the founder of <a href="/facts/Informix_Corporation/nwE3SKqG">Informix Corporation</a>,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a> Vantive Corporation,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a> Visigenic,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a> and Elastic Intelligence. </p><p>While still a student at UC Berkeley, he obtained a full-time position as a programmer for <a href="/facts/Bechtel/yEkgKWec">Bechtel</a>. Moving on to <a href="/facts/Cromemco/5s4vFkQK">Cromemco</a>, he landed a job as a programmer working for <a href="/facts/Harry_Garland/l7etSwCT">Harry Garland</a> and <a href="/facts/Roger_Melen/8Pg8eeeo">Roger Melen</a>. He asked permission to leave Cromemco to start his own software company, <a href="/facts/Relational_Database_Systems%2c_Inc./nwE3SKqG">Relational Database Systems, Inc.</a>, in 1980 and Melen licensed Sippl’s designs to him as long as Cromemco received the first <a href="/facts/Original_equipment_manufacturer/hmUhIWaS">OEM</a> on the product. </p><p>Sippl later said that he was unaware of <a href="/facts/Edgar_Codd/QCSbPYkK">Edgar Codd</a>'s work on <a href="/facts/Relational_database/pEKGmJLy">relational databases</a> when he began designing <a href="/facts/Informix/jDdeW93c">Informix</a>'s query language—only discovering later <a href="/facts/Christopher_J._Date/qA9FDQuB">Christopher J. Date</a>'s analyses of Codd—and stated his amazement that Codd came to similar conclusions without customers.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a> Needing more money, Sippl sold 10% of Relational Database Systems, Inc. to his then future wife for $20,000.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12"><sup>12</sup></a> He received $184,600 of VC angel funding. Attending a Spring Joint Computer Conference in Atlantic City, he joined a computer manufacturer’s tent where he helped to promote their product by using his new database system on their hardware. He sold a copy for $5000. The name Relational Database Systems, Inc. was changed to Informix Corporation. </p><p>Informix pioneered relational databases, 4GL application development tools, and OLTP database technology. In 1986, Sippl brought Informix public, with $20 million revenue per year. Informix is now a part of <a href="/facts/IBM/QszA7nwd">IBM</a> after peaking at a $4,000,000,000 market cap.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13"><sup>13</sup></a> He was CEO for ten years. </p><p>He was the cofounder and chairman of the Vantive Corporation. Vantive was a leader in <a href="/facts/Customer_relationship_management/Y74q0uXB">CRM</a>. When brought public, it was acquired by <a href="/facts/PeopleSoft/qMMqP2jJ">PeopleSoft</a>/<a href="/facts/Oracle_Corporation/0z14FygH">Oracle</a>. Vantive peaked at a $1,000,000,000 market cap. </p><p>He also founded Visigenic in 1993, the first application server with the notion of sharing business logic. It was the beginning of <a href="/facts/Three_tier_architecture/cUTM2sU9">three tier architecture</a> and helped pioneer <a href="/facts/Distributed_object/bFezhCJ0">distributed object</a> computing and the concept of the application server based on <a href="/facts/CORBA/VUDlTHs5">CORBA</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14"><sup>14</sup></a> In 1997, <a href="/facts/Borland/crI5pTzW">Borland</a> acquired Visigenic. After bringing Visigenic public in 1998, Sippl was noteworthy<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15"><sup>15</sup></a> for successfully bringing three Silicon Valley companies public. </p><p>He founded Elastic Intelligence in 1996, to improve connection to SaaS-based data. The company's main product is the Connection Cloud, an SQL-based <a href="/facts/Platform_as_a_Service/EDX8mcw4">Platform as a Service</a> for <a href="/facts/SaaS/FN4zHHUu">SaaS</a> data.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:16" href="#fn:16"><sup>16</sup></a> </p> <h3>Investing</h3> <p>Sippl is a founding partner in Sippl MacDonald Ventures. He has invested in such companies as <a href="/facts/Illustra/a9pF7AM5">Illustra</a>, <a href="/facts/Broadvision/5vyBVtH2">Broadvision</a>, SupportSoft and Red Pepper. He has been on over twelve boards of for-profit corporations, public and private. The public companies include Informix, Vantive, SupportSoft, and Interwoven, as well as having represented the software industry on the X/OPEN Board of Directors.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:17" href="#fn:17"><sup>17</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="personal-life">Personal life</h2> <p>Sippl is a survivor of <a href="/facts/Hodgkin%2527s_disease/mCeqnGty">Hodgkin's disease</a> while at Berkeley.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:18" href="#fn:18"><sup>18</sup></a> He and his wife Liz have raised three children, and enjoy an active, outdoorsy life. Sippl also writes poetry.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:19" href="#fn:19"><sup>19</sup></a> Sippl is also an amateur poker player. In 2015, he finished second in the $100,000 super high roller at the PCA in the Bahamas, winning more than $1.3 million.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:20" href="#fn:20"><sup>20</sup></a> His total career tournament earnings from poker tournaments is over $3.8 million.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:21" href="#fn:21"><sup>21</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <ul><li><a href="http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=138837&privcapId=116534182&previousCapId=12665683&previousTitle=WaveMaker%20Software,%20Inc">[1]</a>[<i>dead link</i>]</li> <li><a href="http://www.connectioncloud.com/how-it-helps/index.php">http://www.connectioncloud.com/how-it-helps/index.php</a></li> <li><a href="http://sipplinvestments.com/team.html">http://sipplinvestments.com/team.html</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102658001">Roger Sippl, oral history (ComputerHistory.org)</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>"Roger Sippl Wants To Connect Clouds". The Wall Street Journal. June 18, 2012. serial entrepreneur Roger Sippl is back in the game with <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-CIOB-523" target="_blank">https://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-CIOB-523</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>"Entrepreneurs Are Investing In Next Start-Up Generation". The Wall Street Journal. October 8, 1996. <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB844795778415365000" target="_blank">https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB844795778415365000</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Andrew Pollack (January 6, 1989). "Another Silicon Valley Tailspin". The New York Times. Retrieved October 25, 2022. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/06/business/company-news-another-silicon-valley-tailspin.html" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/06/business/company-news-another-silicon-valley-tailspin.html</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>Profile of Roger Sippl, retrieved October 25, 2022 <a href="http://www.walkersresearch.com/Profilepages/Show_Executive_Title/Executiveprofile/R/Roger_J_Sippl_100027307.html" target="_blank">http://www.walkersresearch.com/Profilepages/Show_Executive_Title/Executiveprofile/R/Roger_J_Sippl_100027307.html</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>"Borland to Purchase Visigenic In Deal Valued at $150 million". The Wall Street Journal. November 18, 1997. <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB879864222619935000" target="_blank">https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB879864222619935000</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>"Roger J. Sippl". Business Week. Retrieved October 25, 2022.[dead link] <a href="http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=138837&privcapId=116534182&previousCapId=12665683&previousTitle=WaveMaker%20Software,%20Inc" target="_blank">http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=138837&privcapId=116534182&previousCapId=12665683&previousTitle=WaveMaker%20Software,%20Inc</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>Charles Sippl Jr (1924–1991) <a href="https://www.ancestors.familysearch.org/en/K26G-QGR/charles-sippl-jr-1924-1991" target="_blank">https://www.ancestors.familysearch.org/en/K26G-QGR/charles-sippl-jr-1924-1991</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>Andrew Pollack (January 6, 1989). "Another Silicon Valley Tailspin". The New York Times. Retrieved October 25, 2022. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/06/business/company-news-another-silicon-valley-tailspin.html" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/06/business/company-news-another-silicon-valley-tailspin.html</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>Profile of Roger Sippl, retrieved October 25, 2022 <a href="http://www.walkersresearch.com/Profilepages/Show_Executive_Title/Executiveprofile/R/Roger_J_Sippl_100027307.html" target="_blank">http://www.walkersresearch.com/Profilepages/Show_Executive_Title/Executiveprofile/R/Roger_J_Sippl_100027307.html</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>"Borland to Purchase Visigenic In Deal Valued at $150 million". The Wall Street Journal. November 18, 1997. <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB879864222619935000" target="_blank">https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB879864222619935000</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:11"><p>"RDBMS Plenary 1: Early Years" (PDF) (Interview). Interviewed by Burton Grad. Computer History Museum. June 12, 2007. pp. 27–28, 31–33. Retrieved May 30, 2025. <a href="https://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2013/05/102702562-05-01-acc.pdf" target="_blank">https://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2013/05/102702562-05-01-acc.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:12"><p>"RDBMS Workshop: Financing" (PDF) (Interview). Interviewed by Luanne Johnson. Computer History Museum. June 12, 2007. Retrieved May 30, 2025. <a href="https://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2013/05/102702564-05-01-acc.pdf" target="_blank">https://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2013/05/102702564-05-01-acc.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:13"><p>"The Team". <a href="http://sipplinvestments.com/team.html" target="_blank">http://sipplinvestments.com/team.html</a> <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:14"><p>"The Team". <a href="http://sipplinvestments.com/team.html" target="_blank">http://sipplinvestments.com/team.html</a> <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:15"><p>awarded the Golden Hat Trick award: https://www. cbinsights .com/investor/roger-sippl <a href="https://www" target="_blank">https://www</a> <a href="#fnref:15" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:16"><p>"How it Helps". www.connectioncloud.com. Archived from the original on June 29, 2012. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120629001426/http://connectioncloud.com/how-it-helps/index.php" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20120629001426/http://connectioncloud.com/how-it-helps/index.php</a> <a href="#fnref:16" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:17"><p>"The Team". <a href="http://sipplinvestments.com/team.html" target="_blank">http://sipplinvestments.com/team.html</a> <a href="#fnref:17" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:18"><p>"RDBMS Workshop: Informix" (PDF) (Interview). Interviewed by Luanne Johnson. Computer History Museum. June 12, 2007. Retrieved May 30, 2025. <a href="https://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2013/05/102702566-05-01-acc.pdf" target="_blank">https://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2013/05/102702566-05-01-acc.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:18" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:19"><p>"Home". rogersippl.com. Archived from the original on January 14, 2016. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20160114055144/http://www.rogersippl.com/" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20160114055144/http://www.rogersippl.com/</a> <a href="#fnref:19" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:20"><p>"PokerStars Caribbean Adventure - PCA 2015, #1 No Limit Hold'em - Super High Roller 8 Handed: Hendon Mob Poker Database". The Hendon Mob. Retrieved May 3, 2024. <a href="https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=259061" target="_blank">https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=259061</a> <a href="#fnref:20" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:21"><p>"Roger Sippl's profile on The Hendon Mob". The Hendon Mob Poker Database. Retrieved May 3, 2024. <a href="https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/player.php?a=r&n=142801" target="_blank">https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/player.php?a=r&n=142801</a> <a href="#fnref:21" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>