Meet the Team

Garrett Dodge — Co-Founder, CEO

Garrett is one of the co-founders of Rockbot. Prior to starting Rockbot he tried selling iPhone apps to dogs and hosted a "popular" hip-hop radio show in rural Vermont. As Rockbot's CEO he works hard to ensure the technical team is well fed and not abusing their control over the DJ rating algorithm.

Ketu Patel — Co-Founder, CTO

Ketu dreamt up Rockbot at his hometown bowling alley, Porterville Lanes. He's a huge music nerd but isn't afraid to admit the first tape he ever owned was C+C Music Factory's seminal classic, "Gonna Make You Sweat". When he's not furiously coding, Ketu likes to practice his blue steel face and be disappointed by Cal football.

Masen Ewald — Director of Marketing

Masen previously ruled the internet for Fortune 500 brands at a big-shot communications firm in NYC. Most recently he completed the marketing blueprint for Rockbot's takeover, which is written in code across a dozen whiteboards in three states. He loves music, technology, people, and meeting you today on Twitter.

Scott Walker — VP, Sales

When introduced to music at an early age, Scott started his search for the ultimate live show. He came close to finding that show with the Dead. Years have passed and unfortunately so did Jerry. Desiring to fill the void, Scott has spent MANY years preaching the gospel of music to channel partners, venues and consumers.

Kristen Klacking — Customer Success Manager

A Michigan State Spartan through and through, Kristen was born and raised in the Great Lakes State. Kristen—a "woo" girl at heart—has an affinity for the classic club toppers, songs on repeat and anything Mariah Carey circa 1988 to early 2000s.

Bill Mitsakos — Software Engineer

Before joining Rockbot, Bill helped design and develop some of the most successful professional DJ solutions on the planet. When he's not helping improve Rockbot's virtual DJ skills you can find him rockin' the turntables at your favorite Oakland night spot or locked in the lab cookin up some beats of his own.

Ben Morgan — Sales Representative

Ben is an experienced and personable sales professional working off-site for Rockbot in beautiful Austin TX. Prior to joining the team, “DJ b3nmo” managed a sales team for Green Mountain Energy in New York City and spent time with other well known technology companies. Originally from Lenexa, Kansas he is an accomplished pianist, total music geek and proud University of Kansas alumni - Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

Nathan Hayflick — Software Engineer

As part of the engineering team, Nathan helps write all of those 1’s and 0’s that keep your local Rockbot venue bumping. He previously managed content strategy for tech startups, worked in sound engineering and even survived living in Russia for a brief stint. His first musical purchase was the Free Willy OST on cassette.

Jeff Root — UX/UI Design

As UX lead, Jeff measures your experience on a scale from Bushwick Bill to 2 Chainz and works tirelessly with the product team to increase your enjoyment of all things Rockbot. He previously studied HCI, led UX design & testing for startups, and became famous in Iowa for eating breakfast on top of a water tower.

Sydney Youngblood — Customer Success

Sydney C. Youngblood grew up in L.A. before heading north to enjoy the combination of first-class academics and third-class athletics offered by U.C. Berkeley. Her musical tastes include everything from indie rock to hip hop. They do not, however, include late 80’s/early 90’s neo-soul singer Sydney Youngblood. Thus, she has made good use of her middle initial.

Julie McCollough — Customer Success

Julie's love for music began as a child while cruising around with her dad while he blasted The Beach Boys and Hall & Oats from the car stereo. Since then, her tastes have expanded and changed while her obsession with music (especially live music) grew. The only genre that you'll never find in her playlists? Country.

Mark Furey — Director, Enterprise Sales

Mark has always been inspired by music and the images that swirl around the art form. For almost two decades he has delivered unique and impactful digital music, messaging and visual imaging strategies to leading brands and their customers worldwide. He is always trying to create the perfect playlist or learning some new riffs on his guitar.

Dallas Osborn — Mix Master

Despite sharing a name with a city in Texas, Dallas is a Bay Area native with a passion for new music discovery. He is currently an on-air personality at San Francisco's alternative station LIVE105 and handles the music curation at Rockbot. He has an unparalleled level of knowledge when it comes to college team mascots & his first concerts were Metallica, followed by an NSYNC show, so, you could also say that he's...eclectic.

Advisors