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Rob Ryan | |
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| Born | Robert J. Ryan 1948 (age 74–75) |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Cornell University (BA) University of Wisconsin-Madison (MS) |
| Known for | Founder and CEO of Ascend Communications |
| Spouse | Terry Ryan (m. 1969) |
Rob Ryan is an American businessman and entrepreneur. He is best known as a co-founder and former CEO of Ascend Communications, [2] which was ultimately acquired by Lucent Technologies. [3] [4] Ryan has authored two books with his lessons about startup companies.
Raised in the Bronx, New York, Ryan received a scholarship to attend Cornell University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1969. [5] [6] He married his Cornell classmate, Terry Wehe Ryan the same year.
Ryan began his career as a systems analyst with Burroughs Corporation. [5] He then worked at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory a Federally funded research facility. [6] Ryan subsequently worked at Digital Equipment Corporation and Intel [1] where he worked on Ethernet protocols including the "blue book" which would form the basis for IEEE 802.3 [7] [8] His final job before founding his first company was a stint at Ungermann-Bass another pioneer in computer networking. [7]
In 1983, Ryan founded Softcom, Inc. to make Ethernet cards. [1] [5] When the company faced cash flow problems, Ryan sold Softcom to Hayes Microcomputer Products in 1984 [9] [10] and worked there as head of their West Coast division until 1988. [1] [7]
Ryan departed Hayes Micro along with Jennette Symons, Jay Duncanson, and Steven Speckenbach. With $3 million in venture capital funding the four of them founded Aria Communication Inc. in 1989, with Ryan as CEO, to make ISDN equipment. [2] The name was changed to Ascend Communications the next year [2] as the company transitioned to focus on equipment for Internet providers. [7] By 1994, profits reached $8.7 million on sales of $39.3 million. [2]
Ascend had its initial public offering in May 1994 raising further funds for growth. [2] Ascend became the leading manufacturer of PoP boxes for Internet providers. [1] [2] In 1995, Ryan's final year, Ascend was called the "top small public stock of the year" by Newsweek . [1] [11]
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