Quick Facts
Biography
Rahul Sood was the founder of VoodooPC (est 1991), and became the outgoing Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for the Hewlett Packard Global Voodoo Business Unit. In 2007 Business 2.0 magazine had claimed Sood to be 83rd out of 101 persons on their "Who matters now?" list.
Sood has led the development of technologies such as fanless PC technology, liquid cooling and active liquid chilling and was the first to bring them to market in the high-performance computer gaming industry.
Rahul Sood announced his resignation from HP in November 2010. In December 2010 he announced that he joined Microsoft as the GM for System Experience in the Interactive Entertainment Business. He then started the first incubation fund for Startups at Microsoft, the Bing Fund. This eventually became Microsoft Ventures which Sood led up until November 2014 when he announced he was leaving Microsoft to startup Unikrn, an eSports betting service.
Summary
Rahul Sood is the CEO and Co-Founder of Unikrn, a Seattle, WA based gaming and eSports betting company.
Previous to Unikrn, Sood joined Microsoft in January 2011. He created the Bing Fund, Microsoft's first ever incubation fund for startups, and eventually Microsoft consolidated their global startup activities under Sood’s leadership. In June 2013, he launched Microsoft Ventures.
A serial entrepreneur, Sood spent 18 years in multiple startups prior to joining Microsoft. He founded luxury and gaming computer manufacturer VoodooPC, which was acquired by Hewlett-Packard. Voodoo brought the ENVY and OMEN product lines to HP, contributing advanced technologies such as commercial liquid cooling and an increased focus on design.
Sood is a Co-Founder of BrightSquid Medical, BrightSquid Dental, and BullsOnWallstreet. Sood sits on the board of advisors for Razer, and he recently joined the Board of Advisors for BitGold. He is active in the entrepreneurial community, helping and mentoring a variety of startups.
Biography
Early life and education
Sood first took an interest in computers at the age of 11, having disassembled and painted his first computer—an Apple IIc—before even turning it on.
He graduated high school in 1991 and then enrolled in Mount Royal College. "Bored after high school" and uninspired by the computer science courses, he stopped attending college after the first week.
VoodooPC
Rahul founded the company in 1991 in Calgary and in approximately 1992 purchased a "heritage home more than a century old." In 1999 his brother Ravi Sood joined the company. By 2004, Rahul notes "there was a ceiling to [VoodooPC's] growth."
HP
Sood joined HP as the CTO for the Global Gaming Business in 2006. From 2006 to 2010 the newly formed Voodoo HP Gaming team created some of the most interesting products that HP had ever released, including HP Blackbird, HP Firebird, and Voodoo ENVY which ultimately became HP ENVY. in November 2010 he announced his resignation on his blog entitled: This Too Shall Pass
Microsoft
On December 21, 2010, Sood announced on his blog that he joined Microsoft as the "GM For System Experience" in the Interactive Entertainment Group.
In March 2012 Sood moved to Microsoft Bing to help create a new initiative designed to help early stage startups. He launched the first angel investment fund in Microsoft's history, the Bing Fund. The then started Microsoft Ventures and led the global team until he announced his resignation in November 2014.
Blog
Sood believes "corporate blogging [is] very important" and has been noted to make bold statements on his very own blog.
Personal life
Sood lives in Seattle, Washington, United States and is an avid cyclist. He is interested in "offer[ing] wider access to healthcare services" and would like to get involved in developing "tech toys for children with autism".
In his spare time Sood enjoys wakesurfing, wakeboarding, paddle boarding, cycling, playing League of Legends, racing cars and spending time with his family. He is a native of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Other projects
Sood is a founding partner in a new Healthcare startup BrightSquid, according to his blog.
Published works
- Ripping the Competition a New 20" DailyTech, June 11, 2007.
- Staying Afloat In A Challenging Business Computer Power User, June 2007.
- Games For Windows: The Gauntlet Has Been Dropped Computer Power User, May 2007.
- Gaming is the way forward for Vista The Inquirer, March 5, 2007.
- Even the good get BADD in an ugly way The Inquirer, February 15, 2007.
- Hard Drive Companies Getting (FAT)ter Computer Power User, May 2006.
- AMD Exec Henri Richard Answers our Questions DailyTech. January 20, 2006.