Frank Slootman, who as CEO took Data Domain public in 2007 and then enjoyed a bidding war between EMC and NetApp over the company in 2009, has moved on to new challenges.
Slootman on April 26 was appointed the new CEO at San Diego, Calif.-based cloud software provider Service-now.com, whose founder, Fred Luddy, invented SAAS (software as a service) process automation for IT management several years ago.
After Data Domain was acquired by EMC, Slootman stayed on for 18 months as a division executive and then became a venture partner at Silicon Valley VC firm Greylock Partners before accepting this new position.
“I wasn’t really looking, but I became intrigued by the opportunity and the power of the business model,” Slootman told The Station.
“As I talked more and more with Fred, the story here really started to light my fires. This is a global company already that has taken off like a rocket. What is amazing is that Fred was able to bootstrap the company with just a marginal amount of venture capital.”
Slootman’s 25-year background at Borland, Data Domain, EMC and in the venture world should serve Service-now.com well, because the IT shops of those companies and all their customers may be looking at what his new company offers.
The Station wishes Slootman, a true class act, good luck in the new venture, and we’ll be keeping a close eye on how the company performs.
