“After the name, I built the investment philosophy and core values of Respect, Revenue, Relationships, & Results.”
For 20 years, Christopher Thierry was president and co-founder of Cimpl, managing billions of dollars in technology spending on behalf of large companies.
In August 2019 he sold the business and after a brief transition was ready to spend an early retirement travelling with his family.
“COVID hit and I realized I wasn’t going anywhere for a while. The trip to Disneyland and all that stuff got pushed back,” he says.
Unable to quiet his entrepreneurial mind, he founded the Rated R Group as a way to mentor, and invest in promising tech start-ups. Today the company makes investments in mostly Software as a Service companies, in the legal, financial, real estate and IT management markets and uses strategic partnerships and help with legal, accounting, marketing and other services.
The origin of the name
“When I do presentations, let’s just say I’m direct.”
“At a conference, a potential customer walked up and said ‘we love your product and love your company, but we wish your CEO wouldn’t swear so much. His presentations should come with a rated-R warning.’”
“After the name, I built the investment philosophy and core values of Respect, Revenue, Relationships, & Results.”
What he’s looking for when investing in a start-up
“Money is less of a motivator than it used to be, as great companies sometimes take time to figure out the business model. I’m looking for those people who have a spark, are passionate, and willing to grind out success.”
On active investing
“I see everything through the lens of an entrepreneur first, investor second. It is important that I can grasp the concept very well; understand the pain it solves and why a customer would buy it. If I can use my network or sphere of influence to jump-start a company, I know that revenue growth will keep more equity in the hands of the founders.”
Influential professors at Concordia
“Meral Büyükkurt, was one of the professors who you felt genuinely cared about every student. Her enthusiasm for project management was infectious and someone I check in with when I go back to the school.”