Rolf is a client partner at ISTARI leading the Industrial practice (transportation, manufacturing and utilities) for Asia Pacific and Japan to help clients to manage their digital risk and improve their cyber resilience. This role involves working with the investment team on identifying new innovation to enhance ISTARI’s cybersecurity portfolio to serve client needs.

Previously, Rolf has held a range of positions including the corporate VP at BlackRidge Technology and Head of Asia Pacific, building strategic partnerships and channels across the region for Zero Trust and AI-driven IoT security solutions based on field-proven military technology. In parallel, he was Senior VP at Accrete Inc, a SMS-based Identity Management company he co-founded in Japan and led to IPO in July 2018 (JPX: 4395).

Rolf is also founding member of Xona Partners, a global operating M&A advisory company and founded two online media firms for content aggregation, VoD/MoD. From 2013-2019, Rolf was VP for Global Business Development at B.Yond a.k.a. Nexius where he led business expansion for virtualization, data analytics, ML/AI with leading global mobile operators, MNSs and Facebook. In addition, he has held executive and senior management positions at XConnect Global Networks, ON2 Technology (acquired by Google), VocalTec and Nortel Networks.

During his career Rolf has fostered the innovation of emerging technologies such as the first adoption of VoIP pioneered at VocalTec, licensed Flash video to Adobe and Sun Microsystems which led to global adaptation, implemented streaming services before companies understood its potential and built the foundation for HD voice and video peering across mobile and wireless networks.

Rolf has a master’s degree in electronics from Aachen University of Technology in Germany and attended executive programs at INSEAD business school in France (marketing) and at National University of Singapore (CISSP – cybersecurity).