Keith Raffel

By Kris Olson

Keith is a visionary who saw the value of the internet for hosted applications - or SaaS as we know it today - long before the Internet was ready for prime time. He saw the tremendous potential for the web as a platform for easy-to-use and always connected applications. In 1996 Keith started UpShot to help sales and marketing teams sell more effectively, hired a great team, and created the first online CRM solution. Over seven years Keith and the UpShot team built a thriving business that served as a model to successful SaaS companies. Siebel bought UpShot in 2003 and it was in turn swallowed by Oracle in 2006. Keith spent three years helping those software giants adjust to the new SaaS model of providing software applications.I was one of the fortunate early members of the UpShot team. Like many, I came to appreciate Keith's razor sharp intelligence, his insistence on doing what is right for customers and employees, and his tenacity through tough times and good - always focused on achieving his vision.When Keith left Oracle, he took the opportunity to pursue another dream - becoming a crime fiction writer. In his first novel, DOT DEAD, he captures the entrepreneurial culture of Silicon Valley - "the monomania focused on bringing the next great product to the market and making millions along the way." While Keith continues to write novels in a local cafe, I'd bet he won't be able to resist throwing himself back into the Silicon Valley fray.

Kris Olson was the VP of Marketing at UpShot.com.