Sam Ramji

CEO and Co-founder, Sailplane
San Francisco, California,United States
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Who Is Sam Ramji?

Total Experience106 years
CompanySailplane
CountryUnited States

Sam Ramji is a highly respected technology executive and strategist with extensive experience in open source software, cloud computing, developer platforms, and API strategy. He is currently the CEO of the Open Source Development Corporation (OSDC). Throughout his career, Sam has been instrumental in guiding large technology companies and foundations in their adoption and contribution to open source. Prior to OSDC, he served as Chief Strategy Officer at DataStax, where he focused on the company's open source, cloud, and enterprise data strategies. He was previously the CEO of the Cloud Foundry Foundation, significantly growing its ecosystem and enterprise adoption. Before that, he held influential roles at Apigee (acquired by Google) as VP of Product Management, and notably at Microsoft, where he was the Senior Director of Platform Strategy and led Microsoft's open source initiatives, marking a pivotal shift in the company's engagement with the open source community. Sam is known for his visionary leadership in fostering collaborative innovation and building vibrant developer communities.

How Did Sam Ramji's Career Path Shape Their Journey?

Sam Ramji's work history includes a series of influential roles in various companies. Here is a detailed list of his professional journey:

Sailplane - CEO and Co-founder(2023 to Present)
True Ventures - AI Scout(2024 to Present)
UC San Diego - Member Board of Trustees(2024 to Present)
Featureform - Board Member(2024 to Present)
The Linux Foundation - Strategic Advisor(2022 to Present)
Weaviate - Advisor(2022 to Present)
NextData Technologies - Investor(2022 to Present)
Telmai (YC S21) - Investor(2021 to Present)
DataStax - Strategic Advisor(2023 to Present)
Fletch - Advisor(2015 to Present)
OSS Capital, L.P. - Advisor(2021 to Present)
Dell Technologies - Advisor - Industry Technology Advisory Council (2019 to Present)
Observable - Advisor(2020 to 2024)
Orbit - Investor(2019 to 2024)
Accenture - Advisor - Technology Vision External Advisory Board(2013 to 2023)
Autodesk - VP Cloud Platform(2018 to 2019)
Google - VP Product Management(2016 to 2018)
Teradici - Board Director(2016 to 2016)
Cloud Foundry Foundation - CEO(2015 to 2016)
Apigee - Advisor(2015 to 2016)
Outercurve Foundation - Secretary, Board of Directors(2009 to 2016)
AT&T - Developer Advisory Council Member(2013 to 2015)
Open Cloud Initiative - Member, Board of Directors(2011 to 2014)
Ericsson North America - Industry Advisory Board Member(2012 to 2014)
Microsoft Corporation - Sr. Director, Platform Strategy(2006 to 2009)
BEA Systems, Inc. - Director, Market Development(2002 to 2004)
Ofoto - Director of Engineering(2000 to 2001)
Xoriant - Principal Architect(1999 to 2000)
Brightware, Inc. - Sr. Software Engineer(1999 to 1999)
NetStudio - Development Lead(1997 to 1998)
Fair Isaac Corporation - Sr. Software Engineer(1997 to 1997)
Broderbund Software - Software Engineer(1995 to 1997)
Jostens Learning Company - Software Developer(1994 to 1995)

What Are Sam Ramji's Key Achievements?

Pioneering Microsoft's Open Source Strategy

As Senior Director of Platform Strategy at Microsoft (2005-2009), Sam Ramji was a key figure in transforming Microsoft's approach to open source software. He led initiatives to engage with, contribute to, and support open source communities and technologies, a significant cultural and strategic shift for the company at the time.

Expanding the Cloud Foundry Ecosystem

As CEO of the Cloud Foundry Foundation (2015-2017), Sam Ramji spearheaded the growth and adoption of the open source Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS). Under his leadership, the foundation saw increased membership, broader enterprise deployment, and a stronger global community.

Driving API Strategy at Apigee

While VP of Product Management at Apigee (2013-2015), Ramji played a crucial role in shaping the company's API management platform and evangelizing the importance of API-first strategies for digital transformation, contributing to Apigee's success leading to its acquisition by Google.

Leading Open Source Development Corporation (OSDC)

As the current CEO of the Open Source Development Corporation (OSDC), Sam Ramji is focused on enabling and accelerating the development of critical open source software, further cementing his commitment to the open source movement and its impact on the technology landscape.

Championing Enterprise Data Strategy at DataStax

As Chief Strategy Officer at DataStax (2017-2020), he guided the company's strategy around Apache Cassandra, open source data management, and cloud services, helping enterprises leverage scalable, distributed data solutions.

What's Sam Ramji's Educational Background?

BS, Cognitive Science

UC San Diego - Year 1989

Action in Management Certificate, Organizational Leadership

Institute for Generative Leadership - Year 2000

HS Diploma

American School of The Hague - Year 1983

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Notable news
Hiring actively
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Company Overview

Sailplane
Total employees30
HeadquartersSan Francisco
Founded2022

Sailplane is a product-led sales platform designed to help B2B SaaS companies identify, engage, and convert their product-qualified leads (PQLs) by surfacing product usage insights directly within their CRM. It aims to bridge the gap between product data and sales workflows, enabling sales teams to prioritize outreach to the most promising users based on their in-app behavior.

Sailplane Funding Information
Unknown - Total Funding Raised
$5.5M - Most recent funding amount
1 - Number of funding rounds
May 31, 2023 - Latest funding round
Lead Investors:
Craft Ventures
GTMfund
HubSpot Ventures
WndrCo

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