Rick Pleczko Joins Austin Ventures as Entrepreneur-in-Residence

AUSTIN, TX--(Marketwired - Sep 17, 2013) - Austin Ventures ("AV"), a venture capital firm investing in early-stage startup companies in Texas, announces the addition of Rick Pleczko as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence ("EIR"). As an EIR, Mr. Pleczko will be focused on sourcing early-stage software investments in the Houston, Texas area.

Prior to joining Austin Ventures, Rick was CEO and Founder of Idera, an AV software company focused on systems management software for server and cloud infrastructures. Under Rick's leadership, Idera grew to become a multi-national company with a broad product portfolio used by over 12,000 companies worldwide. The company won numerous awards for product innovation and rapid growth, including the Houston Fast-Tech 50 award for nine consecutive years. Rick was also nominated for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for his work at Idera.

"With his work at Mission Critical Software and as founder and CEO at Idera, Rick has made a significant contribution to the Austin Ventures portfolio," said John Thornton, AV General Partner. "We are very excited that he is joining our team."

Prior to Idera, Rick served in a number of senior executive roles including EVP and CMO at NetIQ, and SVP at Mission Critical Software, Platinum Technology, and LBMS. Rick started his career in technology as a software developer writing avionics software for a UK aerospace company.

"I'm delighted to continue my long-standing relationship with Austin Ventures," said Pleczko. "I'm looking forward to working with early-stage companies and with AV's backing, helping to drive them to new levels of success."

About Austin Ventures
Austin Ventures ("AV") has worked with talented entrepreneurs to build valuable companies for over 30 years. With $3.9 billion of capital raised, AV is the most active venture capital firm in Texas and one of the most established in the nation. AV invests in early stage and middle market companies, and its strategy is to partner with talented executives and entrepreneurs to build industry-leading companies predominantly in Texas. Visit Austin Ventures for more information.