Kraettli is an entrepreneur, technologist and investor with experience as a chief executive, chief technical officer and board member for multiple companies. He has a technical background as a software developer and system administrator.
As an entrepreneur, Kraettli has launched several successful companies including Questia Media and R7 Solutions, as well as providing seed funding and executive services through Black Mesa Ventures for several ventures.
Kraettli co-founded Questia Media in 1998 and served as the company’s Chief Technical Officer. The company built the world’s largest digital library and provides an online subscription service for students and educators. The company currently has tens of thousands of student subscribers and millions of dollars in monthly revenue. Kraettli launched the company as one of three co-founders out of a one-bedroom apartment. He was responsible for developing the company’s infrastructure and subscription service. He managed two departments of 60 software engineers and system administrators while reporting to the Board of Directors and participating in fund-raising. The company reached $160MM in capitalization on a $500MM valuation and was acquired by CEngage Learning/Gale in 2010.
Kraettli now serves as Principal Consultant for Black Mesa Consulting, which provides strategic business solutions and information technology consulting. The company specializes in streamlining and automating critical business processes for mid-sized companies and professional service firms, including legal and medical service providers. The company also provides contract CTO/CIO services for growing mid-sized enterprises and facilitates change management and turnaround for struggling companies.
Through his seed capital fund and development company, Black Mesa Ventures (Formerly TEG), Mr. Epperson has led investments and acted as an advisor or interim officer for several companies.
Kraettli funded and serves as President of R7 Solutions, which provides both enterprise and software-as-a-service mapping and workflow solutions. The company serves oil and gas companies, rail developers, pipeline companies and land development firms. The company’s latest product, GeoIntelis, provides mid-sized enterprises with a fully hosted GIS system and outsourced GIS department.
He also funded and contributed patents to HyperAlert, which provides web and voice-enabled emergency response communications for 5 of the top 20 transit authorities in the US as well as local governments, utilities, school districts, hospitals and banks. Kraettli helped to raise the venture capital to launch the company in 2001, devised the initial architecture for the service and has served on the board of directors.
Kraettli also provided investment and served as an interim officer for a financial auditing company working for Fortune 100 manufacturing and logistics companies, serves as an advisor for a legal services firm, and investor in a construction software company utilizing artificial intelligence to streamline the design process.
As a founding board member of the re-launched Houston Angel Network in 2002, Kraettli helped develop the deal screening and due diligence process, as well as serving as a mentor to early-stage technology companies.
As an educator, Kraettli was an adjunct at Rice University for four years where he created and taught Entrepreneurial Leadership, a full-credit undergraduate course. He has judged the D. W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup business plan competition in Oklahoma and the Southwest Business Plan Competition at Rice University, which offers teams the largest prizes in the United States.
Kraettli has served on the board of several non-profits, including OrchestraX, the next-generation alternative orchestra for Houston. Kraettli is currently on the board of the Entrepreneur’s Organization of Oklahoma, a non-profit dedicated to building better entrepreneurs and increasing the positive economic and policy impact of small businesses.
Kraettli holds a BA Hons, (Cum Laude) from Rice University.