RJ Burnham

About Me

Welcome to my personal journey. I'm RJ Burnham, a dedicated Husband, Father, Tech Founder, and AI Geek, often humorously identifying myself as the "Chief Trouble Officer" due to my passion for either causing trouble or fixing it! My technology odyssey began at 15, working with companies like IBM and Nuance on pioneering speech recognition and voice automation projects for some of the largest companies in the world such as HSBC, Schwab, and Verizon.

At Voxeo, as a co-founder and CTO, I was instrumental in establishing standards such as SIP, VoiceXML, and WebRTC, shaping the future of the communications platform (CPaaS) industry. We built a user base of over 250,000 developers and over half of the Fortune 100 companies who build communications applications on our platform. My leadership and vision propelled Voxeo to groundbreaking innovations and successful exits totaling approximately $250m, solidifying our technology as the backbone of Cisco's Webex and Aspect's (now Alvaria) cloud strategies.

My time at Sighthound as CTO, President, and CEO was marked by pioneering work in AI, where we developed advanced computer vision technologies. This role was instrumental in positioning Sighthound as a leader in the AI space.

Following Sighthound, at Plum Voice, as President and CTO, I spearheaded the development of a new generative AI conversational platform, which culminated in a strategic exit to SharpenCX, setting the foundation for their self-service strategy.

In my career, I've significantly contributed to both sell-side and buy-side M&A transactions. I led successful sell-side exits, notably Voxeo's $250 million cumulative exits and Plum Voice's strategic sale to SharpenCX, enhancing their self-service strategy. On the buy-side, I've been instrumental in over 15 acquisitions, ensuring alignment with business objectives and fostering growth. My comprehensive M&A experience spans due diligence, negotiation, and integration, underscoring my proficiency in enhancing shareholder value and ensuring seamless corporate integrations.

Currently, I'm the founder of a new stealth-mode startup, aiming to redefine industry norms once again. Based in Lisbon, my family and I enjoy a life filled with adventure and opportunities around the globe.