Paul Griff has stepped down as CEO of RootMetrics, the Bellevue startup that tracks the performance of wireless networks in regional markets across the country, GeekWire has learned. He’s been replaced by Bill Moore, a former Starbucks executive who is credited with helping to bring the Frappuccino to market. Moore, who previously held the CEO title at AllRecipes.com, joined the company last April as COO.
Moore tells GeekWire that the decision was a “natural progression in a startup” and was part of a succession plan. “Paul came to the realization that the company was at the point that he had to step aside and let other folks take it to a new level,” said Moore, adding that Griff remains a major shareholder in the startup.
At the time of the appointment, Griff said that Moore brought more than 25 years of “entrepreneurial management and strategic experience to the table.”
Griff’s resignation follows the departure of chief technology officer Ron Dicklin who co-founded the company in 2007 with Griff, Jason Brown and Andy Hollenbeck. Hollenbeck remains active in the company as chief revenue officer. Griff previously worked at Bsquare, Accessline Communications and Beepers NW.
The 16-person company has a high-profile set of advisors and investors, including Clearwire interim CEO John Stanton and former McCaw Cellular executive Scott Anderson. Advisors include Dave and Jamey Power of J.D. Power. It has raised $5 million to date.
Griff was a recent guest on the GeekWire podcast, telling us that the company was “democratizing the type of information that people need in order to make good, informed buying decisions.” We’ve reached out to Griff for comment, and we’ll update the post if we hear back.
UPDATE: RootMetrics plans to issue a press release on the changes this morning. In it, Griff notes:
“When I brought Bill to RootMetrics, I was confident that he would help us build a strong foundation for product and revenue growth, and he’s done that and more. As the company progresses to this next stage of growth, Bill is the ideal person to lead the company.”
