# Austin McChord

> Austin McChord is an American entrepreneur, engineer, investor, and philanthropist who founded Datto in 2007 and led it until 2018. He co-founded Slide, where he became interim CEO in October 2026, and is co-managing partner of Outsiders Fund. His projects also include the National Havoc Robot League, a $50 million gift to Rochester Institute of Technology, and the Manresa Wilds park project backed with his wife Allison.

- **Role:** Co-founder and Interim CEO at Slide; Co-Managing Partner at Outsiders Fund
- **Organizations:** Datto, Slide, Outsiders Fund, National Havoc Robot League, Manresa Island Corporation, Rochester Institute of Technology, General Catalyst
- **From:** Newtown, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** BS in Bioinformatics, Rochester Institute of Technology
- **Known for:** Founded and led Datto from a basement startup to a business with 1,400 employees and more than 14,000 MSP partners at his 2018 departure., Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 in Enterprise Technology in 2015., Received the 2016 EY Entrepreneur of the Year New York Region award.

## Career timeline

- **2007** — Founded Datto and developed an early backup device in the basement of his father’s office building.
- **2008** — Datto’s first commercial backup product reached the market.
- **2009** — Completed his RIT degree in bioinformatics.
- **2013** — Turned down a reported $100 million acquisition offer; Datto raised its first $25 million outside funding round from General Catalyst.
- **2015** — Datto exceeded a $1 billion valuation; McChord appeared on Forbes 30 Under 30.
- **2017** — Vista acquired Datto and combined it with Autotask; McChord announced a $50 million gift to RIT.
- **2018** — Stepped aside as Datto CEO in October; founded NHRL.
- **2019** — Shared the Guinness record for largest pair of googly eyes with Ryan Sasloe and Ed Lundblad.
- **2020** — Co-founded Outsiders Fund; Datto went public.
- **2022** — Kaseya completed its $6.2 billion acquisition of Datto on June 23.
- **2024** — Austin and Allison McChord established Manresa Island Corporation to support a public park project.
- **2025** — Slide launched, co-founded with Michael Fass.
- **2026** — Slide raised a $70 million Series B in March; McChord became interim CEO in October.

## Achievements

- Founded and led Datto from a basement startup to a business with 1,400 employees and more than 14,000 MSP partners at his 2018 departure.
- Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 in Enterprise Technology in 2015.
- Received the 2016 EY Entrepreneur of the Year New York Region award.
- Gave $50 million to RIT in 2017, then the largest gift in its history.
- Founded the National Havoc Robot League in 2018.
- Shared a Guinness World Record for a 366.3 cm pair of googly eyes in 2019.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — Slide appointed McChord interim CEO, succeeding Michael Fass, in an October 14 announcement.
- **2026-06** — NHRL’s CEO described new Academy programs, broadcast partnerships, and further investment in professional robot fighting in a June 29 update.
- **2026-03** — Slide announced a $70 million Series B led by General Catalyst, a UK office opening, and a dedicated German data center.
- **2026-02** — Manresa Wilds unveiled its final vision, shaped by community engagement; its published timeline projects the first 28 acres opening in 2027.

## Links

- Website: https://www.outsidersfund.com/team/austin-mcchord
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mcchord/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/austinmcchord

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/austin-mcchord
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-23