# Matthew Rizai

> Matthew Rizai is a technology entrepreneur and mechanical engineer who co-founded Workiva and served as its chief executive from 2009 and chairman from December 2014 until June 2018. Earlier, he led Engineering Animation from 1990 to its acquisition in 2000. His career connects engineering, enterprise collaboration software and the development of experienced teams in Ames, Iowa.

- **Role:** Technology entrepreneur, mechanical engineer and former public-company executive
- **Organizations:** Workiva, Engineering Animation, Computer Aided Design Software, General Motors, Ford Motor Company, ARCH Development Corporation
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Michigan State University, M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Michigan State University, Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Michigan State University, M.B.A., University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Boğaziçi University
- **Known for:** Led Engineering Animation as it grew to approximately $100 million in annual revenue and more than 900 employees by 1999., Selected by BusinessWeek among seven notable entrepreneurs for 1997., Co-founded Workiva and led it through its December 2014 public listing.

## Career timeline

- **1990** — Joined Engineering Animation as CEO; served as chairman and CEO through 2000.
- **1996** — Engineering Animation went public.
- **2000** — Engineering Animation was acquired by Unigraphics Solutions.
- **2008** — Co-founded WebFilings, later renamed Workiva, with colleagues including Martin Vanderploeg.
- **2009** — Became CEO of Workiva LLC.
- **2010** — WebFilings software launched in March.
- **2014** — WebFilings became Workiva; shares began trading on the NYSE on December 12. Rizai became chairman in December.
- **2018** — Resigned as chairman, CEO and director on June 11; Martin Vanderploeg succeeded him as CEO.

## Achievements

- Led Engineering Animation as it grew to approximately $100 million in annual revenue and more than 900 employees by 1999.
- Selected by BusinessWeek among seven notable entrepreneurs for 1997.
- Co-founded Workiva and led it through its December 2014 public listing.
- Workiva recorded $207.9 million in annual revenue and more than 3,000 customers for 2017 during his tenure.

## Latest updates

- **2026-06** — A June 17 Form 144 identified Rizai as a 10% Workiva stockholder and disclosed a proposed sale of 20,204 common shares; a proposed sale is not confirmation that a sale occurred.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-rizai-b5ab366

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/matthew-rizai
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-11