# Scott Abel

> Scott Abel is an Austin-based software entrepreneur and adviser who co-founded Spiceworks in 2006 with Jay Hallberg, Greg Kattawar, and Francis Sullivan. As founding CEO, he helped build its free IT management software and professional community before becoming chief strategy officer in January 2015. His earlier career included NeXT and Motive; later work included Umuse and startup advisory roles.

- **Role:** Advisory board member at ALTR
- **Organizations:** Spiceworks, NeXT, Apollo Computer, Motive, Umuse, Vertify, ALTR
- **Education:** The University of Texas at Austin
- **Known for:** Co-founded Spiceworks and led it as its first CEO., Helped establish an advertising-supported model for free IT management tools., Co-founded Motive.

## Career timeline

- **Before 2006** — Worked in software development, at Apollo Computer and for seven years at NeXT; co-founded Motive.
- **2006** — Co-founded Spiceworks with Jay Hallberg, Greg Kattawar, and Francis Sullivan and served as founding CEO.
- **2012** — Spiceworks reported two million users in May.
- **2015** — Became chief strategy officer in January as Jay Hallberg became president and CEO.
- **2016** — Founded the workplace communications venture later known as Umuse.
- **2018** — Umuse announced $5 million in seed funding and a public beta in March.
- **2019** — Joined Vertify’s advisory board in April.
- **2026** — Appeared in the Spiceworks 20th anniversary podcast series.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Spiceworks and led it as its first CEO.
- Helped establish an advertising-supported model for free IT management tools.
- Co-founded Motive.
- Led Umuse at its March 2018 seed funding and beta announcement.

## Latest updates

- **2026-02** — Featured in the first episode of Spiceworks’ 20th anniversary podcast series, released February 27, 2026.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abelscott

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