Chase Sorgel Partner, Operations

In many ways, Turn/River is powered by the idea that we can walk in the door and make strong, confident bets on the great companies that we believe should be growing bigger, faster based on the ingredients they already have. We don’t do it because we think they’ll suddenly experience miraculous growth or come up with some groundbreaking new product. We look for go-to-market opportunities, problems, and challenges at B2B SaaS companies that we know how to solve. 

For me, that knowledge comes from experience, and it comes from being a lifelong learner. After graduating from the University of Colorado, I spent my early career taking on roles at a number of smaller software startups, and even a marketing agency, before eventually going on to lead the performance marketing group at PayPal.

Working across six languages, 100 countries, and 20+ products, I developed an intimate understanding of what it takes to put all of those things together, and scale and drive growth at an enterprise level.

I later went on to start my own software company, first taking a few months to teach myself how to code. After a quick crash course in Objective-C, the language of iOS, my partner and I were able to develop four apps in just 18 months. It was the hardest I’d ever worked in my entire life, and gave me an enduring empathy and respect for all founders. 

Today, I lead the operations team at T/R. We partner with portfolio companies to drive growth from the entry point to the exit point, with a particular focus on the go-to-market side. It’s an exciting role that is constantly providing opportunities for us to go in and add value quickly—a role where we get to see our impact almost immediately, and where every day we learn from the smartest, most driven people I know.

Fun fact about me: My grandmother is in the Packers Hall of Fame; she was their first cheerleader in the 1960s. In my free time I enjoy being a father to my 3 kids, photography, and hiking.