Chris Rolls Headshot

Chris
Rolls

Managing partner
Chris Rolls Headshot
Chris
Rolls
Managing partner

An entrepreneur, investor and self-professed business geek, Chris has built and exited four businesses across four different industries.

Chris’s career path has demonstrated his ability as both a founder and investor who can start, grow, invest in, and most importantly exit businesses across multiple industries. Three of these businesses (Rental Express, First Class Accounts and Scody Performance Wear) have become some of the largest of their kind in Australia.

In his last business, Rental Express, Chris grew the company to become the largest privately owned property management business in Queensland, with over $2.4 billion of property under management. He sold Rental Express to BRW rich lister Paul Little in 2015.

In 2016, Chris founded PieLAB Venture Partners, which invested in real estate related technology businesses. This has now become PieLAB, which invests in  businesses with an eye on long-term growth.

PieLAB assists owners of profitable, recurring revenue businesses grow their company over the long term with assistance from a panel of CEOs who provide advice, mentoring and support. 

KEY SKILLS 

  • Operations management, building operational excellence in people-intensive businesses.
  • Corporate strategy and capital allocation (i.e., how to spend money effectively to scale a business).
  • Recruiting, mentoring and engaging exceptionally talented people and designing incentive structures that help generate performance.

 

EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATIONS 

  • Bachelor’s degree in Sports Science from Southern Cross University
  • MBA from Melbourne Business School
  • Private Equity Executive Program at Harvard Business School
  • Venture Capital Executive Program at University of California, Berkeley

Talk to us about becoming a PieLAB portfolio company.