Robert Acker - General Manager
Robert Acker leads the Aha team with 14+ years of pioneering leadership in the connected car industry. He’s been developing and launching technology-based consumer products and services since he wrote the original business plan for XM Satellite Radio in 1997.
Before founding Aha in 2008 (acquired by Harman in 2010), Acker was most recently SVP of marketing at Dash Navigation, the company that developed the first internet-connected GPS device. There he led marketing, advertising, product management and public relations for the award-winning device that Walt Mossberg predicted could “radically improve in-car navigation.” Prior to Dash, Acker served as VP of music services at RealNetworks where he oversaw the leading on-demand music service Rhapsody and the company’s music download store. As the first full time employee at XM Satellite radio, Acker served as VP of marketing and VP of product development and planning where he negotiated the company’s first strategic partnerships, created the XM brand, set pricing, launched the service and developed the company’s award-winning radio lineup.
Acker is often quoted in publications such as The New York Times, BusinessWeek and Automotive News, and has been a featured speaker at many top tech industry events, including CES, Web 2.0 Summit, Where 2.0, CTIA and Telematics Detroit. He began his career at aerospace start-ups and worked as an engineer at Boeing Satellite Systems. He holds both a bachelor's degree and master's degree in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from MIT, and a MBA from the Harvard Business School.
