Arlin Sorensen
About Arlin Sorensen
Arlin Sorensen has worked in IT for almost 40 years. His LinkedIn profile lists Harlan as his location and describes him as a semi-retired VP at ConnectWise. Other sources give his ConnectWise title as Vice President, Ecosystem Evangelism.
He founded Heartland Tech Groups (HTG) in 2001. It brought Iowa-based IT partners together after the post-dotcom downturn, and it later grew into a peer group program across the US, Canada and the UK. He was also chief executive of Heartland Technology Solutions, an Iowa-based reseller. HTG Peer Groups is now known as IT Nation Evolve.
MSPmentor has named him to its MSPmentor 250 list of managed services leaders every year since the list began in 2008.
The public record on his angel investing is thin. The one documented investment we found is Synthreo, where he is named among the nine managed services executives behind the investment entity Synthreo Holding, LLC. We found no Crunchbase investor profile or published list of his other angel investments.
Synthreo closed a $2.5M seed round on July 15, 2026. It was led by Synthreo Holding, LLC, a vehicle formed by nine managed services operators, with Top Down Ventures also participating. Sorensen joined Synthreo's board as an advisor and observer in November 2025. The company announced the move after its AI indexed his 57,000-document archive of blog posts, keynotes and internal documents. He has served as an independent board advisor since the company's launch.
In the seed announcement he said AI is the next major inflection point for managed services and that MSPs need more than access to AI.
His one documented AI investment is in a company building software for MSPs, a channel he has worked in for decades. He has not published a check size, stage preference or thesis that we could find. Founders building for MSPs and IT service providers are the clearest fit. He invested alongside other operators rather than alone, and in a role that included board advisory work.
- Synthreo: agentic AI platform for managed service providers. Sorensen is an investor through Synthreo Holding, LLC in the $2.5M seed of July 2026, and has been an independent board advisor since November 2025.
- app.dealroom.co/news/note/synthreo-lands-2-5m-seed-from-nine-industry-
- einpresswire.com/article/926705273/synthreo-raises-2-5-million-to-brin
- einpresswire.com/article/868593225/msp-icon-arlin-sorensen-joins-synth
- saasrise.com/deals/synthreo-raises-25-million-to-bring-agentic-ai-to-s
- topdown.com/investments/synthreo
- linkedin.com/in/asorensen
- channelpronetwork.com/2009/02/04/heartland-tech-groups-launch-htg-2-0-
- prnewswire.com/news-releases/heartland-technology-group-executives-nam
Investing activity
Arlin Sorensen appears in 1 AI deal tracked by the Lounge deals desk. The rounds are mostly Seed, with a median round size of $3M. The most recent is Synthreo (Seed, $2.5M, Jul 2026).
Arlin Sorensen most often invests alongside Adam Slutskin, David Bellini, Travis Hayes and Rashaad Bajwa, and the companies they back on Lounge are mostly in AI.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Arlin Sorensen
Has Arlin Sorensen invested in AI startups?
Yes. He is named among the investors behind Synthreo Holding, LLC, which led Synthreo's $2.5M seed round in July 2026. Synthreo builds an agentic AI platform for managed service providers.
What is Arlin Sorensen's typical check size?
It is not public. No source we found states his check size, and the Synthreo round was made through a group entity, so his individual amount is not disclosed.
Who is Arlin Sorensen?
He founded HTG Peer Groups (now IT Nation Evolve) in 2001 and has about 40 years in the IT and MSP channel. He has also held a VP Ecosystem Evangelism role at ConnectWise.
Does Arlin Sorensen advise the startups he backs?
At Synthreo he does. He joined its board as an advisor and observer in November 2025 and continues as an independent board advisor.
What should founders pitch Arlin Sorensen?
He has no public statement of what he looks for. His one documented AI investment is a product built for MSPs, so products for MSPs and their clients are the closest match to what he has backed.
Is Arlin Sorensen an angel investor?
Yes. Arlin Sorensen invests personally as an angel.
What AI companies has Arlin Sorensen invested in?
Arlin Sorensen's AI investments include Synthreo. The 1 round on Lounge are listed on this page with amounts, dates and co-investors.
What stage does Arlin Sorensen invest at?
In the rounds tracked on Lounge, Arlin Sorensen has invested at Seed, with a median round of $3M.
Who does Arlin Sorensen co-invest with?
Arlin Sorensen's most frequent co-investors on Lounge are Adam Slutskin (1 deal), David Bellini (1 deal), Travis Hayes (1 deal), Rashaad Bajwa (1 deal) and Lauchlin Johnston (1 deal).
How can founders reach Arlin Sorensen?
Founders on Lounge can see Arlin Sorensen's contact details in AI Investor Contacts (paid plans), check for a warm introduction through members who worked with them under Warm Paths, and add Arlin Sorensen to their Investor Pipeline to track the conversation.