Tom Cole
Verified
Silicon Valley-based venture capital and angel investor, startup CEO, entrepreneur, board member, and advisor with a diverse and proven 25-year track record across the software, Internet, and e-commerce sectors.
After beginning my career as a software developer at both startups and F500 companies, I spent a decade as a venture capital investor in early-stage software, technology, and Internet startups, serving as a General Partner in four funds. After that I spent 5+ years as CEO of an e-commerce startup which I led through a strategic M&A process culminating in a successful exit to a private-equity backed national omnichannel retailer with a combined 150 employees and low-mid 8-figure revenues. Most recently I opened the U.S. office of a China-backed venture platform where we developed a unique, data-driven investing model.
1992-1997: Software developer (Oracle, Wells Fargo, Approach Software, Expert Edge)
1998-2008: Venture capital investor (General Partner at Trinity Ventures)
2009-2015: CEO at privately-held e-commerce / omnichannel retailer (Beau-coup)
2015-present: lnvestor in software, e-commerce, and Internet startups (Hone Capital).
Sectors: software / SaaS; consumer Internet; e-commerce; digital marketing/ ad-tech; web services; hosting; cloud services
Specialties: general management, early stage venture capital, financing, strategy, software/web product development, online marketing and social media, business/corporate development, deal negotiation and execution, mergers and acquisitions, board governance, startup advisory, venture capital fund investing, growth equity, venture capital firm / fund focused on early stage technology companies