Tom Chavez is a hi-tech entrepreneur,[1] author and co-founder of super{set},[2] a startup studio that builds and funds software companies.[3]

Early life and education

Chavez was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is one of five children from a working-class family[4] of Spanish and Mexican descent, and his paternal side traces its roots back to one of the original settlers of Santa Fe, Don Pedro Duran y Chavez.[5]

Chavez graduated from Albuquerque Academy in 1986.[6] He earned a B.A. in 1990[7] in computer science and philosophy magna cum laude from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in engineering-economic systems and operations research from Stanford University,[8] where he was a NASA doctoral fellow.[9][4]

Career

Before starting Rapt, he worked for Sun Microsystems and at a think tank called Rockwell.[10] Chavez launched his first startup, Rapt, a company that creates software for Web publishers, in 1998.[11][4] As CEO and co-founder, Chavez led the company for 10 years until its acquisition by Microsoft for $180 million in 2008.[8] In 2010, Chavez launched his second venture, Krux, which scanned devices for information.[12] The analytics company was bought by Salesforce in 2016.[13] In 2018, Chavez launched San Francisco-based venture studio super{set} which forms software startups and supports them from its own venture capital fund.[1] As of 2019, companies led by Chavez have generated a 17.5x return for investors.[1]

Writing

Chavez is the co-author of Data Driven: Harnessing Data and AI to Reinvent Customer Engagement, and winner of the 2019 Axiom Business Book Award Silver Medalist in Business Technology.[14]

Philanthropy

Chavez co-founded the Chavez Family Foundation. The Foundation invests in non-profit projects in education, immigration, and entrepreneurship. Organizations they support include Immigrants Rising, Mission Asset Fund, and Immigrant Legal Resource Center.[15]

The Chavez Family Foundation was a founding investor in the California Campus Catalyst Fund, an initiative that works to expand support to undocumented students and their families across the state's three public higher education systems: California Community Colleges, California State University, and University of California.[16]

Chavez sits on the non-profit boards of KQED (public media for the Bay Area)[17] and VH1's Save the Music Foundation.[18]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Constine, Josh (October 2, 2009). "A startup factory? $1.2B-exit team launches $65M super{set}". TechCrunch.
  2. ↑ Lebowitz, Shana (July 2, 2020). "The onetime HR chiefs of Google and Goldman Sachs are betting on surging demand for diversity-and-inclusion tech. Here's their plan for remaking the $148 billion market". Business Insider.
  3. ↑ Takahashi, Dean (June 18, 2020). "Eskalera creates AI-based inclusion index to measure a better workplace". Venture Beat.
  4. 1 2 3 "A family with ambition\Devoted parents scrimped to send 5 children to Harvard". SFGate. September 7, 2005.
  5. ↑ "5 Chavez Siblings Beget 5 Harvard Graduates". LA Times. June 3, 2001.
  6. ↑ "Leadership Award". Albuquerque Journal. 2004-12-12. p. 30. Retrieved 2021-12-16 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Mother's dream becomes reality". The Harvard Gazette. June 7, 2001.
  8. 1 2 "Tom Chavez Has an Ear for Eureka and an Eye for Talent". The Alumni Society. July 1, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Tom Chavez". Hispanic Scholarship Fund.
  10. ↑ Russell, Lars (2007-12-24). "Tom Chavez: Adapting to Changing Times". The San Francisco Examiner. p. 11. Retrieved 2021-12-16 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "Microsoft Picks Up Another Ad Startup: Rapt". TechCrunch. March 14, 2008.
  12. ↑ Hardy, Quentin (11 March 2016). "Tech Companies Entice Cloud Computing Experts". The Idaho Statesman. Retrieved 15 December 2021 – via Newspapers.com. "Cloud". The Idaho Statesman.
  13. ↑ "Salesforce Agrees to Buy Marketing-Date Startup Krux". The Wall Street Journal. October 3, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Axiom Business Book Awards 2019 Results". Axiom Business Book Awards.
  15. ↑ "Chavez Family Foundation- About Us". Chavez Family Foundation.
  16. ↑ "Catalyst Fund- Who We Are". California Catalyst Fund.
  17. ↑ "2021 Board of Directors and Community Advisory Panel". www.kqed.org.
  18. ↑ "Board of Directors- Save the Music Foundation". www.savethemusic.org.
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