Tom Chavez

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. 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. "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. "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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