Tom Patterson is an experienced CEO, investor and advisor. He is the founder of Wize.com (acquired by nextag) and heighten(acquired by linkedin and is currently founder of leaplife, a digital insurance company. Tom has also held a number of executive leadership positions in both startups and established companies.

In 2007, Tom founded Wize.com, an innovative product research service. Wize was acquired by Nextag (now Wize Commerce) in 2010. After the acquisition, Tom was appointed to the position of President where he managed a successful integration of the team, technology, and revenue engines.

In 2006, Tom was an EIR with the Mayfield Fund and helped the firm with deal sourcing and screening.

Previously, Tom was the Senior Vice President of Markettools (acquired by SurveyMonkey). Tom led product, technology, and services and was responsible for strategy and execution for all consumer and enterprise solutions. His organization of 250+ personnel delivered the capabilities that fueled the company’s rapid growth from 0 to 50 million in revenue in 4 years.

Tom has also held executive positions at PeopleSoft, where he was the Director of Product Marketing of the Finance applications. In addition, he was a Product Development Manager at Procter & Gamble, working on both Pantene and Old Spice brands.

Tom actively advises a number of high-growth companies helping them with both product market strategies and leadership development. Advisory boards include Kixeye, IDG Ventures and others. He’s also a CEO coach and works with a number of high-profile executives in Silicon Valley. He is on the board of Dale Carnegie.

Tom was an Eastman Kodak Scholar at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, graduating with a BS in Chemical Engineering and played Varsity Football. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Tom holds a 3rd Degree Blackbelt in Tae Kwon Do and loves surfing