VC Breakfast Club: Trinity Ventures

Trinity Ventures
Founded in 1986, Trinity Ventures is a value-added investor that provides capital, networks and resources to early-stage software, communications, and enterprise systems companies that offer critical infrastructure and services. Trinity’s focus is to accelerate growth and improve the probability of long-term success for the companies in its portfolio by being an active, accessible partner. With more than $1 billion under management, Trinity Ventures has a proven track record of working in close collaboration with entrepreneurs to build lasting companies.

Since its inception, Trinity Ventures has produced outstanding results for its portfolio companies and its investors. Some of the notable successes include Crescendo (acquired by Cisco), Digital Market (acquired by Agile Software), Extreme Networks (IPO), Forte (IPO), Illustra (acquired by Informix), IntruVert Networks (acquired by Network Associates), KIVA Software (acquired by Netscape), Net Effect Systems (acquired by Ask Jeeves), Network Alchemy (acquired by Nokia), P.F. Chang's (IPO), SciQuest (IPO), Speedera networks (acquired by Akamai Technologies), Starbucks (IPO), Sygate (acquired by Symantec), and Wall Data (IPO).

Tom Cole
Tom invests in software, Internet, and technology-enabled services companies. Current interests include software as a service, and companies leveraging the Web as an application platform.

Tom possesses a rich set of industry experience dating back to the early 1990's, in a mixture of both operating and venture capital investing roles. Prior to joining Trinity in 1998, he held numerous design and development roles at startups and larger companies including Approach Software and Oracle Corporation. Tom also served as a technology consultant to financial institutions including Wells Fargo.

Tom is actively engaged on the boards of Codefast and Yosemite Technologies. His other investments include Invio Software (acquired by Veritas), Speedera Networks (acquired by Akamai Technologies), and Sygate Technologies (acquired by Symantec).

Tom received his M.B.A. from Stanford Graduate School of Business, and his B.S., Computer Science, from Yale University.