Tom Alberg

Two worthy books trace the history of tech through Silicon Valley, leaving Seattle’s story still to be told

by Tom Alberg on August 17, 2019August 17, 2019 at 6:21 amComment

Editor’s Note: In this guest post, Tom Alberg, Madrona Venture Group managing director, reviews The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America by Margaret O’Mara; and VC: An American… Read More

Can Seattle become a financial technology hub? Why some tech leaders are banking on it

by Todd Bishop & Taylor Soper on June 28, 2019June 30, 2019 at 4:57 amComment

Madrona Venture Group managing partner Tom Alberg has witnessed and participated in the rise of the aerospace, wireless and e-commerce industries in Seattle as an executive and investor, serving as… Read More

Why this early Amazon investor is backing an effort to shake up the Seattle City Council

by Monica Nickelsburg on May 29, 2019May 30, 2019 at 8:40 am 3 Comments

One of the biggest names in Seattle tech is a founding member of a new political action committee that wants to see fresh faces on the City Council this fall.… Read More

Early Amazon investor Tom Alberg to leave board, 23 years after betting on Jeff Bezos’ little startup

by Taylor Soper on April 11, 2019April 11, 2019 at 10:31 am1 Comment

More than 23 years after betting on a small startup called Amazon.com, Tom Alberg, the company’s longest-standing board member, is stepping down. Alberg, 79, was one of Amazon’s earliest investors… Read More

Quantum computing is coming: Here’s why Seattle needs to get our computer science workforce ready

by Tom Alberg on March 22, 2019March 22, 2019 at 10:06 am 2 Comments

Editor’s note: Tom Alberg is a co-founder and managing director at Seattle-based venture capital firm Madrona Venture Group. He is a member of Challenge Seattle and sits on the Amazon… Read More

Video

Alliance of Angels still helping entrepreneurs take flight, 20 years after initial spark from Tom Alberg, Bill Gates Sr. and Tom Cable

by Lisa Stiffler on March 28, 2018March 29, 2018 at 9:53 amComment

Two decades ago, Bill Gates Sr., Tom Alberg and Tom Cable jointly sent a letter to friends and colleagues with an important ask. The trio of prominent Seattle business leaders… Read More

Amazon board member says company will keep growing in Seattle

by John Cook on September 13, 2017September 13, 2017 at 8:51 amComment

There was a lot of hand-wringing last week in Seattle after Amazon dropped the bombshell that it plans to spend upwards of $5 billion on a new corporate campus in… Read More

Tech leaders differ over Amazon’s future in Seattle and the logic behind ‘HQ2’

by Nat Levy on September 13, 2017September 14, 2017 at 7:57 am 8 Comments

Amazon’s splashy announcement that it plans to build a second North American headquarters has stirred debate across the nation, and that includes the upper echelon of Seattle’s tech scene. During a… Read More

Why Amazon is so secretive: Longtime board member explains the company’s mindset

by Dan Richman on January 3, 2017January 3, 2017 at 12:17 pm1 Comment

Amazon.com’s famously close-mouthed ways go back all the way to its IPO or further, says Tom Alberg, the online-retailing giant’s first investor and first board member. Alberg, a co-founder of Seattle’s… Read More

Seattle venture capitalist Tom Alberg wants to buy even more Impinj stock at IPO

by John Cook on July 18, 2016July 18, 2016 at 9:12 am 2 Comments

Madrona Venture Group was one of the earliest investors in Impinj, helping to jumpstart the Seattle maker of RFID technology when it was founded 16 years ago. That’s a lifetime… Read More

Grammy Award-winning musician Ryan Lewis on Snapchat, his love of MS-DOS and advice for 10-year-olds

by Taylor Soper on May 4, 2016May 4, 2016 at 2:36 pmComment

You don’t know what you’re passionate about until you have the chance to try. That was one insight from Grammy Award-winning artist Ryan Lewis, who joined Madrona Venture Group Managing… Read More

Q&A: Madrona’s Tom Alberg on the changing winds of venture capital, tech bubbles and bankrolling a young Jeff Bezos

by John Cook on October 18, 2015October 19, 2015 at 12:46 pmComment

Tom Alberg did not have grand ambitions when he co-founded Madrona Venture Group with a few high-powered business buddies 20 years ago. But he did have a love of a… Read More

Concur CEO Steve Singh: How a strong culture got us through the dark times

by John Cook on June 5, 2015June 5, 2015 at 4:08 pm1 Comment

At the end of the day, it’s all about culture. That was the message from Concur CEO Steve Singh, who spoke today at the Technology Alliance’s annual State of Technology Luncheon… Read More

Why George Gilder is right about the role entrepreneurs play in driving the economy

by Tom Alberg on September 18, 2013September 18, 2013 at 9:01 am 3 Comments

In his new book Knowledge and Power, futurist George Gilder challenges existing economic theories of both Keynesians and libertarians by placing creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship at the center of economic development. In… Read More

Newly-formed W Fund includes heavy hitters from Seattle venture capital

by John Cook on December 6, 2011December 6, 2011 at 3:38 pm 2 Comments

University of Washington vice provost of commercialization Linden Rhoads wants the state’s largest research institutions to spin-out more innovative technologies, creating new startups that fuel the economy and create jobs.… Read More

Demo Day: Advice from ‘The Godfathers’ of Seattle tech (Video)

by John Cook on November 4, 2011November 4, 2011 at 10:03 am1 Comment

A few weeks ago, Andy Sack and other members of TechStars made a plea to the entrepreneurial titans of Seattle to attend Demo Day, the investment pitch session in which 10… Read More