| Thomas "Thom" Weisel | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 1941 Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Alma mater | Stanford University (1963) Harvard Business School (1966) |
| Occupation | Investment banker |
| Years active | 1966– |
| Employer | Robertson, Coleman, Siebel & Weisel Montgomery Securities Thomas Weisel Partners |
| Known for | Financier for high tech companies in Silicon Valley |
Thomas "Thom" Weisel (born February 1941) is an American banker and businessman, one of the pioneers in the development of the high tech industry in Silicon Valley. Weisel is the founder of Montgomery Securities and later Thomas Weisel Partners.[1]
Weisel was a major sponsor of competitive cycling including Lance Armstrong's racing team in the Tour de France. Weisel has a wing at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art for his modern art collection.
Weisel was born in February 1941 at the Mayo Clinic, son of Wilson Weisel a prominent surgeon and Betty Amos Weisel. Weisel was raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and graduated from Stanford University with a degree in economics in 1963. In 1966, Weisel received an MBA from Harvard Business School.[2] He began his career as a research analyst working for William Hutchinson on the West Coast.[3]
In 1971, Weisel co-founded Robertson, Coleman, Siebel & Weisel (the firm had begun with three partners in 1969). In 1978, Weisel, who was the junior partner, pulled off what was described later as a "mutiny" of the firm. Weisel became chief executive of the firm and prompted the departure of his co-founders Sandy Robertson, Robert Colman. Weisel changed the name of the original firm to Montgomery Securities. Robertson left the firm in October 1978 and founded Robertson, Colman, Stephens & Woodman, the predecessor of the investment banking firm Robertson Stephens.[4]
In 1997, Weisel helped to orchestrate a $1.3 billion acquisition of Montgomery Securities by NationsBank.[5] The following year, however, NationsBank acquired BankAmerica Corp, which itself had acquired Technology-based rival Robertson. A culture clash and fight for control ensued at the newly combined investment banking units of what was later known as Banc of America Securities.[5]
Weisel launched his eponymous firm, Thomas Weisel Partners in January 1999, together with other personnel from the former Montgomery Securities. Weisel and his partners secured backing from the venture capital community in Silicon Valley and left to form their own venture: Thomas Weisel Partners.[5]
In 2010, Weisel joined Stifel Financial.
Weisel has been married four times. He married his first wife shortly after graduating from college and they divorced after seven years. Weisel had three children with his first wife. Weisel has two children with Emily Carroll.[3] Weisel married his current wife, Janet Barnes in 2010 and they had a son in June 2011.