Tom Frank

Tom Frank is an entrepreneurial executive with more than 25 years of leadership building top tier companies in the advertising, media, software, transportation and education sectors. From his diverse industry experience, Mr. Frank has been able to remain on the cutting edge of emerging technologies, markets, and methodologies for achieving successful commercialization. He is considered an "entrepreneur's entrepreneur" who understands the complexities of customer discovery, launching a new venture, building a world class team, and scaling operations. He has been directly responsible for the turn-around or successful sale of multiple silicon valley start-up companies, as well as contributing his leadership, executive management, and investment support to new companies in multiple markets. Mr. Frank was most recently responsible for running one of the top ranked Entrepreneurship Centers in the country at the University of Michigan. He has built multiple successful start-up incubators and accelerators realizing millions in follow-on funding. He has mentored countless founders, and lectured across the country. He is currently an instructor for the National Science Foundation and corporate innovation advisor to a number of investors and companies. He strives to elevate research into impact. Tom and his company provide leadership training and coaching to well known CEO's and senior staff around the world. Tom also came out late in his career as a gay man and navigated the challenges associated with his established reputation, professional relationships, and a tectonic shift in the privilege he had always taken for granted. Tom's perspectives on leadership are born from direct experience. He only speaks to what he knows and he never holds back.