Fortunate to be born in the Silicon Valley, I spent my first 35+ years in venture-funded, high technology startups. I’ve been a founder and head finance guy of numerous startups. While most of these companies merged with larger organizations, the few that ended in flames had the biggest lessons and most learning.

I’ve applied my entrepreneurial thinking to real estate development by building commercial buildings on empty land, forming condominiums, and upgrading projects to their “highest and best use”.  Big fan of California real estate. 

As a small business owner, I’ve started, purchased, run and sold several small businesses, individually and on behalf of clients.  Oh, the lessons learned from these experiences!  I joined SCORE to share those lessons with future small business buyers—no need for them to make the same mistakes.

On the personal side, I live in San Francisco and Belmont, love to travel (can’t assume I’m in the Bay Area when we are talking on the phone), volunteer as a SCORE mentor, and in a very different environment--volunteer with the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office.  I can pull together an edible meal, grow a tomato, and construct a tiny house (actually two) from shipping containers.   No longer jump from airplanes (been there, done that) and hikes in the woods brings back memories of Fort Benning Georgia.