John Thornton

John Thornton has a diverse work experience spanning several organizations. John co-founded and served as a partner at Elsewhere Partners since 2016, where they focused on aligning with software entrepreneurs to recapitalize or sell their companies. Prior to that, they had a long tenure at Austin Ventures starting from 1990, where they held various roles including Associate, Principal, Partner, GP, and Prime Minister. John played a key role in leading the tech practice and helping the firm grow to become the largest regional venture/growth firm in the US. In 2019, they briefly served as a seed funder and executive committee chair at The 19th. John was also involved with the American Journalism Project as a seed funder, co-founder, former co-chair, and board member. John was instrumental in bringing significant funding to the nonprofit news ecosystem. Additionally, they played a crucial role in the founding and initial leadership of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit news organization focused on Texas policy and politics. John also served as a former member of the Board of Trustees at Trinity University. Prior to their venture and philanthropy work, John worked as a Business Analyst at McKinsey & Company.

John Thornton completed their Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Trinity University in 1987. After that, they pursued their Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Stanford University Graduate School of Business, completing it in 1991.