Tim Porter

Managing Director

Tim Porter
“We started working with Madrona in our first week before we even had a prototype. Tim has been an excellent partner in shaping the business and has been a strong advocate throughout our development.”
— Robert Wahbe, CEO, Highspot

Tim Porter

Managing Director

Tim joined Madrona in 2006 and invests in B2B software companies in the Pacific Northwest. He is currently interested in intelligent applications and SaaS, cloud-native software infrastructure, the modern data stack, machine learning, DevOps, and cybersecurity. He is also a board member of numerous Madrona portfolio companies.

Journey to Madrona

Before joining Madrona, Tim was a key member of Microsoft’s corporate development group, where he shared responsibilities for sourcing, structuring, and negotiating Microsoft’s acquisitions, strategic investments, and joint ventures. While at Microsoft, Tim focused on enterprise software, security, and mobile. He closed 14 transactions for over $850 million. Notable transactions included Microsoft’s acquisitions of Softricity, FrontBridge Technologies, ProClarity, Whale Communications, and Giant Company Software. Earlier in his career, Tim worked nearly five years for broadband satellite startup Teledesic, spending his last year there also working for Craig McCaw’s Eagle River Investments.

Lessons learned

  1. You can never do too much customer and market validation. When you think you have done enough, still do more. This is the first critical step to ensuring product-market fit.
  2. Do not try to do too many things at once. Ruthlessly prioritize. Focus is paramount. Make sure you put all your attention on your people and customers.

When he’s not in the office...

Tim is a member of the board of the Washington Technology Alliance. He also serves on the board of impact-first investment fund Global Partnerships and is on their Social Venture Fund’s investment committee. Global Partnerships is dedicated to expanding opportunity for people living in poverty in Africa and Central and South America. Outside of work, Tim enjoys spending time with his wife and two children. He loves sports and the outdoors, particularly basketball, running, mountain biking, snowboarding, fishing, golf, and tennis.

Noteworthy

Tim received his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from MIT and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He is a proud cheesehead, born and raised in Wisconsin.

Insights

Tim on Madrona

"What drives us at Madrona is helping founders make their vision a reality. Nothing is more satisfying than seeing a startup team create something wildly successful and somehow change the world for the better along the way. I really believe that no other venture firm will roll up their sleeves and work harder than Madrona to help make your company successful.”