Tom Alberg

Managing Director

Tom Alberg

Tom Alberg

Managing Director

Tom Alberg left this world on August 5, 2022. You may read more about his extraordinary life here.

Tom Alberg co-founded Madrona in 1995 and actively worked in support of Madrona and its portfolio companies. Tom served on the boards of numerous public and private companies, including Amazon.com, on which he started serving before it went public in 1997. He was a former director for Impinj, a prior Madrona Portfolio Company that is now a public company. Immediately prior to founding Madrona, Tom served as president of public companies LIN Broadcasting Corporation and executive vice president of McCaw Cellular Communications, Inc. Previously, he was chair of the executive committee and partner in the Northwest’s largest law firm, Perkins Coie, where he was principal counsel for The Boeing Company, Alaska Airlines, and a number of early technology companies. Before that, he was an attorney with Cravath, Swaine & Moore in New York.

He was past chair of the Washington State Technology Alliance, the Discovery Institute, and the Pacific Science Center and past president of Intiman Theater in Seattle. He was co-chair of the capital campaign for the Computer Science and Engineering Department’s building at the University of Washington and of ACES Northwest Network, a coalition of businesses supporting the implementation of autonomous, connected, electric and shared vehicles in the region. He served on the boards of TechNet Northwest, the Pacific Science Center, and Challenge Seattle. He was formerly a member of President Obama’s National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship. He was also on the Investment Committee of the Seattle Foundation. He was also previously ranked number 12 of the 35 most influential business leaders in the Seattle area by Puget Sound Business Journal.

Tom was an avid sailor, and he joined forces with celebrated winemaker Mike Januik to build the Novelty Hill Januik winery in nearby Woodinville, Washington. He was also one of the principal participants in the development of the Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Seattle. He and his wife, Judi Beck, also founded Oxbow Farm and Conservation Center.

Tom was a graduate of Ballard High School in Seattle, and he attended Harvard College, where he graduated cum laude. He received his law degree from Columbia Law School, where he was an editor of the “Columbia Law Review.”

Tom on Madrona

“Not every investment has been a home run. You learn something from each investment, and you apply it to the next one. If you don’t invest in a Home Grocer, you’ll never invest in an Amazon.com. Our ability and willingness to take risks has made us who we are today.”