Tom Thornton
Managing Partner
divine interVentures, inc.


Tom Thornton is a Managing Partner at divine interVentures. As Managing Partner, Thornton manages divine's investments in Food and Agriculture; Architecture, Engineering and Construction; Real Estate; Energy; Metals and Minerals and Skyscraper Ventures, a $100 million early-stage investment fund.

Chicago-based divine interVentures, inc. is an Internet operating company that partners with entrepreneurs and brick-and-mortar businesses to build market leaders for the new economy. Known as the Internet Zaibatsu, divine's family of business-to-business companies collaborate to create success through a tightly linked network. divine acquires significant interests in, operates, and provides services to its partner companies. divine's services include strategic guidance, incubation, marketing, web design and development, sales, IT hosting, legal, and administration. These services provide partner companies with an operating framework so they can focus on their core business, shorten time to market, and build Internet commerce leadership.

Before joining divine, Tom served as president and CEO of the Illinois Coalition for Science and Technology, a private technology development organization established to promote the formation and growth of technology enterprises in Illinois.

Under Tom's leadership, the Coalition developed and managed the Technology Development Bridge Fund (TDB), the largest and most active seed stage venture investment fund in Illinois. Thornton also spearheaded the development of the state's first science and technology policy, called the "Technology and Jobs Agenda." Additionally, Tom developed and operated several technology development, commercialization and entrepreneur assistance programs, including the nationally recognized TDB and the Illinois Technology Enterprise Corporation. Tom is a director of several Chicago-based technology startup firms and remains on the executive committee of the Illinois Coalition.

Crain's Chicago Business named Tom in 1997 as one of Illinois' most influential leaders in technology, as well as one of the state's top 40 business leaders under 40 years of age in 1998. Tom and the programs he has directed have been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Washington Post, and U.S. News and World Report.

Tom earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.