The Mystery of the Photo Wall

I've placed six photo portraits at the entrance to our new office. The point and purpose of these images being prominently displayed is to help all who enter understand the spirit and culture of the 2ndF mission which is to support the inclusive growth of the Triangle ecosystem. The riddle of who each of these people are has escaped most here on LinkedIn so I'm putting in the answer key below.

First we have Tom Alberg- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Alberg

Tom was the Father of the Seattle tech ecosystem. Through his work with McCaw Cellular, Amazon and as founder of Madrona Ventures, Tom has always led the regions focus on technology as the growth engine for the future. His culture of "Make the pie bigger" permeates the operating midset at Madrona which has helped create/support the next generation of founders/investors in the Seattle community.

Next we have Bill Campbell- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Campbell_(business_executive)

Bill also known as The Coach was known as the founder and ceo whisperer. He was a long time member of the Silicon Valley ecosystem and helped develop the talents of leaders such as Eric Schmidt , Sheryl Sandberg and Tim Cook. He was known for building lasting relationships and deep friendships across the tech landscape.

Third on the list is Randy Komisar-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy_Komisar

Randy has been known as the straight talking angel investor of Silicon Valley. As a operator/investor he has helped many first time founders distill down the essence of the Why when founding a business. He took much of his accumulated wisdom and put it in a book titled The Monk and the Riddle. This is typically on the recommended read list for me to give to first time founders.

Next in line is Robert Smith founder of Vista Equity Partners-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_F._Smith_(investor)

Robert is a legend for his work in the enterprise software investment ecosystem. Outside of Vista, he is also a prolific philanthropist focused on helping to solve some of the key issue in the advancement of minorities in business and education. Robert very much stands out in the black community as someone who aspired to greatness and achieved it. He epitomizes my phrase of "If you can see it; You can be it".

Coming home to NC we next have Monica Doss-https://www.wral.com/business/legacy_local_tech_wire/video/2963650/

Monica was the maven of the Triangle technology ecosystem. Through her leadership at the Council for Entrepreneurial Development, she helped to take the dreams of people like Fred Hutchinson, Mitch Mumma, Dennis Dougherty and Tim Gupton and made those dreams into reality. She was the leader we needed to take the Triangle to the next level.

Finally Scot Wingo- https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/thescotwingo/

Scot has been one of the few and true multi-venture serial founders in the Triangle tapestry. Beyond his founding and growing of companies Scot has always found the time to give back through his work as a mentor and angel investor. Scot has always found the time to meet with founders and dispense his views and thoughts to help founders figure out the path ahead. Despite all of his success, rather than ignore the Triangle and chase brighter lights, Scot has always stayed fully engaged within his community.

Each of the people above have been massively successful in their own way. Each of them have also remembered to give back to their community in a meaningful way. Finally each of these people are the answer to the question of "Where do I get my inspiration from to do the work that I am now undertaking at 2ndF".

I encourage each of you to read, listen and learn about each of the people above. Their stories are true portraits of greatness and I'm glad to be able to give them this small nod of acknowledgement for all of the amazing work they have done.