Loading people...
Bret Waters is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of 4thly and a Lecturer at Stanford University, based in the Silicon Valley region of Palo Alto, California. Before transitioning into his current academic and venture advisory roles, he spent his early career leading technology operations and served as the Chief Executive Officer for three distinct software companies. In 2020, he established the 4thly startup accelerator, an organization where he has since mentored and accelerated hundreds of global founders navigating the complex venture capital ecosystem. He holds a Master of Business Administration from the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management and concurrently serves as an active mentor at the Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship. Operating as an active angel investor, Waters currently focuses his professional efforts on entrepreneurship education, venture capital allocation, and scaling early-stage technology startups.
Bret Waters is a prominent figure in the Silicon Valley entrepreneurial landscape, known for his multifaceted contributions as an educator, entrepreneur, and angel investor. He serves as a highly respected lecturer at Stanford University, where he imparts critical insights into entrepreneurship and venture creation to aspiring founders. A significant part of his role at Stanford includes founding and leading the Stanford GSB Venture Studio, an initiative dedicated to supporting and accelerating the development of new ventures emerging from the university's graduate school of business.
As an angel investor, Bret Waters actively seeks out and supports early-stage technology companies. His investment focus typically spans innovative software solutions, internet technologies, artificial intelligence, and other disruptive tech sectors. He brings a wealth of practical experience to his investment decisions, often acting as a mentor and advisor to the startups he backs, helping them navigate the complex journey from concept to market.
Waters' career background is deeply rooted in entrepreneurship. Prior to his academic and investing roles, he co-founded Keynote Systems, a pioneering company in internet performance management. Under his leadership, Keynote Systems grew significantly, eventually going public and later being acquired by Dynatrace. This firsthand experience of building and scaling a successful technology company from the ground up provides him with invaluable perspective, which he shares with his students and portfolio companies.
His unique position at Stanford allows him to identify and engage with cutting-edge innovations and talented founders at their earliest stages. While specific individual investments are often private for angel investors, his impact is widely felt through the numerous startups that have benefited from his guidance, mentorship, and capital within the Stanford ecosystem and beyond. Bret Waters is dedicated to fostering innovation and empowering entrepreneurs to build the next generation of impactful companies.
Bret Waters is a lecturer at Stanford University, the founder of the Stanford GSB Venture Studio, and an active angel investor. He is also a successful entrepreneur, having co-founded Keynote Systems.
Bret Waters primarily invests in early-stage technology companies. His focus areas include software, internet technologies, artificial intelligence, and other innovative tech sectors.
Bret Waters works at Stanford University as a lecturer and the founder of the Stanford GSB Venture Studio. He also operates as an independent angel investor.
