Management Team

Thomas Knowles

Managing Partner

Thomas joined Gratitude Railroad in January 2015 and serves as Managing Partner and Co-CEO. Prior to Gratitude, Thomas led corporate development and strategy for a leading outdoor e-commerce company, Backcountry, and a publicly traded SaaS company, Liveperson (NASDAQ:LPSN); he managed six strategic acquisitions and investments across these roles. In his early career, he spent five years in investing roles with SVB Capital, the $150M early-stage venture capital fund of Silicon Valley Bank.

At Gratitude, Thomas has managed early and growth stage investments in more than 40 companies and funds, bringing broad expertise across sectors and a deep skill set in deal structuring, including in equity, debt and alternative financing. He has served in numerous Board and advisory capacities, including for the Ruthless for Good Fund, The Builders Fund, Envest and the Park City Education Foundation. Thomas graduated from Santa Clara University with a degree in Economics. Raised in Seattle, Thomas spent 10 years in the San Francisco Bay Area, and now lives in Park City Utah with his wife Jessie and their kids Dayna, Kira and Westin. 

Quiet over loud; beer over wine; leading over following; Montana over California; country music over anything else; family over friends; rain jacket over swim suit; non-fiction over fiction.