Pete Higgins is a founding partner of Second Avenue Partners, one of Seattle’s most experienced teams providing management, strategy and capital to early-stage companies.

 

Prior to founding Second Avenue Partners, Mr. Higgins spent 16 years at Microsoft Corporation.  Mr. Higgins was a member of the Office of the President, reporting to CEO Bill Gates. He was group vice president of the Interactive Media Group at Microsoft from 1996 to 1998. As head of the Interactive Media Group, he was responsible for Microsoft’s online, consumer software, and hardware businesses.

 

Mr. Higgins joined Microsoft in 1983. From 1995 to 1996, he was group vice president of Applications and Content, responsible for Microsoft Office consumer and online applications, desktop finance, hardware and Microsoft Research. From 1992 to 1995, he was senior vice president of the Desktop Applications division, where he was responsible for developing, marketing and localizing Microsoft Office. From 1988 to 1992, he was general manager and then vice president of the Analysis Business Unit, leading the rise of Microsoft Excel to the leadership position in the personal computer spreadsheet market.

 

Mr. Higgins is the chairman of SEEQ Corporation and a director of IOTA Corp.  He is the former chairman of Market Leader (OTC: LEDR), Insitu Corporation, Modumetal, and director of ADIC Corp.

 

Mr. Higgins serves on the board of trustees for The Brookings Institution and the advisory board for the Precourt Institute for Energy at Stanford University.  He is past member of the Stanford Athletics Board, Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford, the Washington Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, and is a former Trustee of Stanford University.  Mr. Higgins holds an MBA and undergraduate degrees in economics and history from Stanford University.