Thomas Vardell co-founded Northgate and has served as Managing Director since 2000 years. He serves on several venture capital advisory boards and oversees a series of firm portfolio company investments. Prior to the formation of Northgate， he was an independent investor in top-tier venture funds and an angel investor in a number of silicon valley start-ups.
Tommy earned his B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University At Stanford， he was honored as the top male scholar-athlete in the nation （GTE Academic All-American of the Year）. He is also an inductee into the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame. Prior to forming Northgate， he played eight seasons at fullback for the Cleveland Browns， Detroit Lions， and San Francisco 49ers.
Tommy is an advisor to Northpoint Financial， a real estate investment company， Stack Media， and Carden West Schools， and currently serves as a panelist for the Harris Interactive College Football Poll， which ranks the nation’s top 25 teams for the BCS （Bowl Championship Series）.
