Tom Rand

Tom has been active in the cleantech sector both as a venture capitalist and from a policy perspective, so he understands the challenges entrepreneurs face. His focus at MaRS is on new ventures based on low-carbon technologies and the supporting infrastructure, such as renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Tom started his career as a software renegade in high school. Then he went legit and founded Voice Courier Inc. (VCi) in 1991 to service the emerging Interactive Voice Response market. Tom led VCi’s expansion to over 100 employees in three countries, with revenue in excess of US$25 million annually. The VCi Group of Companies was profitable for each of the 12 years it was under his control, and was sold in the spring, 2005.
Tom also developed Planet Traveler, North America’s lowest-carbon hotel in downtown Toronto, and has made a number of private investments in the cleantech sector. Tom is author of Kick the Fossil Fuel Habit (2009) and Waking the Frog: Solutions to our Climate Paralysis (spring 2014).
Highlights

• Voice Courier, Founder
• VCI Green Funds, Founder
• Kick the Fossil Fuel Habit, 10 Clean Technologies to Save Their World, Author
• University of Toronto, MA, PhD (Philosophy)
• University of London, MSc
• University of Waterloo, BASc (Electrical Engineering)