Tom Patterson

Wize simplifies product research by helping consumers find products based on their needs instead of technical product features. Users simply tell Wize what product they are looking for and how they want to use it. The patent-pending Wize Product Research Engine then reads data from thousands of sources across the Web, analyzes some 26 million recommendations for more than 1 million products, and provides a personalized list of the top products for a users needs. Wize, headquartered in Burlingame, Calif., is privately held and funded by Mayfield Fund and Bessemer Venture Partners.

Barry-Wehmiller Group, Inc. engages in provision of engineering and manufacturing technology solutions. It supplies the manufacturing technology and services to industries of packaging, paper converting, sheeting, corrugating, engineering and information technology consulting. The company was founded in 1885 and is headquartered in St. Louis, MO.

LeapLife, Inc. provides insurance services. It offers level-term life insurance, decreasing-term, increasing-term, annually-renewable, and return-of-premium term life insurance services. The company was founded by Tom Patterson, Rona Elbaz, Nir Yeffet, and Rajesh Chandran and is headquartered in San Francisco, CA.

PeopleSoft, Inc. provides enterprise software that ties together back-office applications and databases. Its software addresses such tasks as accounting, human resources management and supply chain management. PeopleSoft has expanded its product lines to include vertical applications for manufacturing firms and government agencies. In late 2003 Oracle launched a hostile attempt to purchase PeopleSoft, which ultimately agreed to be purchased for $10.3 billion in December 2004. Oracle completed the acquisition of the company in January 2005. PeopleSoft is located in Redwood Shores, CA.