Thomas Weisel is a legendary finance veteran and philanthropist. His work and business acumen helped shape the financial industry in Silicon Valley, and his long career has yielded many successes. Mr. Weisel is also a fierce competitor outside of the office: an avid cyclist, he bikes often, and has made significant contributions to the sport of cycling and its visibility in the United States. Mr. Weisel is likewise known for his donations of Native American art to local museums.
Thomas Weisel helped create the Silicon Valley tech industry. He is the founder of Thomas Weisel Partners, one of the most prominent financial firms of the late twentieth century. Weisel joined Stifel Financial in 2010 as co-chairman.
Mr. Weisel is also the founder Montgomery Securities, a top-notch financial firm and heavy contender in the financial marketplace.
Now that Mr. Weisel is no longer in charge of the day-to-day operations of a massive investment firm, he has begun to focus on philanthropy. A distinguished collector of Native American art, particularly from the southwest, Mr. Weisel and his family donated over 200 pieces of art from his personal collection to the de Young Museum in San Francisco as well as offered the institution an endowment to promote education about the makers of the art and Native American cultures.
Mr. Weisel spent several decades adding singular pieces to his collection, which spans a thousand years of history and includes 11th century ceramics, precious Navajo weavings, and the first Plains ledger drawings. He first became interested in art when he purchased his first piece, a chief blanket, in 1973.
An exhibit of Mr. Weisel’s donated art, titled “Lines on the Horizon,” ran at the de Young Museum and featured 70 of the 200 pieces. Colin B. Bailey, former director of the de Young, said that the generous donation had “the power to reshape the Native American art collection” at the museum.
Mr. Weisel remains a prominent investment banker whose business acumen is widely valued. He lives with his family in California and continues to collect art, participate in sports, and work towards his philanthropic goals.