A tribute to John Thornton, venture capitalist and local journalism pioneer
It is with great sadness that we share the news that John Thornton, co-founder of the American Journalism Project and Elsewhere Partners, and founder of The Texas Tribune, died on Saturday, March 29. He was 59. What follows is a tribute to John from the American Journalism Project, Elsewhere Partners, and his wife, Erin Thornton.
Over the course of a remarkable career that spanned, improbably, from venture capital and private equity to the emerging world of nonprofit local media, John Thornton was known for a rare mix of entrepreneurial zeal, moral urgency, and infectious humor. He devoted himself to helping entrepreneurs realize their visions – and he developed a vision of his own that transformed the business of local journalism.
Born in Wichita, Kansas, in 1965, John graduated first in his class at Trinity University in San Antonio and went on to earn an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He began his professional life at McKinsey & Company before joining Austin Ventures in 1991, where he led nearly 50 software investments. He ultimately served as managing partner, leading a firm with over $4 billion in assets under management.
In 2016, John and long-time Austin Ventures partner, Chris Pacitti, co-founded Elsewhere Partners, a lower middle market growth buyout firm focused on investing in bootstrapped software companies. John brought a rare combination of operational insight, strategic clarity, and deep empathy for founders. Over his tenure, he led investments in over a dozen B2B software companies, championing capital-efficient growth and long-term partnerships over short-term gains. John mentored a broad range of leaders, offering his guidance with generosity, humor, and conviction. He was impatient when it mattered and embraced fights he believed worth having.
Outside of software investing, John became a crucial early and influential voice making the case that local news was a “public good,” and that commercial markets could not sustain it. In 2008, in his first journalism venture, he founded The Texas Tribune. The Texas Tribune would become the gold standard in nonprofit news, garner broad recognition in the industry, and inspire the founding of dozens of similar organizations in other cities and states.
A decade after starting the Tribune, John co-founded the American Journalism Project, a first-of-its-kind “venture philanthropy” to raise money and fund local newsrooms across the country. The American Journalism Project has raised more than $225 million to fund local news and now supports a portfolio of 50 nonprofit newsrooms in 36 states.
John died Saturday, March 29, in his hometown of Austin, after a long struggle with mental health.
John engaged in life so wholeheartedly that few knew the depths of his suffering. Despite his internal battles, he chose to meaningfully participate, to be in service to others, and to fiercely love the people in his life. That intense commitment was John’s essential characteristic, to the enduring benefit of his co-workers, family, and friends.
John gloried, above all, in his family. He was devoted to his wife, Erin Thornton, and to giving his stepsons, Wyatt Driscoll and Wade Driscoll, a family life that he was not as fortunate to have had. John leaves behind not just a legacy, but a movement – one that will continue in his spirit. Plans for a memorial to honor John’s life will be forthcoming.
We will miss him immensely.