John Thornton, Board member emeritus

John Thornton, co-founder of the American Journalism Project and Elsewhere Partners, and founder of The Texas Tribune, died on Saturday, March 29, 2025. He was elected board member emeritus for the American Journalism Project in the summer of 2025.

In 1991, John joined Austin Ventures (AV), which became the largest regional capital firm in the US. He served for four years as the firm’s managing partner and led nearly 50 investments in young software companies that created more than $2 billion in value for AV investors. In 2017, he co-founded Elsewhere Partners, a boutique software investment firm that acquires bootstrapped companies in non coastal markets. 

In 2008, John founded the Texas Tribune, the largest local news organization established anywhere in the world during the 21st century and the winner of the first Peabody Award for an interactive news feature. In 2018, he co-founded the American Journalism Project (AJP), a first-of-its-kind venture  philanthropy firm dedicated to starting and growing local news organizations. 

John served on the boards of several private software companies, invested extensively in consumer products and restaurants, and is an advisor to CAVU Venture partners. He co-chaired the capital campaign for Ballet Austin and is a former board member of The Entrepreneurs Foundation, Contemporary Austin, and The City, a nonprofit news organization in New York City where he was a founding investor.  

John was a graduate of the Stanford Graduate School of Business and Trinity University, where he graduated first in his class, was named Distinguished Alumnus of 2015, and is a former trustee. At the time of his death, he lived in Austin with his wife Erin and their boys Wade and Wyatt.