The Guidewire

Guidewire Group is a global market intelligence firm passionate about technology entrepreneurship. Our exclusive focus on early-stage companies and emerging technology markets drives insight and opportunity to our clients and community.

Guidewire Group analysts meet with hundreds of innovative companies each year – from startups in stealth mode to established technology leaders – to assess their market potential. This broad and deep view of emerging technologies and markets allows us to develop a rich and unique perspective on key trends in global technology innovation.

The Guidewire

The Guidewire is a blog about emerging technology. Rather than add to the din of data points around new products, we take the position of an Outside Insider, plugged in to the ever-changing rhythms of Silicon Valley, while mindful of the real computing needs of everyday people. Blog buzz rarely reaches Middle America; we hope to keep innovators honest by reminding them of just that.

Our Analysts

Chris Shipley
Co-founder and Chairman

Chris Shipley is a leading technology and product analyst. Best known as the executive producer of the DEMO Conferences for IDG Executive Forums, Chris has helped technology companies bring over 1,000 new products to market since 1996. As co-founder and Chairman of Guidewire Group, she analyzes emerging technology companies around the world to identify market opportunities and accelerate products to market.

Fortune Small Business Magazine placed Chris on its “Top 10 Minds in Small Business,” and the San Jose Business Journal named her a “Woman of Distinction.” She has often been cited as a leading influencer by Marketing Computers magazine. Chris has covered personal technology since 1984 and has worked as a writer and editor for a variety of technology and consumer media. She is currently working on a book on the social impact of technology-driven change.

Chris holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in Literature and Communication Arts.

Carla Thompson
Senior Analyst

Carla Thompson comes to Guidewire Group with a unique perspective on the viability of companies and market sectors playing in the technology of tomorrow. Specializing in social networking and software, Internet communities, natural language processing and the semantic Web, Carla has both inside knowledge of singular Silicon Valley and a much-needed everyday consumer perspective from her Texas address. She has worked in technology for 10 years, having counseled companies such as Visa, Intuit, Chase Capital Partners, Network World, and Sun Microsystems on communications and positioning as senior account executive at Ketchum Silicon Valley and as co-founder of MC2 Communications. She earned a silver SABRE award for the successful launch of Transmeta Corporation in January of 2000, and ushered the company through one of the Valley’s largest IPOs, during which time she also served as publicist to Linus Torvalds, inventor of the Linux operating system.

Carla resides in her native Texas and is a recovering political junkie and active gadget freak.

To meet the rest of the Guidewire Group management team, please visit our company Web site.