Pete Wilkins
Managing Director
Pete Wilkins is a purpose-driven leader committed to creating a positive impact on the world.
Today, Pete leads HPA – one of the most active and successful early-stage venture investor groups in the country. He and his firm have partnered with hundreds of founders to help turn their dreams into reality, helping them scale their business from a startup idea to a global market leader. In the process, he has helped create billions of dollars of value, but more importantly, he has helped these founders manifest their purpose into incredible companies that are changing the world. He serves as an active advisor to many entrepreneurs, sits on several boards, and frequently speaks and writes about investing in people and companies for Forbes, VentureBeat and Thrive Global.
Prior to HPA, he was a critical part of two technology startups that sold and IPO’d for more than $2.8 billion. He later went on to lead the turnaround of a medical education company from record losses to record profits and built one of the premier online physician education communities, which was followed by starting a double-bottom line company focused on college attainment for Latino families. Not every step was successful, but they were all purposeful.
Based on his experiences over the course of his life and career, he has put all of his tried-and-true practices into one platform, Purpose First Entrepreneur. The book and online resources offer a lifetime of lessons and research into key principles that people can use to lead and live more purposefully, ultimately helping them capitalize on their purpose, turn it into a business and manifest success and measurable outcomes in everyday life.
In the spirit of giving back, Pete is passionate about building Chicago’s entrepreneurial community and is actively engaged in World Business Chicago ChicagoNext Leadership Council, Future Founders, and P33, a bold initiative to make Chicago a global technology leader. In recognition of his contributions, Pete has been named one of the Top 100 Chicago Innovators by Chicago Tribune and 50 on Fire by Chicago Inno, and has won the Illinois Technology Association CityLIGHTS Industry Champion Award and the Chicago Innovation Award.
