About: Thomas Aidan Curran
Thomas Aidan Curran is an Irish-American technologist and serial software entrepreneur. His career spans the C-suite of Fortune 500 technology and media companies and has founded seven high-tech software ventures.
Currently, Thomas advises private equity firms and technology companies on AI cloud infrastructure, software security, and digital product transformation. He is also an active angel investor, backing early-stage software companies that use AI to empower SMBs and prosumer businesses.
On this page:
Career
Thomas’s career is defined by a dual focus: driving digital transformation within major corporations and building innovative software companies from the ground up. He has consistently operated at the intersection of emerging technology and strategic business growth.
Artificial Intelligence
For over a decade, Thomas has been at the forefront of developing and applying artificial intelligence.
His current work includes advising Northern Data Group [↗ northerndata.de], a neo-cloud provider for AI computation built on NVIDIA’s enterprise hardware. He also mentors startups in the Northern Data Group AI Accelerator [↗ northerndata.de], guiding them on product strategy and scaling.
Previously, he served on the supervisory board of the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence [↗ dfki.de] (2010-2012). During his studies at The Wharton School [↗ upenn.edu], he contributed to developing early AI-based software for financial trading algorithms.
Entrepreneurship
Thomas has a proven track record of identifying market needs and building successful companies to meet them. His ventures are characterized by deep technological innovation and a focus on solving complex challenges for developers and global users.
Ory Corp
In 2015, Thomas founded Ory Corp. [↗ ory.sh] to provide open-source identity and access management. The initial product, Ory Hydra [↗ github.com], began as a carve-out of a separate project, that aimed to allow users to seamlessly orchestrate storage space across multiple cloud storage providers, such as Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive. The need for an OIDC server to manage user identities and access control across these cloud storage providers sparked Thomas’ vision for Ory: A cloud-agnostic, API-first identity and access platform that focuses on first-party data, privacy by design, and global scale.
He personally funded and led Ory through its formative years, establishing its core technology and initial community before securing venture capital. Thomas then led the company through key funding rounds with premier investors In-Q-Tel [↗ iqt.org], Balderton Capital [↗ balderton.com], and Insight Partners [↗ insightpartners.com]. He grew the company to $1M ARR, securing strategic customers including OpenAI [↗ openai.com], Axel Springer [↗ axelspringer.com], MistralAI [↗ mistral.ai], and T. Rowe Price [↗ troweprice.com].
In 2023, he transitioned leadership to a seasoned industry executive to lead the company’s next phase of enterprise growth.
Component Software Inc.
In 1997, Thomas founded Component Software Inc. to deliver a powerful e-business platform for enterprise clients. Its flagship product, the Business Application Programming Interface (BAPI), became the leading third-party integration interface for SAP’s enterprise software suite.
Corporate Leadership
Thomas has a distinguished history of C-suite leadership within Fortune 500 corporations. In these roles, he spearheaded major digital transformation initiatives, focusing on migrating large-scale systems to the cloud and implementing modern, secure software development practices.
Deutsche Boerse AG
As innovation and technology advisor at Deutsche Boerse AG [↗ deutsche-boerse.com] (2015-2018), Thomas guided the adoption of a multi-cloud infrastructure. He was instrumental in fostering an innovative, agile product development culture. He also served as Managing Director of DB1 Ventures [↗ deutsche-boerse.com], the corporate venture capital arm, leading strategic investments in early-stage software companies.
Hybris AG (acquired by SAP SE)
As CTO of Hybris AG [↗ sap.com], joining in 2013, Thomas led the critical transformation of its on-premise software into a cloud-based “Commerce as a Service” platform. This successful pivot was a key factor in the company’s acquisition by SAP SE [↗ sap.com], where the product is now a core part of the SAP Commerce Cloud.
Deutsche Telekom AG
From 2009 to 2012, Thomas served as Chief Technology Officer for Products and Innovation at Deutsche Telekom AG [↗ telekom.com]. He oversaw the launch of the company’s first cloud-based consumer product and the rollout of the “T-Home Entertain” IPTV platform. He also drove the organization-wide shift to agile practices through the “Software Factory” program and directed the T-Labs [↗ telekom.com] R&D unit.
Bertelsmann AG
As CTO and CIO of Bertelsmann AG [↗ bertelsmann.de] (2001-2003), Thomas was a key architect of the company’s transformation from traditional to digital media alongside then-CEO Thomas Middelhoff [↗ wikipedia.org]. He drove pivotal moves, including the acquisition of Napster [↗ napster.com] and the management of AOL Europe’s [↗ aol.com] business operations. This transformative period resulted in a doubling of Bertelsmann’s revenue.
Advisory
Thomas has advised numerous leading technology and media companies on digital strategy and software. Past clients include Microsoft Corporation [↗ microsoft.com], Silicon Image [↗ wikipedia.org], and the BBC [↗ bbc.com].
Currently, he is a technology advisor to 7Ridge [↗ 7ridge.com], a private equity firm; Northern Data Group, an AI cloud provider; and ReversingLabs [↗ reversinglabs.com], a cybersecurity software company.
Investments & Venture Capital
Thomas is an active angel investor in early-stage software companies. His focus is on ventures using AI to streamline business workflows and enhance decision-making, covering the spectrum from prosumer to enterprise use cases.
He serves as a mentor for the Northern Data Group AI Accelerator program, advising startups on entrepreneurship and AI software development. His venture experience also includes his role as Managing Director of DB1 Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of Deutsche Boerse AG, where he led strategic investments.
Education
Thomas graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania [↗ upenn.edu] in 1983 with a degree in Statistics, Decision Science, and Computer Science. He subsequently held teaching and research positions, including Director of Computing at the Wharton School.
He has also served as a Scientific Advisor at the Berlin University of the Arts [↗ udk-berlin.de], a Doctoral Researcher at the Berlin Social Science Center [↗ wzb.eu], and a Research and Teaching Assistant at the Technical University of Berlin [↗ tu.berlin].
Pro Bono Work & Charity
Thomas is a strong advocate for free and accessible education. He served as a board member for the Digital Media Project (2003-2007), advancing open standards for digital media rights. From 2004 to 2008, he was a Pro Bono Advisor to the Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education [↗ nyc.gov]. He also supported Serlo [↗ serlo.org], an open e-learning platform, as an Advisor and Donor (2013-2019).
Books & Publications
Thomas has authored numerous books and publications on software and technology. His book, SAP R/3 Business Blueprint: Understanding the Business Process Reference Model [↗ amazon.com], is a key text on business process reengineering for organizations navigating digital transformation.