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Tom Uebel

Head of Strategic Initiatives at Dropbox

Tom Uebel is a prominent technology business leader currently serving as the Head of Product + Strategic Initiatives at Dropbox. He has a strong background in software engineering, finance, and entrepreneurship, with a degree in Finance and Entrepreneurship from Miami University.

Career Overview

  • Current Role: Uebel became the Head of Strategic Initiatives at Dropbox in March 2023, after previously holding the position of Head of Product for Universal Search from November 2021 to March 2023. In this role, he was instrumental in integrating and enhancing the capabilities of Command E, a search tool he co-founded that was acquired by Dropbox.13

  • Previous Experience: Before his tenure at Dropbox, Uebel co-founded Command E in March 2018, where he served as CEO until its acquisition. Command E is designed to provide fast search capabilities across various applications, making it easier for users to find files across different platforms. Uebel successfully raised $4.4 million in funding for Command E from notable investors.12

  • Earlier Roles: Uebel has also worked as a software engineer at First Round Capital and UniversityNow, Inc., where he contributed to developing innovative software solutions and educational platforms. His diverse experience includes ventures in the travel and poker industries.12

Skills and Contributions

Uebel is recognized for his leadership and management skills, particularly in the tech startup ecosystem. He has been involved in various talks and discussions regarding entrepreneurship and technology, showcasing his expertise and insights into the industry.2

In summary, Tom Uebel is a key figure at Dropbox, leveraging his entrepreneurial background and technical skills to drive product innovation and strategic initiatives within the company.

Highlights

Aug 29 · linkedin

Earlier this summer, while celebrating my 35th birthday dinner with some of my closest friends and Command E’s earliest investors, I signed the final docs to close out my time at Dropbox following our acquisition ~2.5 years ago.

Building Command E was the most rewarding chapter of a pretty charmed career thus far. It all started with Ben identifying the opportunity while we were hacking together at First Round and then grinding on a prototype in a ratty basement guitar studio with exposed wiring in the Tenderloin, demonstrating a grittiness I’d like to think we maintained throughout the company’s life. After he showed it to Tammy and I a few months later, I suddenly “got it,” we started a proper company around it, and we were off to the races.

The ~3 years that followed were such a thrill. I’ll never forget all the people who were in our corner throughout: the founders and VCs we’d admired for years or even decades who invested in Command E and showed us the ropes, the teammates who left big jobs to join us and made it all not just possible but a lot of fun (Chris, Matt, Steve, Gaurav, Chris, Leon), and all the people - including some of the highest performing people we know - who leaned on Command E 10 or even 50+ times per day to get their work done more effectively. Given all that, it’s bittersweet to turn the page with the job left unfinished - but I’m incredibly excited to have a blank canvas again and get back to that mode of working and customer love.

Starting a company is always signing up for a potential 10+ year unbounded commitment so before starting Command E, I embarked on “Tomfoolery Tour 1.0” - visiting 6 continents, 22 countries, and 36 cities and winning a World Championship of Online Poker tournament along the way after 6+ years away from the game. It was some of the most fun I ever had and this time around I’m taking a year off to do something similar. Last month I stopped in Vegas to compete in my first World Series of Poker, and I’m grateful to have an extended break to recharge, indulge my hobbies, spend more time with friends + family, and get lost around the world again.

As I was getting towards the end of my time at DBX, one of my friends I most admire told me ”my sense is you’re just getting started” as we were talking about our paths over dinner - and I’m looking forward to vetting the next startup with many of you and proving them right in due time. 🙏 🚀

Oct 29 · linkedin

I'm extremely proud of what we've built thus far with an incredible team Command E, and can't wait to do it bigger and better as part of Dropbox.

Related Questions

What inspired Tom Uebel to co-found Command E?
How did Tom Uebel's experience at First Round Capital influence his career?
What are Tom Uebel's key achievements at Dropbox?
How did Tom Uebel transition from software engineering to leadership roles?
What challenges did Tom Uebel face while building Command E?
Tom Uebel
Tom Uebel, photo 1
Tom Uebel, photo 2
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Experience

Head of Strategic Initiatives at Dropbox since March 2023
Head of Product, Universal Search at Dropbox; Co-Founder & CEO at Command E; Software Engineer at First Round Capital; Software Engineer at UniversityNow, Inc.

Education

B.S. in Finance, Entrepreneurship from Miami University

Location

New York, New York, United States