Founders

Christine Conroy brings more than two decades of experience in technology management and entrepreneurial venture development. Christine co-founded NextSteps Research with Tom Labrecque and heads its research operations, which have covered industries and technology areas ranging from construction materials to gene sequencing to autonomous vehicle controls. Christine has been co-founder or a principal in several technology start-ups, which raised venture and private equity capital, acquired other firms to expand markets, and had exits including an IPO (Dyax).

Christine's early career included research and management roles at Procter & Gamble and Alcoa. She has also taught on the chemistry faculty at Virginia Tech and taught courses as a Visiting Professor at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia in the areas of entrepreneurship and the acquisition of closely held ventures.

Christine has a BS in Chemistry from Miami University and holds a doctorate in Chemistry from the University of California–Riverside.

Thomas G. Labrecque, Jr. brings over 20 years of management and investment experience. Most recently he co-founded NextSteps Research. NextSteps Research is a consulting practice that focuses on helping investment professionals and management teams understand and manage competitive trajectories. Clients have ranged from Fortune 100 companies to middle-market companies, startups, and hedge, private equity, and venture funds.

Before founding NextSteps Research, Tom was a Managing Director at private equity firm Perseus LLC, a partnership with six investment funds and approximately $1.3 billion of capital. Joining the firm as it was expanding to it second fund, Tom led investments in private companies ranging from bridge financing to leveraged buyouts and restructuring transactions. Before Perseus, Tom was at Alvarez and Marsal, a turnarounds and workouts consulting firm. At A&M, he assumed the roles of COO, CFO and VP of Business Development for troubled companies in the telecommunications and manufacturing sectors.

Tom holds an MBA from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia and a BS in avionics engineering from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.