Charles Fitzgerald
Charles Fitzgerald is an angel investor and Managing Director at Platformonomics. He was Platform Consiglieri at VMware, Vice President, Product Management at Mozy, and Vice President at pi Corporation. He was also General Manager, Platform Strategy at Microsoft. He served as a Board Member at Rec Room, Shippable and buuteeq™ Inc.
Charles Fitzgerald: Seattle Must Avoid Becoming Cleveland — Focus on Attracting People, Retaining Talent, and Making Room for New Businesses
Charles Fitzgerald argues Seattle should study Cleveland’s decline and comeback as a cautionary example, warning that Seattle’s prosperity isn’t guaranteed amid economic uncertainty and the shift toward AI. He urges the city to focus on attracting and retaining people and creating space for the next generation of business builders to preserve long-term prosperity.
Charles Fitzgerald warns Seattle to ‘Don’t be Cleveland’: prioritize attracting people and talent as tech shifts to AI
Charles Fitzgerald argues Seattle should study Cleveland’s decline and comeback as a warning: to avoid economic stagnation Seattle must focus on attracting and retaining people, growing talent, and creating space for new businesses as tech shifts toward AI.
Critics Say Gov. Bob Ferguson’s Economic Development Council Ignores Startups and AI Impact on Washington Economy
Governor Bob Ferguson's new Economic Development Council, criticized by Seattle angel investor Charles Fitzgerald, lacks representation from startups, venture capital, and fails to address AI's impact on Washington's economy. The council mainly includes older companies and governmental agencies, overlooking the state's evolving business climate.
Seattle Faces Risk of Decline Like Cleveland Due to Civic Complacency and Strained Tech-Government Relations Amid AI Competition
The article warns that Seattle could follow Cleveland’s decline if it fails to address civic complacency, strained government-tech relations, and lack of focus on future industries, especially in the evolving AI landscape. Cleveland, once a powerhouse city, experienced rapid economic and population decline due to similar issues, serving as a cautionary example.
Higher U.S. interest rates and Fed tightening force startup valuation reset as tech stocks tumble
Rising interest rates and the end of decade‑long stimulative monetary policy are forcing a systematic repricing of capital that is pushing tech and growth stocks sharply lower and will drive startup valuations down as discounted‑cash‑flow models adjust. Early‑stage investing boomed under loose Fed policy, but as rates climb the effects will cascade from public markets into later‑stage startups and founders should prepare for lower valuations.
Organizations
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Platformonomics Managing Director 2013–present · current
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Rec Room Board Member 2016–2019 · past
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Shippable Board Member 2015–2019 · past
Education
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The Johns Hopkins University Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Economics · 1985–1989
