# Brent Frei

> Brent Frei is the founder and chairman of TerraClear, co-founder of Smartsheet and former CEO and co-founder of Onyx Software. Raised on a farm near Grangeville, Idaho, and educated in engineering at Dartmouth, he built a career in software before applying imagery, mapping and machinery to agricultural chores. He also co-founded HarvestWest, a Pacific Northwest farmland investment business.

- **Role:** Founder & Chairman at TerraClear Inc
- **Organizations:** TerraClear Inc, Smartsheet, Onyx Software, HarvestWest Investments, Microsoft, Motorola, Intellectual Ventures
- **Education:** AB in Engineering Sciences; mechanical engineering concentration, Dartmouth College, Bachelor of Engineering, Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth
- **Known for:** Co-founded Onyx Software and Smartsheet, both of which went public., Received patents for cellular system designs while working at Motorola., Named an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 1997.

## Career timeline

- **1988** — Earned undergraduate engineering degree at Dartmouth; helped coach freshman football while attending Thayer.
- **1989** — Earned Bachelor of Engineering at Dartmouth’s Thayer School.
- **Before 1994** — Worked in mechanical engineering at Motorola and as a programmer analyst at Microsoft.
- **1994-2004** — Co-founded Onyx Software and served as CEO.
- **1999** — Onyx Software became publicly traded in February.
- **2005** — Co-founded Smartsheet.
- **2007-2016** — Served as Smartsheet chief marketing officer, ending in December 2016.
- **2017** — Founded TerraClear; assembled its team in December.
- **2018** — Smartsheet went public in April.
- **2024** — Retired from Smartsheet’s board effective June 18; retained TerraClear’s board chair role when Devin Lammers became CEO in August.
- **2025** — Inducted into Dartmouth’s Entrepreneurs Hall of Fame on September 4.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Onyx Software and Smartsheet, both of which went public.
- Received patents for cellular system designs while working at Motorola.
- Named an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 1997.
- Recognized as a Pioneer in Technology by the Smithsonian in 2001, according to Dartmouth.
- Inducted into Dartmouth’s Entrepreneurs Hall of Fame in 2025.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — TerraClear announced commercial weed mapping for corn and soybeans and accepted acreage commitments for the 2027 season; Frei remains founder and chairman.
- **2026-02** — TerraClear announced TerraScout, an autonomous field-imaging robot designed to produce mission plans for existing farm equipment.
- **2026-01** — A Dartmouth class update reported that the oldest of Frei’s five children had enrolled at Dartmouth.
- **2025-09** — Inducted into Dartmouth’s Entrepreneurs Hall of Fame.

## Links

- Website: https://www.terraclear.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brentfrei
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/B_Frei

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/brent-frei
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-11