# Don Fornes

> Don Fornes is the co-founder and former CEO of Software Advice, a software-selection and referral business acquired by Gartner in 2014. His career spans finance, enterprise software, bootstrapped entrepreneurship and later leadership at Highwire. His public LinkedIn profile lists Privet Row and Palm Beach, Florida.

- **Role:** Entrepreneur, software executive, investor and business writer
- **Organizations:** Software Advice, Highwire (formerly ConstructSecure), Privet Row, Epiphany, Hambrecht & Quist, Climate Cloud
- **Education:** Princeton University, Advanced Leadership Initiative Fellow (non-degree fellowship), Harvard University
- **Known for:** Co-founded Software Advice and led its development into a business acquired by Gartner in 2014., Harvard’s fellowship biography credits him with bootstrapping Software Advice to 135 employees., Selected for the 2020 Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative fellowship.

## Career timeline

- **1995-1999** — Worked at Hambrecht & Quist.
- **1999** — Joined Epiphany, where he worked in corporate development.
- **2005** — Founded the business that became Software Advice, initially focused on construction software.
- **2006** — The first website launched; contemporary coverage called the service RiverGuide for Construction Software.
- **2009** — Moved Software Advice headquarters to Austin.
- **2014** — Gartner acquired Software Advice in March.
- **2020** — Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative Fellow; introduced Climate Cloud in December.
- **2021** — Joined ConstructSecure alongside Austin Merritt.
- **2025** — Identified as Highwire chairman and CEO in January; an October acquisition announcement names Kyra van den Bosch as CEO.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Software Advice and led its development into a business acquired by Gartner in 2014.
- Harvard’s fellowship biography credits him with bootstrapping Software Advice to 135 employees.
- Selected for the 2020 Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative fellowship.

## Latest updates

- **2025-10** — Veriforce announced its acquisition of Highwire on October 22; its announcement identifies Kyra van den Bosch as CEO.
- **2025-01** — A Highwire company update identified Fornes as chairman and CEO while describing 2024 growth and leadership expansion.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donfornes
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/dfornes

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/don-fornes
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-27