# Lance Crosby

> Dallas-based technology entrepreneur Lance Trevor Crosby co-founded and led SoftLayer, acquired by IBM in 2013 for about $2 billion. He subsequently co-founded StackPath, serving as its founding chairman and CEO before moving into a chief innovation officer role in 2020. StackPath announced its closure in June 2024. His public work also includes startup advisory sessions through Intro.

- **Role:** Technology entrepreneur and startup advisor
- **Organizations:** SoftLayer Technologies, IBM, StackPath, The Planet, Catalog.com, Dallas Internet
- **Education:** Bachelor’s degrees in finance and management; MS in finance; MBA, Tarleton State University, Juris Doctor, Texas Wesleyan University School of Law, Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, Tarleton State University
- **Known for:** Co-founded SoftLayer, acquired by IBM in 2013; IBM’s 2014 annual report records $1.977 billion in cash consideration., Co-founded StackPath and served as its founding chairman and CEO., Recognized as EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Southwest regional winner in 2011 and 2018, according to a 2019 StackPath announcement.

## Career timeline

- **Before 2005** — Held management roles at Catalog.com and Dallas Internet and served as chief operating officer of The Planet.
- **2001** — Licensed to practice law in Texas on May 2.
- **2005** — Co-founded SoftLayer.
- **2006** — SoftLayer went live on January 23, according to Crosby’s own account.
- **2010** — GI Partners acquired SoftLayer and merged it with The Planet.
- **2013** — IBM acquired SoftLayer for approximately $2 billion; Crosby continued at IBM.
- **2015** — Left IBM and co-founded StackPath.
- **2016** — StackPath publicly launched on July 25.
- **2020** — Moved from CEO to chief innovation officer at StackPath.
- **2024** — StackPath announced closure and liquidation in June, four years after the documented CEO transition.

## Achievements

- Co-founded SoftLayer, acquired by IBM in 2013; IBM’s 2014 annual report records $1.977 billion in cash consideration.
- Co-founded StackPath and served as its founding chairman and CEO.
- Recognized as EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Southwest regional winner in 2011 and 2018, according to a 2019 StackPath announcement.
- Received an honorary doctorate from Tarleton State University in 2015.
- Included in D CEO’s 2020 Dallas 500, announced in November 2019.

## Latest updates

- **2024-06** — StackPath announced closure and asset liquidation; this is a company development after Crosby’s documented 2020 CEO transition.
- **2024-03** — Gcore announced acquisition of StackPath’s web application and API protection technology.
- **2020-09** — EdgeIR reported Crosby had stepped aside as CEO in March and was listed as chief innovation officer.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lancetcrosby
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/lavosby

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/lance-crosby
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-26