# Tim Brady

> Tim Brady was Yahoo's first non-founding employee, hired by his Stanford roommate Jerry Yang in 1994 when Yahoo was still a grad-school side project. He wrote the business plan that landed Yahoo's first VC money, helped invent the banner ad format, and served as Chief Product Officer through eight years of internet history. After Yahoo, he co-founded Imagine K12 (an edtech accelerator that funded 80+ education startups), served as CEO of QuestBridge, and then spent six years as a Partner at Y Combinator working with hundreds of early-stage companies. He is one of Silicon Valley's most respected operator-turned-investors, known for his integrity, self-effacing candor, and genuine commitment to education.

- **Role:** Advisor and Investor (formerly Partner at Y Combinator)
- **Organizations:** Yahoo, Y Combinator, Imagine K12, QuestBridge, ClassDojo, Team4Tech
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** BS, Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, MBA (left to join Yahoo), Harvard Business School
- **Known for:** First non-founding employee at Yahoo (1994), Wrote Yahoo's original business plan that secured its first venture capital financing, Pioneered the standard internet banner ad format and sold the first banner ad campaign ($5M across five advertisers)

## Career timeline

- **1990** — Graduated Stanford with BS in Electrical Engineering
- **1990-1993** — Marketing Engineer at Motorola Semiconductor Division, Tokyo
- **1993** — Enrolled at Harvard Business School
- **1994** — Left HBS mid-semester to join Yahoo as first non-founding employee; wrote Yahoo's founding business plan over Christmas break
- **1995** — Yahoo launched first banner ad campaign - five advertisers at $1M each, pioneering internet advertising
- **1995-2003** — Chief Product Officer at Yahoo, helping scale from startup to internet giant
- **2003** — Left Yahoo after 8 years
- **2004-2009** — CEO of QuestBridge, nonprofit connecting low-income students with elite colleges
- **2011** — Co-founded Imagine K12, an edtech accelerator, with Geoff Ralston
- **2011** — Joined ClassDojo board
- **2011-2016** — Managing Partner at Imagine K12, funding 80+ education technology startups
- **2016** — Imagine K12 merged with Y Combinator; Brady joined as Group Partner
- **2016-2022** — Partner at Y Combinator, working with hundreds of early-stage companies
- **2022** — Left Y Combinator; moved on to advisory and investment work

## Achievements

- First non-founding employee at Yahoo (1994)
- Wrote Yahoo's original business plan that secured its first venture capital financing
- Pioneered the standard internet banner ad format and sold the first banner ad campaign ($5M across five advertisers)
- Served as Yahoo's Chief Product Officer for 8 years through the company's highest-growth period
- Co-founded Imagine K12, which funded 80+ edtech startups over five years
- CEO of QuestBridge, helping low-income high school students gain admission and aid to elite colleges
- Partner at Y Combinator for six years, mentoring hundreds of founders
- Board member at ClassDojo (since 2011)
- Board member at QuestBridge (since 2004)

## Latest updates

- **2022-04** — Officially departed Y Combinator after six years as Partner
- **2022-04** — YC announced Brady leaving with praise for his work with hundreds of companies and YC's non-profit initiatives

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-brady-7a632510

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/tim-brady
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-06