About us

The team behind RealHumans.

A team of cofounders, all volunteers, all verified RealHumans.

Jim Fowler

Founder & CEO · RealHuman #1

Jim grew up in Santa Barbara, California, where he developed an early love of the ocean and scuba diving. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Boulder, Jim became a Diving and Salvage officer in the U.S. Navy. Jim was owner/operator of a small ski area in North Idaho called Lookout Pass. After moving to Silicon Valley, Jim was Founder and CEO of Jigsaw, a crowd-sourced database of business contacts (bought by Salesforce in 2010). Jim was also the Founder and CEO of Owler, a crowd-sourced database of business information (bought by Meltwater in 2021). Prior to co-founding RealHumans, Jim's passion has been long-distance bicycle touring. He has ridden his bicycle from Cairo to Cape Town, and from Cartagena to Ushuaia.

Eli Echt-Wilson

Cofounder & Engineer · RealHuman #2

Eli grew up in Albuquerque, NM, playing soccer and tennis and being carefully prepped for a future in computer science by his father. He got his BS in Computer Science from Stanford University, specializing in Artificial Intelligence. He now works as a senior software engineer for Backblaze, building software to help people backup and restore their data. Concerned about the impact of technology on society and the environment, Eli is determined to find ways (including co-founding RealHumans) to use computers to make the world a better place rather than destroy it. Outside of work, Eli enjoys ceramics, guitar, cooking, racquet sports, and anything involving his dog Mateo.

Randy Wilson

Cofounder & Engineer · RealHuman #3

Randy grew up in Oregon pirating Apple II video games. That led to a BA at Harvard and a PhD at Stanford, both in Computer Science. He worked in manufacturing software R&D at Sandia National Labs then Eastman Kodak. In 2007, Randy joined Google and spent 18 years mostly in Maps, with contributions in imagery capture and processing, personalized search, and Timeline. He is now pursuing software projects to make the world a better place, including co-founding RealHumans. Plus family (Eli is one), dogs, growing stuff, and sailing.

Alison Riddiford

Cofounder & Treasurer · RealHuman #5

Alison grew up in the Pacific Northwest, calling Bellevue, Washington home for much of her early life. Ready for a break from the rain, she headed to Boulder, Colorado for sunshine, snow, and a business degree. After college, she moved to Arizona, where she spent many years as a practicing CPA in both public and private accounting. In 2012, she shifted her focus to health and wellness and has been running her own nutrition consulting practice ever since. Alison now splits her time between Scottsdale, Arizona and Bozeman, Montana. Her proudest achievement is raising three kids. As a cofounder and Treasurer of RealHumans, she's excited to help keep the organization financially sound while staying true to its people-centered mission.

Steve Hoffman

Cofounder & Secretary · RealHuman #7

Steve brings a wealth of experience and a collaborative spirit to our team. Raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Steve pursued his passion for Geology at the University of Colorado, where he also enjoyed playing football, rugby, and ice hockey. His career at Chevron spanned several roles, with a strong focus in the last decade on global licensing, business development, and mergers & acquisitions. Now splitting time between Houston and Santa Fe with his wife Chrys (RH#54), Steve enjoys traveling, hiking, and home improvement projects, while staying connected with their three grown children.

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