About the Author

Lorenzo Gomez III is a community builder, author, and public speaker who draws from his personal and professional experiences to inspire others. A former director at Rackspace Technology, Gomez is a key player in the development of San Antonio’s downtown entrepreneurial ecosystem. He has spent the last decade dedicated to building institutions and organizations that have supported the creation of a contemporary community of technology companies. Gomez is the co-founder of WeTree, a new mental health engagement application.

During Gomez’s four years as CEO and four years as chairman of Geekdom, San Antonio’s premier collaborative startup community, Geekdom companies raised more than $422M in funding and its startups have created 2,489 jobs. 

A trusted advisor to Graham Weston, co-founder of Rackspace Technology, Gomez helped shape Weston’s 80|20 Foundation, which invests in San Antonio’s future by issuing grants to public charities that attract, grow, and retain San Antonio’s future workforce and job-creating entrepreneurs. After co-founding the 80|20 Foundation with Weston, he served as its executive director for six years, during which time the organization founded Students + Startups, San Antonio Startup Week, and helped establish the UTSA School of Data Science downtown. He and other local tech leaders also founded Tech Bloc, an advocacy group for San Antonio’s tech economy.

Gomez has authored three books: Cilantro Diaries, Tafolla Toro, and The Rack We Built. All three are Amazon best sellers and the latter two are winners of the 2021 International Latino Book Awards. Cilantro Diaries tells the story of Gomez’s rise from the stockroom of a grocery store to the boardrooms of two private companies, without a college degree. Tafolla Toro tells the story of his turbulent, traumatic, and often violent middle school years in one of San Antonio’s most crime-riddled neighborhoods. He reveals the fear, anxiety, and hopelessness he felt as a teenager and how those forces shaped his life until he began taking steps as an adult to improve his mental health. The Rack We Built examines Rackspace’s growth from a scrappy startup to a billion-dollar technology company and the evolution of its legendary corporate culture. 

Lorenzo’s driving passion is his love for his hometown, San Antonio, Texas. His goal is to recreate for every San Antonian the opportunities the startup world has provided him in this city on the rise.