Early Life
Peter Gassner was born in Portland, Oregon, in 1965. He grew up as the son of Swiss immigrants. Gassner's father owned a machine shop. Gassner showed a strong work ethic from an early age, working various jobs during his youth, including as a paperboy and in a roofing business. This early exposure to risk and entrepreneurship shaped his mindset.
Rise to Success
Gassner earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Oregon State University in 1989. His career began at IBM, where he worked on database technology. He then held leadership roles at PeopleSoft and Salesforce. In 2007, Gassner co-founded Veeva Systems with Matt Wallach, Doug Ostler, and Mitch Wallace. Recognizing the unique needs of the life sciences industry, Gassner focused Veeva on providing specialized cloud software solutions for pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Under his leadership, Veeva developed key products like Veeva CRM and Veeva Vault, becoming industry standards.
Key Business Strategies
Veeva's success is largely due to its focus on vertical SaaS, providing cloud-based solutions specifically for the life sciences industry. Gassner prioritized customer success and product quality, which has helped Veeva maintain strong relationships with major pharmaceutical companies. In 2021, Veeva became the first U.S. public company to convert to a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC), legally committing to balance shareholder interests with broader stakeholder benefits.
Philanthropy
Information regarding Peter Gassner's specific philanthropic contributions is not readily available in the search results. However, Veeva's transition to a PBC demonstrates a commitment to broader societal impact, suggesting alignment with philanthropic principles.
