Phil Petree

Born in the mid-west and raised a military brat, I traveled all over and learned to make friends fast, to enjoy each relationship while it lasts and to integrate new thoughts and experiences into my life.

In the 1st grade I got a paper route delivering to over 50 homes. Sometimes the snow was so deep that my bicycle would stand on its own and the canvas newspaper bags would sit on top the snow and leave drag marks throughout my route. My paper route taught me 4 things about myself: 1) I like hard work; 2) nothing is too tuff for me; 3) no adversity can make me quit; 4) having my own money is awesome!

I landed in the Army as a high school dropout and Uncle Sam very wisely remedied that problem along with a few others. After the military, I attended college in Germany and earned an MBA; I've lived in the mountains of Colorado where I owned a bar; spent an entire summer living life as a scuba bum on the island of Corfu; attended fashion week in Paris (yes a woman made me go), attended the Cannes Film Festival, gambled in Monte Carlo ($50), was a guest on the tour bus of Kansas and the list goes on and on... a lot of REALLY cool memories but the best ones are of simple times spent with friends and family.

Eventually, I settled into a 17 year marriage and helped bring 4 great kids into the world while focusing on a few technology startups. I never made millions that so many stories get told about but I earned a living, enjoyed an interesting career, made a lot of great friends and even drank a few $5000 bottles of wine along the way (and more than a few $5.00 bottles!).

After my divorce in 2001, I raised my kids on my own and that experience helped me truly understand the need for equality so I don't hesitate to speak out when I see someone’s rights trampled, especially a single dads.

After selling a business, I decided to write a book called The Man Puzzle. I travelled the USA and interviewed 1000’s of men, more scientist than you can count and more women than I should have. Read it to learn why men don't ask for directions; how men communicate, what we REALLY think about sex and why we leave relationships.

These days I’m working on two startups, one to help thwart active shooters, and one that’s just plain fun. I’m also writing a new book titled The Violin. It’s a tragic love story based on real life events.

To find out more about my startups or my books, please visit my personal website, philpetree.com, (link at the top of this page).