About
Tom is co-founder and CTO at Hessian, overseeing platform engineering. He previously worked at GoCardless on database infrastructure for a payments system, and at CMC Markets developing a retail trading application. He holds a BSc in Computer Science from Durham University.
Founder at HessianYC X26
Intro paths
Tom went through Y Combinator (Spring 2026) — any YC alum in your network can reach them through the YC community.
Their group partner at YC was Garry Tan, President & CEO of Y Combinator — the partner who ran Hessian's batch and knows the company first-hand. YC profile ↗
In turn, Tom can intro founders to Hessian's investors below.
Hessian's investors · 2
Co-founders at Hessian
Experience
- HessianCo-Foundercurrent2026 — present
- GoCardlessSoftware Engineer2025 — 2026
- CMC MarketsSoftware Engineer2023 — 2025
- UK Civil ServiceSoftware Engineer2020 — 2023
Frequently asked questions
- Who is Tom Watson?
- Tom is co-founder and CTO at Hessian, overseeing platform engineering. He previously worked at GoCardless on database infrastructure for a payments system, and at CMC Markets developing a retail trading application. He holds a BSc in Computer Science from Durham University.
- Where does Tom Watson work?
- Tom Watson is Founder of Hessian.
- What companies did Tom Watson found?
- Tom Watson founded Hessian.
- Where did Tom Watson go to school?
- Tom Watson studied at Durham University (Bachelor of Science - BS, Computer Science).
Founder mafias
Y Combinator mafia8,773
Also came through, then founded or led a company.
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Durham University mafia21
Also came through, then founded or led a company.
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GoCardless mafia7
Also came through, then founded or led a company.
Same school
Also attended Durham University166
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Shared employers
Also worked at Hessian2
Also worked at GoCardless20
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+ 14 more
Also worked at CMC Markets2
Also worked at UK Civil Service9
+ 3 more