Enduring Obsessions
Country music and high-stakes poker
Little-Known Fact
I am the founder of the Kona Jazz Festival.
Note to Self
Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Those who dare to dream can achieve great things. Those who don’t never will.
My Other Dream Job
Architect
Foolproof Formula
Large market opportunity + a highly motivated CEO + an experienced team = a winning company
I’ve always been passionate about building and investing. I first learned about venture capital in 1973 while studying engineering at Stanford, and I immediately decided I wanted to be a VC. Silicon Valley was becoming a global powerhouse at the time, and I wanted to help technology entrepreneurs build their companies. Back then, there were only a handful of venture firms. Most encouraged me to continue my education, so I proceeded to study both business and law to ready myself for the path ahead.
I began my career writing code as a software engineer at Hewlett Packard. Later, I served as a strategy consultant at McKinsey & Company. In 1989, I joined Reid Dennis and Mary Jane Elmore at IVP, where I founded the later-stage and public market investment group. Our focus on growth investing has been fundamental to our firm’s evolution as a dominant player in venture capital.