Investor Type
Venture Capitalist
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Don Valentine (1932-2019) was an American venture capitalist who played a pivotal role in the early days of Silicon Valley's technology and venture capital ecosystem. He was the founder of Sequoia Capital, one of the most influential venture capital firms in the world.
- Early Career: Before entering the venture capital world, Valentine worked in sales at Fairchild Semiconductor, which played a seminal role in the early days of the Silicon Valley tech industry. He then moved to National Semiconductor, a company he helped start.
- Founding of Sequoia Capital: Don Valentine founded Sequoia Capital in 1972. Under his guidance, the firm established a reputation for spotting and nurturing companies that would go on to become industry leaders.
- Notable Investments: With Valentine at the helm, Sequoia Capital made early-stage investments in a slew of companies that went on to be giants in their respective fields. Some of these companies include:
- Apple: An early investment that needs little introduction, given Apple's transformation of multiple industries and its rise as a tech titan.
- Cisco Systems: Valentine played a key role, not only as an investor but also in shaping the company's early team.
- Oracle, Electronic Arts, and Atari are among other companies that Sequoia backed in its early days with Valentine's leadership.
A Compilation of all of Don Valentine’s Work:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/15HdeQuSGU4DJa6AapE2W4AWCMM-bIbIy/view