Eugene Kleiner

Eugene Kleiner was an Austrian-born American engineer, entrepreneur, and venture capitalist who played a pivotal role in the rise of Silicon Valley. A co-founder of Kleiner Perkins, he helped finance and mentor technology companies that shaped the semiconductor, computing, networking, and biotechnology industries. His career spanned work with leading laboratories, pioneering firms, academic institutions, and industry consortia.

Early life and education

Born in Vienna, Kleiner emigrated to the United States after studies disrupted by the events surrounding the Anschluss and World War II, arriving in an era marked by the influence of institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Columbia University, Harvard University, Princeton University, and Stanford University on émigré scientists. He obtained engineering credentials that connected him to technical communities associated with Bell Labs, General Electric, RCA, Hewlett-Packard, and IBM. His early professional network included figures from National Research Council, Office of Scientific Research and Development, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and industrial research centers that collaborated with agencies like National Science Foundation and Department of Defense research programs.

Career at Shockley Semiconductor and Fairchild

Kleiner joined the emergent semiconductor community centered around firms such as Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory, which was founded by William Shockley after his work at Bell Labs and the invention of the transistor. The internal dynamics at Shockley paralleled events like the Traitorous Eight exodus to form Fairchild Semiconductor, an organization linked to financiers from Wranglers and executives formerly of Hughes Aircraft. At Fairchild Semiconductor, Kleiner worked alongside engineers and managers whose careers intersected with Robert Noyce, Gordon Moore, Jean Hoerni, Noyce's leadership, and corporate partners such as Intel Corporation and National Semiconductor. His activities during this period connected him to manufacturing advances influenced by Texas Instruments, Motorola, General Instruments, and process innovations discussed at conferences sponsored by IEEE and SEMICON.

Founding of Kleiner Perkins

In the aftermath of the Fairchild era and the creation of venture funds influenced by institutions like Sequoia Capital, Kleiner co-founded a firm that adopted the venture model used by firms such as Mayfield Fund, Venrock, Bessemer Venture Partners, and Greylock Partners. Partnering with entrepreneurs and financiers whose networks touched Tom Perkins, John Doerr, Ray Lane, and board members from Hewlett-Packard and Sun Microsystems, the firm became a major investor for startups originating from campuses such as Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and University of California, San Diego. The partnership engaged with limited partners like CalPERS, University endowments, Ford Foundation, and corporate venture arms represented by Intel Capital and GM Ventures.

Investment philosophy and notable ventures

Kleiner's investment approach drew on antecedents in venture capital practiced by firms such as Arthur Rock's deals, strategies used by Don Valentine, and the portfolio diversification seen at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers contemporaries like Sequoia Capital and Benchmark. He emphasized backing technical founders tied to research at Bell Labs, SRI International, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and university spinouts from Stanford Research Park. Notable companies in the broader Kleiner Perkins portfolio intersected with names such as Genentech, Sun Microsystems, Amazon (company), Google, Netscape, AOL, Compaq, Electronic Arts, Skype, Juniper Networks, NVIDIA, Akamai Technologies, Sybase, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and Zynga, reflecting a strategy of early-stage capital for semiconductor, software, hardware, networking, and biotechnology ventures. The firm also collaborated with corporate partners including IBM, Microsoft, Intel Corporation, Cisco Systems, Hewlett-Packard, and Oracle Corporation.

Contributions to Silicon Valley and legacy

Kleiner's influence extended into institutional developments that shaped Silicon Valley infrastructure, such as the cultivation of incubators like Stanford Industrial Park, participation in industry groups including SEMATECH, Silicon Valley Manufacturers Group, and advisory roles connected to National Academy of Engineering. His mentorship network overlapped with prominent technologists and investors including Gordon Moore, Robert Noyce, Andy Grove, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Jeff Bezos, Marc Andreessen, Reid Hoffman, Peter Thiel, Vinod Khosla, Steve Jobs, Bill Hewlett, Dave Packard, and university leaders at Stanford University and University of California, Berkeley. Philanthropic and civic engagements linked him to foundations like The Rockefeller Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Hearst Foundation, and cultural institutions such as San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and Stanford University programs. His legacy is reflected in the institutionalization of venture capital practices that influenced firms such as Sequoia Capital, Accel Partners, Bain Capital Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and the technology ecosystem centered on Silicon Valley nodes including Palo Alto, Mountain View, Menlo Park, Sunnyvale, and Santa Clara.

Category:Venture capitalists Category:People from Vienna