Don Valentine
{{Short description|American venture capitalist (1932–2019)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox person
| image = Don Valentine in 2009.jpg
| caption = Valentine in 2009
| birth_date = {{birth date|1932|06|26}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2019|10|25|1932|06|26}}
| birth_place = New York City, U.S.
| death_place=Woodside, California, U.S.
| nationality =
| occupation = Venture Capitalist
| alma_mater = Fordham University (BA)
}}
Donald Thomas Valentine (June 26, 1932 – October 25, 2019) was an American venture capitalist who concentrated mainly on technology companies in the United States.{{cite web |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/person/1429678 |title=Donald T. Valentine |publisher=Bloomberg |access-date=October 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191028061520/https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/person/1429678 |archive-date=October 28, 2019 |url-status=live }} As the founder of Sequoia Capital, he has been referred to as the "grandfather of Silicon Valley venture capital".{{cite web |url=http://news.cnet.com/Legendary-venture-capitalist-looks-ahead/2008-1082_3-5466478.html |title=Legendary venture capitalist looks ahead |first=Alorie |last=Gilbert |publisher=CNET News |date=November 27, 2004 |access-date=October 7, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201175102/http://news.cnet.com/Legendary-venture-capitalist-looks-ahead/2008-1082_3-5466478.html |archive-date=February 1, 2014 |url-status=live }}{{cite magazine |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/digitalrules/2005/12/09/don-valentine-venture-capitalist/ |title=Don Valentine, Venture Capitalist |author=Karlgaard, Rich |magazine=Forbes |date=December 9, 2005 |access-date=August 26, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160904102501/http://www.forbes.com/sites/digitalrules/2005/12/09/don-valentine-venture-capitalist/ |archive-date=September 4, 2016 |url-status=live }} The Computer History Museum credited him as playing "a key role in the formation of a number of industries such as semiconductors, personal computers, personal computer software, digital entertainment and networking."{{cite web |url=http://www.computerhistory.org/events/lectures/vc_09302002/valentine/index.shtml |title=Donald T. Valentine |publisher=Computer History Museum |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110815200931/http://www.computerhistory.org/events/lectures/vc_09302002/valentine/index.shtml |archivedate=August 15, 2011 }}
Career
Valentine grew up in the Bronx, New York, was Catholic, and came from a family with Danish background. He went to Mount Saint Michael Academy.{{cite web |title=Legends|url=https://www.mtstmichael.org/m/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=358834&type=d&pREC_ID=677209 |website=Mount Saint Michael Academy |accessdate=October 28, 2019 |language=en}} After graduating with a B.A. from Fordham University,{{Cite web |title=Donald T. Valentine – Executive Bio, Compensation History, and Contacts – Equilar Atlas |url=http://people.equilar.com/bio/donald-valentine-netapp--inc./salary/572252#.VmCmFN-rTEY |website=people.equilar.com |accessdate=December 3, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160404141218/http://people.equilar.com/bio/donald-valentine-netapp--inc./salary/572252|archive-date=April 4, 2016}} Valentine began his career as a sales engineer at Raytheon. He was in the position for less than a year before moving on to Fairchild Semiconductor, where he built up the sales force for seven years. He left and joined National Semiconductor, working as a senior sales and marketing executive.{{cite web |url=http://gigaom.com/2010/10/14/lessons-from-silicon-valley-vc-legend-don-valentine/ |title=Lessons From Silicon Valley VC Legend Don Valentine |author=Ingram, Matthew |publisher=Gigaom |date=October 14, 2010 |access-date=July 24, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728105730/http://gigaom.com/2010/10/14/lessons-from-silicon-valley-vc-legend-don-valentine/ |archive-date=July 28, 2013 |url-status=dead }}{{Cite web|title = Donald T. Valentine {{!}} Computer History Museum|url = http://www.computerhistory.org/events/bio/Donald,Valentine|website = www.computerhistory.org|accessdate = December 3, 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151208082757/http://www.computerhistory.org/events/bio/Donald,Valentine|archive-date = December 8, 2015|url-status = live}}
In 1972, Valentine founded venture capital firm Sequoia Capital.{{Cite web |title=Donald T. Valentine: Executive Profile & Biography – Businessweek |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=75139&privcapId=22903&previousCapId=22903&previousTitle=Sequoia%2520Capital |website=Businessweek.com |accessdate=December 3, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170107162153/http://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=75139&privcapId=22903&previousCapId=22903&previousTitle=Sequoia%2520Capital |archive-date=January 7, 2017 |url-status=live }} Initially, the company focused on early venture investments with small, risky tech companies.[http://fortune.com/2009/10/23/sequoia-branches- too-far/ Sequoia branches too far] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170124231753/http://fortune.com/2009/10/23/sequoia-branches-/ |date=January 24, 2017 }}, Adam Lashinsky, October 23, 2009, Fortune, retrieved August 24, 2016 Sequoia's first investment was in Atari in 1975 before the company was sold for $28 million to Warner Communications.A History of Silicon Valley by Arun Rao, Cambridge: MIT Press, 2010. Sequoia was one of the original investors of Apple Computer and Atari after Valentine met Steve Jobs when he was a line engineer for Atari,[http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Something-Ventured-tells-story-of-tech-investors-2374565.php Something Ventured' tells story of tech investors] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310190128/http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Something-Ventured-tells-story-of-tech-investors-2374565.php |date=March 10, 2016 }}, Julian Guthrie, April 18, 2011, SFGate, retrieved March 23, 2016Return to the Little Kingdom by Michael Moritz, 2009, The Overlook Press. and in 1978, Sequoia invested $150,000 in Apple Inc.A History of Silicon Valley by Arun Rao, 2010, Cambridge: MIT Press. Sequoia Capital has also made early investments in companies including LSI Logic, Oracle Corporation, Cisco, Electronic Arts, Google, YouTube and many others.
Valentine was a chairman of NetApp and Traiana. He served on the boards of many other technology companies including Apple, Atari, C-Cube, Cisco Systems, Electronic Arts, Linear Technology, LSI Logic, Microchip Technology, NetApp, Oracle, PMC-Sierra.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sequoiacap.com/people/donald-valentine/|title=Sequoia – Donald Valentine|website=Sequoia Capital|access-date=October 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191027072714/https://www.sequoiacap.com/people/donald-valentine/|archive-date=October 27, 2019|url-status=live}} Valentine was featured in the documentary film Something Ventured which premiered in 2011.{{Cite web |title=Something Ventured: VC Titans Don Valentine And Tom Perkins Will Take The Stage At Disrupt SF |url=https://techcrunch.com/2013/08/06/something-ventured-vc-titans-don-valentine-and-tom-perkins-will-take-the-stage-at-disrupt-sf/ |website=TechCrunch |accessdate=December 4, 2015 |first=Leena |last=Rao |date=August 6, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160528223717/http://techcrunch.com/2013/08/06/something-ventured-vc-titans-don-valentine-and-tom-perkins-will-take-the-stage-at-disrupt-sf/ |archive-date=May 28, 2016 |url-status=live }}
Death
Valentine died on October 25, 2019, in Woodside, California, at the age of 87.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/25/obituaries/don-valentine-sequoia-capital.html|title=Don Valentine, Founder of Sequoia Capital, Is Dead at 87|first=Erin|last=Griffith|date=October 25, 2019|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=October 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191028060501/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/25/obituaries/don-valentine-sequoia-capital.html|archive-date=October 28, 2019|url-status=live}} He is survived by three children and seven grandchildren who all live in the Bay Area.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category|Don Valentine}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20100710085117/http://www.sequoiacap.com/us Sequoia Capital U.S.]
- [http://www.sequoiacap.com/us/donald-valentine/ Sequoia website profile]
- {{YouTube|nKN-abRJMEw|Stanford Business School presents Don Valentine, Sequoia Capital: "Target Big Markets"}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Valentine, Don}}
Category:American venture capitalists
Category:Fordham University alumni
Category:American financial company founders
Category:American technology company founders
Category:American chairpersons of corporations
Category:American Roman Catholics