Key Takeaways
- • Don Valentine, founder of Sequoia Capital, died on October 25, 2019, aged 87, at his home in Woodside, California, according to a tribute published by Sequoia.
- • Valentine founded Sequoia in 1972, before the terms "Silicon Valley" and "venture capital" had been coined, and led the firm as its driving force until the mid-1990s.
- • His early investments in Atari and Apple, made through a $3 million venture fund formed in 1974 with Capital Group, put Sequoia on the map.
- • Under his leadership Sequoia backed Oracle, LSI Logic, Microchip Technology, Linear Technology, Network Appliance and Cisco Systems, the company he was proudest of, where he served as Chairman for three decades.
Summary
Don Valentine, founder of Sequoia Capital and one of the leaders who shaped Silicon Valley, died on October 25, 2019, aged 87, at his home in Woodside, California, according to a tribute from Sequoia. He is survived by Rachel, his wife of 58 years, three children, Christian, Mark and Hilary, and seven grandchildren.
Born in New York in 1932, Valentine studied chemistry at Fordham University before moving to Southern California in the mid-1950s to work in the aerospace industry as a sales engineer at Raytheon. He then moved to the San Francisco Peninsula to join Fairchild Semiconductor, a spawning ground for companies including Intel, Advanced Micro Devices and National Semiconductor. After seven years at Fairchild, he became founding VP of Sales and Marketing at National Semiconductor.
While at National, Valentine made personal investments in technology companies, attracting the interest of Capital Group. Together they formed Capital Management Services, which raised a first $3 million venture capital fund in 1974. That fund invested in Atari and Apple Computer, and Valentine served on the boards of both. Sequoia's name, chosen by Valentine, reflected longevity and strength with humility, as he declined to put his own name on the firm.
Valentine was Sequoia's central figure until the mid-1990s, a period in which the firm backed Oracle, LSI Logic, Microchip Technology, Linear Technology and Network Appliance. Sequoia's original investment in Cisco Systems came in 1987, and Valentine served as Chairman of Cisco for three decades. The firm also nurtured Electronic Arts and Sierra Semiconductor, the latter of which led to the creation of Chartered Semiconductor with the Government of Singapore.
Beyond business, Valentine supported the Stanford School of Engineering, helping orchestrate the Stanford Engineering Venture Fund, and backed medical research and the San Francisco Symphony and Opera. In later years he advised founders without interfering in management. The family requested donations to the Donald T. Valentine Memorial Fund at Stanford University, and a memorial service was scheduled for January 9 at Bing Concert Hall at Stanford.
Born in New York in 1932, Valentine studied chemistry at Fordham University before moving to Southern California in the mid-1950s to work in the aerospace industry as a sales engineer at Raytheon. He then moved to the San Francisco Peninsula to join Fairchild Semiconductor, a spawning ground for companies including Intel, Advanced Micro Devices and National Semiconductor. After seven years at Fairchild, he became founding VP of Sales and Marketing at National Semiconductor.
While at National, Valentine made personal investments in technology companies, attracting the interest of Capital Group. Together they formed Capital Management Services, which raised a first $3 million venture capital fund in 1974. That fund invested in Atari and Apple Computer, and Valentine served on the boards of both. Sequoia's name, chosen by Valentine, reflected longevity and strength with humility, as he declined to put his own name on the firm.
Valentine was Sequoia's central figure until the mid-1990s, a period in which the firm backed Oracle, LSI Logic, Microchip Technology, Linear Technology and Network Appliance. Sequoia's original investment in Cisco Systems came in 1987, and Valentine served as Chairman of Cisco for three decades. The firm also nurtured Electronic Arts and Sierra Semiconductor, the latter of which led to the creation of Chartered Semiconductor with the Government of Singapore.
Beyond business, Valentine supported the Stanford School of Engineering, helping orchestrate the Stanford Engineering Venture Fund, and backed medical research and the San Francisco Symphony and Opera. In later years he advised founders without interfering in management. The family requested donations to the Donald T. Valentine Memorial Fund at Stanford University, and a memorial service was scheduled for January 9 at Bing Concert Hall at Stanford.
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