Bill Hambrecht
William R. Hambrecht | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth year and age |
| Occupation(s) | Investment banker, sports team owner |
| Known for | Founder of WR Hambrecht + Co; co-founder of Hambrecht & Quist; developer of OpenIPO auction method; owner in United Football League |
William R. Hambrecht (b. 1935) is a prominent American investment banker and the chairman of WR Hambrecht + Co, a firm he established in 1998. He is recognized for developing the "OpenIPO" approach, which utilizes Dutch auction techniques to broaden investor access during IPOs. This innovation facilitated more effective capital raising for companies such as Google, Overstock.com, Ravenswood Winery, Andover.net, and Salon.com.
Prior to this, Hambrecht co-founded Hambrecht & Quist in 1968, a San Francisco-based investment bank pivotal in taking leading technology and biotech firms public, including Apple Computer, Genentech, and Adobe Systems. The company also played a key role in the IPOs of Netscape, MP3.com, and Amazon.com before its acquisition by Chase Manhattan in 1999. Additionally, in 1997, he supported the creation of BOOM Securities (H.K.) Limited.
Hambrecht earned an A.B. degree in History from Princeton University in 1957. He is an active political contributor, predominantly backing candidates from the Democratic side, and has cited Nancy Pelosi as a significant influence on his political engagement.
He holds a position on the board of trustees at the American University of Beirut in Lebanon. His corporate governance experience includes serving as a director at Motorola between 2008 and 2011, as well as at AOL Inc. from December 2010 until February 2011.
Professional football
During the 1980s, Hambrecht was a minority stakeholder in the Oakland Invaders, one of the original teams in the defunct United States Football League.
In 2007, Hambrecht partnered with AOL CEO Tim Armstrong to establish the United Football League, committing $2 million toward its launch and assembling its initial group of owners. On August 11, 2009, he acquired ownership of the Las Vegas Locomotives franchise while overseeing league operations. The league’s championship trophy bears his name—the William Hambrecht Trophy. In 2013, Hambrecht faced legal action from 138 former players and coaches over unpaid wages for the 2012 season; he was found liable by courts in Las Vegas.