Carl Berg
Carl Edwin Berg | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1938 New Mexico, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, real estate investor, venture capitalist |
| Years active | 1970s–present |
| Known for | Real estate development, investments in technology startups, founding Berg LLC |
| Notable work | Founder of Midtown Realty; former owner of Mission West Properties; chairman of Valence Technologies; board member of LynuxWorks |
Carl Edwin Berg (born 1938) is a prominent American entrepreneur, real estate investor, and venture capitalist. He has been featured several times on the Forbes magazine's list of the 400 wealthiest Americans, with his net worth estimated at $1.1 billion as of March 2013.
Early life
Originally from New Mexico, Berg grew up alongside his brother, Clyde Berg, who is also engaged in real estate development.
Career
Starting his professional journey as a loan officer in Texas, Berg moved to California during the 1970s and took the helm of a mortgage firm based in Sunnyvale. In collaboration with real estate agent John A. Sobrato, they established Midtown Realty, which pivoted in 1979 towards constructing industrial campuses tailored for technology companies.
Investments
In 1997, Berg purchased Mission West Properties, a Real Estate Investment Trust, and later sold it to Divco West in December 2012 for $1.3 billion.
His portfolio includes investments in more than 100 technology startups, frequently trading office space for equity stakes. Among his significant investments are International Network Services (acquired from Lucent Technologies in 2002), VerifyMe, Inc., and Valence Technologies—where he held a 52% ownership and was chairman in 2011. Additionally, Berg invested in Summit Semiconductor and holds a board position at LynuxWorks.
Berg is also a founding figure of Berg LLC (Berg Health), a biopharmaceutical enterprise utilizing artificial intelligence technologies. In 2014, he funded the development of an innovative prostate cancer diagnostic through BERG LLC.
Personal life
Residing in Atherton, California, Berg is married and has one daughter. In 1982, his wife and daughter were abducted but managed to escape without injury; the individuals responsible were subsequently captured.