Steve Jurvetson
Steve Jurvetson | |
|---|---|
| File:Steve Jurvetson in 2021.jpg Jurvetson in 2021 | |
| Born | Stephen T. Jurvetson March 1, 1967 Arizona, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Stanford University (BS, MS, MBA) |
| Occupation(s) | Founder and managing director, Draper Fisher Jurvetson Co-founder, Future Ventures |
| Spouse |
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| Children | 5 |
Stephen T. Jurvetson (born March 1, 1967) is a U.S. entrepreneur and billionaire venture capitalist. Previously a partner at Draper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ), he was among the first investors in companies such as Hotmail, Memphis Meats, Mythic, and Nervana Systems. Currently, he holds a board position at SpaceX and co-founded Future Ventures alongside Maryanna Saenko, a former DFJ associate.
Between 2011 and 2016, Jurvetson was repeatedly featured on Forbes' "Midas List" highlighting leading technology investors.
His board memberships have included firms like Synthetic Genomics, Planet Labs, Nervana Systems (later acquired by Intel), Flux, D-Wave Systems, SpaceX, and Tesla. He served on Tesla's board from its early years in 2006 until December 2020.
Early life and education
Jurvetson’s father, Tõnu Jürvetson, escaped from Estonia ahead of the Soviet re-occupation in 1944. Although Estonian was spoken at home during his upbringing, Steve did not acquire the language himself. Notably, he became the first U.S.-born individual to obtain Estonian e-residency.
Growing up in Dallas, Jurvetson completed his studies at St. Mark's School of Texas in 1985. He then attended Stanford University, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in just two and a half years, followed by a Master of Science in electrical engineering and an MBA. Early in his professional journey, he worked at companies including Hewlett-Packard, Apple, and NeXT Software.
In 1999, MIT Technology Review recognized him as an Innovator Under 35 for his entrepreneurial contributions, notably including his initial investment in Hotmail.
Career
Jurvetson began his career as a consultant at Bain & Company, focusing on strategic initiatives within software, networking, and semiconductor sectors. During business school, he joined DFJ and later became a partner after delivering successful investments.
At DFJ, he supported ventures such as Hotmail, Baidu, Skype, Interwoven, Kana, Tradex, and Cyras—the last of which was acquired for $8 billion. He was also an early backer of the controversial blood-testing company Theranos.
In 2016, President Barack Obama appointed him as a Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship.
On November 13, 2017, following an internal probe into allegations of sexual harassment—which did not result in formal complaints or publicly released conclusions—Jurvetson resigned from DFJ and took a leave of absence from the boards of SpaceX and Tesla. Anonymous sources cited inappropriate conduct toward female entrepreneurs. Jurvetson indicated his departure was to address personal issues. Media reports suggested he was initially suspended before being removed from DFJ.
Current
In April 2018, Jurvetson co-established Future Ventures, initiating the firm with a $200 million fund dedicated to advancing environmentally friendly transportation, innovations in food technology, and powerful computing infrastructures. The company further strengthened its focus on these key areas by raising an additional $200 million in funding rounds held in January 2021 and April 2023.
Venture capital investments
- Boxbe (2005)
See also
External links
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- Living people
- American company founders
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- St. Mark's School (Texas) alumni
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