Global Entrepreneurship Institute

In the 1970s, venture capital as we know it today was an untested source of capital to entrepreneurs and an unproven vehicle for returns to institutional investors. Tom Perkins and Eugene Kleiner had a vision of building a venture fund that would invest capital and resources in the best entrepreneurs with bold ideas. Five decades later, it is a model of venture investing that is still flourishing at Kleiner Perkins. Eight years after launch, Kleiner Perkins set out to raise a third fund and broaden the team to invest in semiconductors, databases and computing. The venture community was beginning to grow teaming together in a syndicated style of investing. As the Kleiner Perkins investment portfolio grew, so did our network of relationships—and we were able to expand the level of support we could provide to entrepreneurs.