Michael Moritz - Biography

Michael Moritz (born 1954) is a Welsh-American venture capitalist with Sequoia Capital in Menlo Park, California in Silicon Valley, and a former member of the board of directors of Google Inc.

Life and career

Moritz was born in Cardiff, Wales. He was educated at Howardian High School in Cardiff before moving on to Christ Church, Oxford, where he graduated as a Master of Arts in history. In 1978, he received a Master of Business Administration degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Moritz joined Sequoia in 1986 after working as a reporter for Time, writing the 1984 book The Little Kingdom: the Private Story of Apple Computer, and co-authoring "Going for Broke: The Chrysler Story" (with Barrett Seaman, TIME's Detroit bureau chief). After leaving Time, Moritz co-founded Technologic Partners, a technology newsletter and conference company.

His internet company investments include Google, Yahoo!, PayPal, Apple Computer, Cisco, Webvan, YouTube, eToys, and Zappos. He currently sits on the Board of Directors of 24/7 Customer, Gamefly, Green Dot Corporation, Kayak.com, Klarna, LinkedIn and Sugar Inc. Google was a rare co-investment with John Doerr of rival venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and the initial public offering of the company in 2004 made him one of Wales' richest men. His investment in Google helped him achieve the number one listing in Forbes' "Midas List" of the top dealmakers in the technology industry in 2006 and 2007, and a place on the 2007 "TIME 100". He ranked number 2 on the Midas List for 2008 and 2009. He is listed by The Sunday Times as having a fortune of UK£558 million (circa US$1.1 billion).

On 18 June 2008, Michael Moritz and his wife, American novelist Harriet Heyman, announced a donation of US$50m to Christ Church, Oxford, his former college, the largest single donation in the college’s history.

In 2009, 25 years after "The Little Kingdom," Michael Moritz published a revised and expanded follow-up: "Return to the Little Kingdom: How Apple and Steve Jobs Changed the World" is available from The Overlook Press.

On 12 July 2010, Michael Moritz was conferred a Honorary Fellowship from Cardiff University, where his father had previously been employed.

He lives in San Francisco with his wife and two children. He was a prominent supporter of President Barack Obama's candidacy.

External links

• Sequoia Capital Website
• Michael Moritz interviews Marc Andreesen (Netscape, Opsware, Ning), David Filo (Yahoo) and Chad Hurley (YouTube) at TechCrunch40 conference video
• NY Times- C.E.O. Libraries Reveal Keys to Success
• Business Week- Lessons from a Long-Ball Hitter
• Video of Michael Moritz on growing up in Wales, attending Oxford and working with entrepreneurs