Al Gore joins famed Silicon Valley venture capital firm
Posted on 11/12/2007 10:40:51 AM PST by NormsRevenge
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - In a career marked by second acts, Al Gore, the former vice president of the United States and co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, is becoming a partner at Silicon Valley's most storied venture capital firm.
Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers said on Monday that Gore, a campaigner for action to slow global climate change, will join the Menlo Park, California-based venture capital firm as a partner focused on alternative energy investments.
The venture firm, which since 1972 has backed seminal computer start-ups ranging from Sun Microsystems to Compaq Computer to Amazon.com to Google Inc, has emerged in recent years as a leading funder of alternative energy companies.
Gore, 59, is joining the Kleiner board as part of a collaboration between his Generation Investment Management fund and Kleiner Perkins to fund so-called "green" business, technology and policies that address global climate change.
Other active or affiliated partners at Kleiner Perkins include legendary computer company backer John Doerr, alternative energy financier Vinod Khosla and former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell.
Kleiner Perkins plans to co-locate their European operations at Generation's offices in London. In addition, Doerr, Silicon Valley's best-known venture capitalist and long a major backer of Gore's political and policy efforts, will join Generation's advisory board, the two organizations said.
Kleiner has historically focused on making investments in and around Silicon Valley. However, it recently expanded operations in China. And as it moves into energy investments, it has taken on a more global profile in its operations.
Generation and Kleiner will remain focused on separate activities, with Kleiner Perkins investing in start-ups and Generation continuing its previous focus on investing in publicly traded companies focused on alternative energy or agriculture.
Gore said that as part of the agreement between the two firms, 100 percent of his salary as a partner at Kleiner Perkins will be donated directly to the Alliance for Climate Protection -- the nonpartisan foundation he chairs.
As a member of the U.S. Congress for 25 years, Gore popularized the term "information superhighway" and was instrumental in providing funds for what later became the Internet. In the 1990s, his critics pilloried him for implying that he deserved credit as "the father of the Internet."
Since leaving government, Gore has played an active role in advising top Silicon Valley companies. He sits on the board of computer and phone maker Apple Inc and is a senior adviser to Internet services leader Google Inc.
Al Gore joins famed Silicon Valley venture capital firm
I cannot remember any person who has received so much in return for so little contribution and with so little intelligence. Period.
That makes a lot of sense. I’m sure he’s getting hundreds of investment proposals now, and Kleiner, Perkins has the staff to assess their technical viability. He will be a strong deal-flow guy, even though he’s histrionic and (I believe) dead wrong about global warming and man’s role in it.
Einer, Kleiner & Schweiner............
I wonder if Kerry or Carter ever feel like kicking his ass over this.
Dewey, Cheatem, and Howell
Biggest Hoax in History
Und Besetzen Sie Bärenschwein.............
And occupying it bear pig?
What should the countdown start at for the utter failure of algore and this company? A year? Less? More?
That was as close to ManBearPig as I could get in German............
OK
Just in there making more and more money so he can support himself in style while he tries to force the peons to live by his other rules.
He will be closr to visit his son, Al Gore the third when he is sentenced in February.
Yeah right, like that will happen.
never mind -!
I have absolutely no plans and no expectations of ever being a candidate again.
Al Gore
I’m just in this for the money...as much money as possible.
“I hear there’s rumors on the Internets” “I use The Google”- George W. Bush.
Grease and slime do mix.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.