SAN FRANCISCO, CA – The National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) today presented John Doerr with the 2019 Lifetime Achievement in Venture Capital Award at the 2019 NVCA Leadership Gala. Held at the Four Seasons in San Francisco, CA, the NVCA Leadership Gala celebrates the venture industry and honors those who have made significant contributions to foster innovation, advance technology and drive new company formation.
“John is a true icon of the venture capital industry, having been an original investor and board member at Google and Amazon, now two of the world’s most valuable companies, in addition to numerous other wildly impactful investments over an almost four-decade career,” said Bobby Franklin, President and CEO of NVCA. “In addition, John has made major contributions back to the industry through his support of entrepreneurs addressing education, climate change, and global poverty. John is a true visionary in our industry, and we are honored to present him with the Lifetime Achievement in Venture Capital Award.”
John is an engineer, acclaimed venture capitalist, and the chairman of Kleiner Perkins. For more than 37 years, John has served entrepreneurs with ingenuity and optimism, bringing ideas worth spreading to disruptive leaders and teams.
In 2018, John authored Measure What Matters, a handbook for setting and achieving audacious goals. Through his book and platform, WhatMatters.com, he shares valuable stories and lessons from innovators.
John was an original investor and board member at Google and Amazon, helping to create over 500,000 jobs and the world’s second and third most valuable companies. He’s passionate about helping entrepreneurs reimagine the future, from health care transformation to machine learning. Outside of Kleiner Perkins, John works with social entrepreneurs for change in public education, the climate crisis, and global poverty. John serves on the board of the Obama Center and ONE.org.
About the Lifetime Achievement in Venture Capital
The Lifetime Achievement in Venture Capital Award recognizes venture professionals who have dedicated their professional lives to creating and building successful and highly competitive venture firms as well as portfolio companies that have made a significant contribution to the growth and success of the U.S. economy. Recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award were instrumental in the formation and growth of the venture capital industry and have consistently set high performance standards for the entire industry.
Previous recipients: Pete Bancroft, Bill Draper, Chuck Newhall, Mike Moritz, Mark Heesen, Arthur Rock, Sam Colella, Felda Hardymon, James Blair, Brook Byers, Jean Deleage, Anthony Evnin, Grant Heidrich, Jim Swartz, Bill Hambrecht, Sandy Robertson, Thomas Weisel, Edward Glassmeyer, Peter Crisp, Henry McCance, Paul Wythes, Lionel Pincus, Pitch Johnson, Richard Kramlich, Stanley Golder, Burton McMurtry, Reid Dennis, Peter Brooke, Thomas Perkins, Stanley Golder and David Morgenthaler.