Eugene Kleiner was born in Vienna in 1923 and fled Europe before World War II, settling in California in the mid-1950s. He was recruited to Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory and in 1957 was one of the traitorous eight who left to co-found Fairchild Semiconductor. In 1972 he joined with Tom Perkins to form Kleiner Perkins, whose first fund was $8 million, and in 1976 he and Perkins joined the board of Genentech after the firm provided its seed capital; he was also an early investor in Intel. He retired from day-to-day responsibilities in the early 1980s and died in 2003 at age 80.
Education
B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Polytechnic University of New York
M.S. Industrial Engineering, New York University
Previous Experience
Engineer, Western Electric
Engineer, Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory
Co-founder, Fairchild Semiconductor
Notable Investments
GenentechIntel INTC
Career Timeline
1957
Left Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory with the group known as the traitorous eight and co-founded Fairchild Semiconductor.
1972
Co-founded Kleiner Perkins with Tom Perkins, raising an initial fund of $8 million.
1976
Joined the board of Genentech alongside Tom Perkins after the firm provided its seed capital.