John Doerr

Chairman at Kleiner Perkins · Joined 1980

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Biography

John Doerr joined Intel in 1974, just as the company launched its landmark 8080 microprocessor, before joining Kleiner Perkins as a partner in 1980. Over more than four decades at the firm, he led some of the most consequential venture investments in history: Amazon in 1996, and Google in 1999, when Kleiner Perkins and Sequoia Capital each wrote what was then their largest check ever on a 17-page pitch deck with no business model. Beyond capital, Doerr helped recruit key early executives at both companies and introduced the OKR (Objectives and Key Results) goal-setting framework to Google, later documenting it in his bestselling book Measure What Matters. He stepped down from day-to-day leadership of Kleiner Perkins in 2016 and remains a board director of Alphabet.

Education

Previous Experience

Notable Investments

Amazon AMZNGoogle GOOGLNetscapeSun MicrosystemsDoorDash DASHSlackCuspAIAmyrisBetterWorksBloom EnergyCompaqCourseraIControl NetworksIntuitLumerisMacromediaMyFitnessPalNunaOpenEvidenceQuantumScapeRemindSymantecTwitterUberWatershedZynga

Board Seats

Career Timeline

1974
Joins Intel just as the company launches its landmark 8080 microprocessor.
1980
Joins Kleiner Perkins as a partner.
1996
Leads Kleiner Perkins' investment in Amazon.com, later helping recruit its early engineering leadership.
1999
Leads a $12.5 million investment in Google alongside Sequoia Capital - the firm's largest check at the time.
2004
Google goes public in one of the most celebrated venture bets in history.
2016
Steps down from day-to-day leadership of Kleiner Perkins, becoming chairman.
2018
Publishes 'Measure What Matters,' popularizing the OKR goal-setting framework he introduced to Google.

Sources & References

Kleiner Perkins - John Doerr ↗Forbes Profile ↗Wikipedia ↗