Jim Breyer (via Accel Partners)
One of the most highly regarded technology investors, Breyer has helped fund more than 30 Internet, media, and technology companies that completed public offerings or successful mergers. Accel's portfolio companies include such Web darlings as Groupon, Spotify, Dropbox and Etsy. The company recently launched a $100 million Big Data Fund to finance the early stages of companies focused on IT infrastructure. In addition to Accel Partners, Breyer also runs Breyer Capital, which focuses on emerging markets such as China, Brazil, and India.
Breyer serves on the boards of several companies, including Wal-Mart, Dell, News Corp., and Facebook. Earlier this month, Forbes ranked Breyer number one on its Midas List of the top technology investors for the second year in a row, due in large part to Accel's early bet on Facebook. In 2010, Fortune magazine named him the smartest technology investor and one of the 10 smartest people in technology.
Born: 1961, New Haven, CT
Lives: Woodside, CA
Education: Stanford University, B.S.; New York University, MBA
Relationship to Facebook
In May 2005, at Breyer's urging, Accel invested $12.7 million in Facebook, and Breyer added $1 million of his own money to the pot. Post-IPO, Breyer's personal stake in Facebook will be worth about $400 million. With its 10.7-percent stake in Facebook, Accel is the largest outside shareholder in the company. Not everyone at Accel was enthralled with the idea of investing in a site that had less than 3 million users and no clear revenue path. But that initial investment—now worth as much as $6.6 billion—is looking like a pretty good deal.
Career Profile
Current Occupation: Partner, Accel Partners; Founder, Chief Executive Officer, Breyer Capital
Former Companies: McKinsey & Company, Apple, Hewlett Packard