Don Valentine
A venture capitalist with a merciless focus on market potential, he funded the foundational companies of Silicon Valley and built an investing dynasty.
1932–2019 (age 87)·American venture capitalist·Birthday: June 26·The Silent Generation
Biography
Don Valentine didn't just invest in companies; he engineered the ecosystem of modern Silicon Valley. After cutting his teeth in the semiconductor industry at Fairchild, he founded Sequoia Capital in 1972, bringing a hard-nosed, analytical rigor to the then-informal world of venture capital. His philosophy was stark: identify gigantic market shifts early and back founders with the humility to execute. This led him to place foundational bets that seem obvious in hindsight but were visionary at the time, including Atari, Apple, and Oracle. Valentine's style was famously direct, often unnerving entrepreneurs with his Socratic, challenging questions designed to test their mettle and their market understanding. By insisting on discipline and scale, he shaped not only his firm's culture but the very template for how transformative technology companies are built and funded.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Don was born in 1932, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Don Was Born
The biggest hits of 1932
#1 Movie
Grand Hotel
Best Picture
Grand Hotel
Don's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1932Born
Amelia Earhart flies solo across the Atlantic
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Night and Day" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Grand Hotel
1937Started school
Hindenburg disaster; Golden Gate Bridge opens
Gas: $0.20/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"A-Tisket, A-Tasket" — Ella FitzgeraldBest Picture: The Life of Emile Zola
1945Became a teenager
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1948Could drive
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1950Could vote
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1953Turned 21
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1962Turned 30
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1972Turned 40
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1982Turned 50
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1992Turned 60
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2002Turned 70
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 80
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2019Died at 87
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
Key Achievements
- Founded Sequoia Capital, one of the most influential and successful venture capital firms in history.
- Made early, pivotal investments in Apple, Atari, and Oracle, helping to create the personal computing and enterprise software industries.
- Pioneered a market-first investment thesis that became a standard model for venture capital analysis.
Did You Know?
He served in the U.S. Army and was stationed at Fort Ord, California, which first brought him to the state he would later help transform.
Before venture capital, he was a sales executive at Fairchild Semiconductor, where he learned the electronics industry from the ground up.
Valentine was known for his love of sailing and owned a yacht named 'The Hyperion.'
“We invest in people who are obsessed with solving a problem, not people who are obsessed with starting a company.”
