Bill Gurley
Born 1966 · Age 59
American venture capitalist; general partner at Benchmark (San Francisco). Known for early analyst career on Wall Street, founding Above the Crowd, leading Benchmark investments (notably Uber) and frequent public commentary on venture capital and tech bubbles.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Dickinson, Texas
John William Gurley was born in Dickinson, Texas (greater Houston).
Graduated University of Florida (B.S.)
Earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Florida; was a member of the men's basketball team.
Joined AMD (technical marketing, embedded processors)
Worked in the technical marketing group of AMD's embedded processor division (role prior to Compaq and prior to his finance career).
Design engineer at Compaq
Worked as a design engineer on products including the 486/50 and Compaq's first multi-processor server.
Joined CS First Boston as research analyst
Began a Wall Street career as a technology research analyst; spent three years as an analyst at CSFB covering PC industry names.
MBA, McCombs School of Business (University of Texas)
Received a Masters of Business Administration degree from the McCombs School of Business.
Launched 'Above the Crowd' research/ newsletter
Started the Above the Crowd research notes/newsletter (originated while working as an analyst); distribution helped raise his profile among executives and VCs.
Moved to Deutsche Bank as lead analyst (Frank Quattrone)
Relocated to Silicon Valley to work with investment banker Frank Quattrone as a lead technology analyst.
Lead analyst on Amazon.com IPO
Served as a lead analyst on the Amazon.com IPO while working in investment banking / equity research.
Partner at Hummer Winblad Venture Partners
Joined Hummer Winblad as a partner, beginning his formal venture investing career.
Joined Benchmark as general partner
Became a general partner at Benchmark (San Francisco), a small, egalitarian venture firm of six partners.
Investments that later resulted in exits/acquisitions (portfolio highlights)
Over his Benchmark career Gurley led or participated in investments that subsequently exited (acquisitions/strategic sales): Avamar (to EMC), Business.com (to R.H. Donnelley), Clicker.com (to CBS Interactive), Demandforce (to Intuit), Employease (to ADP), JAMDAT Mobile (to Electronic Arts), Nordstrom.com (to Nordstrom), Shopping.com (to eBay), Vudu (to Walmart) — these are portfolio exits referenced across profiles.
Dot-com crash impacts Benchmark portfolio
Benchmark (and the industry) were hit by the Internet bubble burst; the firm and its partners weathered the downturn.
Sent cautionary letter to portfolio CEOs during recession
During the fall 2008 economic collapse he advised portfolio companies to conserve capital and look for opportunities arising from the downturn.
Board seats and governance (ongoing)
Held or held in the past board seats at numerous companies (OpenTable, Zillow, GrubHub, Nextdoor, LiveOps, Linden Lab, Brighter, Good Eggs, Sailthru, Stitch Fix, Vessel, and others).
Benchmark invests in Scale Computing ($9M)
Benchmark and others invested $9 million in Scale Computing (reported Mar 9, 2010). Gurley led or participated in the investment.
Benchmark leads/participates in Uber seed/growth round (~$12M)
Benchmark invested $12 million in Uber in 2011; Gurley became the firm's most engaged board member and public face on the investment.
DogVacay raises $6M (Benchmark participation)
DogVacay raised $6M from Benchmark and others (reported Nov 13, 2012); Gurley led or supported the investment and held a board seat.
Sailthru raises $19M (Benchmark investment)
Sailthru announced a $19M round with Benchmark involvement (report Feb 11, 2013); Gurley was active in the deal.
Stitch Fix Series B ($12M) led by Benchmark
Stitch Fix closed a $12M Series B led by Benchmark (Oct 17, 2013); Gurley was Benchmark partner involved with the investment.
HackerOne raises $9M (Benchmark investor)
HackerOne announced a $9M round (May 28, 2014) with Benchmark participation; Gurley was listed among investors and supporters.
Investment / funding news around Vessel (Jason Kilar startup)
Benchmark participated in funding/early rounds for Vessel (reported June 24, 2014); Gurley was associated with the firm's interest.
Uber valuation at $62.5B in funding round
When Uber raised money in 2015 investors valued the company around $62.5 billion; Benchmark's 2011 stake became highly valuable.
Public warnings: 'Silicon Valley on a dangerous path'
Gurley publicly warned that venture-backed tech was becoming speculative and unsustainable (widely reported in 2015).
Benchmark's investment strategy publicly documented
Media coverage (McCombs, Medium, others) documented Benchmark's small, egalitarian partnership model, focus on early-stage, geographic proximity, and $500M fund limits — with Gurley as a central spokesman.
Ranked on Forbes Midas List (#3 in 2016 reference)
Consistently listed on Forbes' Midas List of top VCs; referenced as #3 in a 2016 Forbes entry.
Named 'VC of the Year' at TechCrunch Crunchies
Gurley won Venture Capitalist of the Year at the Crunchies (TechCrunch) in 2016.
Publicly voiced support for Travis Kalanick
Expressed support for Uber CEO Travis Kalanick publicly after Kalanick's resignation.
Stepped down from Uber board
Left Uber's board in June 2017 — announcement came one day after CEO Travis Kalanick resigned amid controversy.
Delivered speech 'Runnin' Down a Dream' at McCombs (University of Texas)
Gave a long-form commencement / career-advice talk to MBA students outlining lessons from luminaries and guidelines for career success.
Trustee, Santa Fe Institute (listed profile)
Listed as a trustee of the Santa Fe Institute (organization profile indicates board/trustee role).
Continued public commentary and mentoring in VC
Remained an influential voice on venture capital trends, mentorship, and founder guidance; met and consulted with senior investors (e.g., Stan Druckenmiller, Howard Marks) per speeches and interviews.
Stepped back from active role at Benchmark
Reported by The Wall Street Journal and TechCrunch that Gurley would not be joining Benchmark's next fund and would step back from active investing.
Featured in media profiles reflecting on career (post-move to Austin)
Media interviews and profiles (e.g., Yahoo Finance) covered Gurley's move to Austin, reasons for stepping back, and future plans.
Portrayed in Showtime series 'Super Pumped'
A fictionalized Bill Gurley (portrayed by actor Kyle Chandler) appeared in the Showtime drama series Super Pumped about Uber's history.
Height and personal branding (Above the Crowd)
Known for his exceptional height (6 ft 9 in) — referenced by his blog title 'Above the Crowd' and other profiles.
Residency and family (Austin, TX) publicized
Public profiles note he is married with three children and currently lives in Austin, Texas.
Key Achievement Ages
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