File:Oral History of C Richard "Dick" Kramlich Part 4 of 4

Interviewed by David C. Brock and Doug Fairbairn on 2017-07-20 in Mountain View, CA X7447.2015 © Computer History Museum

Dick Kramlich concludes his four-part oral history with a wide-ranging set of observations about venture capital, entrepreneurs, companies he has invested in, as well as Silicon Valley and other startup ecosystems around the world.

His comments about venture capital range from a description of the tools used by VCs and how they have changed over the years to how the nature of the VC business has changed over his career.

Describing himself as a voracious reader, he is a “big picture” guy who feels his value is understanding major trends and the ability to “see around the corner”, rather than taking an analytical view to the technologies he invests in.

Dick comments on the success of NEA and is quite proud of their unique organizational structure which has allowed them to scale to a size previously unknown to the venture business.

He concludes with his observations on the success of Silicon Valley and the role that other areas and nations are playing in the global entrepreneurial world. He specifically comments on his experiences in Boston as well as China’s rapidly increasing entrepreneurial activity. He’s also passionate about the need to take drastic action to combat climate change. He is involved in a company called “TAE Technologies”, which he thinks has a chance of making nuclear fusion a viable and inexpensive source of power. He feels strongly we need such a breakthrough technology to solve the climate challenge.


 * Note: Transcripts represent what was said in the interview. However, to enhance meaning or add clarification, interviewees have the opportunity to modify this text afterward. This may result in discrepancies between the transcript and the video. Please refer to the transcript for further information - http://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102740183

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Catalog number: 102740184 Lot number: X7447.2015