C. Richard Kramlich, the early investor in Silicon Valley, who participated in the founding of the giant New Enverce Associats for Investment, which helped fuel the prosperous technology industry, on Saturday at his home in San Francisco. It was 89.
He announced his death by the New Enterite Associats.
Mr. Karmlich (the clarification of the wire simulation), whose career spanned more than five decades, was among the first computer supporters in Apple; Silicon Graphics and Macromedia; And computers juniper Networks and 3com, whose founders invented Ethernet.
He participated in establishing his own company, New Enverrise Associats, or NEA, was built from an initial fund worth 16 million dollars in the 1970s to one who is now overseeing investments of about 26 billion dollars.
Scott Sandal, the chief investment official and CEO of NEA, said that he has emerged between the Swashbuckling Moussa for his grace and kindness. He said: “I think the business works were businesses for people, and he acted accordingly,” he said.
Charles Richard Kramelic was born on April 27, 1935, in Green Bay, Weiss. Kruger He bought in 1955; His mother, Dorothy (Earl) Kramelic, was a flight engineer who was later supervised by the family.
When he was 13 years old, he followed your father’s entrepreneurship, and started “Little Lightbulb”, in an interview with her in 2015 with Computer History Museum. “My father encouraged me to do this if I used my own money, so I bought a half -train car with Sylvania Corporation” and reselling them from his bedroom.
He added: “I have come from three generations of entrepreneurs, and as soon as you get it in your DNA, everything is boring.”
He joined the University of North Western, graduated a Bachelor’s degree in Russian history in 1957, and continued to work in the Department of Strategic Air Force at the Air Force. After obtaining a master’s degree from Harvard Business College, he went to work for Kroger, and then learned the investment rope while working in a company in Boston.
In 1969, he got a desirable job in Arthur Rock & Co. , One of the first investment companies to make high -risk bets on non -proven startups. He said in an interview in 2015, that he beat more than a thousand other applicants, by sending a handwritten letter expressing his desire to find a “greater life there.”
In 1977, Nea began with Chuck Newhall and Frank Bonsal, two investors he met in Boston. It took more than a year to support others, and during that time Mr. Karmlich met a pair of entrepreneurs who were called Steve (Jobs and Wozniac).
In 2015, Mr. Karmlich said that their company, Apple Computer, was not as good as two other personal computer companies in the market. He said: “They had Bizaz, as the other two companies were more orientation towards engineering.”
He felt that he had to invest and use his own money to do so. The reward came three years later, in 1980, when Apple was announced. This investment has made it possible for Mr. Karmlich to buy the Tudor 1927 house in the Berrade Heights neighborhood of San Francisco; He had bronze apples in the form of handles from the front gate doors to remind him of sport. (Last year, it is Running The house for sale for 19.5 million dollars.)
It was not long after, Pamela Kai Palmer met with a joint friend; They got married in 1981.
The investment capital investment is designed to accommodate many losses in the pursuit of a single deal by the home, leaving a cemetery from failed startups along the road. But Mr. Caramelic was known to adhere to the troubled investments after a long period of abandoning them.
“He used to say,” he never says death. “
In the early eighties of the last century, the “startup” company, an emerging company behind PowerPoint Software, was about to run out of money, and refused the Nea Partners more. So Mr. Caramelic persuaded his wife that they should stop work at the home they were building on Stinson Beach and using money to keep the company alive instead. Gambling: In 1987, Microsoft Purchase He thought about $ 14 million, and PowerPoint continued to become one of the most famous programs in the world.
Jeff Magyounakda, CEO of the company, said that the financial engines, a consulting emerging investment company supported by NEA, took 18 years to the public and “have gone through five different business models.” He added that Nea kept patience with his shares all the time.
Thanks to this patience, and the kindness of Mr. Karmlich, the CEOs who opened fire or threatened them with mushrooms have never stopped the desire to work with him.
“People do not have a relationship with Dick with any anger.” “He is just a good man mainly.”
In 2002, Mr. Caramelich told Mr. Magyounka that he would be expelled by the end of the year if things did not. But the delivery of Mr. Karmlich is inspired by confidence instead of fear, recalling Mr. Magyounka: “He said that calmly and supported.” The company, and was led by Mr. Maggioncalda through a preliminary general offer in 2010.
After Mr. Caramelic retired from NEA in 2012, he continued to follow a passion for collecting art. He and Mrs. Carmlich were among the first private university to focus on the new media, as it appeared as an artistic form in the late eighties, and they collected a wide range that emphasized the art of sound, computer, video, movies, and photographic slides. Their collection of videos and fixtures has grown to more than 300 pieces – so large that they built a Three levels house In the Naba Valley to show it.
In addition to Mrs. Karmlich, survived by two children, Christina and Richard Kramelic; Father’s daughter, Mary Donna Merridith; And six grandchildren. Ibn Peter died in 2024. Mr. Kramelic married twice before, from Deborah (Durbro) Kramelic, who divorced him in 1966, and Lennie (Champorger) Kramelic, who died in 1981.
In retirement, Mr. Karmlich continued to direct the founders and investors. A new company, Green Bay Ventures, started with Anthony Schiller, a liquefied natural gas businessman. The company’s investments include Databricks and the AI Data Data; Dropbox, file storage company; Xiaomi, Consumer Electronics Company.
During 12 years of working together, Mr. Schiller said in a statement, many Mr. Caramelic have learned.
“There will be a lot of appreciation due to the legendary Dick profession,” he said. “But it was unusual like someone. The dream of a big dream, loyalty, pride and alignment taught me.”
