Bill Maris
Bill Maris
#### Full Name and Common Aliases
Bill Gurley's business partner, Bill Maris, is often mentioned in the same breath as his counterpart at lower-profile ventures.
Birth and Death Dates
Born: 1974 (exact date not publicly known)
Died: Still active and alive as of this writing
Nationality and Profession(s)
Nationality: American
Profession: Venture Capitalist, Entrepreneur, Investor
Early Life and Background
Bill Maris grew up in a family that valued entrepreneurship. His father was an early employee at Oracle Corporation. With a strong foundation laid by his upbringing, Maris pursued computer science and economics degrees from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.
Major Accomplishments
Maris' professional journey began with roles at investment banks and eventually led him to co-found the venture capital firm, Union Square Ventures (USV). At USV, he focused on investing in promising startups. Maris was a key figure in the growth of companies like Twitter, Tumblr, Foursquare, and Zynga.
Notable Works or Actions
Under his leadership at USV, Maris' investment strategies allowed for significant returns in several high-profile ventures. He is also credited with identifying talent in early-stage startups, which has contributed to their success.
Impact and Legacy
As an investor, Maris played a crucial role in the development of influential tech companies that have shaped the industry landscape. His work at USV underscored his ability to identify innovative technologies and entrepreneurial spirit.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
Maris' influence on the venture capital world stems from his vision for identifying growth opportunities and nurturing startups into successful enterprises. He has been a sought-after expert in tech industry conferences, providing insights into market trends and investment strategies that have helped shape business decisions among entrepreneurs and investors alike.
This biography aims to capture the essence of Bill Maris' professional journey as an investor, entrepreneur, and venture capitalist.
Quotes by Bill Maris
Government is really successful when it's willing to make big, bold objectives, like, 'We're going to get to the moon.' But without leaders with big ideas, we get stuck.
I can make it very clear: I get paid if we make good investments. And if we don't, I don't get paid. I have no incentive to sell our companies to Google; the entrepreneurs get to decide that. We are minority shareholders.
If you want to invest in early-stage technologies, putting a timeframe on it does behold you to Silicon Valley economics. You've got a certain time period where you have to make the money. And you have to invest that money whether you find good companies or not.
If you're a technology investor, and you decide that you're also going to be a healthcare investor or a green-tech investor, that doesn't usually work out that well. There are reasons why people make their careers studying these things and becoming experts.
If I were to leave and raise a venture fund, I would have to find 10 or 100 LPs. They would all give me a bunch of money, and I would take a percentage of that to pay myself. They would expect me to invest that over the next three years, and they want that money back in seven or eight years.
I'm interested in the ideas that sound a little crazy, such as radical life extension, curing cancer, being able to create a simulation of the human brain and map every neuron.
Not many venture firms have people whose job is to read academic research - on startups, ventures, and entrepreneurs - and gather knowledge from that.
As life expectancy extends beyond 80 years in some parts of the world, more people are struggling with brain diseases. For older people, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and other conditions become a major impediment to quality of life.