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Arthur Rock
Arthur Rock (born August 19, 1926) is an American businessman, investor, and venture capitalist. He helped arrange the financing of Fairchild Semiconductor in 1957, co-founded the venture capital partnership Davis & Rock with Thomas J. Davis Jr. in 1961, and was an early investor and director at companies including Teledyne, Intel, Scientific Data Systems, and Apple.
Rock's career is associated with the early development of venture capital in Silicon Valley. Harvard Business School described him as one of the first American venture capitalists and credited him with helping launch Fairchild Semiconductor, Teledyne, Intel, Apple, and other technology companies. He later became a philanthropist in entrepreneurship education, corporate governance, and education-related organizations.
Rock was born in Rochester, New York, on August 19, 1926. He was the only child of Hyman and Reva Rock, and his father operated a small candy store where Rock worked as a boy.
Rock joined the United States Army in 1944, but World War II ended before he was deployed overseas. He attended college under the G.I. Bill, graduating from Syracuse University in 1948. The Science History Institute records his undergraduate degree as a B.S. in finance and political science, while Harvard Business School identifies him as an HBS MBA graduate of 1951.
After business school, Rock worked in the accounting department at Vick Chemical Company and then in investment banking in New York. The Science History Institute lists positions at Wertheim and Company from 1951 to 1956 and at Hayden, Stone & Co. from 1956 to 1961. Harvard Business School described Rock's early career as Wall Street investment banking work in which he raised money for young companies.
In 1957, Eugene Kleiner contacted Rock while Rock was at Hayden, Stone. Kleiner and other employees of Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory were seeking work as a group after leaving William Shockley's company. Rock approached prospective employers and then helped persuade Sherman Fairchild to create Fairchild Semiconductor to support the group later known as the traitorous eight. Harvard Business School described Rock's role in the creation of Fairchild as a formative event in his venture-capital career.
Rock moved to California in 1961 and formed Davis & Rock with Thomas J. Davis Jr.. Harvard Business School reported that Davis & Rock invested $3 million and returned $100 million to investors between 1961 and 1968. The Science History Institute lists Rock as a general partner at Davis & Rock from 1961 to 1968.
Rock became an early investor and director of several technology companies. The Science History Institute lists him as a director of Teledyne from 1961 to 1994 and chairman of Scientific Data Systems from 1962 to 1969. In a Computer History Museum interview, Rock said Davis & Rock made a follow-on investment in Teledyne and that he remained on the Teledyne board for decades.
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Arthur Rock
Arthur Rock (born August 19, 1926) is an American businessman, investor, and venture capitalist. He helped arrange the financing of Fairchild Semiconductor in 1957, co-founded the venture capital partnership Davis & Rock with Thomas J. Davis Jr. in 1961, and was an early investor and director at companies including Teledyne, Intel, Scientific Data Systems, and Apple.
Rock's career is associated with the early development of venture capital in Silicon Valley. Harvard Business School described him as one of the first American venture capitalists and credited him with helping launch Fairchild Semiconductor, Teledyne, Intel, Apple, and other technology companies. He later became a philanthropist in entrepreneurship education, corporate governance, and education-related organizations.
Rock was born in Rochester, New York, on August 19, 1926. He was the only child of Hyman and Reva Rock, and his father operated a small candy store where Rock worked as a boy.
Rock joined the United States Army in 1944, but World War II ended before he was deployed overseas. He attended college under the G.I. Bill, graduating from Syracuse University in 1948. The Science History Institute records his undergraduate degree as a B.S. in finance and political science, while Harvard Business School identifies him as an HBS MBA graduate of 1951.
After business school, Rock worked in the accounting department at Vick Chemical Company and then in investment banking in New York. The Science History Institute lists positions at Wertheim and Company from 1951 to 1956 and at Hayden, Stone & Co. from 1956 to 1961. Harvard Business School described Rock's early career as Wall Street investment banking work in which he raised money for young companies.
In 1957, Eugene Kleiner contacted Rock while Rock was at Hayden, Stone. Kleiner and other employees of Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory were seeking work as a group after leaving William Shockley's company. Rock approached prospective employers and then helped persuade Sherman Fairchild to create Fairchild Semiconductor to support the group later known as the traitorous eight. Harvard Business School described Rock's role in the creation of Fairchild as a formative event in his venture-capital career.
Rock moved to California in 1961 and formed Davis & Rock with Thomas J. Davis Jr.. Harvard Business School reported that Davis & Rock invested $3 million and returned $100 million to investors between 1961 and 1968. The Science History Institute lists Rock as a general partner at Davis & Rock from 1961 to 1968.
Rock became an early investor and director of several technology companies. The Science History Institute lists him as a director of Teledyne from 1961 to 1994 and chairman of Scientific Data Systems from 1962 to 1969. In a Computer History Museum interview, Rock said Davis & Rock made a follow-on investment in Teledyne and that he remained on the Teledyne board for decades.
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