Bill Elfers, a gentleman and a giant of venture capital’s history, started Greylock in 1965. The firm is named after the street where Elfers lived in Wellesley Hills.
Having worked for General Georges Doriot at the original venture capital firm, American Research & Development, Elfers went on to create Greylock, an innovative firm that emphasized collegiality and partnership over a more hierarchical approach to running venture investment organizations. “From the beginning, I believed in collegiality,” says Elfers. “That would be a crucial element in selecting and developing the general partners and creating the framework for the firm’s culture.”
Over the course of his 50 years in venture capital, Bill led investments in companies such as The Shipley Company, International Equipment Corporation, Teradyne, Dymo Business Systems, BTU International and Damon – and also served on the Board of Directors of ITT, The Hartford, Westvaco and the Sherman Fairchild Foundation.
Bill was a graduate of Princeton University and the Harvard Business School.
