Ron Conway
| Ron Conway | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
Ronald Crawford Conway March 9, 1951 San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Residence | San Francisco |
| Alma mater | San Jose State University |
| Occupation | Angel investor |
| Spouse(s) | Gayle Conway |
Ronald Crawford "Ron" Conway (born March 9, 1951) is an American angel investor and philanthropist, often described as one of Silicon Valley's "super angels". Conway is recognized as a strong networker. Despite his investing successes and broad network, however, Conway has a mixed reputation within Silicon Valley circles and has been known to bully, threaten and even humiliate to achieve his goals: "Conway is a bare-knuckled bruiser who will bully and intimidate fellow investors and his own entrepreneurs if they cross him, or do something he doesn't like."
Conway graduated from San Jose State University with a bachelor's degree in Political Science.
Conway knew little about technology on his first entry to the business, but became one of the most influential tech investors in American history. Conway worked with National Semiconductor Corporation in marketing positions from 1973 to 1979, and at Altos Computer Systems as President and CEO from 1988 to 1990. He was the CEO of Personal Training Systems (PTS) from 1991 to 1995. PTS was acquired by SmartForce/SkillSoft.
As founder and Managing Partner of the Angel Investors LP funds, he was an early stage investor in Google, Ask Jeeves and PayPal. He began investing independently in 2005, and by 2006 had achieved sixth place in the Forbes magazine Midas list of top "dealmakers".
Conway's first fund, Angel Investors I, raised and invested in 1998, generated a 700% return, and his second, raised and invested during 1999, saw a 150% return. Conway invests with SV Angel, his investment firm.
Some Valley observers, notably VentureBeat, have been critical of Ron Conway for his investments during the Internet boom, believing them to be "symbolic of the era’s hubris." Conway developed a reputation for throwing lavish cocktail parties and raising cash from a diverse group of celebrities, sportspeople, and political figures such as Henry Kissinger, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tiger Woods, and Shaquille O'Neal, which he then ploughed into start-ups.
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