Alan Patricof (born 1935) is an American investor and one of the early pioneers of the venture capital and private equity industries. Patricof founded Apax Partners (based on a play on Patricof's name: Alan Patricof Associates Cross (x) Border), which is today one of the largest private equity firms globally.
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Over the course of his 40-year career in private equity, Patricof has been instrumental in growing the venture capital field from a base of high net-worth individuals to its position today with broad institutional backing, as well as playing a key role in the essential legislative initiatives that have guided its evolution.
Patricof was an early investor in venture capital and has been involved in the development of numerous major companies including America Online, Office Depot, Cadence Design Systems, Apple Computer and FORE Systems. He was a founder and chairman of the board of New York magazine, which later acquired the Village Voice and New West magazine.[1] Patricof also acquired style magazine Details in 1987.[2] He has also been involved with Cellular Communications, Inc., NTL, and Audible.
By the mid-1990s Apax had become one of the larger private equity firms globally. In 2001, Patricof stepped back from day-to-day management of Apax Partners, Inc., the US arm of the firm to return to his original focus on making venture capital investments in small early-stage companies. In 2006, Patricof left Apax to form Greycroft Partners which focuses on small early-stage venture capital investments.
Patricof received his undergraduate education in finance from Ohio State University and earned his MBA from Columbia Business School in 1957. [3]
Patricof has three sons — Mark, Jamie and Jon. He also has six grandchildren: Mark and his wife Martha's children — Lily and Nina; Jamie and his wife Kelly's children — Riley and Sawyer; and Jon and his wife Victoria's children — Jack and Chloe.[4]
Patricof has been active in Democratic Party politics, contributing to candidates including Bill and Hillary Clinton,[5][6][7][8] whom he met in the Hamptons when they were there as guests of lobbyist and Democratic activist Liz Robbins.[9]
Patricof is active in the New York community as a board member of both the New York Small Business Venture Fund and New Jobs for New York Association, and he currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Columbia University Graduate School of Business. He also currently serves as an advisor to the Grassroots Business Fund[10]
Cynthia Murphy, one of the alleged Russian spies arrested in the U.S. as part of the Illegals Program in June 2010 had been trying to cultivate a relationship with Patricof, with her handlers telling her to "to try to build up little by little relations".[11]
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