| Ron Conway | |
|---|---|
| Residence | San Francisco and Palo Alto, United States |
| Occupation | Angel investor |
| Spouse | Gayle Conway |
| Children | Three sons |
Ron Conway is an American angel investor, often described as one of the "super angels".[1] Conway is recognized as a strong networker[2] and is based in Silicon Valley.
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A former salesman who had made a fortune in the computer business, Conway knew little about technology on his first entry to the business.[3] Ron Conway graduated from San Jose State University[4] with a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science.
Conway previously worked with National Semiconductor Corporation in marketing positions (1973–1979), Altos Computer Systems, as a co-founder, President and CEO, (1979–1990) and Personal Training Systems (PTS) as CEO (1991–1995). 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 already 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 7 times return, and his second, raised and invested during 1999, saw a 1.5 times return. Ron invests with SV Angel, his investment firm. [5]
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."[6] 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.
Conway was embroiled in a conflict with other angel investors in the Angelgate scandal of 2010, and in 2011 another controversy erupted around rumors of conflicts he had with entrepreneurs.[7]
Conway secured funds for, among ventures, a web site to supply veterinary medical supplies, a weight-loss site, a maternity site and an e-commerce company featuring a search engine that aimed to predict the buyer's mood.
Among Conway's 500 or more investments are:
Conway is active in community and philanthropic activities, serving as Vice Chairman of UCSF Medical Foundation in San Francisco and also as co-chair of the “Fight for Mike” Homer and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). He is on the development committees of UCLA, St. Francis High School, Sacred Heart Schools, The UCSF Medical Center in San Francisco, Packard Children's Hospital, Legacy Ventures, and Ronald McDonald House at Stanford.
He is also on the Benefit Committee of the Tiger Woods Foundation.[14]