Mr. William B. Elmore
Founder and General Partner
Foundation Capital
BSEE 1975, MSEE 1976
The bottom line is that the engineering curriculum at Purdue prepared me for what I’m doing now. Without the technical background and the thought process that goes along with that training, I wouldn’t be able to interact with technical people every day in my current career.
As a founding partner of Foundation Capital in 1995, Bill Elmore is one of the most well established venture capitalists in Silicon Valley. He has watched, coached, and participated in the nurturing of hundreds of early-stage companies, helping develop them into industry leaders. The firm is committed to supporting entrepreneurs and their companies, targeting innovative opportunities in telecommunications and networking, internet infrastructure, and enterprise software. In May of 2001, Foundation Capital closed its Fund IV, a $595 million fund.
Elmore is excited about wireless technology. "There’s a lot happening with wireless technology right now. I think the wireless infrastructure of the country, cellular phones and all the wireless computing that will take place, will change people’s lives and will continue to grow in the future."
It is his enthusiasm about the wireless field that brings Elmore to the subject of Purdue’s future. He says, "I feel a lot of positive changes are going on at Purdue. The University is very serious in redefining itself as a world-class engineering institution, in particular, the setting of the goal to be a preeminent engineering school. The evidence of that commitment is the people involved in the engineering program. Expanding the faculty is a wonderful opportunity for Purdue to make a name for itself, bringing in some great people."
He also has praise for Dean Linda Katehi, whose area of expertise is in the wireless area. "Dean Katehi convinced me that change was happening at Purdue, and that’s why I wanted to get involved," he says.
In speaking of his student years, Elmore says, "The bottom line is that the engineering curriculum at Purdue prepared me for what I’m doing now. Without the technical background and the thought process that goes along with that training, I wouldn’t be able to interact with technical people every day in my current career."
"Professors Dick Schwartz and Gerry Neudeck were strong forces when I was in school; they exposed me to the magic of semiconductors and microelectronics."
Elmore’s wife, Mary Jane, who holds a BS in mathematics from Purdue, is also in the venture capital business. They have been married 26 years and have three children, Kate (17), Will (14), and Hanna (10). Elmore says, "MJ and I both feel strongly about Purdue. There’s quite a sizeable Hewlett Packard and Purdue alumni crowd out here in California."
Elmore, who moved to California in 1976, is actively involved in Purdue’s outreach program to the Silicon Valley, south of San Francisco. "For too long, engineers would graduate, move to California, and then lose touch with Purdue," he says.
In creating Foundation Capital in 1995, Elmore was continuing his long history of building strong organizations from the inside. It is not unusual that half the companies invested in by a venture capital firm come from academia. "What is required," Elmore said recently in Wavelinks (spring/summer 2003), "is a collection of great brains and a great technology, which an engineering university like Purdue has. But you also need a university environment supportive of engineering research that is both long-term and shorter-term production oriented. I ask, is the technology ready to become a company? Can the company get enough of the inventor’s brainpower to build the company around? Can an appropriate licensing agreement be worked out with the university?"
Elmore is currently serving on the board of directors for several corporations (see sidebar). As director and past president of the Western Association for Venture Capitalists, and in his role as a director of the National Venture Capital Association, he is actively involved in defining, serving, and representing the interests of the venture capital and private equity industries.
"Even though my background is engineering," Elmore says "my day job is venture capital. Many Boilermakers are running start-ups or becoming venture capitalists. My own Purdue experience has been crucial as a venture capitalist to assess whether entrepreneurs have something real or not."
Elmore is excited about wireless technology. "There’s a lot happening with wireless technology right now. I think the wireless infrastructure of the country, cellular phones and all the wireless computing that will take place, will change people’s lives and will continue to grow in the future."
It is his enthusiasm about the wireless field that brings Elmore to the subject of Purdue’s future. He says, "I feel a lot of positive changes are going on at Purdue. The University is very serious in redefining itself as a world-class engineering institution, in particular, the setting of the goal to be a preeminent engineering school. The evidence of that commitment is the people involved in the engineering program. Expanding the faculty is a wonderful opportunity for Purdue to make a name for itself, bringing in some great people."
He also has praise for Dean Linda Katehi, whose area of expertise is in the wireless area. "Dean Katehi convinced me that change was happening at Purdue, and that’s why I wanted to get involved," he says.
In speaking of his student years, Elmore says, "The bottom line is that the engineering curriculum at Purdue prepared me for what I’m doing now. Without the technical background and the thought process that goes along with that training, I wouldn’t be able to interact with technical people every day in my current career."
"Professors Dick Schwartz and Gerry Neudeck were strong forces when I was in school; they exposed me to the magic of semiconductors and microelectronics."
Elmore’s wife, Mary Jane, who holds a BS in mathematics from Purdue, is also in the venture capital business. They have been married 26 years and have three children, Kate (17), Will (14), and Hanna (10). Elmore says, "MJ and I both feel strongly about Purdue. There’s quite a sizeable Hewlett Packard and Purdue alumni crowd out here in California."
Elmore, who moved to California in 1976, is actively involved in Purdue’s outreach program to the Silicon Valley, south of San Francisco. "For too long, engineers would graduate, move to California, and then lose touch with Purdue," he says.
In creating Foundation Capital in 1995, Elmore was continuing his long history of building strong organizations from the inside. It is not unusual that half the companies invested in by a venture capital firm come from academia. "What is required," Elmore said recently in Wavelinks (spring/summer 2003), "is a collection of great brains and a great technology, which an engineering university like Purdue has. But you also need a university environment supportive of engineering research that is both long-term and shorter-term production oriented. I ask, is the technology ready to become a company? Can the company get enough of the inventor’s brainpower to build the company around? Can an appropriate licensing agreement be worked out with the university?"
Elmore is currently serving on the board of directors for several corporations (see sidebar). As director and past president of the Western Association for Venture Capitalists, and in his role as a director of the National Venture Capital Association, he is actively involved in defining, serving, and representing the interests of the venture capital and private equity industries.
"Even though my background is engineering," Elmore says "my day job is venture capital. Many Boilermakers are running start-ups or becoming venture capitalists. My own Purdue experience has been crucial as a venture capitalist to assess whether entrepreneurs have something real or not."