DOCSLIB.ORG

Ronald Conway and Family - Committee Summary Based on Data Exported from the Ethics Commission Campaign Finance Database - 1/1/2010 Through 10/28/2012

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Ronald Conway and Family - Committee Summary Based on Data Exported from the Ethics Commission Campaign Finance Database - 1/1/2010 Through 10/28/2012 Ronald Conway and Family - Committee Summary Based on data exported from the Ethics Commission Campaign Finance Database - 1/1/2010 through 10/28/2012 Filer/Committee Total Amount SAN FRANCISCANS FOR FAIR TAXES AND BETTER CITY SERVICES, YES ON E, A $275,000.00 BROAD COALITION OF SMALL BUSINESSES, LABOR UNIONS, AND TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES San Franciscans for Jobs and Good Government, Supporting Ed Lee for Mayor $105,693.62 2011 YES ON B, SAN FRANCISCANS FOR CLEAN AND SAFE NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS, $100,100.00 WITH MAJOR SUPPORT FROM SAN FRANCISCO PARKS ALLIANCE, RON CONWAY AND THE TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND SAN FRANCISCO WOMEN FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AND A RESPONSIBLE $69,000.00 SUPERVISOR OPPOSING CHRISTINA OLAGUE 2012 Coalition For Civil Sidewalks $65,000.00 San Francisco Alliance For Jobs and Sustainable Growth PAC $60,000.00 Mayor Ed Lee for San Francisco Committee $49,000.00 Cunnie for Sheriff 2011 sponsored by the San Franc $35,000.00 Coalition for Sustainable Housing, A Committee in Support of Proposition C $25,000.00 San Franciscans United for Pension and Health Reform, Yes on C, No on D, a $25,000.00 coalition of public employees, taxpayers and business groups SAVE HETCH HETCHY, NO ON F, A COALITION OF BUSINESS, LABOR AND $25,000.00 TAXPAYERS, WITH MAJOR FUNDING BY THE SAN FRANCISCO FOUNDATION, DIGNITY HEALTH, AND THE BAY AREA COUNCIL Why Tuesday San Francisco $25,000.00 San Francisco Parent Political Action Committee $20,000.00 A New San Francisco Majority in Support of the Democratic County Central $15,000.00 Committee 2012 * YES ON PROPOSITION B, supported by Public Defender Jeff Adachi, author $15,000.00 Harriet Heyman, business investors Michael Moritz & Warren Hellman, Basic American Goods executives…(Complete Name See Form 410) San Franciscans For A Better Muni, A Coalition Of Muni Riders, Concerned $10,000.00 Citizens, And Supervisor Sean R. Elsbernd SAN FRANCISCO EARTHQUAKE AND DISASTER RESPONSE PLAN $10,000.00 Yes on E, San Franciscans for Ballot Measure Reform, Supported by Supervisor $10,000.00 Scott Wiener Malia Cohen for Democratic County Central Committee $5,000.00 SUPERVISOR MICHELA ALIOTO-PIER LEGAL DEFENSE FUND $5,000.00 Plan C San Francisco PAC $2,500.00 Tuesday, October 30, 2012 Page 1 of 2 Ronald Conway and Family - Committee Summary Based on data exported from the Ethics Commission Campaign Finance Database - 1/1/2010 through 10/28/2012 Filer/Committee Total Amount Scott Wiener for DCCC $2,500.00 GASCON FOR DA 2011 $2,000.00 Lee, David [Supervisor - District 1 - 2012] $2,000.00 Michela Alioto-Pier for Mayor 2011 $2,000.00 Scott Wiener for Supervisor 2010 $2,000.00 Carmen Chu for Supervisor 2010 $1,500.00 COMMITTEE TO RE-ELECT SUPERVISOR ALIOTO-PIER 2010 $1,500.00 Dennis Herrera for Mayor 2011 $1,500.00 Christina Olague for Supervisor 2012 $1,000.00 Hydra Mendoza for School Board, 2010 $1,000.00 Natasha Hoehn for Board of Education 2010 $1,000.00 Support Drafting Ed Lee for SF Mayor 2011 $1,000.00 Janet Reilly for District 2 Supervisor 2010 $500.00 London Breed for San Francisco Supervisor 2012 $0.00 Total Contributions, Expenses, Etc $970,793.62 * Multiple candidates: John Avalos, Kat Anderson, David Campos, David Chiu, Malia Cohen, Bevan Dufty, Bill Fazio, Chris Gembinski, Karl Hasz, Tom Hsieh, Mary Jung, Leslie Rachel Katz, Meagan Levitan, Eric Mar, Hydra Mendoza, Maria Marily Mondejar, Trevor McNeil, Justin Morgan, Alix Amelia Rosenthal, Arlo Smith, Joaquin Torres, Christopher Vasquez, Jason Wong, Scott Wiener Tuesday, October 30, 2012 Page 2 of 2.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Public Comments October 30 to November 12, 2013
    Public Comments October 30 to November 12, 2013 From: Ron Conway Sent: Thursday, November 07, 2013 3:03 PM To: Nancy Bechtle Subject: Join me in supporting the Lucas Cultural Arts Museum in the Presidio in SF To the Board of the Presidio Trust: As you know, I have a passion for making and keeping San Francisco at the forefront of innovation. Through sf.citi, the nonprofit organization I founded to help promote San Francisco as the country’s 21st century capital of technology and forward thinking, I watch every day the work of countless artists, technicians and talented people that keep this city at the top of its game. I believe that the Lucas Cultural Arts Museum is the perfect addition to San Francisco’s cityscape: not only an attraction that will generate interest in and support for the Presidio (not to mention millions of dollars each year in revenue for the Presidio through land rents) but specifically as a beacon that says to the world that San Francisco is, and will remain, this country’s capital of innovation. Certainly, there is no greater innovator around than George Lucas. His films and his vision have transformed cinema. His businesses have transformed the tech sector, specifically digital technology. And, his passion for education has resulted in a world-class collection of art (still growing) that is second to none. San Francisco deserves this museum. It demands it. I, along with those listed below, are supporting this museum not because of George Lucas, but rather because of the promise it represents.
    [Show full text]
  • Open Internet Investors Letter the Honorable Tom Wheeler, Chairman Federal Communications Commission 445 12Th Street
    7/2/2014 Open Internet Investors Letter Open Internet Investors Letter The Honorable Tom Wheeler, Chairman Federal Communications Commission 445 12th Street, SW Washington D.C. 20554 May 8, 2014 Dear Chairman Wheeler: We write to express our support for a free and open Internet. We invest in entrepreneurs, investing our own funds and those of our investors (who are individuals, pension funds, endowments, and financial institutions). We often invest at the earliest stages, when companies include just a handful of founders with largely unproven ideas. But, without lawyers, large teams or major revenues, these small startups have had the opportunity to experiment, adapt, and grow, thanks to equal access to the global market. As a result, some of the startups we have invested in have managed to become among the most admired, successful, and influential companies in the world. We have made our investment decisions based on the certainty of a level playing field and of assurances against discrimination and access fees from Internet access providers. Indeed, our investment decisions in Internet companies are dependent upon the certainty of an equal­ opportunity marketplace. Based on news reports and your own statements, we are worried that your proposed rules will not provide the necessary certainty that we need to make investment decisions and that these rules will stifle innovation in the Internet sector. If established companies are able to pay for better access speeds or lower latency, the Internet will no longer be a level playing field. Start­ups with applications that are advantaged by speed (such as games, video, or payment systems) will be unlikely to overcome that deficit no matter how innovative their service.
    [Show full text]
  • Digital Garage Invests in SV Angel to Strengthen Its Silicon Valley Investment Portfolio
    30 June 2011 Digital Garage, Inc. Digital Garage Invests in SV Angel To Strengthen Its Silicon Valley Investment Portfolio Digital Garage, Inc. (JASDAQ: 4819, Head Office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan, President & Group CEO: Kaoru Hayashi, henceforth DG), through its investments and new business development subsidiary DG Incubation, Inc. (Head Office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan, President: Yasuyuki Rokuyata, henceforth DGI) made an investment in ‘SV Angel III’, a venture fund with a prominent Silicon Valley investor Ron Conway as its primary strategic advisor. SV Angel, founded by Ron Conway and David Lee, is a fund focusing mainly on providing mentoring to the early-stage startup companies. With recognized for the early-backing of Google, PayPal and Twitter, hugely successful Silicon Valley investor and entrepreneur Ron Conway, it puts priority on funding and business development of social media and mobile technology services. The fund’s investments portfolio companies include: about.me (http://about.me/, acquired by AOL), Bump Technologies (http://bu.mp/, acquired), Flipboard (http://flipboard.com/), Milo (http://milo.com/, acquired by eBay) and Path (http://www.path.com/) among others. Furthermore, there are a number of common items on Ron Conway’s and DGI’s portfolio, such as Twitter, Path, Three SF (acquired by Electric Arts), Fotonauts (http://fotopedia.com/) and Context Logic (http://contextlogic.com). Partnership with SV Angel provides DGI with ample opportunities for indirect investments in the Silicon Valley and San Francisco based promising startup ventures. This newly-earned access to the talented young entrepreneurs is expected to introduce considerable stabilization of DGI’s investments portfolio. This is especially because through strengthening of ties with the fund’s network of angel investors and entrepreneurs, DGI gains first-hand information on the industry’s newest trends.
    [Show full text]
  • Lessons from Silicon Valley
    Lessons From Silicon Valley Cathy Anterasian Spencer Stuart, Silicon Valley Jeff Hauswirth Spencer Stuart, Toronto Today’s Discussion > Silicon Valley overview > Key factors that make it unique > Opportunities for Canada Silicon Valley Overview > Where? Southern part of the San Francisco > Boasts 10 of the most inventive towns in the Bay Area in Northern California U.S. (Wall Street Journal) > Diverse Population of 2.5 million > Has “World Class” Universities • White: 41% (Stanford, Berkeley) • Asian: 28% • Hispanic: 25% > One in five has a graduate or post graduate • African American: 3% degree; one in four is a university grad • Native American: 1% • Other 3% > Very high concentration of Fortune 1000 tech firms (Adobe, Apple, Business Objects, eBay, > Average Wages: $73,300 Google, HP, Intel, Sun MicroSystems) > Amongst the highest real estate and cost of > “HQ” of thousands of others living > About 30% of all venture capital in the U.S. is spent in Silicon Valley Counter Great Culture Universities Innovative Critical Mass Financing History Military Venture Catalysts Complex Capitalists Risk Pioneers Takers Silicon Great Start-up Climate Valley Scene Relaxed Tolerance Atmosphere of Failure Lack of Tolerance Hierarchy of “Crazy Ideas” Information Highly Freeflow Creative Dense Fiercely Social Competitive Networks Culture & Lifestyle The Pioneers Fred Terman Bill Hewlett William Shockley David Packard “The Fairchild Eight” The Lure and Contributions of Great Universities In Silicon Valley Big Companies…Seed Many New Stars Formed Among the Estimated 70 Companies that Fairchild Semiconductor Spawned… Critical Mass of Venture Capital Infrastructure and Specialized Services > Office space > Lawyers > Accountants > Investment Bankers > Executive Recruiters > Marketing Consultants > Etc. Risk Taking Dream Big… …It’s OK to fail… …As long as you learn Think Big “From the beginning at Intel, we planned on being big.
    [Show full text]
  • Angel Investors
    Venture Support Systems Project: Angel Investors Release 1.1 MIT Entrepreneurship Center February 2000 The Venture Support Systems (VSS) Project is managed by a team at MIT and HBS. It was funded by a generous donation from Ronald A. Kurtz (MIT 1954) and David Kurtz (HBS 1992). Other reports from the VSS Project include cases, teaching notes and monographs. This report was prepared by Lucinda Linde (Marlin Capital) and Alok Prasad (Pittiglio, Rabin, Todd & McGrath) under the direction of Kenneth P. Morse and Matthew Utterback of the MIT Sloan School and Howard Stevenson and Michael Roberts, of the Harvard Business School. Ó2000 MIT Entrepreneurship Center Table of Contents Page Number Executive Summary 2 Acknowledgements 4 1. Context for Angel Investing—Overview of Funding Options 5 2. Profile of the Typical Angel Investor 10 3. The Angel Investing Process 25 4. The Rise of Organized Angel Groups 51 5. Becoming an Angel Investor 71 6. Perspectives 81 Appendices A. Illustrative Term Sheet: Angel Investor (Participating Convertible Preferred) A-1 B. Illustrative Term Sheet: Angel Club (Convertible Redeemable Preferred) B-1 C. Illustrative Term Sheet: For-Profit Matching and Investment Organization (Convertible Preferred) C-1 D. Detailed Table of Contents D-1 Copyright © 2000 by the MIT Entrepreneurship Center. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means— electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written permission of MIT Entrepreneurship Center. Alok Prasad and Lucinda Linde prepared this note as the basis for discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of an administrative situation Page 1 Ó2000 MIT Entrepreneurship Center Executive Summary Angel investors are an important and growing source of financing for the start-up and initial growth phases of technology ventures.
    [Show full text]
  • One of the Briefs
    No. 15-674 IN THE Supreme Court of the United States UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, et al., Petitioners, v. STATE OF TEXAS, et al., Respondents. ON WRIT OF CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES CouRT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRcuIT BRIEF OF AMICI CURIAE MEMBERS OF THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY IN SUPPORT OF PETITIONERS CLIFFORD M. SLOAN BORis BERSHTEYN BRENDAN B. GANTS Counsel of Record SKADDEN, ARPS, SLATE, ESTHER ADZHIASHVILI MEAGHER & FLOM LLP SAM AULD 1440 New York Avenue, NW NicHOLAS J. MOSCOW Washington, DC, 20005 STEFANIE E. NEALE (202) 371-7000 SKADDEN, ARPS, SLATE, [email protected] MEAGHER & FLOM LLP 4 Times Square New York, NY, 10036 (212) 735-3000 [email protected] Counsel for Amici Curiae* (Additional Counsel Listed on Inside Cover) 264548 A (800) 274-3321 • (800) 359-6859 KRisTIN LINSLEY MYLES DAVID A. WILSON MUNGER, TOLLES & OLSON LLP THOMPSON HINE LLP 560 Mission Street 1919 M Street NW, Suite 700 San Francisco, CA 94105 Washington, DC 20036 (415) 512-4022 (202) 263-4161 [email protected] [email protected] Counsel for Amici Curiae Counsel for Amicus Curiae Mark Zuckerberg, Reid Liberty Tax, Inc. Hoffman, Ron Conway, Max Levchin, Aditya Agarwal, Nosheen Hashemi, Rishi Shah and Faquiry Diaz Cala * Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP is counsel to all amici curiae listed in the Appendix to this brief, except as to Liberty Tax, Inc., Mark Zuckerberg, Reid Hoffman, Ron Conway, Max Levchin, Aditya Agarwal, Nosheen Hashemi, Rishi Shah and Faquiry Diaz Cala. i TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF AUTHORITIES ................................... iii INTEREST OF AMICI CURIAE ............................
    [Show full text]
  • LMS Vs. SNS: Can Social Networking Sites Act As a Learning Management Systems?
    American International Journal of Contemporary Research Vol. 4, No. 5; May 2014 LMS Vs. SNS: Can Social Networking Sites Act as a Learning Management Systems? Assist. Prof. Dr. Olga Pilli Head of Department of Computer and Instructional Technologies Faculty of Education Girne American University Cyprus Abstract The popularity of using social networking sites as an educational tool is increasing every day. Many educators are now trying to integrate these online teaching platforms that were provided by commercial services such as Google, LinkedIn and Facebook into learning environment. On the other side, Learning Management Systems also have great potential that makes learning environment readily available at any time and at any place. The main purpose of this paper is to consider whether social networking sites guaranteed as a formal e-learning platform as an alternative to the institutions' current Learning Management Systems. This report documents the educational value of using social networking sites as a Learning Management System. First part of the paper discusses Learning Management Systems a function of learning tool. Subsequently, this paper provides in-depth discussion of the power of Social Networking System as an educational tool. In the end, this paper concludes with the comparison of SNS and LMS. Keywords: Social Networking Sites, Learning Management Systems, Course Management Systems, E-Learning Introduction E-learning incorporates all educational activities run by learners over the internet via computers or other electronic devices (Naidu, 2006). E-Learning is a way of using technology to deliver the lesson activities. Distance education is the widely used e-learning applications as off campus education application; however, there are many classes that are designed based on the e-learning principles for on-campus instruction.
    [Show full text]
  • February 11, 2019 Speaker Nancy
    February 11, 2019 Speaker Nancy Pelosi Leader Charles Schumer United States House of Representatives United States Senate Washington, D.C. 20515 Washington, D.C. 20510 Leader Mitch McConnell Leader Kevin McCarthy United States Senate United States House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20510 Washington, D.C. 20515 Dear Speaker Pelosi, Leader McConnell, Leader Schumer, and Leader McCarthy, The Coalition for the American Dream is an organization of business leaders representing every major sector of the U.S. economy pursuing a bipartisan, permanent legislative solution for Dreamers. Our membership includes more than 100 employers and trade associations spanning a variety of U.S. industries, from retail to manufacturing to tech, that represent more than half of American private sector workers. We write to urge the new Congress to act immediately and pass a bipartisan, permanent legislative solution to enable Dreamers who are currently living, working, and contributing to our communities to continue doing so. With the re-opening of the federal government and the presumptive restart of immigration and border security negotiations, now is the time for Congress to pass a law to provide Dreamers the certainty they need. These are our friends, neighbors, and coworkers, and they should not have to wait for court cases to be decided to determine their fate when Congress can act now. Studies by economists across the ideological spectrum have determined that if Congress fails to act, our economy could lose $350 billion in GDP, and the federal government could lose $90 billion in tax revenue. Thus, continued delay or inaction will cause significant negative economic and social impact to businesses and hundreds of thousands of deserving young people across the country.
    [Show full text]
  • January 10, 2018 Speaker Paul Ryan United States House Of
    January 10, 2018 Speaker Paul Ryan Leader Charles Schumer United States House of Representatives United States Senate Washington, D.C. 20515 Washington, D.C. 20510 Leader Mitch McConnell Leader Nancy Pelosi United States Senate United States House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20510 Washington, D.C. 20515 Dear Speaker Ryan, Leader McConnell, Leader Schumer, and Leader Pelosi: We write to urge Congress to act immediately and pass a permanent bipartisan legislative solution to enable Dreamers who are currently living, working, and contributing to our communities to continue doing so. The imminent termination of the DACA program is creating an impending crisis for workforces across the country. It is critical that Congress act to pass legislation before January 19th. This window of action leaves only 45 days for implementation prior to March 5th. As a bipartisan group of former DHS secretaries recently wrote, it will take time for the agency to implement any program outlined by Congress, underscoring the absolute urgency of the January 19th deadline. In addition to causing a tremendous upheaval in the lives of DACA employees, failure to act in time will lead to businesses losing valuable talent, cause disruptions in the workforce, and will result in significant costs. Studies by economists across the ideological spectrum have also determined that if Congress fails to act our economy could lose $215 billion in GDP. We have seen time and again that the overwhelming majority of the American public of all political backgrounds agrees that we should protect Dreamers from deportation. While delay or inaction will cause significant negative impact to businesses, hundreds of thousands of deserving young people across the country are counting on you to work in a bipartisan way to pass permanent legislative protection for Dreamers without further delay.
    [Show full text]
  • Ronald Conway and Family
    Ronald Conway and Family - Contributions, Expenses and Loans Based on data exported from the Ethics Commission Campaign Finance Database 10/28/2012 and filings through 10/30/12 Year Contributor Type Date Filer Contributor / Vendor Employer Amount 2010 Conway Family Monetary Contributions Received 12/19/2010 Dennis Herrera for Mayor 2011 Conway, Christopher SV Angel LLC $500.00 12/18/2010 Dennis Herrera for Mayor 2011 Conway, Michele & Ronny Homemaker $500.00 10/29/2010 Scott Wiener for Supervisor 2010 Conway, Christopher SV Angel LLC $500.00 10/29/2010 Scott Wiener for Supervisor 2010 Conway, Jr., Ronald Andreessen $500.00 Horowitz 10/15/2010 Hydra Mendoza for School Board, 2010 Conway, Gayle None $500.00 9/23/2010 Scott Wiener for Supervisor 2010 Conway, Gail None $500.00 9/1/2010 Natasha Hoehn for Board of Education 2010 Conway, Gayle None $500.00 7/6/2010 COMMITTEE TO RE-ELECT SUPERVISOR CONWAY, GAYLE NONE $500.00 ALIOTO-PIER 2010 6/25/2010 COMMITTEE TO RE-ELECT SUPERVISOR CONWAY, CHRISTOPHER SV ANGEL $500.00 ALIOTO-PIER 2010 5/24/2010 Carmen Chu for Supervisor 2010 Conway, Christopher D. SV Angel $500.00 5/17/2010 Janet Reilly for District 2 Supervisor 2010 Conway, Gayle None $500.00 5/17/2010 Carmen Chu for Supervisor 2010 Conway, Gayle None $500.00 Summary for 'Type' = Monetary Contributions Received (12 detail records) $6,000.00 Summary for 'Contributor' = Conway Family (12 detail records) $6,000.00 Conway, Ronald Expense 12/31/2010 Coalition For Civil Sidewalks Conway, Ronald C. Angel Investors LP $10,000.00 Wednesday, October 31, 2012 Page 1 of 10 Ronald Conway and Family - Contributions, Expenses and Loans Based on data exported from the Ethics Commission Campaign Finance Database 10/28/2012 and filings through 10/30/12 Year Contributor Type Date Filer Contributor / Vendor Employer Amount 2010 Conway, Ronald Expense Summary for 'Type' = Expense (1 detail record) $10,000.00 Loans Received 10/27/2010 Coalition For Civil Sidewalks Conway, Ronald C.
    [Show full text]
  • THE CALTRAIN CORRIDOR VISION PLAN How to Keep the Bay Area’S Innovation Economy Moving Contents
    REPORT FEBRUARY 2017 THE CALTRAIN CORRIDOR VISION PLAN How to keep the Bay Area’s innovation economy moving Contents Acknowledgments 2 Executive Summary The Caltrain Corridor Vision Plan was generously supported by Stanford University, Silicon Valley 4 The Caltrain Corridor Is Poised for Transformation Community Foundation, Facebook, Ron Conway, Steven The Caltrain Corridor Vision Plan 6 CHAPTER 1 Denning and Reid Hoffman. How We Got Here The SPUR Executive Board adopted this report as How to keep the Bay Area’s innovation economy moving official policy on August 1, 2016. 14 CHAPTER 2 Our Vision for the Caltrain Corridor Project Partners Silicon Valley Leadership Group 16 CHAPTER 3 San Mateo County Economic Development Association Opportunities and Challenges Stanford University SPUR 22 CHAPTER 4 Rail Primary Author Ratna Amin 33 CHAPTER 5 Rail Stations and Last-Mile Connections Vision Plan Steering Committee Bob Reidy / Stanford University VP Land, Buildings and 38 CHAPTER 6 Real Estate Highway 101 Jim Morgensen / LinkedIn Head of Global Workplace David Radcliffe / Google Vice President Real Estate 46 CHAPTER 7 John Tenanes / Facebook Vice President Real Estate, Ferries Facilities & Security Carla Boragno / Genentech Vice President Site Services 47 CHAPTER 8 John Martin / SFO Director A Seamless Transit Experience Kim Walesh / City of San Jose Director Economic 50 CHAPTER 9 Development What the Vision Costs Ed Reiskin / City/County of San Francisco CEO SFMTA Rosanne Foust / SAMCEDA President & CEO 52 CHAPTER 10 Carl Guardino / Silicon Valley Leadership Group President How Do We Fund the Vision? Gabriel Metcalf / SPUR CEO 55 Next Steps and Phasing We are grateful to the staff and leadership of the transportation agencies in the Caltrain Corridor for 56 Plan of Action participating in this research and to the many advocates, experts and elected officials who participated in 58 Endnotes interviews and workshops that informed this study.
    [Show full text]
  • How Ron Conway Became the Valley's Most Influential Start-Up Investor
    How Ron Conway became the valley's most influential start-up investor By Chris O'Brien Mercury News Columnist April 24, 2010 1A While venture capitalists are usually judged by the money they've made and the IPOs they've launched, the best way to measure the unrivaled influence of Ron Conway is by the people he knows. More than a thousand of tech's elite squeezed into the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco earlier this year for the Crunchies, the startup industry's version of the Oscars. Conway was on stage to receive an award when the moderator, TechCrunch CEO Heather Harde, stopped the proceedings with an unusual request. "I'd love to show Ron the impact he's had," she said, so she asked those whose startups had received money from Conway or who did business with one of his companies to stand up. In a flash, well over half the audience came to their feet and gave him a round of rousing applause. This spontaneous tribute reinforced what anyone in the Web 2.0 crowd will tell you: Conway is the most important angel investor in Silicon Valley today. Period. If you've heard of a major Web company, chances are that Conway is an investor or adviser. Google. PayPal. Facebook. Twitter. Yet his admirers speak not of his deep pockets and timely investments but instead about his generosity with his time, his constellation of connections, and the Tasmanian-devil-like energy he brings to networking. That he has reached this rarefied position is even more amazing considering how far he fell after the dot-com bust left his investments and reputation in tatters.
    [Show full text]