Jim Breyer Explained

Jim Breyer
Birth Place:New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
Alma Mater:Stanford University (BS)
Harvard University (MBA)
Occupation:Venture capitalist, investor
Known For:Founder of Breyer Capital
Spouse:
    Children:4

    James W. Breyer (born July 1961)[1] is an American venture capitalist, founder and chief executive officer of Breyer Capital, an investment and venture philanthropy firm, and a former managing[2] partner at Accel Partners, a venture capital firm. Breyer has invested in over 40 companies[3] that have gone public or completed a merger,[4] with some of these investments, including Facebook,[5] earning over 100 times cost and many others over 25 times cost.[6] On the Forbes 2021 list of the 400 richest Americans, he was ranked #389, with a net worth of US$2.9 billion.[7]

    Early life and education

    Breyer was born in 1961 in New Haven, Connecticut, the son of Hungarian Jewish immigrants.[8] [9] His father, John P. Breyer, was an engineer and executive at International Data Group;[10] his mother Eva was an executive at Honeywell. In 1983, Breyer received a B.S. with Distinction in Interdisciplinary Studies from Stanford University.[11] He spent his junior year studying in Florence, Italy, and is active in what is now Stanford's Breyer Center for Overseas Studies in Florence. He was drawn to Silicon Valley's technology industry and during college he worked part-time for both Hewlett-Packard and Apple Inc.[12] After college, he accepted a job as a management consultant for McKinsey & Company in New York for two years.[13] In 1987, he earned a Master of Business Administration from Harvard University where he was named a Baker Scholar graduating in the top 5% of his class.[14]

    Background

    Accel Partners and Breyer Capital

    In 1987, he accepted a job with the venture capital firm Accel Partners in San Francisco and was mentored by founders Arthur Patterson and Jim Swartz. In 1990, he was named a partner and in 1995, he became a managing partner.

    Accel Partners was Facebook's biggest shareholder after Mark Zuckerberg, owning an 11% stake at the time of the company's IPO.[15] In 2005, Breyer led Accel Partners' $12.7 million deposit at a $98 million valuation in the then ten-employee startup Facebook. In 2000, Breyer also established Accel-KKR, a joint venture between Accel Partners and the private equity firm KKR.[16] Breyer also led the 2004 management buyout of BBN Technologies from Verizon.[17]

    Breyer has led several Series A investments, including Etsy,[18] Clinkle[19] and Circle Internet Financial.[20] He has also led investments in Legendary Pictures and Spotify.[21] Forbes said of Breyer, "He glides easily within and between circles: Silicon Valley, China, Europe, and Hollywood."

    In 2006, Breyer founded Breyer Capital, a global equity investor focused on providing capital to help catalyze high impact social and for-profit entrepreneurs. The fund focuses on emerging markets such as China, South East Asia, and India.[22] Breyer continues to manage the fund as CEO. Breyer Capital has participated in a number of investments including Harvard's Experiment Fund,[23] Brightcove,[24] Marvel Entertainment[25] and Legendary Pictures.[26]

    In 2014, Breyer joined the Wickr board of directors, pledging $30 million in funding. Wickr is a messaging app that seeks to provide encrypted and self-destructing messages for users which pledges a strict commitment to user privacy.[27] [28] [29]

    In July 2016, Breyer also joined the board of the alternative investment firm The Blackstone Group, the largest such firm in the world according to a 2013 New York Times piece.[30] [31] [32]

    In 2020, Breyer established a second office for Breyer Capital in Austin, Texas.[33] [34] Since establishing its Austin office, Breyer Capital has backed startups including Sana Benefits, Bestow, ClosedLoop.ai.[35]

    Investment in China

    In 2005, Breyer helped establish a joint venture between Accel Partners and China-based IDG Capital Partners, a pioneering Chinese investment firm behind Baidu and Tencent.[36] Breyer and Patrick Joseph McGovern, the Founder and CEO of IDG, have served as co-leads on the Accel-IDG joint venture's strategic investment committee since its inception in 2005.[37] Breyer is active in the Chinese investment community and continues to invest in the country through Breyer Capital and partnerships with IDG.[38] Additionally, he is a member of the advisory board of the Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management, Beijing.[39]

    In June 2014, IDG Capital announced the closing of IDG China Venture Capital Fund IV, a $586 million tech venture capital fund focused on making early-stage technology, media and telecom (TMT) investments in China. IDG also announced the participation of Breyer Capital and stated Jim will play a leading strategic advisory role in the new fund.[40] [41]

    In June 2016, the Wall Street Journal published a piece on what is one of the largest ever China-focused venture capital funds raised, $1 billion in capital commitments for the IDG Capital Fund III of Breyer and IDG Capital.[42]

    Professional associations and memberships

    In February 2013, Breyer was elected a fellow of the Harvard Corporation, Harvard University's senior governing board. He also serves on the Board of the Dean's Advisors of the Harvard Business School and is a founding member of the Harvard University Global Advisory Council. In December 2005, Breyer was appointed an honorary professor at the Yuelu Academy, Hunan University, China.[43] Jim is the past Chairman and remains a Board Member of the Tsinghua University Advisory Board for the School of Economics and Management. He also is a member of the University of Texas President’s Innovation Board.[44]

    He is a member of various World Economic Forum committees,[45] and a member of the Lead Director Network, an organization of directors dedicated to improving the performance of their corporations and earning the trust of their shareholders through more effective board leadership.[46] Additionally, Breyer serves as the Chairman of the Stanford University Engineering Venture Fund and is on the board of the Stanford Technology Ventures Program.[47] [48] In 2019, Breyer helped found the Stanford HAI program which focuses on the future of AI.[49]

    Breyer previously served on the boards of Etsy, Legendary Entertainment,[50] Circle Financial,[51] and 21st Century Fox where he was Chairman of the Compensation Committee and a member of the Nominating Committee.[52] He is also a minority owner of the Boston Celtics.[53]

    In the past, Breyer has served on a number of public and private boards, including: Facebook from April, 2005 to June, 2013 where he was a Chairman of the Compensation Committee;[54] Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., as the lead/presiding independent director from 2001 until he resigned in June 2013;[55] [56] Marvel Entertainment as founding Chairman of the Strategic Planning Committee from 2006 until their acquisition by The Walt Disney Company in 2009;[57] [58] News Corporation from 2011 to 2013;[59] Dell Inc., where he was the founding Chairman of the Strategic Planning and Finance Committee from 2009 until 2013;[60] [61] Brightcove, an online video platform which went public in 2012;[62] and Model N as a founding investor and board member. Breyer is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Pacific Community Ventures, and TechNet. Jim is a Trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where his wife, Angela Chao, was also a Member of the Chairman's Council, and a Trustee of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.[63] [64]

    Breyer has previously held a number of other leadership positions, including: Chairman of the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA); President of the Western Association of Venture Capitalists; Member of the Board of the Associates of the Harvard Business School; Chairman of the Harvard Business School California Research Center; and Chairman of the Silicon Valley region committee for Stanford University's Campaign for Undergraduate Education.[65]

    Jim Breyer's economic commentary and analysis regarding international market movements and investment trends have been cited in various financial publications, including Fortune, the New York Times and Business Insider.[66] [67] [68] [69]

    Awards and achievements

    For three consecutive years, from 2011 to 2013, Forbes has ranked Jim Breyer number one on the Forbes Midas List of Tech's Top Investors.[70] [71] [72] Breyer received the Silicon Valley Forum's Visionary Award in 2012.[73] He was also named to the Vanity Fair New Establishment Hall of Fame in 2012.[74] In 2014, Breyer was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by Venture Capital Journal. In 2014, he received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement presented by Awards Council member Justice Anthony Kennedy during the International Achievement Summit in San Francisco.[75] [76] In 2024, the University of Texas at Austin recognized Breyer with the Presidential Citation Award.[77]

    Politics

    In April 2013, a lobbying group called FWD.us (aimed at lobbying for immigration reform and improvements to education) was launched, with Jim Breyer listed as one of the founders.[78]

    Personal life

    Breyer was married to the CEO of Foremost Group, philanthropist Angela Chao, the youngest sister of Elaine Chao and the widow of Bruce Wasserstein, until her death in February 2024. They had a son who was three years old when Chao died.[79] [80] [81] [82] Elaine Chao, the former U.S. Secretary of Transportation, is married to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, making Breyer and McConnell brothers-in-law.[83]

    Breyer was previously married to his college sweetheart and impressionist artist Susan Zaroff, with whom he had three children, Emily, Daniel, and Theodore (Ted).[84] They divorced in 2004.[85] Daniel and Ted are partners at Breyer Capital and co-founders of Breyer Labs, a bootstrapped cryptocurrency fund.[86]

    External links

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: Billionaires: James W. Breyer . Wealth-X . 2017-01-03.
    2. Web site: Exclusive: Jim Breyer reducing role at Accel Partners. 2022-02-15. Fortune. en.
    3. News: Billionaire investor Jim Breyer on why big technology growth stocks will keep surging. Franck. Thomas. 2017-09-22. CNBC. 2017-10-27.
    4. News: Smartest investor: Jim Breyer . . July 9, 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100724155740/http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2010/technology/1007/gallery.smartest_people_tech.fortune/36.html . July 24, 2010 .
    5. News: Accel Facebook Bet Poised to Become Biggest Venture Profit: Tech . Ari Levy . . January 18, 2012.
    6. News: Brightcove PLAY 2012 to Feature Special Keynote Conversation with Jim Breyer, Erick Schonfeld & Jeremy Allaire . https://web.archive.org/web/20140306192005/http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/22/idUS144793+22-May-2012+BW20120522 . dead . March 6, 2014 . . May 22, 2012.
    7. Web site: The Richest People In America (2021 ranking): #389 Jim Breyer . . 2021-10-06.
    8. http://hbswk.hbs.edu/archive/1798.html Harvard Business School: "Done Deals: Venture Capitalists Tell Their Story: Featured HBS Alum Breyer" Excerpted from the book Done Deals, edited by Udayan Gupta
    9. One-on-One with Jim Breyer . Thompson, Roger . Harvard School of Business Alumni Bulletin . March 2008.
    10. https://archive.today/20131025014101/http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=816887&privcapId=22297 Businessweek: "John P. Breyer – Chairman, IDG Capital Partners
    11. News: Breyer elected to Harvard Corporation . February 4, 2013 . Harvard Gazette.
    12. Web site: 2013-02-04. Breyer elected to Harvard Corporation. 2020-10-19. Harvard Gazette. en-US.
    13. News: The Comeback Kid . Nicole Perlroth . . April 6, 2011.
    14. http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/2013/02/accels-jim-breyer-joins-harvard-corp.html San Francisco business Times: "Accel's Jim Breyer joins Harvard Corp" by Patrick Hoge
    15. News: Zuckerberg's Facebook stake is worth at least $16 billion . David Goldman . . February 2, 2012.
    16. News: KKR, Accel Team Up To Pursue Web Deals . George Anders and Steven Lipin . . February 23, 2000.
    17. News: Accel's Jim Breyer scores twice within 24 hours: BBN and Marvel . . September 1, 2009.
    18. News: Etsy Raises $27 Million; Accel's Jim Breyer Joins Board . Erick Schonfeld . . January 30, 2008.
    19. December 1993. Conference proceedings literature added to ISI's chemistry citation index. Applied Catalysis A: General. 107. 1. N4–N5. 10.1016/0926-860x(93)85126-a. 0926-860X.
    20. News: Circle Raises $9M Series A From Accel And General Catalyst To Make Bitcoins Mainstream . Catherine Shu . . October 31, 2013.
    21. News: Midas List 2013: The Billionaires . . March 7, 2014.
    22. News: Jim Breyer (via Accel Partners) . . May 22, 2012.
    23. News: Kleiner Perkins Backs University Accelerator At USC . Lora Kolodny . . March 26, 2013.
    24. News: Jim Breyer Goes Public with Breyer Capital: Updated . Connie Loizos . . June 26, 2012.
    25. News: Jim Breyer Scores Big With Disney's Marvel Acquisition . . August 31, 2009.
    26. News: Legendary Closes $275 Million Financing Deal . Alex Ben Block . . April 4, 2012.
    27. Web site: Self-destructing messaging app Wickr scores $30M led by Jim Breyer . Venture Beat . Jun 26, 2014 .
    28. Web site: Drake . Sarah . Private mobile messaging platform Wickr nabs $30M for financial, gaming expansion . Silicon Valley Business Journal . Jun 26, 2014 .
    29. Web site: Smith IV . Jack . Freshly Minted: Mysterious Encryption Startup Wickr Nabs $30B and Jim Breyer Endorsement . Beta Beat . Jun 27, 2014 .
    30. News: Banerjee. Devin. Blackstone Adds Venture Capitalist Breyer to Board of Directors. 28 September 2016. Bloomberg. 14 July 2016.
    31. News: Schaefer. Steve. Blackstone Adds Billionaire Tech Investor Jim Breyer To Board. 28 September 2016. Forbes. 14 July 2016.
    32. News: Alden. William. Public Offering Values SeaWorld at $2.5 Billion. 28 September 2016. The New York Times. 18 April 2013.
    33. News: Facebook investor Jim Breyer picks Austin as Breyer Capital's second home. 2020-09-14. TechCrunch.
    34. Web site: Breyer Capital - Contact. 2021-03-09. Breyer Capital.
    35. News: LitLingo Closes on $7.5M Series A Funding With Backing From DISCO Investors . . 7 July 2021.
    36. News: Accel and IDG Double Down on China Partnership, Raise $1.3B in Seven Weeks . Sarah Lacy . . April 1, 2011.
    37. News: Silicon Valley's Accel Partners takes on China . Matt Marshall . . July 19, 2005.
    38. News: Accel Raises $1.3 Billion in Funds for China . Evelyn M. Rusli . . April 1, 2011.
    39. News: Advisory Board . . March 11, 2013.
    40. News: IDG Capital Partners closes $586 mln for fourth fund . Iris Dorbian . . June 3, 2014.
    41. News: IDG Capital Seeks $550M For New Fund . Staff Writer . China Money Network . June 3, 2014.
    42. News: Winkler. Rolfe. Jim Breyer and IDG Raise $1 Billion China Fund. 28 September 2016. Wall Street Journal. 12 July 2016.
    43. News: Harvard Flunks Investing, Taps Accel's Jim Breyer . https://web.archive.org/web/20130207162211/http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-02-05/harvard-flunks-investing-hires-accels-jim-breyer . dead . February 7, 2013 . Nick Summers . . February 5, 2013.
    44. News: Silicon Valley veteran Jim Breyer weighs in on China . . 8 April 2021.
    45. News: Jim Breyer . . March 11, 2014.
    46. News: Lead Director Network . Tapestry Networks . March 13, 2014.
    47. News: Pillars of Stanford Engineering . . March 13, 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140316182428/http://engineering.stanford.edu/visit/huang-center/pillars . March 16, 2014 .
    48. News: Advisory Board . . March 11, 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140220104547/http://stvp.stanford.edu/about/advisory-board.html . February 20, 2014 .
    49. Web site: Stanford's New Institute Will Unite Humanities and Computer Science to Study, Guide and Develop Human-Centric Artificial Intelligence. 2022-02-15. Stanford HAI. en.
    50. News: EXCLUSIVE: Dick Cook & Jim Breyer Join Thomas Tull's Legendary Pictures Board . Nikki Finke . Deadline Hollywood . April 6, 2011.
    51. News: Jeremy Allaire Launches Circle Internet Financial with $9 Million Series A from Jim Breyer, Accel Partners & General Catalyst Partners . Circle.com . October 30, 2013.
    52. News: Board of Directors . . March 14, 2014.
    53. News: Boston Celtics Investor List, Wall Street Journal . The Wall Street Journal . Peter . Lattman . May 31, 2008.
    54. News: Accel Partners' Jim Breyer to Leave Facebook Board in June . Mike Isaac . . April 26, 2013.
    55. News: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. . SEC.gov . June 5, 2009.
    56. News: Venture Capitalist Jim Breyer Is Leaving Dell, Facebook, Walmart . Julie Bort . . April 30, 2013.
    57. News: Marvel Enterprises (MVL) . https://web.archive.org/web/20140316195212/http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/Marvel_Enterprises_%28MVL%29/Filing/DEF_14A/2007/F5338351 . dead . March 16, 2014 . WikiInvest . March 12, 2014.
    58. News: Disney Completes Marvel Acquisition . . Jan 12, 2010.
    59. News: Accel's Breyer to Join News Corp. Board, as 2 Depart . Evelyn M. Rusli . . September 2, 2011.
    60. News: Accel Partner's Jim Breyer joins Dell board, brings internet connections . Eric Eldon . . April 14, 2009.
    61. News: Accel Partners' Jim Breyer Leaving Dell's Board After Stepping Down At Facebook And Walmart . Agustino Fontevecchia . . April 29, 2013.
    62. News: Brightcove Soars on Debut, as I.P.O. Outlook Brightens . Evelyn M. Rusli . . February 17, 2012.
    63. News: New Trustees James W. Breyer, Howard S. Marks, Beatrice Stern, and Caroline Diamond Harrison Elected at Metropolitan Museum . . November 12, 2014.
    64. Web site: New Trustees James W. Breyer, Howard S. Marks, Beatrice Stern, and Caroline Diamond Harrison Elected at Metropolitan Museum The Metropolitan Museum of Art. www.metmuseum.org. 2016-03-23.
    65. News: Jim Breyer of Accel Partners Elected Chairman Of National Venture Capital Association . . May 13, 2004.
    66. Web site: The Best Investment of the Next Decade . Fortune . 2016-03-23.
    67. News: Caution Rebuffed, Unicorns and Other Start-Ups Fixate on Rainbows . Benner . Katie . 2016-02-21 . The New York Times . 0362-4331 . 2016-03-23.
    68. Web site: 'BLOOD IN THE WATER' — 90% of the billion-dollar unicorn startups are in trouble . Business Insider . 2016-03-23.
    69. Web site: The bubble will burst, says VC Jim Breyer . Fortune . 2016-03-23.
    70. News: #1 Jim Breyer . . March 11, 2014.
    71. News: #1 Jim Breyer . . March 12, 2014.
    72. News: The Top Ten In Venture Capital Today – Midas List . . March 11, 2014.
    73. News: Honored Visionaries: Elon Musk, Jim Breyer, Salman Khan, and David Kirkpatrick . Kym McNicholas . Pando Daily . June 19, 2012.
    74. News: The New Establishment: Hall of Fame . Kym McNicholas . . November 2013.
    75. Web site: Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement . www.achievement.org. American Academy of Achievement.
    76. Web site: 2014 Summit Highlights Photo: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy presents Golden Plate Award to technology investor James Breyer.. American Academy of Achievement.
    77. Web site: Lee . Adrienne . 2024-02-02 . 4 Longhorns Recognized With University’s Presidential Citation Award . 2024-05-07 . UT News . en-US.
    78. Web site: Our supporters . FWD.us . 2013-04-17 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130416045611/http://www.fwd.us/our_supporters . 2013-04-16 .
    79. Web site: Chao family donates two kindergartens Peoplechinadaily.com.cn. usa.chinadaily.com.cn. 2016-03-23.
    80. Web site: NCTU President, Dr. Mau-Chung Frank Chang, presented the Honorary Doctorate Degree to Dr. Patrick Soon‐Shiong (10, 2015) . newnctu.it.nctu.edu.tw . 2016-03-23 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160408234204/http://newnctu.it.nctu.edu.tw/index.php/english-article/item/1159-nctu-president-dr-mau-chung-frank-chang-presented-the-honorary-doctorate-degree-to-dr-patrick-soon-shiong-10-2015 . 2016-04-08 . dead .
    81. Web site: Tindera. Michela. A $59 Million Will Sheds Light On Shipping Fortune Connected To Elaine Chao And Mitch McConnell. 2020-12-25. Forbes. en.
    82. News: Bradsher . Keith . Forsythe . Michael . February 14, 2024 . Angela Chao, C.E.O. of Family's Big Shipping Company, Dies at 50 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240216111258/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/14/business/angela-chao-dead.html . 2024-02-16 . February 15, 2024 . New York Times.
    83. News: McConnell's new posture toward Moscow. Milbank. August 2, 2019. Washington Post. August 3, 2019.
    84. http://susanzbreyer.com/bio.html Susan Breyer website
    85. https://www.forbes.com/2011/04/06/midas-list-11-jim-breyer-venture-capital-comeback-kid.html Forbes: "The Comeback Kid" by Nicole Perlroth
    86. Web site: Breyer Capital - About. 2022-02-08. Breyer Capital.

    This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Jim Breyer".

    Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.