The world of venture capital just got more interesting. One of the computer industry's true pioneers and eclectic characters has signed on with arguably the hottest venture firm in Silicon Valley.
Lotus founder, cyber-rights champion and occasional enlightenment seeker Mitch Kapor has been named a partner at Accel Partners in Palo Alto, Calif.
Unlike any number of phony Internet visionaries, Kapor is the real deal. He started Lotus in 1981, cashing out a few years later when running the corporation began to bore him.
He was one of the first to grasp the potential legal and cultural impact of the Internet, co-founding the nonprofit Electronic Frontier Foundation in 1990.
Kapor is no stranger around Accel's University Avenue office in trendy downtown Palo Alto. He has been working with the venture firm as a limited partner for the past several years, most notably as a board member of streaming media start-up Real Networks, an Accel portfolio company.
For Accel, Kapor's hiring is the latest headline-grabber in a year of high-profile activity. Last April the company announced that several industry giants, including Microsoft, Compaq, Lucent and Nortel, would invest in Accel's $35 million Internet Technology Fund II.
And various Accel partners such as founder Jim Swartz and Managing General Partner Jim Breyer are regulars on various lists of the most effective and influential venture capitalists.
In addition to RealNetworks, Accel has invested in UUNET Technologies, Biztravel.com and Bright Tiger Technologies.
Lotus founder, cyber-rights champion and occasional enlightenment seeker Mitch Kapor has been named a partner at Accel Partners in Palo Alto, Calif.
Unlike any number of phony Internet visionaries, Kapor is the real deal. He started Lotus in 1981, cashing out a few years later when running the corporation began to bore him.
He was one of the first to grasp the potential legal and cultural impact of the Internet, co-founding the nonprofit Electronic Frontier Foundation in 1990.
Kapor is no stranger around Accel's University Avenue office in trendy downtown Palo Alto. He has been working with the venture firm as a limited partner for the past several years, most notably as a board member of streaming media start-up Real Networks, an Accel portfolio company.
For Accel, Kapor's hiring is the latest headline-grabber in a year of high-profile activity. Last April the company announced that several industry giants, including Microsoft, Compaq, Lucent and Nortel, would invest in Accel's $35 million Internet Technology Fund II.
And various Accel partners such as founder Jim Swartz and Managing General Partner Jim Breyer are regulars on various lists of the most effective and influential venture capitalists.
In addition to RealNetworks, Accel has invested in UUNET Technologies, Biztravel.com and Bright Tiger Technologies.
RELATED LINKS
