# Ann Winblad

> Ann Winblad is a Silicon Valley legend who bootstrapped her first software company with $500 borrowed from her brother, sold it for $15 million, then co-founded the world's first venture capital firm exclusively dedicated to software in 1989. Over 30+ years at Hummer Winblad Venture Partners, she backed 160+ enterprise software companies - including first-institutional-investor bets on MuleSoft (acquired by Salesforce for $6.5B) and Omniture (acquired by Adobe for $1.8B) - while becoming the most influential female venture capitalist of her generation.

- **Role:** Advisor at Aspenwood Ventures (formerly Hummer Winblad Venture Partners)
- **Organizations:** Aspenwood Ventures, Hummer Winblad Venture Partners (HWVP), Sonatype (Board Director), University of St. Thomas (Board of Trustees), Richard Schulze Family Foundation (Board Member)
- **From:** Red Wing, Minnesota, USA
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.A. in Mathematics and Business Administration, College of St. Catherine (St. Catherine University), Saint Paul, Minnesota, M.A. in Education with focus on International Economics, University of St. Thomas, Saint Paul, Minnesota, Honorary Doctorate of Laws, University of St. Thomas
- **Known for:** Co-founded world's first venture capital firm exclusively focused on software (1989), Turned HWVP Fund I $27M into $252M returned to investors, First institutional investor in MuleSoft - later acquired by Salesforce for $6.5B

## Career timeline

- **1950** — Born in Red Wing, Minnesota; oldest of six children
- **1957** — First job: picking strawberries at age 7
- **1969** — High school valedictorian and cheerleader; first in family to attend college
- **1973** — Graduated B.A. from College of St. Catherine; joined Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis as systems programmer
- **1975** — Earned M.A. from University of St. Thomas - first woman to do so in international economics
- **1976** — Co-founded Open Systems Inc. in Minneapolis with $500 borrowed from brother
- **1983** — Sold Open Systems Inc. to UCCEL for $15 million in cash; became independent technology consultant
- **1983-1989** — Consulted for IBM, Microsoft, Apple Computer, Price Waterhouse; took personal investment in Microsoft; met Bill Gates
- **1984** — Met Bill Gates at a Ben Rosen/Esther Dyson industry conference; began relationship
- **1987** — Relationship with Bill Gates ended; remained close friends
- **1989** — Co-founded Hummer Winblad Venture Partners with John Hummer - world's first software-only VC firm; raised $27M Fund I after 133 rejections
- **1994** — Powersoft (HWVP portfolio) acquired by Sybase for $1 billion
- **1997** — Bill Gates calls Winblad before proposing to Melinda French; she gives her blessing
- **2000** — Led controversial $15M investment in Napster during RIAA lawsuit; Fortune Small Business Hall of Fame
- **2001** — Received Honorary Doctorate from University of St. Thomas
- **2006** — First institutional investor in two-person MuleSoft startup
- **2006** — Omniture (HWVP portfolio) IPO
- **2007** — Hyperion acquired by Oracle for $3.3 billion
- **2008** — Adobe acquires Omniture for $1.8 billion
- **2009** — Wind River Systems acquired by Intel for $884 million
- **2017** — MuleSoft IPO
- **2018** — Salesforce acquires MuleSoft for $6.5 billion
- **2021** — HWVP rebrands as Aspenwood Ventures; Winblad transitions to advisory role
- **2024** — Inducted into Bay Area Business Hall of Fame at 79th Annual Bay Area Council Dinner

## Achievements

- Co-founded world's first venture capital firm exclusively focused on software (1989)
- Turned HWVP Fund I $27M into $252M returned to investors
- First institutional investor in MuleSoft - later acquired by Salesforce for $6.5B
- Backed 160+ enterprise software companies over 30 years
- Sold Open Systems Inc. for $15M in 1983 after bootstrapping with $500
- First woman to earn M.A. in International Economics from University of St. Thomas
- Bay Area Business Hall of Fame inductee (2024)
- Fortune Small Business Hall of Fame (2000)
- Named 'Most Powerful Women in Technology' by Forbes
- BusinessWeek 25 Power Brokers in Silicon Valley
- Time Digital 50 Cyber Elite
- Co-authored 'Object-Oriented Software' (Addison-Wesley)
- Endowed Wilbur and Elizabeth Winblad Scholarship at U of St. Thomas, supporting 706+ students with $3.6M+
- SVForum Visionary Award recipient
- Honorary Doctorate of Laws from University of St. Thomas (2001)

## Latest updates

- **2025-12** — Appeared on CNBC's 'The Exchange' to discuss Warren Buffett's legacy as he retired as Berkshire Hathaway CEO
- **2024-12** — Inducted into the Bay Area Business Hall of Fame at the Bay Area Council's 79th Annual Dinner at the Westin St. Francis, San Francisco
- **2024-05** — Appeared on CNBC from the 2024 Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting in Omaha; said 'We're all playing the long game'
- **2023-05** — Appeared on CNBC from the 2023 Berkshire Annual Meeting discussing AI advances and Apple

## Links

- Website: https://hwvc.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annwinblad
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/humwin

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/ann-winblad
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Last updated: 2026-05-04