# Gordon Ritter

> Gordon Ritter is Founder and General Partner of Emergence Capital, the San Francisco-based venture firm he co-founded in 2003 that became one of the defining forces in enterprise SaaS investing. He backed Salesforce in its earliest days, co-founded a SaaS company with Marc Benioff, championed Veeva Systems when it had 25 employees and under $1M in revenue (now a $35B public company), and helped land Zoom's first institutional check. A four-time Forbes Midas List honoree, Ritter closed Emergence's seventh fund at $1 billion in March 2025, focused on AI-native enterprise software. Away from the portfolio, he has summited Denali, run 250 miles across the Swiss Alps, and serves on Princeton's Board of Trustees, where he shapes AI and education curricula.

- **Role:** Founder and General Partner at Emergence Capital
- **Organizations:** Emergence Capital, Veeva Systems (Chairman, Board of Directors), Princeton University Board of Trustees, Princeton Entrepreneurship Council, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, Common Sense Media, Center for Reproductive Rights
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.A. in Economics, Princeton University
- **Known for:** Four-time Forbes Midas List honoree (top venture capital investors), Co-founded Emergence Capital in 2003, now one of the top enterprise SaaS investors globally, Led early investment in Salesforce, Veeva Systems, Zoom, Bill.com, Box, Yammer, and Doximity

## Career timeline

- **1986** — Graduated Princeton University with B.A. in Economics; rowed on the heavyweight crew team
- **1986-early 1990s** — Worked as Vice President at Credit Suisse
- **early 1990s** — Left banking to found two startups
- **mid-1990s** — Co-founded Whistle Communications Corporation, serving as President
- **1999** — IBM acquired Whistle Communications; Ritter led IBM's $3B Global Small Business division
- **early 2000s** — Co-founded Software As Service (SaaS cloud platform) with Marc Benioff, which became a foundation for the Salesforce Platform
- **2003** — Co-founded Emergence Capital with Jason Green and Brian Jacobs; made early investment in Salesforce
- **2008** — Led investment in Veeva Systems when it had 25 employees and under $1M in revenue
- **2011** — Emergence Capital backed Zoom's early rounds
- **2013** — Veeva Systems IPO (NYSE: VEEV); Ritter remains Chairman
- **2015** — Published 'What Makes An Industry Cloud Leader?' on TechCrunch
- **2021** — Emergence Capital raised Fund VI at $575 million
- **2023** — Elected to Princeton Board of Trustees (term 2023-2027)
- **2025-03** — Emergence Capital closed Fund VII at $1 billion, focused on AI-native enterprise software

## Achievements

- Four-time Forbes Midas List honoree (top venture capital investors)
- Co-founded Emergence Capital in 2003, now one of the top enterprise SaaS investors globally
- Led early investment in Salesforce, Veeva Systems, Zoom, Bill.com, Box, Yammer, and Doximity
- Backed Veeva Systems at 25 employees; company now valued at ~$35 billion (NYSE: VEEV)
- Realized approximately $8 billion in fund returns across career
- Closed Emergence Capital Fund VII at $1 billion in March 2025
- Elected to Princeton University Board of Trustees in 2023
- Serves on 10+ portfolio company boards, chairs Veeva
- Helped Veeva become the first publicly traded Public Benefit Corporation
- Co-founded SaaS cloud platform with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff

## Latest updates

- **2025-03** — Emergence Capital closed Fund VII at $1 billion, focused on AI-native enterprise software including investments in Together AI, Physical Intelligence, and Bolt.new
- **2025-01** — Active as Chairman of Veeva Systems (NYSE: VEEV) board of directors
- **2023-07** — Began serving as Princeton University term trustee (2023-2027), helping shape AI and education curricula

## Links

- Website: https://emcap.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/gordonpritter
- Twitter/X: http://www.twitter.com/emergencecap
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/emergencecapitalpartners/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/gordon-ritter
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-18