# Noel Fenton

> Noel Fenton is a Founding General Partner of Trinity Ventures, the Menlo Park-based venture capital firm he co-founded in 1986. Before entering venture capital, he built two companies from scratch as CEO — Acurex (scaling revenues to $65M over a decade) and Covalent Systems (profitable at $12M in three years) — and that operating DNA defines everything about how he invests. With a BS in Chemistry from Cornell and an MBA from Stanford, Fenton has spent four decades backing enterprise software and B2B companies, with notable wins including LoopNet (IPO), ServiceMax (acquired by GE), SciQuest (IPO), and DotLoop (acquired by Zillow). Despite repeated attempts at retirement, he is still at his desk by 7:30 AM.

- **Role:** Founding General Partner at Trinity Ventures
- **Organizations:** Trinity Ventures, World Presidents' Organization, Stanford Athletic Board, Young Presidents' Organization (Northern California, past chairman), American Electronics Association (past chairman), Fenton Family Foundation
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** BS, Chemistry, Cornell University, MBA, Stanford University
- **Known for:** Co-founded Trinity Ventures in 1986 — one of Silicon Valley's longest-running early-stage VC firms, Grew Acurex revenues nearly tenfold to $65M over 10 years as CEO, Built Covalent Systems from zero to $12M profitable revenue in three years

## Career timeline

- **1959** — Graduated from Cornell University with a BS in Chemistry
- **1963** — Received MBA from Stanford University
- **1972** — Joined Acurex as CEO; grew revenues nearly tenfold to $65M over 10 years
- **1982** — Left Acurex after successful acquisition
- **1983** — Co-founded Covalent Systems; led it from startup to $12M in profitable revenue
- **1986** — Co-founded Trinity Ventures, focusing on early-stage enterprise software and B2B
- **1990s** — Backed Bright Horizons (IPO) and LoopNet (IPO)
- **2000s** — Invested in SciQuest (IPO), ID Analytics, MyNewPlace, BlueStripe Software
- **2010s** — Backed ServiceMax (acquired by GE), DotLoop (acquired by Zillow), BlueTarp Financial, Taulia, VTS
- **2023** — Made Series B investment, demonstrating continued active investing

## Achievements

- Co-founded Trinity Ventures in 1986 — one of Silicon Valley's longest-running early-stage VC firms
- Grew Acurex revenues nearly tenfold to $65M over 10 years as CEO
- Built Covalent Systems from zero to $12M profitable revenue in three years
- Backed LoopNet through IPO
- Backed SciQuest through IPO
- Backed Bright Horizons through IPO
- Backed Forte through IPO
- Backed ServiceMax through GE acquisition
- Backed DotLoop through Zillow acquisition
- Co-investor alongside Jeff Bezos on selected deals
- Past chairman of the Northern California Chapter of the Young Presidents' Organization
- Past chairman of the American Electronics Association
- Active member of the World Presidents' Organization
- Member of the Stanford Athletic Board

## Latest updates

- **2023-10** — Made a Series B investment, continuing active participation in Trinity's early-stage portfolio
- **2025-01** — Trinity Ventures completed latest fundraise (Last Raised At: January 2025), with total funding reaching over $2B

## Links

- Website: https://trinityventures.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/noelfenton
- Twitter/X: http://www.twitter.com/trinityventures
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/TrinityVentures

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/noel-fenton
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-17