# Ron Conway

> Ron Conway is the undisputed 'Godfather of Silicon Valley' - a San Francisco-born angel investor who backed Google, Facebook, Twitter, Airbnb, Stripe, OpenAI, and 650+ other companies through SV Angel, the firm he founded in 2009. Known as 'The Human Router' by Marc Andreessen for his legendary ability to connect founders with capital, talent, and opportunity, Conway pioneered seed-stage investing with small checks and high conviction in people, writing 1+ investments per week at his peak. A lifelong Democrat and civic power broker, philanthropist, and father of three sons who all work in his ecosystem, Conway announced a rare cancer diagnosis in April 2026 while vowing to never back down from a fight.

- **Role:** Founder and Managing Partner at SV Angel
- **Organizations:** SV Angel, sf.citi, FWD.us, UCSF Medical Foundation, Sandy Hook Promise, Smart Tech Challenges Foundation, AI Ad Hoc Workgroup
- **From:** San Francisco, California, USA
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** BA in Political Science, San Jose State University
- **Known for:** Early investor in Google, Facebook, Twitter, Airbnb, Stripe, OpenAI, Coinbase, Dropbox, and 650+ others, Founded SV Angel, one of the most prolific seed-stage venture firms in history, Co-founded Altos Computer Systems and took it public on Nasdaq in 1982

## Career timeline

- **1973-1979** — Marketing roles at National Semiconductor Corporation
- **1979** — Co-founded Altos Computer Systems
- **1982** — Took Altos Computer Systems public on Nasdaq, raising $59M
- **1991** — Became CEO of Personal Training Systems (PTS)
- **1995** — PTS acquired by SmartForce/SkillSoft
- **Mid-1990s** — Began angel investing; first investments in Marimba Systems and Red Herring magazine
- **1997** — Founded Adam Ventures, raising $4M
- **1998** — Founded Angel Investors LP
- **1999** — Met Larry Page and Sergey Brin at a party; helped Google land Sequoia Capital investment
- **2006** — Became Special Partner at Baseline Ventures
- **2009** — Founded SV Angel, raising $10M initial fund
- **2020** — Co-chaired COVID-19 Technology Task Force
- **2021** — Signed The Giving Pledge, committing majority of wealth to charity
- **2022** — SV Angel raised $269M for first-ever growth equity fund
- **2023** — Worked 'around the clock for days' during OpenAI board crisis to save Sam Altman's reinstatement
- **2024** — Lobbied successfully to veto California AI safety bill SB 1047
- **2025-10** — Resigned from Salesforce Foundation board over Marc Benioff's support of Trump
- **2026-04** — Announced rare cancer diagnosis; stepping back from SV Angel day-to-day

## Achievements

- Early investor in Google, Facebook, Twitter, Airbnb, Stripe, OpenAI, Coinbase, Dropbox, and 650+ others
- Founded SV Angel, one of the most prolific seed-stage venture firms in history
- Co-founded Altos Computer Systems and took it public on Nasdaq in 1982
- Ranked #6 on Forbes Midas List in 2008
- Named to Vanity Fair 100 Most Influential People in the Information Age (2010)
- Won TechCrunch Crunchies Best Angel Investor award (2009)
- Signed The Giving Pledge in 2021
- Founded sf.citi (San Francisco Citizens Initiative for Technology and Innovation) in 2012
- Co-chaired COVID-19 Technology Task Force in 2020
- Credited by Sam Altman as saving OpenAI during the November 2023 board crisis
- Lobbied successfully to veto California SB 1047 AI safety bill in 2024

## Latest updates

- **2026-04** — Announced rare cancer diagnosis on X; beginning treatment at UCSF; stepping back from SV Angel day-to-day activities while sons Ronny and Topher lead operations
- **2025-10** — Resigned from Salesforce Foundation board after 10+ years, publicly criticizing Marc Benioff for supporting Trump and calling for National Guard deployment to San Francisco
- **2025-01** — Sam Altman publicly credited Conway with saving OpenAI during November 2023 board crisis
- **2024-09** — Lobbied Nancy Pelosi and Gavin Newsom to veto California SB 1047 AI safety bill; Newsom ultimately vetoed
- **2024-01** — Son Ronny Conway joined SV Angel as Managing Partner after returning from founding A.Capital
- **2022-03** — SV Angel raised $269M growth equity fund, its largest ever

## Links

- Website: https://svangel.com
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/RonConway

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/ron-conway
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-05