Brad Feld facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Brad Feld
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| Education | MIT |
| Occupation | Venture capitalist, author |
| Spouse(s) | Amy Batchelor |
Brad Feld was born on December 1, 1965. He is an American entrepreneur, author, and blogger. He is also a venture capitalist at Foundry Group in Boulder, Colorado. A venture capitalist is someone who invests money in new companies, often called startups, to help them grow.
Brad Feld started investing in technology startups in the early 1990s. He first invested as an "angel investor," which means he used his own money. Later, he became an institutional investor, investing money from larger groups. He was one of the first people to invest in companies like Harmonix, Zynga, MakerBot, and Fitbit.
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Brad Feld's Career Journey
Starting His Own Company
In 1987, while he was a student at MIT, Brad Feld co-founded a company called Feld Technologies. This company created special software for small and medium-sized businesses. In 1993, a bigger company bought Feld Technologies for about $2 million. Brad then became the chief technology officer there.
Learning from Challenges
In the late 1990s, Brad Feld helped run a company called Interliant. This company provided online services and web hosting. Interliant faced difficulties and closed down in 2002. Brad often talks about this experience. He uses it to show that even successful people can learn from things that don't go as planned.
Helping New Businesses Grow
In 2006, Brad Feld helped David Cohen start Techstars. Techstars is a special program that helps new companies get started. It gives them money, advice, and a place to work. It's like a school for startups.
Before starting Foundry Group in 2007, Brad also helped create other investment firms. Foundry Group has raised a lot of money to invest in new businesses. For example, they raised $225 million five times to help early-stage companies. They also have larger funds to invest in companies that are already growing.
Brad Feld also helps many non-profit organizations. These include groups that support women in technology and programs that help international entrepreneurs.
Since 2022, Brad has been the main supporter of the Banana Lounge at MIT. This fun project gives away hundreds of thousands of bananas to students and staff at MIT.
Brad Feld's Writing
Since 2005, Brad Feld has been writing on his blog called "Feld Thoughts." He shares his ideas about technology and investing there.
He has also written or co-written several books. These books are about starting businesses, investing in technology, and how startups work. He also advises a tech news company called Xconomy.
Brad Feld's Personal Life
Brad Feld was born in Arkansas and grew up in Dallas, Texas. In 1983, he moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts. He studied at MIT and earned two degrees there. Since 1995, he has lived in Boulder, Colorado. He lives with his wife, Amy Batchelor, who is also a co-author of some of his books.
