Sign In
Get Clay Free →

Suggestions

    Dave McClure

    Founder of Practical Venture Capital & 500 Startups

    Dave McClure: Engineer Turned Venture Capitalist and Founder of Practical Venture Capital and 500 Startups

    Dave McClure is an accomplished engineer, entrepreneur, and investor with over 30 years of experience in Silicon Valley. He holds a BS in Engineering and Applied Mathematics from The Johns Hopkins University, where he honed his skills as a mathematician and computer scientist. Over the years, he founded, led, and invested in multiple startups, making significant contributions to the tech ecosystem. His professional journey includes stints at PayPal, where he served as Director of Marketing, and Founders Fund, where he worked as a venture capitalist, investing in 42 start-ups, four of which reached unicorn status, and one that yielded over 400X returns for his investors.

    In 2010, McClure founded 500 Startups, a Silicon Valley VC firm that has raised over $1B in assets under management (AUM), investing in 2,500 companies and 5,000 founders across 75 countries. Over the years, he has helped create 20 VC funds under the 500 brand and invested in 20 other VC funds globally. McClure's investments include 30+ unicorns and IPOs, such as Credit Karma, Twilio, and The RealReal.

    In 2019, McClure founded Practical Venture Capital, a VC secondary firm that provides liquidity solutions for limited partners (LPs) and general partners (GPs) in early-stage VC funds. The firm specializes in buying fund interests in micro-VC funds at years 5-10, as well as direct secondary in breakout companies within those portfolios. Its investors include senior executives at Facebook, Credit Karma, and Lyft, several Silicon Valley VCs, and experienced PE investors.

    In addition to his work in tech, McClure is a visiting lecturer at Stanford University, where he shares his insights and expertise with students. He is also a conference chair at O'Reilly Media, where he helps shape discussions on the future of tech and entrepreneurship.

    Highlights

    Nov 6 · twitter

    let the ass-kissing begin...

    Nov 6 · twitter

    if you care about #healthcare, @statnews and https://t.co/MEbXYxXA9q have excellent news & analysis.

    Aug 11 · FinSMEs
    Agave Games Raises $7M in Seed Funding - FinSMEs
    Agave Games Raises $7M in Seed Funding - FinSMEs
    May 3 · FinSMEs
    LottieFiles Raises $37M in Series B Funding - FinSMEs

    Related Questions

    What is Dave McClure's role at Red Ventures?
    How did Dave McClure transition from 500 Startups to Practical Venture Capital?
    What are some notable startups that Dave McClure has invested in?
    How did Dave McClure's career evolve after leaving PayPal?
    What controversies has Dave McClure been involved in?
    Dave McClure
    Dave McClure, photo 1
    Dave McClure, photo 2
    Get intro to Dave
    Add to my network

    Experience

    Founder at Practical Venture Capital
    Venture Capitalist at Founders Fund, Director Marketing at PayPal, Angel Investor/Advisor at 500 Hats

    Education

    BS Engineering in Applied Mathematics, Computer Science from The Johns Hopkins University

    Location

    Los Altos, California, United States