As one of the most influential dealmakers in technology, Bill Gurley is best known for being an early investor in the ride-hailing company Uber. Gurley is a venture capitalist and is regularly listed on the “Forbes Midas List” for his ability to find great companies early. As of 2023, Bill Gurley has a net worth of $600 million.
Early Life
Hailing from Dickinson, Texas, John William Gurley was born on May 10, 1966. Growing up, he always had a passion for technology but also loved playing sports, notably basketball. He played basketball for the University of Florida and graduated in 1989 with a computer engineering degree.
Then, he went to the University of Texas McCombs School of Business and earned an MBA in 1993. Before becoming an investor, he worked as an engineer for Advanced Micro Devices and as a design engineer for Compaq.
Analyst Career
With his background in tech, Gurley became a partner at Hummer Winblad Venture Partners. Next, he spent three years at CS First Boston and became one of the leading technology analysts on Wall Street.
His research skills gained him widespread recognition in the financial industry and helped Bill Gurley join the Institutional Investor All-America Research Team in 1995.
Two years later, he was the lead analyst for Amazon’s IPO, which eventually became the biggest e-commerce company in the world. He also handled IPOs for other tech giants including Microsoft, and Dell.
Investing Career
After four years on Wall Street, he was named general partner of Benchmark Capital. As part of Benchmark, he played a significant role in the success of companies like GrubHub, Clicker.com, and Vudu, all of which eventually got acquired by larger corporations.
During the 2008 market crash, he further gained critical acclaim for his advice to CEOs from his portfolio companies, urging them to reduce spending and wait for opportunity after the crash. His thoughts on venture capital are held in high regard in the industry, and he continues to share insights via his blog, Above the Crowd.
Bill invested around $12 million into the ride-sharing company, years before it went public. Uber soon skyrocketed, becoming one of the hottest startups in San Francisco. Gurley maintained a close relationship with Uber’s CEO, Travis Kalanick, and was the company’s most active board member until his departure in 2017.
Net Worth and Earnings
Uber is undoubtedly Bill’s biggest winner. Although it isn’t known how much he was worth before investing in the startup, it’s likely that he wasn’t a billionaire. Apart from physical assets, Bill is also a known investor in cryptocurrency and is an advocate for Ethereum. He only became interested in crypto in 2021 and is just a small part of his $600 million fortune.
Personal Life
Bill is married to Amy Gurley, who worked in banking and marketing. The business couple are currently raising three children together and now live in Texas after selling their home in San Francisco. Nowadays, Gurley rarely gives interviews and now spends the majority of his time working with his portfolio companies – NextDoor and HackerOne.
