Benchmark Capital is a
venture capital firm responsible for the early stage funding of some very successful
startups. In 1997, the firm invested $6.7 million in
eBay, which became worth more than $5 billion by the spring of 1999
[1]. Other high profile investments include
Ariba,
Juniper Networks,
Red Hat, and
Twitter.
Benchmark has invested in more than 150 startups since its inception in 1995, including Infinera, MySQL, OpenTable, Second Life, Tellme Networks, Yelp, Inc., CTERA Networks and Zillow, as well as franchise companies like eBay, Juniper Networks, and Red Hat. The firm manages nearly $3 billion in committed capital and has been widely recognized for its commitment to open source.[2] Other notable investments include AOL, 1-800-Flowers, eBags, Friendster, JAMDAT, MetaCafe, Palm Computing, Seeking Alpha, and Zipcar.[3]
In 2008, Benchmark's European team completed a spinout from Benchmark to form Balderton Capital. The London-based Balderton Capital is raising a $500 million venture capital fund.
