Shaping the Future

Venrock is proud to celebrate 40 years of working with entrepreneurs to build enduring companies.

In the 1930’s, Laurance Rockefeller pioneered early-stage financing by investing in the entrepreneurs of Eastern Air Lines and McDonnell Aircraft. In 1969, Venrock was founded to continue this program of investment and building entrepreneur-backed companies.

The legacy of Laurance Rockefeller and Venrock in reflected in 40 great entrepreneurial companies that were built over the past 40 years and celebrated in our commemorative book, Shaping the Future, 40 Years of Innovation. These enterprises are shaping how we live today, creating products and services that represent major advancements in technology, healthcare and energy.

From companies that created semiconductors and personal computers, secured information technology infrastructure, pioneered on-line advertising and browsers, to biotech firms that charted new advancements in cancer, anti-infectives and auto-immune therapies, to producers of alternative energy, Venrock companies continue to innovate and shape our future.

The book is displayed below for online reading. You may also click here to download an electronic copy of Shaping the Future in PDF format. (Note: the PDF book is 33MB and may take a few minutes to download depending on your connection speed).