Fundraising Fox
Bill Gates
InvestorFounderFounder, Breakthrough Energy at Breakthrough Energy Ventures · Chair at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation · Founder at TerraPower · Founder at Gates Foundation · Founder at Microsoft
Medina, WA
Writes $500K – $50M checks · typically $25K
FoundedBreakthrough Energy FellowsGates FoundationMicrosoftTerraPower
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About
Bill Gates co-founded Microsoft with Paul Allen in 1975 and ran it as CEO until 2000, making it the dominant software company of the PC era and himself the world's richest person for much of the 1990s and 2000s. He now chairs the Gates Foundation, the largest private foundation in the world, and founded Breakthrough Energy Ventures to fund deep-decarbonisation technology that conventional venture capital will not touch.
Invests in
AgTechCleantechClimate TechDeep TechEnergyFoodTechHardwareImpact & Social GoodMobility & Transportation
Beyond investing
- Founded
- Gates co-founded Microsoft in 1975 with childhood friend Paul Allen. At age 17, Gates formed a venture with Paul Allen called Traf-O-Data to make traffic counters based on the Intel 8008 processor. Gates founded Breakthrough Energy Ventures, a billion-dollar climate fund launched in 2017 to finance low-carbon energy technology.
- Education
- Studied at Lakeside School Studied at Harvard University (1973)
- Charities
- Gates and his then-wife Melinda French Gates co-chaired the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the world's largest private charitable organization, from 2000 until 2024. In 2010, Gates and Warren Buffett founded the Giving Pledge, whereby billionaires pledge to give at least half their wealth to philanthropy.
- Awards
- Gates received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, awarded jointly to him and Melinda French Gates in 2016 for their philanthropic work. Time magazine named Gates one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century in 1999. Gates received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. Gates was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire. Gates received the Padma Bhushan. Gates received the Lasker-Bloomberg Public Service Award. Gates received the J. William Fulbright Prize. Gates received the NAS Public Welfare Medal. Gates received the Commander of the Legion of Honour. Gates received the Order of the Aztec Eagle. Gates received the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun. Gates was named Financial Times Person of the Year. Gates received the United Nations Population Award. Gates received an honorary doctorate from Harvard University.
- Family
- Gates is the son of lawyer Bill Gates Sr. and Mary Maxwell Gates, and has three children including Phoebe.
Mentioned above: the Microsoft mafia → · the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation mafia → · the Lakeside School mafia → · the Breakthrough Energy Ventures mafia → · the Gates Foundation mafia →
From Bill's own website — common ground for a warm intro.
Founder at TerraPower
Intro paths
In turn, Bill can intro founders to TerraPower's investors below.
TerraPower's investors · 6
Co-founders at TerraPower
Founder at Gates Foundation
Intro paths
In turn, Bill can intro founders to Gates Foundation's investors below.
Gates Foundation's investors · 1
Co-founders at Gates Foundation
Founder at Microsoft
Intro paths
In turn, Bill can intro founders to Microsoft's investors below.
Microsoft's investors · 8
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Co-founders at Microsoft
Investments
Led
Breakthrough Energy Ventures
Investor
@hotelAmbriAquion EnergyBeyondBluesCarbon EngineeringCarillon TechnologiesCerevanceChange.orgCommonwealth Fusion SystemsEarthNowEchodyneEclipse AviationEcoMotorsElixiron ImmunotherapeuticsEvolv TechnologyExicureFictivFoundation MedicineGinkgo BioworksGrailH2ProHeinekenHeliogenImpossible FoodsInflection AIKallyopeKolomaKymetaLucy TherapeuticsLuminous ComputingLumotiveMainspring EnergyModern HydrogenMTN NigeriaNEOS GeoSolutionsNimbus TherapeuticsPivotal CommwareRenmatixResearchGateSchrödingerTerraPowerUpside FoodsVarentecVicarious Surgical
Per curated public sources.
Podcasts & interviews
featuring Bill GatesBill Gates on vaccine hesitancy, AI and global health | The Conversation
POLITICO
Bill Gates-Backed Clean Fuel Startup Raises $246 Million To ...
Business News
Bill Gates and Outgoing EEI Chair Warner Baxter, Executive ...
EEITV
How to Avoid a Climate Disaster | Bill Gates
Stanford ENERGY
Bill Gates says he pays $7 million a year to offset his carbon ...
60 Minutes · facebook.com
Bill Gates Talks Philanthropy, Microsoft, and Taxes | DealBook
New York Times Events
2 more appearances
Colleagues at Breakthrough Energy Ventures
Network12
Investors connected to Bill in public investor directories — a warm-intro map.
Frequently asked questions
- Who is Bill Gates?
- Bill Gates co-founded Microsoft with Paul Allen in 1975 and ran it as CEO until 2000, making it the dominant software company of the PC era and himself the world's richest person for much of the 1990s and 2000s. He now chairs the Gates Foundation, the largest private foundation in the world, and founded Breakthrough Energy Ventures to fund deep-decarbonisation technology that conventional venture capital will not touch.
- Where does Bill Gates work?
- Bill Gates is Founder of Breakthrough Energy Fellows and Founder, Breakthrough Energy at Breakthrough Energy Ventures and Chair at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Founder at TerraPower and Founder at Microsoft.
- What does Bill Gates invest in?
- Bill Gates invests in AgTech, Cleantech, Climate Tech, Deep Tech, Energy, FoodTech, Hardware, Impact & Social Good, Mobility & Transportation.
- What check size does Bill Gates write?
- Bill Gates typically writes checks of $500K – $50M.
- What companies did Bill Gates found?
- Bill Gates founded Breakthrough Energy Fellows, Gates Foundation, Microsoft, TerraPower.
- What companies has Bill Gates invested in?
- Investments tracked here include Breakthrough Energy Ventures, @hotel, Ambri, Aquion Energy, Beyond, Blues, Carbon Engineering, Carillon Technologies, Cerevance, Change.org, Commonwealth Fusion Systems, EarthNow, and 34 more.
- What awards has Bill Gates received?
- Gates received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, awarded jointly to him and Melinda French Gates in 2016 for their philanthropic work. Time magazine named Gates one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century in 1999. Gates received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. Gates was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire. Gates received the Padma Bhushan. Gates received the Lasker-Bloomberg Public Service Award.
- What podcasts and interviews feature Bill Gates?
- Tracked appearances include "Bill Gates on vaccine hesitancy, AI and global health | The Conversation", "Bill Gates-Backed Clean Fuel Startup Raises $246 Million To ...", "Bill Gates and Outgoing EEI Chair Warner Baxter, Executive ...", and 5 more.
- Does Bill Gates lead rounds?
- Yes — Bill Gates has led 1 tracked investment.
Founder mafias
Microsoft mafia1,495
Also came through, then founded or led a company.
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation mafia18
Also came through, then founded or led a company.
Lakeside School mafia17
Also came through, then founded or led a company.
Breakthrough Energy Ventures mafia11
Also came through, then founded or led a company.
Gates Foundation mafia6
Also came through, then founded or led a company.
About this profile. Compiled from public sources — Breakthrough Energy Ventures's own website, press coverage and public professional profiles — and summarised by Fundraising Fox; every fact is kept with where it came from. Spotted an error, or would rather not be listed? Email privacy@fundraisingfox.com · How we build profiles · Your rights