Bill Gates
InvestorFounderFounder, Breakthrough Energy at Breakthrough Energy Ventures · Co-chair at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation · Board director at 75F · Founder at Gates Foundation
Medina, WA
Writes $500K – $50M checks · typically $25K
FoundedGates Foundation
Find your path to Bill
233 people in our graph share verified history with Bill — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.
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
AgTechClimate TechDeep TechEnergyFoodTechHardwareMobility & 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 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation mafia → · the Lakeside School mafia → · the Breakthrough Energy Ventures mafia →
From Bill's own website — common ground for a warm intro.
Board director at 75F
Intro paths
In turn, Bill can intro founders to 75F's investors below.
75F's investors · 8
Co-founders at 75F
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
Experience
- Gates FoundationCo-chaircurrent2000 — present
- Breakthrough EnergyFoundercurrent2015 — present
- MicrosoftCo-foundercurrent1975 — present
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, Chair of the Board, Breakthrough Energy Ventures
The Economic Club of Washington, D.C.
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 Gates Foundation and Founder, Breakthrough Energy at Breakthrough Energy Ventures.
- What does Bill Gates invest in?
- Bill Gates invests in AgTech, Climate Tech, Deep Tech, Energy, FoodTech, Hardware, 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 Gates Foundation.
- 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.
- Where did Bill Gates go to school?
- Bill Gates studied at Harvard University; Lakeside School.
- 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, Chair of the Board, Breakthrough Energy Ventures".
- Does Bill Gates lead rounds?
- Yes — Bill Gates has led 1 tracked investment.
Founder mafias
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation mafia14
Also came through, then founded or led a company.
+ 7 more
Lakeside School mafia14
Also came through, then founded or led a company.
+ 7 more
Breakthrough Energy Ventures mafia6
Also came through, then founded or led a company.
Same school
Also attended Harvard University2,000
+ 1,994 more
Also attended Lakeside School37
+ 31 more
Shared employers
Also worked at Microsoft2,000
+ 1,994 more