Heidi Roizen

Heidi Roizen
Born1958 (age 66–67)
Stanford, California
NationalityAmerican
Alma materStanford University (BA, MBA)[1]
OccupationVenture capitalist
Websitewww.heidiroizen.com

Heidi Roizen (born 1958) is a Silicon Valley executive, venture capitalist, and entrepreneur.

She is known for speaking out against the harassment of women in technology,[2] having herself received harassment in the past.[3][4]

Early life and education

Roizen was born in 1958 in Stanford, California. She graduated from Stanford University in 1980 with a bachelor's degree in English and earned her MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business three years later.

Career

From 1983 to 1996, Roizen co-founded, together with her brother Peter Roizen, the T/Maker Company, which made software for CP/M and MS-DOS computers, and later for the Apple Macintosh.[5] From 1987 until 1994, Roizen also served on the board of directors of the Software Publishers Association and was its president from 1988[6] to 1990.

From 1996 to 1997, Roizen was Vice President of World Wide Developer Relations for Apple Inc. She also served on the board of Great Plains Software from 1997 until its acquisition by Microsoft in 2001.

Roizen also served as the Public Governor of the Pacific Exchange and on the executive committee of the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA).

Roizen entered the venture capital world in 1999, first as a Managing Director of SOFTBANK Venture Capital (which became Mobius Venture Capital), from 1999 to 2007, and then in 2012 she joined global investor Draper Fisher Jurvetson as a venture partner.[7]

She also launched her own entrepreneurial venture, SkinnySongs,[8][9] In September 2008, the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs and Executives awarded Heidi Roizen their annual Achievement Award.

In June 2009, Roizen was elected to the Board of Directors of TiVo, and in September 2012, she was elected to the board of London-based media conglomerate Daily Mail and General Trust (known as owners of the Daily Mail and its digital counterpart, Mail Online). At the time she was elected, she became the first female director in the company's 116-year history.[citation needed]

In 2010, Roizen was named a Lecturer and Entrepreneurship Educator at Stanford University, where she teaches the course 'Spirit of Entrepreneurship' in the MS&E (Engineering) department.

Awards and recognition

Roizen was awarded 2018 Financial Woman of the Year by Financial Women of San Francisco.[10]

References

  1. ^ "Jo Ann Heidi Roizen". bloomberg. Retrieved 2019-06-14.
  2. ^ Tam, Ruth (2015-01-30). "Artist behind Newsweek cover: it's not sexist, it depicts the ugliness of sexism". PBS NewsHour. Retrieved 2015-03-21.
  3. ^ Feloni, Richard (29 January 2015). "Investor Heidi Roizen Shared A Disturbing Story That Shows How Difficult Silicon Valley Can Be For Women". Archived from the original on 7 March 2018.
  4. ^ "What *not* to do in a venture pitch meeting". 12 November 2019. Archived from the original on 10 February 2023.
  5. ^ Borrell, Jerry (January 1988). "An interview with Heidi Rozen, President of T/Maker". Macworld. Vol. 5, no. 1. p. 73.
  6. ^ "Statement of Heidi Roizen, President, T/Maker Co, Mountain View, CA". ERIC ED315049: The Computer Software Rental Amendments Act of 1988. Hearing on S. 2727 before the Subcommittee on Patents, Copyrights and Trademarks of the Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate. One Hundredth Congress, Second Session (Provo, Utah, August 24, 1988). 1989. p. 16-17 – via Internet Archive.
  7. ^ "Heidi Roizen On How To Choose Your VC – TechCrunch". techcrunch.com. 27 February 2016. Retrieved 2018-05-15.
  8. ^ Nancy Hellmich, USA Today (2008-01-06). "Businesswoman is dancing to a new, more healthful tune". Retrieved 2010-05-04.
  9. ^ Forbes. "A big venture capitalist in Silicon Valley quits her day job to run a 'skinny' business". Forbes.
  10. ^ "Financial Women of San Francisco Name Heidi Roizen 2018 Financial Woman of the Year". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2018-05-15.