Intrepid Ventures - Investor Profiles

Mark Leslie

Co-founder & Former CEO, Veritas Software

Background

Co-founder, Chairman and CEO of Veritas Software (grew to $1.5B revenue, $400M profit). Stanford GSB Lecturer in entrepreneurship, sales and ethics since 2001. Managing Director of Leslie Ventures.

Investment Focus

Deep Tech AI Infrastructure Enterprise Software Data Protection

Recent Investments

Pano (2022), AI21 Labs (2022), Helm.ai (2021), Genesis Therapeutic (2020), Cresta (2020)

Jeff Rothschild

Facebook Early Engineer & Accel Partner

Background

VP Infrastructure Engineering at Facebook (2005-2015), first VP Engineering. Co-founder of Veritas Software and Mpath Interactive. Consulting Partner at Accel since 1999.

Investment Focus

Infrastructure Data Systems AI/ML Cybersecurity

Recent Investments

Helm.ai (2021), Kleeen Software (2021), Zadar Labs (2021), Upsolver (2020), HeartVista (2020)

Jason Taylor

Former VP Infrastructure, Meta → Microsoft Deputy CTO

Background

VP Infrastructure at Facebook/Meta (2009-2024), managed $120B infrastructure spend. PhD from MIT in Ultrafast Lasers and Quantum Computing. Currently Corporate VP and Deputy CTO at Microsoft.

Investment Focus

AI Infrastructure Quantum Computing Data Infrastructure Deep Tech

Key Achievements

Chair of Open Compute Project Foundation (2015-2017), Co-launched Telecom Infra Project, Founded/led 6 startups before Facebook

Fred van den Bosch

Librato Co-founder & Enterprise Software Veteran

Background

CEO/co-founder of Librato (acquired by SolarWinds), Executive VP Engineering and CTO at Veritas Software for 13 years. Built engineering organizations across US, Europe, and India.

Investment Focus

Enterprise Software Data Infrastructure Cybersecurity AI/Analytics

Recent Investments

PassRight (2017), Robin.io (2015), Cognilyze (2015), sPARK Parking Technologies (2015)

Marc Weiss

Open Field Capital Founding Partner

Background

Founding partner of Open Field Capital LLC (since 2003), Director of Research at Amerindo Investment Advisors (1994-2005). Former Senior Associate Engineer at IBM with two patents.

Investment Focus

AI Software Machine Learning Emerging Technology

Recent Investments

Mojo Vision (2023), Delfi Diagnostics (2022), Focus on AR/VR and cancer diagnostics

Ajay Shah

Shah Capital Partners Co-founder & Silver Lake Sumeru

Background

Co-founder of Shah Capital Partners (2004), Founding Managing Partner of Silver Lake Sumeru (2007-2022). Founder and CEO of Smart Global Holdings (1989-2020), grew to $1B+ revenue.

Investment Focus

Technology Solutions AI/ML Financial Technology Enterprise Software

Recent Investments

Galileo (2021), Deeplite (2021), Kloudless (2018), Crosswise (2014)

Nathan Petrie

Stanford MBA & Former Apple Strategic Deals

Background

Stanford MBA student (expected graduation June 2025), Apple Strategic Deals team member, Boeing Satellite Design Center Mechanical Design Engineer. Summer internship at VC firm focused on AI infrastructure.

Investment Focus

AI Infrastructure Deep Tech Strategic Deals Supply Chain

Key Experience

Apple supplier strategy team (Apple Silicon supply chain), Boeing Satellite Design Center, Stanford MBA program

Mark Leslie - Strategic Transformation Expert

Professional Background

Mark Leslie is known in Silicon Valley as co-founder, chairman and CEO of Veritas Software, which grew to $1.5B in annual revenue and $400M of operating profit. Over the past twenty-five years, Mark has served on over fifty boards of directors of both public and private high-tech companies.

Education & Teaching

Mark is a lecturer in entrepreneurship, sales and ethics at Stanford GSB where he has taught since 2001. He received a bachelor's degree in physics and mathematics from New York University and completed Harvard Business School's Program for Management Development.

Investment Philosophy

Mark focuses on "opportunity-driven leadership" versus "operationally-driven" leadership. He believes companies must embrace strategic transformation during their "sweet spot of optionality" to extend their lifespan and avoid the inevitable decline that comes with staying comfortable during growth phases.

Recent Investment Portfolio

Pano (Series A, Sep 2022) - Wildfire detection AI
AI21 Labs (Series B, Jul 2022) - AI language models
Helm.ai (Series B, Nov 2021) - Autonomous vehicle AI
Genesis Therapeutic (Series A, Dec 2020) - AI drug discovery
Cresta (Series A, Feb 2020) - AI customer service
Nines (Series A, Nov 2019) - Radiology AI
Clumio (Series B, Aug 2019) - Cloud data protection

Board Positions

Current board positions include Stanford Health Care, NYU Board of Trustees, and numerous private technology companies. He has been involved with over 50 board positions throughout his career.

Key Insights

Mark's expertise lies in strategic transformation and scaling companies. He advocates for taking transformative risks during growth phases and believes that "there is no place to rest" in business - continuous innovation is essential for long-term success.

Future Tweet Suggestions

AI-generated tweet suggestions based on each investor's expertise, background, and investment philosophy

Mark Leslie - Future Tweet Suggestions

The biggest risk isn't taking bold action during growth—it's staying comfortable when disruption is inevitable. Companies that embrace strategic transformation during their 'sweet spot of optionality' extend their lifespan by decades. Oracle's pivot to internet-first applications in the 90s is a masterclass in this principle. #StrategicTransformation #Leadership

Strategic Transformation 280 characters

I've observed two types of leaders: Opportunity-Driven and Operationally-Driven. The former see maximum optionality as a springboard, the latter see it as risk. Wall Street loves operational leaders until they fall off the growth curve with nowhere to go. Choose your leadership style wisely. #Leadership #Innovation

Leadership Philosophy 279 characters

After 25 years in Silicon Valley and 20+ years teaching at Stanford GSB, I've learned that the best entrepreneurs aren't just visionaries—they're students. They study failure patterns, market cycles, and human behavior. The classroom and boardroom teach each other. #Entrepreneurship #Education

Teaching & Entrepreneurship 276 characters

Jeff Rothschild - Future Tweet Suggestions

Building Facebook's infrastructure from startup to billions of users taught me: scalability isn't just about technology—it's about organizational design. The systems that got you to 10M users will break at 100M. Plan for the break, don't just react to it. #Infrastructure #Scaling

Infrastructure Scaling 274 characters

Technology's greatest power isn't in the code we write, but in the problems we choose to solve. Whether it's anti-poverty programs, healthcare access, or economic development in Africa—our technical skills are tools for human impact. #TechForGood #Philanthropy

Philanthropy & Technology 268 characters

The best infrastructure investments are invisible when they work perfectly. I look for founders building the foundational layers that enable other innovations to flourish. The picks and shovels of the digital gold rush often outlast the gold itself. #VentureCapital #Infrastructure

Investment Philosophy 279 characters

Jason Taylor - Future Tweet Suggestions

Managing $120B in infrastructure spend at Meta taught me that AI's biggest bottleneck isn't algorithms—it's infrastructure. The companies that solve compute, storage, and networking at scale will enable the next wave of AI breakthroughs. Hardware is eating software's lunch. #AIInfrastructure #DeepTech

AI Infrastructure Evolution 280 characters

My MIT thesis on ultrafast lasers and quantum computing feels more relevant today than in 2002. As we hit the limits of classical computing for AI workloads, quantum systems will become essential infrastructure. The physics PhD is becoming the new computer science degree. #QuantumComputing #AI

Quantum Computing Future 280 characters

Leading the Open Compute Project taught me that hardware innovation accelerates when we collaborate like software developers. Open designs, shared standards, and community-driven development are transforming data centers. The future of infrastructure is open. #OpenCompute #Hardware

Open Source Hardware 279 characters

Fred van den Bosch - Future Tweet Suggestions

Building engineering teams across US, Europe, and India at Veritas taught me that innovation isn't geography-dependent—it's culture-dependent. The best global teams combine Silicon Valley's risk-taking with European engineering rigor and global talent diversity. #GlobalTech #Engineering

European Tech Perspective 280 characters

From storage management at Veritas to real-time analytics at Librato, I've watched data infrastructure evolve from 'store everything' to 'understand everything instantly.' The next wave isn't just about data lakes—it's about data intelligence that acts autonomously. #DataInfrastructure #Analytics

Data Infrastructure Evolution 280 characters

Serving on Varonis' board has shown me that cybersecurity isn't just about preventing breaches—it's about understanding data behavior. The future of security is predictive, not reactive. Companies that treat security as intelligence will outperform those that treat it as insurance. #Cybersecurity #DataSecurity

Cybersecurity Investment Thesis 280 characters

Marc Weiss - Future Tweet Suggestions

20+ years investing in emerging tech has taught me that the most transformative companies often look like toys at first. From IBM patents to AI startups, the pattern remains: serious technology solving real problems, initially dismissed by incumbents. #EmergingTech #VentureCapital

Emerging Technology Patterns 279 characters

The AI investment landscape reminds me of the early internet days—lots of infrastructure plays, platform bets, and application experiments. The winners will be those who solve fundamental problems, not just add AI features. Focus on the problem, not the technology. #AI #Investment

AI Investment Landscape 279 characters

Having authored patents at IBM and invested in tech for decades, I've learned that the best technical founders can explain complex innovations simply. If you can't explain your breakthrough to a smart 12-year-old, you probably don't understand it well enough to scale it. #TechInvesting #Innovation

Technical Due Diligence 280 characters

Ajay Shah - Future Tweet Suggestions

Building Smart Global Holdings from startup to $1B+ revenue taught me that the future belongs to companies that master both hardware and software. Pure software plays are vulnerable; pure hardware plays are commoditized. Integration creates defensible moats. #HardwareSoftware #Manufacturing

Hardware-Software Integration 280 characters

Serving on boards from Silicon Valley to Indian School of Business has shown me that the next wave of global innovation will be India-US partnerships. India's engineering talent + US market access + global capital = unstoppable combination. #IndiaUSA #GlobalTech

India-US Tech Bridge 270 characters

Silver Lake Sumeru's middle market focus taught me that the best growth companies aren't always unicorns. Sometimes the most sustainable returns come from profitable, growing businesses that need capital and expertise to scale globally. Fundamentals still matter. #GrowthEquity #MiddleMarket

Middle Market Growth 280 characters

Nathan Petrie - Future Tweet Suggestions

Working on Apple's Strategic Deals team taught me that the best acquisitions aren't about buying technology—they're about buying time and talent. In fast-moving markets, speed to market often matters more than building from scratch. #StrategicDeals #Apple

Strategic Deals Perspective 268 characters

Diversifying Apple Silicon supply chains showed me that resilience is the new efficiency. The companies that build redundant, flexible supply networks will outperform those optimized for cost alone. Supply chain is becoming competitive advantage. #SupplyChain #Manufacturing

Supply Chain Innovation 279 characters

Combining mechanical engineering with Stanford MBA studies has shown me that the best business opportunities often hide in technical complexity. When engineers and MBAs truly collaborate, they find solutions that neither could see alone. #Engineering #MBA #Innovation

MBA + Engineering Combination 275 characters