Gary Lauder
Gary Lauder is the Managing Director of Lauder Partners LLC, a Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm investing in various realms of the technology field. He has been a venture capitalist since 1985, investing in over 150 private companies, and is an observer or member of about 7 of their boards. He serves on the Advisory Council of the Aspen Institute Science & Society Program and the Board of Governors of Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation. In the 1980's, he worked at the venture firms of Aetna, Jacobs & Ramo Technology Ventures, as well as Wolfensohn Associates. He holds a BA in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania; a BS in Economics from the Wharton School; and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He is the co-creator of the Aspen Institute's Socrates Society with Laura, his wife, and is a member of the inaugural class of the Aspen Institute's Henry Crown Fellowship Program. From time to time, he publicly advocates on subjects that are important, but misunderstood, primarily: 1) preserving and improving our patent system for the benefit of tech entrepreneurs who innovate in fields where patent protection matters, and 2) improving decision-making on transportation to alleviate traffic congestion. He is co-inventor of 17 patents, has spoken at over 150 industry forums, and, since 1992, has published several articles about the future of telecommunications and computing...that he still stands by.