Tom Perkins founded the venture-capital firm Kleiner Perkins in 1972 with Eugene Kleiner. The firm was initially named Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers, combining Eugene Kleiner’s name with those of Perkins and later partners.
Tom Perkins had worked as an engineer and executive at Hewlett-Packard before entering venture capital. Eugene Kleiner was one of the founders of the engineering company that became part of the Silicon Valley tradition. The firm invested in technology and helped finance companies that became influential in computing, biotechnology, and consumer technology.
John Doerr is often associated with Kleiner Perkins because he became one of its most prominent partners, but he was not the firm’s original founder. The partnership’s name and leadership changed over time, while its early history dates to 1972.