Arthur Rock
Pioneer venture capitalist who funded Intel and Apple
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- 100 yrs
- Birthday in 287 days
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Arthur Rock is an American investor who helped arrange the funding of Fairchild Semiconductor in 1957, raised the money that started Intel in 1968 and was an early investor in Apple. He is regarded as one of the founders of modern venture capital.
Biography
Background
Rock grew up in Rochester, where his father ran a sweet shop. He served in the army, studied at Syracuse University and earned an MBA at Harvard, then worked at the investment bank Hayden, Stone.
Fairchild
In 1957 he received a letter from the eight engineers who wanted to leave Shockley Semiconductor. He found Sherman Fairchild to fund them, creating Fairchild Semiconductor.
Davis & Rock and Intel
Moving to San Francisco, he co-founded Davis & Rock in 1961. In 1968 he raised $2.5 million for Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore’s new company, Intel, in an afternoon, and chaired its board.
Apple and more
He invested in Scientific Data Systems, Teledyne and Apple, serving on Apple’s board. He has given generously to education, including Harvard Business School.
Timeline
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1926
Born in Rochester, New York, United States
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1957
Arranges Fairchild funding
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1961
Co-founds Davis & Rock
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1968
Raises money for Intel
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1978
Invests in Apple
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1984
Time magazine cover
Did you know?
-
1
He is often credited with coining the term “venture capitalist”.
-
2
He wrote Intel’s initial business plan on a single page.
-
3
He was on the cover of Time in 1984.
Connections
Also born on 19 August
-
Satya Nadella
Technology · Chairman and CEO of Microsoft
1967
-
Gulzar
Film & TV · Poet, lyricist and film director
1933
-
Sudha Murty
Literature · Writer, engineer and philanthropist
1950
- Edgar F. Codd Science · IBM researcher who invented the relational model behind modern databases 1923
-
Willard Boyle
Science · Canadian physicist who co-invented the CCD image sensor
1924
-
Gordon Bell
Technology · DEC engineer who designed the PDP minicomputers and the VAX
1934
Frequently asked
Who is Arthur Rock?
Arthur Rock is an American investor who helped arrange the funding of Fairchild Semiconductor in 1957, raised the money that started Intel in 1968 and was an early investor in Apple. He is regarded as one of the founders of modern venture capital.
How old is Arthur Rock?
Arthur Rock is 100 years old, born on 19 August 1926 in Rochester, New York, United States.
Where is Arthur Rock from?
Arthur Rock was born in Rochester, New York, United States.
What is Arthur Rock known for?
Arthur Rock is best known for Helping found Fairchild Semiconductor; funding Intel (1968) and Apple; coining “venture capitalist”.
References
- Arthur Rock — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Arthur Rock (Q4800159) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Arthur Rock”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
External links
About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 4 November 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Arthur Rock.” TrackFame, last updated 5 November 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/arthur-rock
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