Early Life and Education
Mark Anthony Stevens was born on February 17, 1960, in Los Angeles County, California. His father was a U.S. Navy veteran and an environmental test engineer, and his mother was an administrative assistant. Stevens graduated from Culver City High School. He went on to earn bachelor's degrees in electrical engineering and economics in 1981, a master's degree in computer engineering in 1984 from the University of Southern California (USC), and an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1989.
Rise to Success
Stevens began his career at Intel in 1982, where he worked in technical sales and marketing. In 1989, he joined Sequoia Capital, where he focused on investments in semiconductor, software, and systems-related companies. During his time at Sequoia Capital, he became a prominent figure in the venture capital industry, recognized on Forbes' Midas List of top venture capitalists. Stevens invested in Nvidia in 1993 and joined its board of directors, rejoining in 2008.
Key Business Strategies
Stevens's success can be attributed to his strategic investments in the technology sector. He was one of the five voting partners at Sequoia Capital jointly responsible for investments in Google, Yahoo!, Nvidia, YouTube, and others. He later founded S-Cubed Capital. As of mid-2024, he was the second largest insider shareholder of Nvidia.
Philanthropy
Mark and his wife Mary Stevens are committed philanthropists. In 2004, they donated $22 million to the University of Southern California, establishing the USC Stevens Institute for Technology Commercialization. In 2015, they donated $50 million to endow and name the USC Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute. They are also signatories of The Giving Pledge.
