Larry Bock
Lawrence A. "Larry" Bock (September 21, 1959 – July 6, 2016) [1] was an American entrepreneur who has aided in starting or financing 50 early stage growth companies,[2] with a combined market value of more than $70 billion.[3]
Early life
Bock was born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Chappaqua. He received a degree in biochemistry from Bowdoin College and an MBA from UCLA. After school, he worked for Genentech.[4] He married Diane Birnie Bock in 1986 and had two daughters: Quincy Bock Stokes and Tasha Bock in 1988 and 1992, respectively. Bock is a donor, co-founder, and the executive director of USA Science and Engineering Festival.[5][6]
Blindness
Bock suffered from Stargardt disease, an inherited form of macular degeneration that causes progressive loss of vision and he was legally blind at the age of 29. However, he was determined to continue working as if he had no disability.[7]
Death
Bock died from cancer on July 6, 2016.[8]
Career
Bock was highlighted as a "keystone species" in the ecosystem of Silicon Valley in the book The Rainforest.[9] A keystone species, in the innovation context, is someone who connects people who would benefit from working together, but who would not work together under normal circumstances because of trust, distance, and/or cultural barriers.
Bock was previously a CEO of Nanosys, where he helped to raise $55 million in funding.[10] Bock was also a special limited partner with Lux Capital.[11]
Bock founded multiple companies:
- Illumina, a biotechnology company for genetic products
- Nanosys, a nanotechnology company for optics and batteries
- Pharmacopeia biotechnology, a company investigating small molecule combinatorial chemistry
- Idun Pharmaceuticals, a company developing drugs targeting apoptosis
- Caliper Life Sciences, which aids in drug discovery.
USA Science and Engineering Festival
Bock worked with Lockheed Martin to start the first festival in San Diego.[12] It was later moved to Washington D.C. It premiered on the National Mall but was later moved to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center where it attracted more than 350,000 participants in 2016, making it the largest event housed in the convention center.
References
- ^ [San Diego Union Tribune, Larry Bock obit]
- ^ "Larry Bock Memorial Statement" (PDF). USA Science and Engineering Festival. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
- ^ "An Homage to Larry Bock, Who Had God's Hand on His Shoulder". Xconomy. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
- ^ Thornton, Kelly (August 29, 2012). "Mr. Bock Goes To Washington And Takes The Science Expo With Him". Retrieved 5 December 2014.
- ^ "Larry Bock". luxcapital. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
- ^ "Join Festival Co-founder Larry Bock and Stem Experts for e-week twitter chat". USA Science Festival. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
- ^ "The Extraordinary Vision of Larry Bock". Xconomy. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
- ^ Robbins, Gary (July 8, 2016). "Larry Bock dies at 56; biotech entrepreneur launched science festivals". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
- ^ Hwang, Victor and Greg Horowitt (2012). The Rainforest: The Secret to Building the Next Silicon Valley. Los Altos Hills: Regenwald. pp. 68–75. ISBN 978-0615586724.
- ^ Bock, Larry (2004). "Following Mr. Robinson's Advice: The Story of Nanosys". Nanotechnology Law & Business. 1.1: 91–97. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
- ^ Nour, David (March 20, 2009). The Entrepreneur's Guide to Raising Capital (1st ed.). Praeger. p. 8,17,46. ISBN 978-0313356025.
- ^ Tamura, Leslie (October 25, 2010). "Festival on the Mall challenges young and old to think scientifically". The Washington Post. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
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