Rich Miner, general partner at GV, the corporate venturing unit formerly known as Google Ventures, is stepping down to work on an education initiative for parent company Alphabet, Fortune reported yesterday.
Miner had been a GP at GV since 2009 when the unit was formed, having joined Google when it acquired Android, the mobile operating system he had co-founded, four years earlier. He was also helped to launch telecom firm Orange’s corporate venturing unit, Orange Ventures, as principal.
The GP will remain at the unit in a venture partner role and will retain some of his board seats. Investments he has led during his time at GV include HubSpot, Adelphic and Toast.
Bill Maris, chief executive of GV, told Fortune: “It is not surprising that Rich wants to go build something new.
“He is an adventurous person who jumped into this thing with me, so what was to my benefit years ago is now to my detriment. But I am really excited for what Rich has in front of him.”
Miner’s new work is still largely secretive but will revolve around educational technology and will be conducted under the auspices of Google, which now operates as the internet technology branch of Alphabet, due to it linking with some of Google’s existing edtech assets.
“I do not actually know exactly what we are building yet,” Miner said. “Just like Android took us our years to get the first device out and I helped create WildFire 25 years ago as a voice-based personal assistant, which is just now starting to happen. This vision is another big idea, but it will take time.”
– Photo courtesy of GV