Francisco Partners is sad to share the unfortunate news that the firm’s beloved co-founder, Sanford “Sandy” Robertson, passed away this morning. Sandy was 93 years of age and was active until his last day.
Prior to co-founding Francisco Partners in 1999, Sandy was the Founder and Chairman of Robertson, Stephens & Company, a leading technology investment bank which was formed in 1978 and sold to Bank of America in 1998. He previously founded Robertson, Coleman, Siebel & Weisel, later renamed Montgomery Securities, another prominent technology investment bank. Throughout his career, Sandy was an active technology investor and banker who advised many of the most well-known investment firms and companies, including AOL, Applied Materials, Chiron, Cypress Semiconductor, Dell, E*TRADE, Gilead Sciences, Pixar, Sun Microsystems and Salesforce.com along with many others.
Dipanjan “DJ” Deb, co-founder & CEO of Francisco Partners offered the following statement: “Sandy lived a long and loving life, and the impact he has had on Silicon Valley and the growth of the technology industry in the world is impossible to quantify. The words ‘legend’ and ‘icon’ are often overutilized today, but Sandy was both. He started two of the four investment banks known as the ‘Four Horsemen’ that dominated technology banking for three decades, from the dawn of venture capital as an industry in the 70s through the dot com boom of the 90s. He then co-founded one of the leading technology private equity firms in the world, Francisco Partners. Sandy was deeply involved with his alma mater, the University of Michigan, where he received both his undergraduate and MBA degrees and co-founded the endowment’s Investment Advisory Board. His active not-for-profit work also included decades of support for UCSF.
“Sandy was far more than the industries he contributed to building and the illustrious company he kept. What stands out to me is not what he accomplished; rather, it was how he made people feel. He treated everyone equally, and with respect and appreciation. We will miss him dearly as will his family. He was a mentor and father figure to so many of us and while others may be compared to Sandy, he will never be compared with anyone else.”
Sandy is survived by his wife, Nancy, three daughters, Laura, Brett, and Lee Ann, and six grandchildren and two great grandchildren. The family celebrates his life and mourns his passing.
About Francisco Partners
Francisco Partners is a leading global investment firm that specializes in partnering with technology and technology-enabled businesses. Since its launch 25 years ago, Francisco Partners has invested in more than 450 technology companies, making it one of the most active and longstanding investors in the technology industry. With approximately $45 billion in capital raised, the firm invests in opportunities where its deep sectoral knowledge and operational expertise can help companies realize their full potential. For more information on Francisco Partners, please visit www.franciscopartners.com
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