Bob Metcalfe

Bob Metcalfe is an American entrepreneur, inventor, and venture capitalist. He is best known for inventing Ethernet, the networking technology that revolutionized how computers communicate. Metcalfe is also a co-founder of 3Com and the founder of Metcalfe's Law.

Metcalfe was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1946. He was raised in the suburbs of Boston and went on to attend MIT, where he received a degree in electrical engineering in 1969. After college, Metcalfe worked for the US Department of Defense and Xerox PARC, where he developed the world’s first local area network (LAN) – the Ethernet. 

Metcalfe founded 3Com in 1979 and served as its chairman and CEO until 1990. He grew the company from a small startup to a multi-billion dollar public firm during his tenure. He also developed Metcalfe'sMetcalfe'sh states that the value of a network is proportional to the square of the number of its users.

Metcalfe has received numerous awards for his work, including the National Medal of Technology and Innovation in 1999 and the Marconi Prize in 2010. He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Engineering and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is also a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the Royal Society of Canada, and various other technical and scientific organizations.

Metcalfe has been active in the venture capital sector since 1992 and is the founder of Polaris Ventures and the Metcalfe Ventures Fund. He has mentored many entrepreneurs, including Mark Zuckerberg, and advised companies such as Google, Apple, and Microsoft. He is also a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, where he teaches entrepreneurship and computer networking courses.

In addition to his business and academic pursuits, Metcalfe is an active philanthropist. He has supported numerous causes, including environmental conservation, education, and human rights. He is also a passionate advocate for the advancement of women in STEM fields.