Francisco Partners Announces the Passing of Co-Founder Sandy Robertson
August 03 2024 - 8:05PM
Business Wire
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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Whit Clay T: 917-601-6012 wclay@sloanepr.com