Steve Vassallo

Bio

Before joining Foundation Capital in 2007, Steve helped launch Ning, a consumer Internet service where anyone can create their own social network. Prior to Ning, Steve was Director of Engineering at Immersion [IMMR], which pioneered the field of tactile feedback and human touch technology. Prior to Immersion, Steve was a project leader and design engineer at IDEO, where he developed more than a dozen successful products for market leading companies including Cisco, Nike, BMW, Steelcase, McDonalds, and Caterpillar. An entrepreneur who lives at the intersection of business, technology, and design, Steve’s innovations have won him over 28 patents and several design awards, including the Business Week Design of the Decade Award, red dot 2009, IDEA99 Gold and Bronze Awards, NeoCon Gold and Most Innovative New Product Awards. Steve serves on the board of directors of Airy Labs, Akiban, Aquion Energy, AutoGrid, Control4, Read It Later, Sentient Energy, and SunRun. Steve also serves on the board of the Nueva School and advises the Aquaya Institute. Steve earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University, and an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar.