Biographical / Historical
Scope and Contents
Conditions Governing Access
Conditions Governing Use
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Preferred Citation
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
Department of Special Collections and University Archives
Title: Franklin P. "Pitch" Johnson papers
creator:
Johnson, Franklin P.
Identifier/Call Number: M1939
Physical Description:
78 Linear Feet
(158 boxes)
Date (inclusive): circa 1975-2008
Abstract: The Pitch Johnson papers consist primarily of his work as a venture capitalist at Asset Management Company, a firm he founded.
Also included is material relating to education and his work as a community member.
Biographical / Historical
Franklin Pitcher Johnson, Jr., known colloquially as “Pitch” Johnson, is an American venture capitalist known for his investments
in Silicon Valley biotechnology and computer companies. The son of an Olympic track and field athlete, Johnson attended Stanford
University on a track and field scholarship, graduating in 1950 before earning his MBA from Harvard in 1952. After serving
in the Air Force and working as a foreman for the Inland Steel Company in Indiana, Johnson returned to Palo Alto to work in
venture capital.
Johnson founded Draper and Johnson Investment Company in 1962 with fellow investor Bill Draper, and his own independent venture
capital firm, Asset Management Company, in 1965. As a venture capitalist, Johnson has invested in biotechnology companies
such as Amgen, Biogen and Applied Biosystems, as well as computer companies such as Tandem Computers, Qume, and Teradyne.
In the 1990s, Johnson formed European Renaissance Capital, a venture investment company aimed at investing in new businesses
in post-Soviet Bloc countries such as Poland, the Czech Republic, and Romania.
Pitch Johnson taught a course on venture capital and entrepreneurship at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business
from 1979 – 1990, the first of its kind at the school. His involvement with Stanford additionally extends to board membership
with the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR) and the Hoover Institution, and philanthropic support of
Stanford’s track and field program. He has authored articles and given presentations on entrepreneurship and venture capital
throughout the world. Additionally, Johnson served as chairman of the board of the San Francisco Opera from 1999 – 2008, and
as an elected trustee of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District from 1971-1983. He also served as director of the
National Venture Capital Association and as president of the Western Association of Venture Capitalists.
Johnson was awarded the Distinguished Achievement Medal by the Stanford Athletic Board in 1994, the Lifetime Achievement Award
by the National Venture Capital Association in 2002, the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Institute for International Education
in 2005, and the Gold Spike Award for volunteer service by Stanford University in 2007.
Scope and Contents
The Franklin P. “Pitch” Johnson papers include materials ranging from the 1980s to the 2010s, with the bulk of the collection
comprising documents related to Johnson’s Eastern European venture capital endeavors from the 1990s to early 2000s. These
include corporate, legal, and financial records and communications, including faxes, memoranda, email correspondence, bank
transfer documentation, tax forms and IRS correspondence, business prospectuses, invoices, reimbursement documents, ledgers,
check registers, budgets and balance sheets, contracts and partnership agreements, legal agreements, annual and quarterly
reports, board correspondence, meeting agendas and minutes, and investment schedules.
Additional series contain materials related to Johnson’s board tenure with the San Francisco Opera, teaching materials from
his time teaching at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, material from his time as a Hoover Institution board member,
stewardship materials related to his volunteer activity with Stanford University, reports and presentations Johnson gave on
venture capital and entrepreneurship, and various companies Johnson invested in through his venture capital firm Asset Management
Company. The companies Amgen, Tandem Computers, Hypres, and Biogen IDEC are all represented in the collection.
Stanford GSB materials that contain original student work or grades and business records that contain personal employee information
such as salary information and social security numbers have been restricted, and are closed for research until 2050.
Conditions Governing Access
Material in Record Group 1 is open for research. Note that material must be requested at least 36 hours in advance of intended
use.
Material in Record Group 2 is CLOSED until 2050.
Conditions Governing Use
While Special Collections is the owner of the physical and digital items, permission to examine collection materials is not
an authorization to publish. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. Any transmission
or reproduction beyond that allowed by fair use requires permission from the owners of rights, heir(s) or assigns.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Franklin P. "Pitch" Johnson, Jr., 2013. Accessions 2013-018 and 2013-053.
Preferred Citation
[identification of item], Franklin P. "Pitch" Johnson Papers (M1939). Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives,
Stanford Libraries, Stanford, Calif.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Venture capital -- California
Silicon Valley
Johnson, Franklin P.
Asset Management Company