Andreas Bechtolsheim is a German-born angel investor and Silicon Valley veteran who co-founded Sun Microsystems in 1982. See sector focus and contact routes.
About Andreas Bechtolsheim
Andreas Bechtolsheim is a German-born angel investor and Silicon Valley veteran who co-founded Sun Microsystems in 1982 as its chief hardware designer and later co-founded Arista Networks, where he serves as chairman and chief development officer. His investment thesis centers on early-stage technology companies, with a historic focus on networking silicon, semiconductors, cybersecurity, and infrastructure software, and a recent pivot toward AI-specific compute. Bechtolsheim typically invests personal capital as an angel, with an average round size of approximately $7.96 million, though his most famous early check was $100,000 in Google before its formal incorporation in 1998. Notable portfolio companies include Google, which he was the first external investor in, Arista Networks, Cerebras, and Mythic, alongside European deep-tech investments like USound and LiveEO. He is distinguished as one of Silicon Valley’s most successful angel investors, having provided start-up capital for Google and backed 22 additional companies beyond his five founded high-tech giants. While he maintains a low public profile, his distinctive point of view emphasizes
Andreas Bechtolsheim at a glance
Role
Angel Investor
Location
Santa Clara, CA, United States
Investor type
Individual/Angel
Focus areas
Dr. Andreas Bechtolsheim is the Founder and serves as the Chairman & Chief Development Officer at Arista Networks. As Chief Development Officer, he is responsible for the overall product development and technical direction of Arista Networks. Previously he was a Founder and Chief System Architect at Sun Microsystems, where most recently he was responsible for industry standard server architecture. He was also a Founder and President of Granite Systems, a Gigabit Ethernet startup acquired by Cisco Systems in 1996. From 1996 until 2003 he served as VP, GM of the Gigabit Systems Business Unit at Cisco that developed the very successful Catalyst 4500 family of switches. He was also a Founder and President of Kealia, a next generation server company acquired by Sun in 2004. He received an M.S. in Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in 1976 and was a Ph.D. Student at Stanford University from 1977 until 1982. He was co-awarded the prestigious "EY 2015 Entrepreneur of the Year"
Frequently asked about Andreas Bechtolsheim
What does Andreas Bechtolsheim invest in?
Andreas Bechtolsheim (Santa Clara, CA, United States) — sector focus: Dr. Andreas Bechtolsheim is the Founder and serves as the Chairman & Chief Development Officer at Arista Networks. As Chief Development Officer, he is responsi….
How do I contact Andreas Bechtolsheim?
Andreas Bechtolsheim's published profile links (website, LinkedIn or X where available) are listed on the StartupFundraising.com investor profile.
Where is Andreas Bechtolsheim headquartered?
Andreas Bechtolsheim is based in Santa Clara, CA, United States.
This profile is part of the StartupFundraising firm database: focus, portfolio history, disclosed location and contact routes, refreshed as new filings and rounds are ingested. Founders use it to check fit before reaching out and to find investors in Santa Clara.
