Marc Tarpenning

Marc Tarpenning is an American engineer and serial entrepreneur currently serving as a Venture Partner at Spero Ventures. Before transitioning to venture capital, he co-founded NuvoMedia alongside Martin Eberhard, building an electronic reader business acquired by Gemstar-TV Guide for $187 million in 2000. Tarpenning is most widely recognized as a co-founder of Tesla, where he served as Chief Financial Officer and later as Vice President of Electrical Engineering from 2003 to 2008. As a graduate of UC Berkeley, he spent his early career in engineering and leadership positions at Textron, Seagate, Bechtel, and Packet Design. He maintains close ties to academia by advising UC Berkeley's Sutardja Center and SkyDeck accelerator, and acts as a board observer for DroneSeed. His current professional focus centers on backing early-stage founders who are developing sustainable products and climate technology to disrupt traditional industries.