Get All Access for $5/mo

Steve Jobs's Son Is Diving Into Venture Capital — and His Focus Hits Close to Home Reed Jobs, 31, launched venture capital firm Yosemite, which already boasts $200 million from investors and institutions.

By Amanda Breen

Key Takeaways

  • Yosemite is a spinoff of Emerson Collective and will invest in new cancer treatments.
  • Jobs "had never ever wanted to be a venture capitalist" but realized he could make a "tremendous difference."

Like father, like son: It seems innovation runs deep in the Jobs family.

Reed Jobs, the 31-year-old son of Steve Jobs and Laurene Powell Jobs, is launching a venture capital firm to invest in new cancer treatments, DealBook reported.

Jobs' father was diagnosed with cancer when he was just 12, and it motivated his interest in oncology from an early age, he told the outlet.

Related: Steve Jobs Systematically Cultivated His Creativity. You Can Too.

The new firm "Yosemite," a nod to where his parents got married, has raised $200 million from investors and institutions including the venture capitalist John Doerr, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, The Rockefeller University and MIT, per DealBook.

Bloomberg | Getty Images Reed Jobs, left; Laurene Powell Jobs, right.

The firm is a spinoff of Emerson Collective, the business and philanthropic organization started by his mother in 2004. Jobs has served as managing director for health at Emerson, which he said is differentiated from other funding organizations by its ability to focus on both philanthropy and investment, per the company's site.

Yosemite will house both a non-profit business and a donor-advised fund to provide scientists with grants, according to DealBook.

Related: The Best Advice Steve Jobs Ever Gave | Entrepreneur

Jobs took a step back from oncology to major in history and earn a master's degree in the subject and "had never ever wanted to be a venture capitalist," he told the outlet.

"But I realized that when you're actually incubating something and putting it together, you can make a tremendous difference in what assets are part of that, what direction it's going to take, and what the scientific focus is going to be," Jobs explained.

Amanda Breen

Entrepreneur Staff

Senior Features Writer

Amanda Breen is a senior features writer at Entrepreneur.com. She is a graduate of Barnard College and received an MFA in writing at Columbia University, where she was a news fellow for the School of the Arts.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Starting a Business

He Started a Business That Surpassed $100 Million in Under 3 Years: 'Consistent Revenue Right Out of the Gate'

Ryan Close, founder and CEO of Bartesian, had run a few small businesses on the side — but none of them excited him as much as the idea for a home cocktail machine.

Franchise

The Top 10 Coffee Franchises in 2024

From a classic cup of joe to a creamy latte, grab your favorite mug and get ready to brew up success with the best coffee franchises.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Marketing

How Small Businesses Can Leverage Dark Social to Drive Word-of-Mouth Marketing

Dark social accounts for 70% of social media shares and is crucial for small businesses. Here's how you can tap into this hidden marketing opportunity.

Business News

'Jaw-Dropping Performance in 2024,' Says a Senior Analyst as Nvidia Reports Earnings

Nvidia reported its highly-anticipated third-quarter earnings on Wednesday.

Business News

'Do You Sell Cars?': Tesla CEO Elon Musk Trolls Jaguar Rebrand on X

The team running Jaguar's X account was working hard on social media this week.