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

Leadership

How to Close the Trust Gap Between You and Your Team — 5 Strategies for Leaders

Trust is tanking in your workplace. Here's how to fix it and become the boss your team needs to succeed.

Marketing

6 Cost-Effective Ways to Acquire Brand Ambassadors

Boost your brand's visibility and credibility with budget-friendly strategies for acquiring brand ambassadors.

Health & Wellness

Get a Year of Unlimited Yoga Class Downloads for Only $23 Through June 17

Regular exercise has been proven to increase energy and focus, both of which are valuable to entrepreneurs and well-known benefits of yoga.

Growing a Business

He Immigrated to the U.S. and Got a Job at McDonald's — Then His Aversion to Being 'Too Comfortable' Led to a Fast-Growing Company That's Hard to Miss

Voyo Popovic launched his moving and storage company in 2018 — and he's been innovating in the industry ever since.

Side Hustle

'The Work Just Fills My Soul': She Turned Her Creative Side Hustle Into a 6-Figure 'Dream' Business

Kayla Valerio, owner of vivid hair salon Haus of Color, transformed her passion into a lucrative venture.

Business Culture

Why Remote Work Policies Are Good For the Environment

Remote work policies are crucial for ESG guidelines. Embracing remote work can positively impact your business and employees.