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Capital · The Investors · Analysis

What Don Valentine Saw in the Market for Personal Computers

The Sequoia founder sold semiconductors at Fairchild before backing Atari, Apple and Cisco. Each investment turned on a different question about who would pay for what the chips made possible.

Nov 9, 2026By Sunny Tisch4 min read

Economist-style ink engraving illustration on warm cream paper showing an arcade cabinet and early personal computer on the left connected through a central multi-port router switchboard to an investor magnifying glass examining customer ledgers and an AI terminal on the right. — From Atari and Apple to Cisco and modern AI software, Don Valentine’s investments traced what customers could do with cheaper computing and what new problems spread created.

Cisco Capital Apple