Mary Meeker is Good for KP, But Is KP Good for Mary Meeker?
Yesterday morning, Internet analyst Mary Meeker told colleagues at Morgan Stanley’s Monday meeting that after two decades with the bank, she had decided to leave New York for Silicon Valley and become a venture capitalist at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Given Meeker’s reputation for brilliantly capturing where the Web is headed, the announcement couldn’t come at a better time for Kleiner Perkins. The firm has been working tirelessly to heighten its credibility in the social media world, after missing occasions to back Twitter, Facebook, Groupon, and LinkedIn, among others. Last month, most notably, the firm captured the world’s attention when it announced the formation of sFund, a $250 million fund created to invest in social Web companies. The question isn’t whether Kleiner Perkins will benefit from this marriage; it is what gains Meeker will see.
