Bill Maris

Bill Maris (born 1975, full name William J Maris) is an American entrepreneur and venture capitalist focused on technology and the life sciences. He is the founder and first CEO of Google Ventures (GV). He is the creator of Google's Calico project, a company focused on the genetic basis of aging. He is the founder of early web hosting pioneer Burlee.com, now part of Web.com, and the founder of Section 32, a California-based venture fund focused on frontier technology.In the mid 2000s, Maris partnered with entrepreneur David Green to transfer a novel hydrophobic acrylic lens to Aurolab to cure cataract blindness in the developing world, where it has been used in more than 30 million patients. Maris founded GV, formerly Google Ventures, in 2008 as the venture capital investment arm of Google Inc. He was responsible for the fund's strategy and management, and oversaw $3.0 billion in investments in technology and the life sciences. Maris was one of the first to cite the troubles with Theranos, the troubled Silicon Valley blood testing company. Maris founded Calico, a multibillion-dollar company whose mission is to understand and influence the genetic basis of aging. Google funded the company after Maris pitched the board of directors. In a 2015 interview, Maris stated that health care breakthroughs can significantly improve the quality and duration of human lifespan across the globe, and that he is looking to invest in promising biotechnology companies. Maris was also the Vice President of Special Projects at Google, where he was heavily involved in Google X, Verily. Maris left Google Ventures on August 12, 2016, declaring "mission accomplished." In 2017 Maris founded Section 32, a California-based venture fund with approximately $400 million under management.