Steve Westly | |
---|---|
30th Controller of California | |
In office January 6, 2003 – January 8, 2007 | |
Governor | Gray Davis Arnold Schwarzenegger |
Preceded by | Kathleen Connell |
Succeeded by | John Chiang |
Personal details | |
Born | Steven Paul Westly August 27, 1956 Arcadia, California, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse |
Anita Yu (m. 1997) |
Children | 2 |
Alma mater | Stanford University |
Steven Paul Westly (born August 27, 1956) is an American venture capitalist, entrepreneur, educator, and politician. He was the State Controller of California from 2003 to 2007 and was one of the top candidates in the Democratic primary for Governor of California in the 2006 election. He was defeated in the Democratic primary by California State Treasurer Phil Angelides by 4%, who later lost to Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in the November 2006 elections.
During the 2008 Presidential Election, Westly served as California Campaign Co-chair for Obama for America and also as a member of Obama for America's National Finance Committee. Westly was briefly considered for a cabinet-level position in the Obama administration. Currently, Westly is a Managing Partner at The Westly Group, a clean technology venture capital firm which he founded in 2007.[1]eThe company has successfully raised five venture capital funds and has $800 million in Assets Under Management (AUM). The company has 30 of the world's largest strategic companies companies as investors including Duke Energy, VW/Audi, State Farm, Bridgestone, ABB, and American Electric Power. The Westly Group has had nine portfolio companies go public including four multi-billion dollar exits at Tesla Motors, Procore, Luminar, and Sentinel One. The company has offices in Silicon Valley, San Francisco, and Washington DC.
Mr. Westly is also a frequent commentator on CNBC, Bloomberg, Schwab Network, and other outlets. He has done over 70 interviews on live national television on Tesla, the future of electric vehicles, autonomous vehicles, new battery technologies, and the rise of the Chinese auto industry.