Not many entrepreneurs have both professional football and private equity on their résumés. But Steve Young has always been something of an overperformer. During his 15-year career in the NFL, the Hall of Fame quarterback earned himself three Super Bowl victories, two Most Valuable Player awards, and, somehow, a law degree. Playing for the San Francisco 49ers during the 1990s gave Young a front-row seat to the Silicon Valley tech boom, so when he retired from the NFL in 2000, launching a second act as an investor seemed like a smart play.
In 2007, Young co-founded the private equity firm HGGC with veteran investors Greg Benson, Bob Gay, and Rich Lawson. The Palo Alto, Californiabased firm has completed more than 600 investments in companies with a combined enterprise value of more than $70 billion. While PE may be nothing like the NFL, investing in fast-growing companies does remind Young of his playing days.
