Background
Rock was born and raised in Rochester, New York, in a Jewish family. He was an only child and his father owned a small candy store where Rock worked as a youth.
Rock was born and raised in Rochester, New York, in a Jewish family. He was an only child and his father owned a small candy store where Rock worked as a youth.
He graduated with a Bachelor"s degree in business administration from Syracuse University in 1948 and earned an Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School in 1951.
Based out of Silicon Valley, California, he was an early investor in major firms including Intel, Apple Computer, Scientific Data Systems and Teledyne. He joined the United States. Army during World World War II but the war ended before he was deployed. He then went to college on the G.I. Bill.
Rock started his career in 1951 as a securities analyst in New York City, and then joined the corporate finance department of Hayden, Stone & Company in New York, where he focused on raising money for small high-technology companies.
In 1957, when the "traitorous eight" left Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory, Rock was the one who helped them find a place to go: he convinced Sherman Fairchild to start Fairchild Semiconductor. In 1961, he moved to California.
Along with Thomas J. Davis, Junior., he formed the San Francisco venture capital firm Davis & Rock. In 2003, Rock donated $25 million to the Harvard Business School to establish the Arthur Rock Center for Entrepreneurship.
Trustee California Institute Technology. Board directors San Francisco Opera Association, 1970-1992, San Francisco Museum Modern Art. Member visiting committee Harvard University Business School, 1982-1988.
Member National Association of Securities Dealers (Board of Governors).
Married Toni Rembe, July 19, 1975.