After completing a Computer Science degree from University of California, Berkeley, Marc Tarpenning and Martin Eberhard founded NuvoMedia in 1997, a pioneering electronic book company that was acquired by Gemstar/TV Guide in 2000.

In 2003, Marc and Martin reunited to found Tesla Motors. At Tesla, Mr. Tarpenning ran the EE group in addition to being the acting CFO for the first three years. Tesla dominates the electric car industry, became a public company in 2010, and is currently the most valuable car company on Earth.

He is on the advisory board of UC Berkeley’s Sutardja Center for Technology and Entrepreneurship, several startups, and is a mentor at UC Berkeley’s SkyDeck Accelerator program. He joined Spero Ventures in 2018 and leads their sustainability investments.