Dr. Frank Greene Jr: A Black Titan of Tech
Dr. Frank Greene Jr. stood amongst technology giants such as William Hewlett and David Packard in Silicon Valley’s Engineering Hall of Fame. A true pioneering technologist regardless of the color of his skin, he developed and held the patent for the integrated circuit, which made Fairchild a semiconductor leader in the late 1960s. Although he went on to start a venture firm NewVista Capital as well as two software companies, Technology Development Corp. and ZeroOne Systems Inc.; some of his greatest contributions to the black community was birthed out of his own personal fight for equality.
Dr. Greene grew up in the 50’s in the highly segregated St. Louis, Missouri area. Engaged in the battle for Civil Rights, he and his friends would go to sit-ins at local businesses to see if they could advance the cause of integration. Upon one such trip to a pizza restaurant, the group of young activists encountered a white business owner willing to serve them dinner. The only problem, they didn’t have enough money between the group to buy a pizza. This defining moment would serve as a force multiplier throughout the rest of his personal and professional life. From that day on he always said, “You have to be prepared for opportunity when it arrives.... You’ve got to be prepared for success.' We weren't expecting to succeed, so we didn't take any money." and prepared he would become. Greene broke the color barrier everywhere he went. He was among the first black students to attend college at Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Greene was also the first black cadet to make it through the four-year U.S. Air Force ROTC program in 1961(serving his country as an Air Force captain). He was also hailed as one of the first black technologists in Silicon Valley.
Although Dr. Greene was prepared for success, that was not enough for him. He also prepared others to succeed. In addition to creating jobs and opportunities for his local community, his venture firm NewVista Capital, focused on helping other minority and female owned firms get started. He taught at Howard University, Santa Clara, Stanford University, Northwestern University and his alma mater Washington University at St. Louis. Why did he do all of this? What was his motivation? He said in an interview with the Palo Alto Weekly, "Success in life is not about 'me' but about what you can do to help others”.
We have come a long way since the Civil Rights movement of the 50’s and 60’s, and largely as result of the collective contributions of leaders like Dr. King, A.G. Gaston and Dr. Greene. This is not to say the fight is over, rather as Dr. Greene learned, we have got to be ready to succeed. Are there obstacles? Sure! Do we still deal with prejudice? indeed! I am, however persuaded that our opportunity has now arrived. We are on the edge of a digital revolution. Knowledge that was once held hostage by only the elite classes in society, is now available to all within the palm of our hands. Are you an aspiring tech entrepreneur? No problem, just simply enroll in How to Start a Startup from Stanford University (by way of iTunes U). Want to know how to code? Simple enough, jump online to Edx.org and sign up for the next open course called The Software Architect Code: Building the Digital World.
You might be thinking, if this is true and everyone has access to this, what than is my competitive edge in the market place? The answer is simple, Dr. Frank Greene gave us the road map. You take Black struggle, add continuous learning (being prepared in advance to succeed) than multiplied that by black hustle. Thank you, Dr. Greene, for your contribution!
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About the Authors:
Dr. Paul Campbell is one of the co-founders of Brown Venture Group, LLC. Launched in 2018, Brown Venture Group, LLC is a venture studio venture capital firm exclusively for Black, Latino, and Native American technology startups. Brown Venture Group is writing a new playbook for both those interested in launching a minority-owned technology startup and those interested in investing in new technologies. For more information go to brownventuregroup.com.
