Mark Kvamme is stepping down as a general partner with Sequoia Capital, arguably the nation’s top venture capital firm, in order to take on a public service role in Ohio.
Kvamme will become interim director of the Ohio Department of Development, where he’ll be charged with transforming the scattered agency into a private jobs development organization. His salary will be just $1.
The Columbus Dispatch reports that Kvamme is a longtime friend of incoming Ohio Governor John Kasich, who appointed Kvamme to the position.
Also worth noting that Ohio campaign finance records show that Kvamme contributed over $44,000 to Kasich’s campaign, plus another $24,000 to the state’s GOP campaign committee.
It will be interesting to see how Kvamme manages to translate Silicon Valley to Ohio, at least for the short time he’s expected to be out there. Again, this is an interim position that only is expected to last between four and five months.
I emailed Kvamme to ask if he’ll return to Sequoia once the Ohio gig is over, and he responded affirmatively (albeit as a “special limited partner,” a new position that Kvamme says will be fulltime).
Kvamme’s investment portfolio with Sequoia includes LinkedIn, AdBrite, Funny or Die, StrongMail and Corvigo.