Craig Walker (businessman)
Encyclopedia
Craig Walker is currently the first entrepreneur in residence to join the Google Ventures
team. Walker was previously the Group Product Manager for Real-Time Communications at Google, where he oversaw all of Google’s voice communications products, including Google Voice
, Google Talk
, and Google Talk Video. He is also a technology entrepreneur and investor.
Walker has been involved in early stage technology companies for many years, in a variety of capacities. He started working in the Silicon Valley as a corporate and securities attorney, representing technology companies, venture capitalists, and investment banks at Gunderson, Dettmer et al. and at Brobeck, Phleger and Harrison. He was also a venture capital investor at both Sterling Payot and TeleSoft Partners, focusing on Internet and telecommunications investments.
In 1999, Walker became a founding investor in Dialpad Communications
, one of the earliest companies to offer a VoIP soft client, and later joined as the company’s CEO in 2001. Yahoo!
acquired Dialpad Communications in June 2005, and as part of the acquisition, Walker joined Yahoo! to become their Senior Director of VoIP.
Walker left Yahoo! later in 2005 to start GrandCentral Communications with his business partner, Vincent Paquet. Walker served as the company’s CEO and Chairman until Google acquired it in July 2007. GrandCentral re-lanched as Google Voice in 2009.
Walker received his BA from UC Berkeley in 1988, and subsequently earned both an MBA from Georgetown University
and a JD from Boalt Hall School of Law at UC Berkeley.
Walker is also very involved with the plight of Russian orphans and serves on the Board of Advisors to Ascent Russian Orphan Aid Foundation.
Google Ventures
Google Ventures is the venture capital investment arm of Google Inc. that makes financially driven investments in technology companies. Google Ventures seeks to invest in start-up companies in a variety of fields ranging from Internet, software, and hardware to clean-tech, bio-tech, and health...
team. Walker was previously the Group Product Manager for Real-Time Communications at Google, where he oversaw all of Google’s voice communications products, including Google Voice
Google voice
Search by voice is a branded name for a technology to "search by voice on your [digital device]", such as a mobile phone or PC, i.e. have the device search for data upon entering information on what to search into the device by speaking....
, Google Talk
Google Talk
Google Talk is a freeware voice over Internet protocol client application offered by Google Inc. The first beta version of the program was released on August 24, 2005...
, and Google Talk Video. He is also a technology entrepreneur and investor.
Walker has been involved in early stage technology companies for many years, in a variety of capacities. He started working in the Silicon Valley as a corporate and securities attorney, representing technology companies, venture capitalists, and investment banks at Gunderson, Dettmer et al. and at Brobeck, Phleger and Harrison. He was also a venture capital investor at both Sterling Payot and TeleSoft Partners, focusing on Internet and telecommunications investments.
In 1999, Walker became a founding investor in Dialpad Communications
Dialpad
Dialpad Communications was an early pioneer in the Voice over IP industry that was founded in 1999 after spinning off from Serome Technologies in Seoul, Korea and moving to Santa Clara, California in the United States...
, one of the earliest companies to offer a VoIP soft client, and later joined as the company’s CEO in 2001. Yahoo!
Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
acquired Dialpad Communications in June 2005, and as part of the acquisition, Walker joined Yahoo! to become their Senior Director of VoIP.
Walker left Yahoo! later in 2005 to start GrandCentral Communications with his business partner, Vincent Paquet. Walker served as the company’s CEO and Chairman until Google acquired it in July 2007. GrandCentral re-lanched as Google Voice in 2009.
Walker received his BA from UC Berkeley in 1988, and subsequently earned both an MBA from Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
and a JD from Boalt Hall School of Law at UC Berkeley.
Philanthropic work
As CEO of GrandCentral, Walker started Project CARE (Communications and Respect for Everybody) in 2006, with a goal of giving a local telephone number and voicemail account to every homeless person in the US. In 2008, Walker announced a pilot deployment of Project CARE in San Francisco with the Office of the Major of San Francisco.Walker is also very involved with the plight of Russian orphans and serves on the Board of Advisors to Ascent Russian Orphan Aid Foundation.