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Tesla co-founder

Marc Tarpenning's role at Tesla

He co-founded Tesla in 2003 with Martin Eberhard and stayed until 2008.

Marc Tarpenning was born on June 1, 1964, in Sacramento, California. He earned a computer science degree at UC Berkeley in 1985.

In 2003 he and Martin Eberhard founded Tesla Motors. Tarpenning became chief financial officer. Later he moved to vice president of electrical engineering.

In February 2004 Elon Musk led a $6.5 million Series A round and became chairman. Tarpenning remained at the company until 2008, the year the Roadster went into production.

After Tesla he worked with UC Berkeley's Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology and its SkyDeck accelerator. In 2019 he joined the venture capital firm Spero Ventures.

Read the full Tesla founder story

Where and when was Marc Tarpenning born?

Marc Tarpenning was born on June 1, 1964, in Sacramento, California. He is 62 years old.

What did Marc Tarpenning study?

Tarpenning earned a bachelor's degree in computer science from UC Berkeley in 1985.

What was Marc Tarpenning's role at Tesla?

He co-founded Tesla Motors with Martin Eberhard in 2003. He served as chief financial officer and later as vice president of electrical engineering. Elon Musk led the $6.5 million Series A round in February 2004.

When did Marc Tarpenning leave Tesla?

Tarpenning stayed at Tesla until 2008. Later he advised UC Berkeley's Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology and its SkyDeck accelerator. In 2019 he joined the venture firm Spero Ventures.

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