Benjamin "Ben" M. Rosen (born March 11, 1933) is the former chairman and former acting chief executive officer of Compaq[1][2] and a co-founder of Sevin Rosen Funds.
Early life
Rosen was born to a Jewish family[3] in New Orleans, Louisiana, on March 11, 1933, to Isadore and Anna Rosen.[4] Rosen's father was a dentist and his mother was a secretary. "Benji" as he was called, was the youngest of his parents' three children.
He received a B.S. from the California Institute of Technology in 1954, and M.S. from Stanford University in 1955, and an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School in 1961.
Career
He worked on Wall Street for 15 years, ending his career as a Senior Technology Analyst and Vice President at Morgan Stanley.[2]
Sevin Rosen Funds
Rosen co-founded the venture capital company Sevin Rosen Funds in 1981 with L. J. Sevin.[5][6] In this capacity, Rosen invested in Compaq Computer Corporation in 1981, eventually serving as Chairman for 18 years.[4] For four months in 1999, Rosen also served as Acting CEO.[7] Rosen talks about his experience with Compaq in the 2016 documentary film Silicon Cowboys.[8]
As a financier, Rosen backed high tech startup companies including Electronic Arts, Lotus Development, Ansa Software and Silicon Graphics.[9]
In 1985, at age 52, he was described as "a late bloomer who has had five careers" and "chairman and general partner" of the fund.[10]
Rosen Electronic Letter
Rosen Electronic Letter was distributed via a separate entity named Rosen Research. In 1982, Esther Dyson began working there and, in 1983 she bought the company from her employer, renaming the company EDventure Holdings and the Rosen Electronic Letter newsletter Release 1.0.[11]
Awards
In 1999, Rosen was awarded the Founders Medal of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). He was named a recipient of Caltech Distinguished Alumni Award in 2007. In 2018, he received Caltech's highest honor, the Robert A. Millikan Medal.[12]
Philanthropy
Rosen served on the Board of Trustees at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the New York Philharmonic, and on the Director's Roundtable at the Morgan Library & Museum.[13]
Family
He and his first wife Alexandra are the parents of their two sons, Jeffrey Rosen and Eric Rosen.[10] He is married to Donna Perrett Rosen and also has a step-daughter, Melanie Perret.
References
- Steve Lohr. Compaq Computer Ousts Chief Executive The New York Times, April 19, 1999^
- Benjamin M. Rosen IEEE Global History Network, retrieved 2011-10-24^
- Donald W. Nauss. They Like Tilting at Windmills - Ben and Harold Rosen helped revolutionize the communications industry by doing what others thought couldn't be done. Now, they want to invent a replacement for the internal combustion engine. Los Angeles Times, March 5, 1997^
- Steve Hamm. Ben Rosen: The Lion in Winter BusinessWeek, July 26, 1999, retrieved 2016-08-23^
- Leonard Sloane. New Venure Capital Firm is formed The New York Times, September 28, 1981^
- History retrieved 2011-10-24^
- Compaq Board of Directors Forms Office of the Chief Executive Under Leadership of Chairman Benjamin Rosen; Eckhard Pfeiffer and Earl Mason Resign as CEO and CFO. Businesswire. April 18, 1999.^
- Ken Jaworowski. Review: ‘Silicon Cowboys’ Tracks the Rise of Compaq Computer The New York Times, September 15, 2016, retrieved August 26, 2025^
- Philip Elmer-DeWitt. Steve Jobs through Rosen-colored glasses Fortune Magazine, October 23, 2011, retrieved October 24, 2011^
- Technology's Most Colorful Investor Fortune Magazine, September 30, 1985, retrieved May 4, 2020^
- about which she wrote in 1997: "RELease 1.0 - get it?" Esther Dyson. The Accidental 'Techie' Newsweek, October 13, 1997^
- Caltech Awards Millikan Medal to Ben Rosen (BS '54) 30 October 2018, retrieved 6 July 2025^
- Benjamin M. Rosen: Philanthropy Profile Patron View, retrieved 1 March 2026^