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Bio
Bruce Leak is a Co-Founder, Founding Partner, and General Partner at Playground Global. From an early age, his intellectual curiosity led to a fascination with computers and emerging technology and later informed his career path which took him from the frontier days of Apple and Microsoft to entrepreneurship, to his time at Playground investing in complex ideas with the potential to change the world.
With a Master’s in Electrical Engineering from Stanford, Bruce spent two summer internships at Microsoft. There, he tested an early prototype of Microsoft Word for the original IBM PC and later worked on the first versions of Microsoft’s Macintosh applications.
His first full-time role was with Apple’s System Software team where he led the company’s efforts on 32-bit Color Quickdraw which became the foundation of true color display on Mac screens and led to the birth of Quicktime. Bruce spent five years at Apple expanding the Quicktime team, shipping several versions of the product, and speaking at developer conferences.
Bruce was later recruited by Steve Perlman to General Magic, and they set out to build a color version of the platform for gaming. In 1993, Bruce joined forces with Peter Barrett and Steve Blank to form Rocket Science Games, where he hired many members of the Quicktime team, supported developers, and built the gaming platform.
Bruce’s next venture was WebTV, which he founded with two General Magic alumni, Steve Perlman and Phil Goldman. WebTV was acquired by Microsoft and the company went on to ship the first DVR products for Echostar and DirectTV.
After founding several startups selling technology and services to mobile phone operators and automotive OEMs and traveling the world, Bruce joined Andy Rubin, Peter Barrett, and Matt Hershenson to found Playground Global—the venture capital firm they wish existed when they were building their own companies. From robotics to quantum computing to groundbreaking medical advancements, Playground’s true north is leaving a lasting impact for generations to come.
Bruce lives in Palo Alto and can still be found adventuring outdoors by kayak and by land. He is passionate about wildlife conservation, preserving natural habitats, and supporting animal sanctuaries.
Location
N/A
Social
Primary Organization
2015
114
52
16
51-100
Information Technology, Software, Venture Capital, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics
Jobs history
2
Ideon Technologies
Director
2022 - Current
Pandion
Board Member
Invalid date - Current
Board and Advisor Roles
0
N/A
Invest in regions
Profile Resume
Bruce Leak is the Co-Founder, Founding Partner & General Partner at Playground Global, based in United States, North America. With a background in Information Technology, Bruce Leak has a rich history of leadership and innovation. Explore their detailed professional journey, key connections, and contributions to the industry on our platform.
Investment portfolio
4
1
Personal investment
4
Annouced Date | Organization Name | Funding Round | Money Raised |
---|---|---|---|
Jul 10, 2010 | Qwiki | Seed Round - Qwiki | 1.5M |
Jun 17, 2011 | Vivecoach | Funding Round - Vivecoach | 0 |
Jun 17, 2011 | Rallyon | Venture Round - Rallyon | 1.5M |
Sep 15, 2015 | Lastwall | Venture Round - Lastwall | 0 |
Partner investment
8
Annouced Date | Organization Name | Funding Round | Investor Name | Money Raised |
---|---|---|---|---|
Feb 02, 2021 | Pandion | Seed Round - Pandion | Playground Global | 4.9M |
Apr 22, 2022 | Agility Robotics | Series B - Agility Robotics | Playground Global | 150.0M |
Sep 13, 2022 | Ideon Technologies | Series A - Ideon Technologies | Playground Global | 15.9M |
Mar 21, 2024 | Pandion | Series B - Pandion | Playground Global | 41.5M |
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Recent Activity
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