EDGAR FRANCIS HEIZER Jr.

Ned gave me a STARTNG POLE POSITION in venture capital. Forever grateful

Ned believed in me, gave me a chance, hired me after Northwestern Kellogg Graduate School of Management ... which set my business life for the next 60 years .... In venture capital ... with gratitude forever. Neill Brownstein

February 2, 2010
Ned was a personal friend of mine, beginning about 70 years ago in 6th grade. He introduced me to the woman I married in 1952, Louise Gray. Our last meeting was in 2007 at our 60th New Trier High School reunion, after which Ned and I met with our wives behind the Winnetka Congregational Church to view where some of our family members and friends were remembered, and then sitting down for coffee afterward. This sadly turned out to be our last visit. Ned was a very fine...

Ned was a special friend and we enjoyed our visits to the Mid Ocean Club in Bermuda and visits to the Heizers beautiful home on the ocean. Ned will be missed. Our condolences to Molly.

Dan & Marlene

Ned had great faith in American capitalism and the economic well-being it fostered. He put that faith to work by providing many of us entrepreneurial opportunities we may not otherwise have had. As a result, his efforts touched many lives throughout his career from the entrepreneurs he supported, to the employees and their families of the businesses he underwrote, to those who consumed, or invested in, the products and services those businesses provided….Not a bad accounting of one’s life in...

Ned certainly changed my life when he signed me on as CEO of IDC Services. It was a wild and challenging ride for 15 years, one I will never forget. There are many great memories.

Ned was a true pioneer in the venture capital industry, a leader who had vision and who could motivate entrepreneurs to achieve their best. I will always remember my time with Ned in the summer of 1976, when Amdahl was going public and Federal Express was still a private company. Thank you, Ned, for your inspiration and a wonderful start to my career as a venture capitalist.
Best regards,
Norm Fogelsong
General Partner
Institutional Venture Partners

Ned gave me my start in venture capital. He could teach, challenge, inspire in ways that instilled an excitement to our business practice. His whimsical smile always suggested that there was more to be understand, more to be learned. Thank you, Ned.

Neill Brownstein
Co-Founder, Bessemer Venture Partners
Co-Founder, Footprint Ventures

Ned was an exceptional mentor as well as visionary who taught many how to achieve their greatest ambitions. He bequeaths to all of us a legacy of major proportions that few really appreciate.
He offered us a testament to our ability to manage our destinies.