John Carlton Backus, Jr.

With immense sadness, we mourn the loss of John Carlton Backus Jr., who passed away at 67 in Virginia on November 21, 2025.

John was born in Indiana in 1958, to John Carlton Backus Sr. and Nancy Ahrbecker. While growing up, he and his younger brother, Fritz, moved multiple times because of their father’s job, including spending four years in Venezuela, and then their high school years in Texas, around which point his family adopted his sister, Sylvia.

John arrived in California in 1977 to study economics at Stanford University, where he would return for business school six years later. In the early years of his career consulting for Bain, he earned a reputation as a uniquely hard-working, intelligent, and intense businessman. Over the next twenty years, he established himself as a competent operator in the airline, finance, and tech industries. He then pivoted into a new career as a venture capitalist in 1998, and for 27 more years, he mentored countless individuals while helping run Draper Atlantic, New Atlantic Ventures, and PROOF. It can’t be a coincidence that his many friends and coworkers describe his “relentless optimism” as a “force of nature” when commemorating him.

John’s accolades are materially unique. He received a military medal for his work in Operation Desert Storm Desert Shield during his tenure at World Airways. He received a letter from the President of the United States thanking him for his contributions to the tech industry in D.C. And the investment strategy that he pioneered at PROOF was the subject of a research paper published by Harvard Business School. His home, which he slaved over for twenty years, and which he built to be his dream house, made it onto the cover of Home & Design, and continues to function as a monument to his work-ethic.

While raising three children in this house, John helped construct a house next door for his ex-wife, Peggy, so that the family could stay close together, which they did. His children, John III and Ben, sons of Peggy Backus, and Helena, daughter of Caren Backus, will continue to honor him by living out his values, such as his emphasis on personal responsibility, providing for one’s family, and always thinking for oneself. His family will fondly remember the sound of his booming voice echoing the word “Dude!” throughout the house, as well as the years of effort he poured into his family. John Backus was a powerful man, but more than that, he was a father who showed up.John is survived by his siblings, Fritz and Sylvia, and his children, John III, Ben, and Helena.

The family will be hosting a celebration of John Backus’s life on January 24, 2026, at 1:00 PM in Great Falls, Virginia. Please click this link to RSVP so that a venue can be prepared for the appropriate number of attendees.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the CLL Society or the Colorectal Cancer Alliance (of which John was the Board Chair).