Marc Tarpenning is an accomplished engineer, serial entrepreneur, and venture partner, best known as the co-founder of Tesla, Inc. and NuvoMedia. Throughout his career, Marc has remained committed to solving meaningful problems through innovation and sustainability.

His entrepreneurial journey began with the creation of NuvoMedia in 1997, where, alongside Martin Eberhard, he developed the Rocket Book, one of the world’s first e-readers. The company was later acquired for $187 million, marking a successful exit and paving the way for their next groundbreaking venture.

In 2003, Marc and Martin co-founded Tesla Motors (now Tesla, Inc.), with a bold mission to revolutionize the automotive industry by creating high-performance electric vehicles.. Driven by a desire to reduce the world’s reliance on oil and its climate change effects, their vision set Tesla on a path to redefine clean energy transportation.

Following his time at Tesla, Marc has worn many hats—entrepreneur-in-residence, consultant, mentor, speaker, and two-term elected school board member. Today, he is a Venture Partner at Spero Ventures, an early-stage VC firm focused on building a future of sustainable abundance. There, he supports founders working to disrupt legacy industries with radically better, more sustainable solutions.