Mr. Merrill was born and raised in San Francisco and received a BA degree from Stanford University and an MBA degree from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1967. Following graduation, he began his career in venture capital by joining BankAmerica Capital Corporation. In 1976, he became president of BankAmerica Capital Corporation and managed this very successful venture activity until 1980 when he formed and managed Merrill, Pickard, Anderson & Eyre (MPAE), a privately held venture capital partnership.

In 1996 MPAE stopped making new investments and Mr. Merrill helped form Benchmark Capital with several of the MPAE partners. He continues to be a special limited partner in that firm.

Mr. Merrill is presently devoting a significant amount of time to civic and non-profit activities as well as his private investments. This includes significant involvement in environmental organizations in Tahoe, where his family has maintained a summer home for three generations. He has served as a director of The Tahoe Fund, The Tahoe Lakefront Owners Association, the League to Save Lake Tahoe, and The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, as well as providing financial support for numerous environmental programs in and around the Basin.

Mr. Merrill lives in San Francisco with his wife and is the father of two grown sons.