Joe Montana spent nearly two decades making split-second decisions on the football field, however, one of the biggest calls of his post-playing career came years after his final NFL snap, it started with an unexpected knock on his front door.
The Hall of Fame quarterback was not actively searching for his next chapter after retirement. That changed when two longtimeSan Francisco 49ers teammates showed up with an idea that would eventually pull him into the world of venture capital.
Joe Montana Says Ronnie Lott And Harris Barton Opened The Door To Venture Capital
Feb 11, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; San Francisco 49ers former quarterback Joe Montana cheers in the first quarter in Super Bowl LVIII against the Kansas City Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
During a recently resurfaced interview shared on July 18, Montana recalled how fellow 49ers legendsRonnie Lott andHarris Barton approached him roughly two years after his retirement with a proposal to build a venture capital fund that would give athletes access to Silicon Valley’s biggest investment firms.
“What happened originally was I was at home and I had just retired, I don’t know, two years or so, and Ronnie Lott and Harris Barton knocked on my door and said, ‘Hey, we got an idea.’”
They said, ‘Look, we’ve lived here all our lives or our playing careers and we’ve made friends, our neighbors, kids, they coach our kids, go to the same schools all run these top tier venture funds.’”
‘We want to leverage our friendship into access into Sequoia and Kleiner Perkins and Excel and all the top tier funds.’ And I said, ‘I really wasn’t looking for a job yet, but sounds like fun.’”
Joe Montana reveals Ronnie Lott and Harris Barton knocked on his door 2 years after retirement and pitched him on getting access into Sequoia, Kleiner Perkins and Excel to build a VC fund for athletes
“What happened originally was I was at home and I had just retired, I don't… pic.twitter.com/5A9yBc8TtN
— Hribi (@Hribson) July 18, 2026
The timing made sense. After spending most of their careers in the Bay Area, Montana, Lott and Barton had built relationships well beyond football. Their proximity to executives, entrepreneurs, and investors provided them access to the venture capital network within Silicon Valley, which included companies such as Sequoia Capital, Kleiner Perkins, and Accel.
Rather than viewing these contacts as mere acquaintances, the three saw the potential in leveraging these contacts to do something that would help both active and former athletes.
The offer meant something beyond just being another coach or broadcaster for the then-70-year-old. Though he admitted that he was not seeking employment elsewhere, the prospect of getting into a whole new industry seemed quite exciting to him.
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