The Midas List(1~10)

L. John Doerr
Kleiner Perkins Caufield&Byers
2008 Rank: 1 
Age: 57
Kleiner's top money man logged no exits over the past year but remains at the top of our list, thanks to Silicon Valley's most envied résumé: Google, Tellme Networks, Sun Microsystems. Passionate believer in clean energy, exhorts lawmakers to increase research for renewable energy and enact a carbon tax. Among his big bets: Amyris (biofuels and malaria drugs); Bloom Energy (solid oxide fuel cells); Miasolé (next-generation solar panels). Also rankling cable and phone industry with plan for free, nationwide, wireless Internet, via start-up M2Z. Got his start as an Intel chip salesman in the 1970s.

Michael Moritz
Sequoia Capital
2008 Rank: 2 
Age: 54
Influential investor urged portfolio companies to slash costs in a gloomy presentation in late 2008; quickly circulated through Silicon Valley, causing a stir among venture capitalists. Later insisted he never meant the glum slides to reach the public. Early Google investment alongside Doerr keeps him at the top of our list. Notched smaller win last year with social network Plaxo, sold to Comcast for $175 million. Oxford-educated Welshman chronicled tech for Time before becoming a venture capitalist. Shored up endowment of alma mater Christ Church college at Oxford with $50 million gift in June.

Ram Shriram
Sherpalo
2008 Rank: 3 
Age: 52
Chennai, India-born investor made a fortune as one of Google's original backers and board members. Worked as a top honcho at Netscape and Amazon.com before hanging his venture capitalist shingle. Backed social network Plaxo, gobbled up by Comcast last year, and Tellme, the voice applications company acquired by Microsoft in 2007. Now invests heavily in India. Among his bets: Mobile ad marketplace mKhoj and job-hunting site Naukri.com.

David Cheriton
Stanford University
2008 Rank: 4 
Age: 57
Tenured Stanford professor drives a VW van, dreams up multimillion-dollar companies. Invested early in Google and VMware. Co-founded Granite Systems (sold to Cisco Systems for $220 million) and Kealia (sold to Sun Microsystems for $90 million) with Andreas von Bechtolsheim (see No. 7). Last year the pair launched Arista Networks, a low-cost switch maker aimed at snagging business from Cisco.

William Ford
General Atlantic
2008 Rank: 6 
Age: 47
Former investment banker makes big bets in growing companies, many in the financial tech sector. Invested $130 million in Archipelago Exchange and made 5.5 times his money selling to the New York Stock Exchange in 2006. Other big hits: New York Mercantile Exchange, Priceline.com and E*Trade. Sees huge opportunity in Brazil's booming middle class; expanding his firm's presence there. Sits on investment committee for alma mater, Amherst College.

Ronald Conway
Angel investor
2008 Rank: 9 
Age: 57
Venture capital's best-connected angel manages portfolio of 125 venture investments. Currently loves consumer Internet plays, such as Twitter (microblogging), Digg (social news aggregation) and PurePlay (online poker). Serves as an adviser to networking giant Facebook. Past successes include Google, PayPal, Tellme and Photobucket. Active philanthropist; devotes time to San Francisco Homeless Connect and the Ronald McDonald House.

Andreas von Bechtolsheim
Arista Networks
2008 Rank: 5 
Age: 53
German-born billionaire co-founded Sun Microsystems as a doctoral student in computer science at Stanford in 1982. Left Sun to found Granite Systems in the 1990s and later Kealia in 2003, then rejoined Sun in 2004 when it bought Kealia for $90 million. Launched switch start-up Arista with pal David Cheriton (see No. 4) in 2008. Holds distinction as Google's first investor.

Aneel Bhusri
Greylock Partners
2008 Rank: 16 
Age: 42
Enterprise software guru worked as vice chairman at PeopleSoft before joining Greylock. Notched big returns with storage software outfit PolyServe (acquired by Hewlett-Packard for $200 million) and backup-device maker Data Domain (current market cap: $1.1 billion). Now manages investments in Simply Continuous (disaster recovery) and Data Robotics (automated data storage). Personal distraction: obsessed with the Boston Red Sox.

James Perry
Madison Dearborn Partners
2008 Rank: 13 
Age: 48
Media and telecom specialist bought into MetroPCS before its $4.3 billion IPO in 2007. Remaining in his portfolio: Sorenson Communications (videophones for the deaf), Univision (Spanish-language media) and Topps (sports cards and memorabilia). Currently searching Africa and Asia for the next giant communications outfit. Sits on board of Chicago Public Radio and relishes quirky This American Life broadcasts.

Thomas Ng
Granite Global Ventures
2008 Rank: 14 
Age: 54
One of the top financiers for Asia's booming Web industry. Sold 40% of China's e-commerce site Alibaba to Yahoo! for $1 billion in 2005. Currently advises Singaporean Internet telephony firm MediaRing. Also financing the quest for cleaner, better batteries; invested in lithium-ion battery concerns Hyb Co. of Shenzen, China, and Boston Power.