Famed investor gifts $25M to UC; building renamed in former professor’s honor
The University of Cincinnati Friday renamed a signature building on campus in honor of a longtime professor following a $25 million gift from a former student-turned-famed startup investor.
The Engineering Research Center, located on Woodside Drive, is now the Mantei Center following a $25 million gift from Jim Goetz in honor of Thomas Mantei, an award-winning teacher, department chair, researcher and mentor in the College of Engineering and Applied Science.
Goetz, a partner at California-based Sequoia Capital, one of the top venture capital firms in the world, said Mantei served as a critical mentor in his life. The funds will also help add faculty, expand co-op opportunities and create two new athletic scholarships for students.
Goetz graduated from UC in 1988 with a bachelor’s degree in electrical and computer engineering. He and his partners at Sequoia have made historic early investments in tech companies like Apple, Cisco, Google, Oracle and PayPal — and, more recently, AirBnB, DoorDash, Robinhood, WhatsApp, YouTube and Zoom.
He said Mantei challenged him, offered life feedback, connected him to scholarships, co-op experiences and more. After his time at UC, Goetz earned a graduate degree at Stanford University.
“Mantei advocated for me, helped me believe in myself and helped me realize my potential,” Goetz said in a release. “He has impacted the arc of so many students. Educators don’t get enough credit for the impact they have on shaping students outside the classroom.”