ack in 1974, Massachusetts native Ken Goldman headed for California to pursue a career in high-tech finance, figuring that while he might not find much glory, at least he'd find good weather. "The prestige jobs back then were strictly in banking and consulting," he says. "You didn't get much recognition in the field I was pursuing." Today, as CFO of a hot new Internet company called Excite@Home, the self-described "introspective" executive is getting plenty of attention.

Goldman is busy helping Excite@Home become what he hopes will soon be the Internet and online service provider of choice. Through broadband and cutting-edge technologies, the company offers cable customers a "parallel" Internet to the one presently accessed by telephone lines - one that is faster, more convenient, always on, and provides its own content while still allowing access to the "old" Internet. In driving Excite@Home's acquisitions and partnerings with the many cable, computer, and media companies necessary to create its new platinum-paved info highway, Goldman has been heading some of the most interesting high-tech dealmaking going on today. Last May, to cite one example, he helped @Home Network (as it was named at the time) buy the Internet media company Excite in the largest Internet merger yet.

It's heady stuff for a guy who started out in the unglamorous position of controller of a semiconductor firm after graduating from HBS. But as one of the few people to have stuck it out in high-tech finance, Goldman's time has come. "I had one primary career goal: to become a CFO early on and eventually do it as well as or better than anyone else," he says, seated at company headquarters in Redwood City, California. "A lot of people have gotten burned out by the intensity and long hours of technology finance here in Silicon Valley or have moved on to different positions or industries, so I'm now one of the few CFOs in high tech with my level of experience."

Throughout his career, Goldman has sought jobs that would allow him to combine his engineering degree from Cornell with the business knowledge he acquired at Harvard. After gaining finance experience at Fairchild Semiconductor and Memorex, in 1981 Goldman left the stability of those established firms and joined a startup semiconductor venture, VLSI Technology, becoming its CFO at age 31 and helping grow the firm into a $400 million business. In 1992, he jumped to database software, joining Sybase as CFO. At the urging of venture capitalist L. John Doerr (MBA '76), an investor in several of Goldman's previous companies, he decided in 1996 to check out a snazzy little startup called @Home Network. The rest is very fast-moving history.

If things go as planned, Excite@Home could become California's next gold mine. And while his days are filled with making sure that happens, Goldman is also finding his interests turning to nonfinance-related activities. "I'm thinking more about board directorships and charitable activities," he confides. "Family and fitness are also increasingly important to me." A man who hasn't taken a sick day in 25 years, Ken Goldman no doubt will have the stamina to accomplish whatever he sets his mind to.

by Marguerite Rigoglioso

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Charles W. Cassell	Alfred A. Checchi	Robert F. Diromualdo	Kenneth A. Goldman	Peter G. Harf	Nancy J. Karch	Antoinette J. Rapone	W. Mitt Romney