Stephen Coit

Stephen Ellsworth Coit, born April 18, 1948 in Beverly, Massachusetts, is a multifaceted American entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and painter renowned for his extensive portrait series for Harvard University. After graduating from Kent School in 1967, he earned his undergraduate degree from Harvard College in 1971 and completed an MBA at Harvard Business School in 1977. His early professional life began as a senior programmer at Searle Medidate, a division of G.D. Searle, where he honed technical expertise. He then transitioned to Hewlett‑Packard as a product manager, followed by a European marketing role at Prime Computer. In the early 1980s he was recruited by the founding team of Raster Technologies, serving as its first vice president of marketing. From 1984 to 1994 he became a general partner at the venture‑capital firm Merrill, Pickard, Anderson & Eyre, sharpening his investment acumen. Subsequent positions included a directorship at Aspect Medical Systems (1987‑2003) and a partnership at Charles River Ventures (1995‑1997). Beginning in 1989 he also sat on the board of International Data Group, a leading IT media and conference provider. A personal health crisis in 1992 introduced him to pastels, and the artistic awakening prompted him to pursue painting full‑time by 1997. In 2002 he was appointed the portraiture artist for the Harvard Foundation, producing more than a dozen oil‑and‑pastel portraits that celebrate distinguished members of the Harvard community, many of whom are people of color. His subjects range from Dean of Students Archie Epps and musicologist Eileen Jackson Southern to 17th‑century Native American alumnus Caleb Cheeshahteaumuck and preacher Peter J. Gomes, whose work hangs in the Signet Society. Beyond Harvard, he has rendered portraits for Leslie University and Tufts University. Coit also contributes to cultural institutions as a trustee of the Boston Museum of Science and formerly the Computer Museum. His career thus intertwines high‑tech entrepreneurship with a profound commitment to visual storytelling and institutional legacy.