Event · Company and acquisitions
Andy Bechtolsheim's US$100,000 check
In August 1998 Andy Bechtolsheim, a Sun Microsystems co-founder, wrote a US$100,000 check to Larry Page and Sergey Brin. According to Google, this investment is how the company was officially born.
There is no official image with documented origin for this record yet. The museum prefers showing no image to using one of uncertain origin.
August 1998
Andy Bechtolsheim investment
Event · Company and acquisitions · Concluded
Dates
- August 1998 Date · exact date [1]
What the sources say
| Claim | Record | Confidence | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amount | US$100,000 | 2 · Single primary source | [1] primary |
| Investor | Andy Bechtolsheim, Sun Microsystems co-founder | 2 · Single primary source | [1] primary |
| Check made out to "Google Inc." before incorporation | The check reportedly waited weeks until a company account existed | 4 · Unconfirmed | [2] community |
Historical captures
No archived capture has been located for this record yet.
Sources
- Our story — Google. Source primary · accessed November 2, 2026 · look for a copy on the Internet Archive
- Sergey Brin signed check to Budget Movers (auction lot) — RR Auction. Source community · accessed November 2, 2026 · look for a copy on the Internet Archive
Auction description; the consignor’s notes are not verified.
What still needs documenting
- Parallel investment attributed to David Cheriton: only weak sources so far
- Exact day of the meeting
On GD
GD has followed Google since 2006. Search GD for “Bechtolsheim” (in Portuguese)
How to cite
"Andy Bechtolsheim's US$100,000 check", Google Museum (GD), https://gd.eurisko.com.br/museu/en/collection/cheque-bechtolsheim-1998/, CC BY 4.0. Reviewed on November 2, 2026.
ID: cheque-bechtolsheim-1998 · Reviewed on November 2, 2026