Gruener is a co-founder of Alta Partners, and was also a Partner at Burr, Egan, Deleage & Co., which he joined in 1992. He has more than two decades of experience in the fields of software development, systems engineering and corporate development. In 1982, he founded Virtual Microsystems, a successful communications software company that was later merged with a larger corporation. Gruener also founded Ask Jeeves, now Ask.Com, a leading Internet search engine which is now part of IAC. Gruener specializes in information technology and is on the board of directors of nCircle Network Security, Xelerated and Nanomix, where he also currently serves as acting CEO. He earned a Masters Degree from the University of California, Berkeley and a Bachelor of Science from the University of California, San Diego, both in Political Science with a focus on technology policy.