Franklin Pitcher Johnson Jr.

Franklin Pitcher Johnson Jr., or Pitch Johnson, (born 1928) is an American venture capitalist and founder of multiple companies.

Johnson Jr. studied mechanical engineering at Stanford University (1946–50). Johnson then took courses at Stanford at age 35 to study molecular biology and computer science. These studies were later useful for his investments in biotechnology and informatics. According to him, being "a local guy" has helped him since he knew many local entrepreneurs, lawyers, and other professionals and was easier for him to "check out" potential business partners. During his period of teaching at the Stanford Graduate School of Business Johnson gave a paper "The Entrepreneurial Climate" to the American Chamber of Commerce in Paris in 1982. The paper was published by Harvard Business School and the phrase "The Entrepreneurial Climate" became used in academic and government circles.

Since 1990, Johnson has been an advisor to various eastern European countries. Collaborating alongside the Amro Bank of the Netherlands, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and Polish, Czech and Slovak entrepreneurs and venture managers he aided in forming a venture investment company called European Renaissance Capital. Its goal has been to invest in and help new companies in Poland, Czechia, and Slovakia. Additionally, he has been involved in the creating of a buy-out fund in Romania and venture capital funds in Russia, Norway, and New Zealand. He was a member of the board of international advisers to the IESE Business School in Barcelona.