Eric Vishria
ConfluentAbout Eric Vishria
Eric Vishria (age 45) is an independent Class II director of Confluent (CFLT), serving since September 2014. He is a General Partner at Benchmark and previously served as VP of Digital Magazines & Verticals at Yahoo and co‑founder/CEO of RockMelt. He holds a B.S. in Mathematical & Computational Science from Stanford University. As of March 31, 2025, the Board affirmatively determined he is independent under Nasdaq rules .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benchmark | General Partner | Since Jul 2014 | Venture capital; technology focus |
| Yahoo Inc. | VP, Digital Magazines & Verticals | Aug 2013–Aug 2014 | Digital media leadership |
| RockMelt, Inc. | Co‑founder & CEO | Prior to 2013 | Social web browser; founding operating experience |
External Roles
| Company | Role | Tenure | Committees/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amplitude, Inc. | Director | Since Dec 2014 | Confluent’s President Erica Schultz is also an Amplitude director, creating an interlock |
Board Governance
- Independence: Board determined all directors other than CEO Jay Kreps are independent; Vishria is independent .
- Committee assignments: Member, Audit Committee (Chair: Jonathan Chadwick); Audit Committee duties include financial reporting oversight, internal controls, cybersecurity, and related‑party transaction review .
- Board/committee activity: Board met six times; Audit and Compensation Committees met five times each; Nominating & Governance met four; M&A Committee met once. Each director attended at least 75% of meetings; seven of nine directors attended the 2024 annual meeting .
- Board structure: Lead Independent Director is Greg Schott; presides over executive sessions of non‑management directors .
- Class and term: Class II; term runs to the 2026 annual meeting .
Fixed Compensation
Director pay mix is cash retainer plus annual RSUs; Vishria waived no retainers or RSUs.
| Metric | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Fees Earned or Paid in Cash ($) | 40,000 | 40,000 |
| Stock Awards ($) | 174,982 | 199,979 |
| RSUs Outstanding (as of year‑end) | 5,399 | 7,160 |
- Policy retainers (2024): Board member $30,000; Audit Committee member $10,000; Lead Independent Director $18,000; Compensation Committee member $7,500; Nominating & Governance member $5,000; M&A Committee member $4,000; Chairs receive higher retainers in lieu of member fees .
- 2024 policy update: Board increased cash retainers, initial and annual equity awards based on peer review by Compensia .
Performance Compensation
| Element | Details |
|---|---|
| Performance metrics | None disclosed for directors; equity is time‑based RSUs |
| Annual RSU grant | $200,000 divided by closing price on annual meeting date; vests fully by next annual meeting or first anniversary |
| Initial RSU grant (new directors) | $400,000 divided by closing price; vests 1/3 annually over 3 years |
| Change‑in‑control (non‑employee directors) | Full vesting of outstanding director equity and annual cash awards immediately prior to closing of a change in control |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Relationship | Description |
|---|---|
| Amplitude interlock | Vishria and Confluent executive Erica Schultz both serve on Amplitude’s board, indicating a potential information network interlock; no related‑party transactions are disclosed with Amplitude . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Venture investor and operator with data analytics/cloud exposure; relevant for product‑market and ecosystem oversight .
- Audit Committee experience across financial reporting, controls, cybersecurity, and related‑party oversight .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | As of Mar 31, 2025 |
|---|---|
| Class A shares beneficially owned | 1,206,228 (<1% ownership) |
| Class B shares beneficially owned | — |
| Options outstanding | — (none disclosed for director) |
| RSUs outstanding (as of Dec 31, 2024) | 7,160 |
| Ownership guidelines | Non‑employee directors must hold ≥5x annual cash retainer within 5 years; all directors/officers were in compliance as of Dec 31, 2024 |
| Hedging/pledging | Company policy prohibits hedging, short sales, and pledging/margin accounts for directors |
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independent status; meaningful equity alignment via annual RSUs; compliance with robust ownership guidelines; Audit Committee role overseeing related‑party transactions and cybersecurity; prohibition on hedging/pledging .
- Attendance/engagement: Board and committees active; directors met or exceeded 75% attendance threshold; standard good‑governance indicator .
- Shareholder support signals: 2025 say‑on‑pay approved with ~716M “For” vs ~34M “Against”; auditor ratification overwhelmingly approved; Class I directors elected—reflecting strong governance support environment .
- Potential conflicts/RED FLAGS to monitor:
- Benchmark affiliation: Historical related‑party participation in 2018 preferred financing (pre‑IPO); no current Benchmark >5% ownership disclosed in 2025 beneficial owner table; Audit Committee oversight mitigates risk .
- Board interlock: Concurrent service with a Confluent executive on Amplitude’s board may create information‑flow interlocks; no related‑party transactions disclosed; continue monitoring for transactional overlaps .