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Blumberg Capital beefs up team with six new hires

San Francisco-based Blumberg Capital, an early-stage venture firm, has added six new staffers to its team. Joining Blumberg are Steve Gillan as chief operating officer and chief financial officer in San Francisco; Yodfat Harel Buchris as managing director in Tel Aviv; Ehud Schneorson as managing director in Tel Aviv; Idan Nurick as principal in Tel Aviv; Andrew Van Nest as associate in San Francisco; and Peter Cooney III as data analyst in San Francisco.

VC-backed BlueRock Therapeutics adds Kovacs to C-suite team

Toronto, New York and Cambridge, Massachusetts-based BlueRock Therapeutics LP, a cell therapy company, has appointed Shane Kovacs as both chief business and chief financial officer. Previously, he was managing director and head of biotechnology investment banking at RBC Capital Markets in New York. BlueRock was backed by Bayer AG and Versant Ventures.

OMERS Ventures' Prashant Matta joins Panache Ventures as partner

Canadian early-stage venture capital firm Panache Ventures has recruited Prashant Matta as a partner. Operating from Toronto, Matta will lead Panache's regional deal and fund management activities. Matta joins Panache from OMERS Ventures, where for more than three years he served on the investment team. Before then, he was a manager in Samsung Electornic's Global Strategy Group. Montréal-based Panache, launched in 2017 by former 500 Startups Canada principals, earlier this year raised $25 million in the first close of its inaugural seed fund.

Meeker bolts from Kleiner Perkins to start own firm: Bloomberg

Silicon Valley-based venture firm Kleiner Perkins is experiencing a big shakeup. Mary Meeker, a partner at the venture firm and well-known internet investor, is leaving the firm and taking her team with her to form a new firm, reported Bloomberg. Meeker's team, comprised of Mood Rowghani, Noah Knauf and Juliet De Baubigny, "will raise a fresh fund of their own devoid of the Kleiner brand," noted the news outlet. The firm will launch in 2019.

Partech strengthens its growth team

Partech Growth announced it has promoted Victor Huberson to principal and named Henrik Grosse Hokamp an associate. Huberson, based in Paris, joined Partech in October 2017 after five years in investment banking at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. He focuses on growth investments. Hokamp joined Partech in 2015 from High-Tech Gründerfonds and was working on seed and venture investing, He will split his time between Berlin and Paris.

VC-backed Blend forms advisory board, ex-Treasury Secy Lew will serve as chair

Silicon Valley-based tech company Blend has formed an advisory board that will be chaired by former U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew. Also, the company has hired Marc Greenberg as its new head of finance. Blend's backers include Greylock Partners, Emergence Capital, Founders Fund, Andreessen Horowitz, 8VC and Lightspeed Venture Partners.

VC-backed AEye hires Benchmark's Ramanthan as operations VP

Pleasanton, California-based AEye Inc, a developer of advanced vision hardware, software and algorithms for self-driving vehicles, has named Nate Ramanathan as vice president of operations. Previously, he was a senior executive at Benchmark. AEye's backers include Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Airbus Ventures and Intel Capital.

VC-backed Travecta taps Hicks as chief business officer

Travecta Therapeutics, an emerging biotech company, has appointed Douglas C. Hicks as chief business officer. Previously, Hicks worked at iBio Inc where he served as senior vice president of business development and strategy. Based in Philadelphia and Singapore, Travecta is backed by TKS1, a healthcare and life science-focused venture capital fund formed by the partnership between SPRIM Ventures and Tikehau Capital.

PE-backed VBC names Segert as chairman/CEO, also appoints Zimmerman as president

The Value-Based Care Solutions Group, which is backed by Veritas Capital, has appointed Bob Segert as chairman and CEO. Also, VBC has named Jon Zimmerman as president. Veritas Capital acquired VBC from GE Healthcare in July. VBC is a healthcare information tech company.

CIBC Innovation Banking taps Charlie Kelly to head new U.S. office

CIBC Innovation Banking has hired Charlie Kelly as a manager director. Kelly will head the technology financing and advisory group's new office in Denver, Colorado. Kelly joins CIBC from Silicon Valley Bank, where he served for more than a decade, most recently as a managing director with the Colorado technology group. Before then, he was a U.S. Navy officer. CIBC Innovation Banking launched in January with the acquisition of the assets of Canadian specialty finance firm Wellington Financial.