Private Equity
Sierra Ventures, which is raising its 11th fund, announced that it has hired Jim Doehrman as its first operating partner. The firm said Doehrman will work with its portfolio companies overseeing operational guidance and corporate development strategy, and he will handle the firm's finance, investor relations, back-office administration, and corporate marketing functions, as well.
3 min read · 19 November 2015
Madrona Venture Group has hired S. Somasegar as a venture partner. Previously, Somasegar worked at Microsoft Corp where he most recently served as corporate vice president of the developer division.
3 min read · 18 November 2015
Harmony Partners has promoted Michael Chou to partner. Chou joined the venture firm in 2014. Previously, he worked at Revolution Growth.
2 min read · 18 November 2015
Startup Canada and Export Development Canada have launched a new fund that honours the memory of Canadian entrepreneur and venture investor Dr. Adam Chowaniec. The Adam Chowaniec Memorial Fund for Global Entrepreneurship will invest in high impact initiatives that advance the prospects of globally-oriented, entrepreneur-led companies in Canada. The fund will award successful applicants up to $3,000. Winners will be announced early next year. Chowaniec, the founder and chair of Tundra Semiconductor Corp, passed away in February 2015 following a battle with cancer.
3 min read · 17 November 2015
Codiak BioSciences Inc, which is focused on using exosomes to treat and diagnose cancer and other diseases, has secured over $80 million in committed funding. Codiak's investors include Fidelity Management and Research Company, the Alaska Permanent Fund and Alexandria Venture Investments. In addition to the funding, Codiak has appointed Dr. Douglas E. Williams as its founding president and chief executive officer. Previously, Williams worked at Biogen where he served as executive vice president of research and development.
7 min read · 17 November 2015
Nokia Growth Partners said Monday that it named Todd Forrest as Operating Partner and Bryan Biniak as an Entrepreneur in Residence. Previously, Forrest was Partner and CFO of JH Partners, while Biniak joins from Microsoft where he most recently served as general manager of the worldwide developer ecosystem and application marketplace for its smartphones and feature phones.
3 min read · 17 November 2015
Paladin Capital Group has made a number of appointments to its team. The Washington, D.C.-based private equity firm has named Alex O’ Cinneide as managing director, head of Europe. Also, Paladin has added Professor Sir David Omand, Mary Aiken and Sally Tennant to its strategic advisory group. In addition to these new appointments, the firm is expanding its cyber fund, which backs early-stage tech companies, into Europe.
2 min read · 16 November 2015
Ashley Mayer, senior director of communications at Box, announced via a Medium post that she will join Social Capital to run brand and talent. Mayer, who has been with Box for more than six years, said the week of Nov. 16 will be her last at the online file storage company, which went public earlier this year. Social Capital, formerly known as Social+Capital Partnership, was an investor in Box.
1 min read · 13 November 2015
Lightspeed Venture Partners announced on its blog that Aaron Batalion. a co-founder and the first CTO of LivingSocial, has joined the firm's consumer practice as a partner. Lightspeed was an investor in LivingSocial, which raised more than $900 million in funding, according to the Thomson Reuters database.
1 min read · 12 November 2015
San Francisco-based Hackbright Academy, an engineering school for women, has named Sharon Wienbar, a venture partner at Scale Venture Partners as CEO, according to an announcement on its site. CEO. Hackbright co-founder David J. Phillips will be transitioning to the role of active chair. Wienbar will remain on the board of directors of her ScaleVP portfolio companies.
1 min read · 12 November 2015
