VantagePoint Venture Partners Expands Its CleanTech Practice Group
SAN BRUNO, Calif.--(Business Wire)-- VantagePoint Venture Partners, one of the nation's premier venture capital firms, today announced the expansion of its CleanTech investment team with the appointments of R. James Woolsey as Venture Partner and David Edwards as Partner. These additions will enhance an existing team of exceptional leaders who contribute experience and expertise to a diverse and increasing portfolio of companies. The Firm also announced the promotion of Marc van den Berg to Managing Director. Woolsey, driven by concerns for national security, has been a long time advocate for clean energy with particular interest in distributed generation, electric transport and biofuels. Woolsey has been a senior advisor to VantagePoint since 2006 and former Director of CIA (1993-95). "He brings a unique combination of passion, operational expertise and an insider's perspective of the governmental landscape to assist entrepreneurial companies as they navigate the CleanTech terrain and reach global scale," said Stephan Dolezalek, Managing Director and Head of the CleanTech Practice Group. Edwards joins the Firm from Morgan Stanley where he covered the CleanTech industry as an equity research analyst focused on the solar, wind, storage, efficiency, and biofuels markets. He is steeped in the market dynamics of the CleanTech industry and possesses a valuable perspective that will benefit portfolio companies as they move from development to commercialization and into the public markets. Van den Berg joined the Firm in 2006 with more than 25 years technology and industry experience. Having participated in building three successful companies in the energy, water and semiconductor sectors, he contributes a rare depth of operating experience and technical knowledge to our portfolio companies. Van den Berg is focused on solar, lighting, storage and smart grid technologies. He works with key portfolio companies Bridgelux, Miasole and Angstrom Power. VantagePoint has established a leading CleanTech Practice with the team, resources and relationships necessary to meet the large and rapidly growing opportunity. "The scope of the issues being addressed -- energy security, climate change, clean water and resource scarcity -- represents an opportunity of substantial magnitude, and we have assembled a team that knows how to build companies that will have significant impact and transform their industries," said Alan Salzman, Managing Partner and CEO, VantagePoint Venture Partners. R. James Woolsey, Venture Partner Jim has served four times in the federal government for a total of 12 years, holding Presidential appointments in two Democratic and two Republican administrations. He served as Director of Central Intelligence (1993-95), Ambassador and Chief Negotiator for the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty in Vienna (1989-91), Delegate at Large (on a part-time basis) to the Strategic Arms Reductions Talks (START) and the Defense and Space Talks in Geneva (1983-86), Under Secretary of the Navy (1977-79), and General Counsel to the U.S. Senate committee on Armed Services (1970-73). He received an AB from Stanford University, MA from Oxford University -- where he was a Rhodes Scholar, and LLB from Yale Law School. David Edwards, Partner David has for many years been one of the leading CleanTech industry analysts. Prior to joining VantagePoint, he was an equity research analyst at Morgan Stanley where his focus spanned the solar, wind, efficiency, emission reduction, storage, biofuels and energy biotech markets. Previously, David was a partner at ThinkEquity Partners and founder of the firm's CleanTech practice. He also served as a buy-side analyst for a hedge fund and as a partner for Charles River Ventures. David also worked in project finance at Kenetech Windpower. He received a BA from Yale University. Marc van den Berg, Managing Director Marc has more than 25 years of industrial experience serving in executive roles in both technical and business capacities at small, private and large, public companies. He joined VantagePoint in 2006 from Venrock Partners, and his 10 years of experience in semiconductor capital equipment and materials at ATMI, Inc., and Microbar, Inc. significantly benefits VantagePoint's solar and power storage and management technology portfolio companies. Previously he held technical and operations positions in the Environmental Capital Equipment business at Purus Inc. Earlier in his career, he spent a decade developing advanced lasers as platforms for a broad array of industry applications at XMR Inc. Marc received a BSEE from Santa Clara University. VantagePoint CleanTech Practice Group In 2002, VantagePoint recognized a large and rapidly growing investment opportunity in CleanTech and launched an effort to put in place the resources and relationships to establish a leading CleanTech practice. Today, the Firm oversees the largest and most active venture capital effort dedicated to CleanTech, with in excess of $1 billion allocated to the sector and a dedicated CleanTech investment team, including 17 members who are among the most extensive and experienced in the industry. VantagePoint's portfolio includes many of the more important and innovative CleanTech companies, including Project BetterPlace, BrightSource Energy, Mascoma, Miasole, PremiumPower and Tesla Motors among others. About VantagePoint Venture Partners VantagePoint Venture Partners provides creative growth strategies and capital to companies transforming global markets. With more than $4.0 billion of capital under management, the Firm invests in entrepreneurial companies at all stages of development in the CleanTech, Healthcare, and Information Technology sectors. VantagePoint partners with talented entrepreneurs who are seeking to build companies that are world-scale in both size and substance. The Firm has created a network of thought leaders and strategic partners with some of the world's leading corporations to provide portfolio companies with a unique advantage to accelerate growth. VantagePoint Venture Partners: Creative Capital for Transformative Companies. For more information, visit www.vpvp.com. VantagePoint Venture Partners Tracy Barba, 650-624-1596 tbarba@vpvp.com Copyright Business Wire 2008
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