BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - April 7, 2011) - The National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) today elected Paul Maeder, Co-Founder and General Partner of Highland Capital Partners, to serve as the 2011-2012 Chairman of the Board of Directors. The appointment was made official before the hundreds of venture capitalists attending this year's NVCA Annual Meeting in Boston. Mr. Maeder's one-year term begins today.
In assuming the leadership of the country's pre-eminent venture capital association, Mr. Maeder stressed the importance of venture investment within the larger start-up ecosystem and the U.S. economy as a whole:
"For more than 35 years, the NVCA's presence on Capitol Hill has served an important purpose -- to advocate for policies that support innovation and entrepreneurship," Maeder said. "With a newly elected Congress, that mandate is as critical as ever. At no other point in U.S. history has the start-up economy been more critical to the long term global competitiveness of our country. These are the companies that will drive job creation and economic growth and the venture capital industry remains steadfastly committed to long term investment in these entrepreneurs. It is a privilege to lead the NVCA and serve as the collective voice for the venture industry."
Paul Maeder is preceded by Kate Mitchell, Managing General Partner of Scale Venture Partners, who in her role as NVCA Chair, helped lead the venture industry through a very challenging political environment. Ms. Mitchell was instrumental in educating Congress on the importance of maintaining tax incentives for long term investment and exempting the venture capital industry from SEC registration under the Dodd Frank Act of 2010. Under her leadership, the NVCA formed the Medical Innovation and Competitiveness (MedIC) Coalition to advocate for support of venture-backed life sciences companies and an improved FDA regulatory process. She also presided over a major marketing initiative for the NVCA, updating the Association's overall brand and materials.
"Kate's energy, intelligence and perspective have been tremendous assets to both the venture capital industry and the broader start-up community. Her skillful leadership helped the Association navigate a challenging legislative and regulatory agenda at a pivotal point in the history of the U.S. economy," said Mark Heesen, President of NVCA. "While Kate will be sorely missed, there is no doubt that we remain in good hands. Under Paul Maeder's leadership, we will continue our advocacy efforts with equal zeal and thoughtfulness. Paul's keen understanding of the components of the venture industry including the role of institutional investors and the capital markets system will be invaluable to our advocacy agenda. We have much to be proud of and much to look forward to in the coming year."
The NVCA also announced that its Chairman-elect for 2012-2013 is Ray Rothrock, General Partner of Venrock in Palo Alto, California.
In addition to the change in chairmanship, NVCA added six new members to its Board of Directors. Beginning their four year terms today are Jon Callaghan, True Ventures; David Douglass, Delphi Ventures; Bob Goodman, Bessemer Venture Partners; Ray Leach, JumpStart Inc.; Jonathan Leff, Warburg Pincus; and David Lincoln, Element Partners.
Retiring from the NVCA after successfully serving four-year terms are: Ira Ehrenpreis, Technology Partners; Jim Hale, FTV Capital; Pascal Levensohn, Levensohn Venture Partners; Kate Mitchell, Scale Venture Partners; Roger Novak, Novak Biddle Venture Partners; David Prend, RockPort Capital Partners; and Jonathan Root, U.S. Venture Partners.
"The NVCA Board is the energy and lifeblood of the Association's efforts," said Heesen. "The commitment of our board members to the health of the entire venture and start-up industries has driven our success. We are extremely fortunate to have such a talented group of investors working on our behalf and we thank them for their tremendous service."
About Paul Maeder
As co-founder of Highland Capital Partners, Paul has over 26 years of experience in venture capital and has served as a director of many public and private companies. He has been recognized by the prestigious Forbes Midas List as one of the top venture capitalists in the industry. Paul is the 2008 recipient of the Mass Technology Leadership Council Commonwealth Award, and is a member of the MIT Energy Innovation Project Advisory Board.
Before co-founding Highland, Paul was a general partner at Charles River Ventures where he concentrated on software investments. Prior to entering venture capital, he held operating positions for six years in high-growth technology companies. At Novacor Corporation he worked on the development of an implantable artificial heart. Later, Paul was responsible for the development of a complex visual field examination instrument at Synemed Corporation where he also headed the company's mechanical engineering and software development.
Paul is the father of two sons and is an avid pilot, ocean sailor, and skier.
About NVCA
Venture capitalists are committed to funding America's most innovative entrepreneurs, working closely with them to transform breakthrough ideas into emerging growth companies that drive U.S. job creation and economic growth. According to a 2009 Global Insight study, venture-backed companies accounted for 12.1 million jobs and $2.9 trillion in revenue in the United States in 2008. As the voice of the U.S. venture capital community, the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) empowers its members and the entrepreneurs they fund by advocating for policies that encourage innovation and reward long-term investment. As the venture community's preeminent trade association, NVCA serves as the definitive resource for venture capital data and unites its 400 plus members through a full range of professional services. For more information about the NVCA, please visit www.nvca.org.
Contact Information:
Contact:
Channa Brooks
Tenor Communications for NVCA
202-641-6959