Vinod Khosla’s recent comment during an interview with Michael Arrington that 95 percent of VCs don’t add value (and that 70-80 percent might actually add negative value in their advising) got me thinking about the underlying dynamics of the question. I agree with Khosla that a surprisingly large portion of VCs add little value, but … Continue reading “Do VCs Add Value?”
Author: Bob Hower
Bob is co-founder of G20 Ventures. He was ATV's East Coast lead partner for investments in information technology, primarily focused on the Internet, digital media, and software sectors. He joined ATV in 2002 and was a board member of Acme Packet, ChannelAdvisor, Packet Design, Nuventix, Sanovi, and [x+1]. Named to Forbes’ Midas list for the past two consecutive years, Bob was instrumental in Acme Packet's 2006 public offering, one of the most successful IPOs in the communications sector this decade.
Bob has extensive operating experience, including serving as Vice President of sales at LHS Group (EMEA), where he built the company's Enhanced Services Division for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He was also a member of the senior management team at Priority Call Management (PCM). Prior to LHS Group’s acquisition of PCM in 1999, Bob helped grow PCM's revenue from approximately $3.5 million to $45 million. Bob’s management background also includes sales and marketing roles at Lotus Development and General Mills.
Bob first joined the venture capital community as a Director at BancBoston Ventures where he focused on the telecommunications and IT infrastructure sectors, and led investments in Telephotonics (acquired by DuPont) and AccessLan (acquired by AFC). Early in his career, Bob worked in commercial real estate development at Cabot, Cabot & Forbes, negotiating lease transactions in excess of $100 million. He earned an M.B.A. from The Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth College and a B.A., Cum Laude, from Harvard College.
What’s the Big Idea?
The other day a friend of mine asked, “What technology do you think will have the greatest impact on our lives over the next 10 years?” I thought this was a great question. I’m in the habit of thinking about technology evolution in terms of four or five years, so ten years allows for two … Continue reading “What’s the Big Idea?”