Your Team
Nelson C. Chu
Managing Director
BIO
Nelson’s investment activities focus on information and infrastructure technologies, enterprise and Internet software, database-related applications, and other emerging software and hardware technologies. He has led a broad range of Kinetic investments including Cardlytics (NASDAQ: CDLX), LogicBlox-Predictix (acquired by Infor), Tower Cloud (acquired by Uniti; NASDAQ: UNIT), BroadWare (acquired by Cisco; NASDAQ: CSCO), VerticalOne (acquired by SONE; NASDAQ: SONE), FoodBuy (acquired by Compass Group; LSE: CPG.L), Instant Financial, Navistone, OPTii Solutions, Kobiton, and ProctorFree. Prior to joining Kinetic Ventures, Nelson was a management consultant with McKinsey & Company and a Development Manager with Oracle. He received his BS in Electrical Engineering (summa cum laude) from Virginia Tech, his MS in Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School.
William T. Heflin
Managing Director
BIO
Willie’s investment activities focus on communication and information technologies and software. He has led investments in Cerent (acquired by Cisco; NASDAQ: CSCO), NetCore (acquired by Tellabs; NASDAQ: TLAB), Corvis (IPO, then acquired Broadwing), Ciena (NASDAQ: CIEN), Cyan (NYSE: CYNI; then acquired by Ciena (NASDAQ: CIEN)), Calix (NYSE: CALX), Aztek Networks (acquired by GENBAND), Cerra, PlumSlice, STAQ, Virtual Instruments, and Vizbee among others. Previously, Willie was with IBM Corporation where he sold manufacturing and engineering computer solutions to small and medium-sized businesses and Fortune 500 customers. He received his MS and BS degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois and his MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management.
Campbell B. “Cam” Lanier III
Senior Director
BIO
Cam’s activities focus on communications, software, and financial services. He is a director of Highline, SchooX, ITC Capital Partners, Instant Financial and OPTii Solutions, among others. He is also the Chairman of ITC Holding Company, LLC. He was formerly a director of Point Broadband (acquired by GTCR), Cardlytics (NASDAQ: CDLX), LogicBlox-Predictix (acquired by Infor), Tower Cloud (acquired by Uniti; NASDAQ: UNIT), LeaseTerm Solutions (acquired by RealPage; NASDAQ: RP), and HotSchedules (acquired by Marlin Equity Partners). Earlier in his career, he co-founded Interstate Communications (Telecom*USA), which grew to be the fourth largest long distance service provider when it was acquired by MCI in 1990. Cam was the founding investor and Chairman of Powertel (now T-Mobile), which was acquired by Deutsche Telecom in 2000. He was also the founding investor for Mindspring, which later merged with EarthLink, and the founding investor in Firethorn, a mobile payments company that was acquired in the fall of 2007 by Qualcomm. In addition, Cam was the founding investor of ITC^DeltaCom, Knology and InterCall.
Deb Rand
Managing Director
BIO
Deb is a seasoned professional in the telecommunications industry, bringing a wealth of experience and expertise to our team. As the most recent addition to our group, Deb joins us with an impressive track record, having served as the CEO of the South/West region for Highline Internet, a major player in the U.S. broadband landscape. In this role, she successfully oversaw operations and spearheaded growth initiatives, solidifying her reputation as a dynamic leader in the field. Deb has also held the position of CEO at USConnect Holdings, where she demonstrated her strategic acumen and leadership capabilities. In both executive roles, Deb’s expertise extends to participating in broadband grants and overseeing the execution of fiber network projects. Prior to her tenure at Highline Internet, she served as a consultant with JSI Capital Advisors, providing invaluable insights and guidance to clients involved in mergers and acquisitions within the telecom sector. Deb received her BS degree from Marquette University.
Sydney M. Shepherd
Chief Financial Officer
BIO
Sydney leads the internal financial and administrative functions of the firm. Prior to joining Kinetic, Sydney was a director of finance with a start-up company in the technology field. Previously, she was the Director of Finance, Administration and Systems for the law firm of Williams & Jensen, and an accountant with the large regional accounting firm of Beers & Cutler, PLLC (Baker Tilly). Sydney received her BS in Accountancy from The Pennsylvania State University and her EMBA with honors from The George Washington University. She is a licensed Certified Public Accountant.
Jake Tarr
Managing Director
BIO
Jake’s investment activities focus on broadband, enterprise SaaS solutions, and power/clean technologies. He is a director of Highline and 9Lenses. He is a recent director of Point Broadband (acquired by GTCR), and APX Holdings (acquired by Xpansiv). Jake has led investments in Schoox, ITC Capital Partners, HotSchedules (acquired by Marlin Equity Partners), LeaseTerm Solutions (acquired by RealPage; NASDAQ: RP), SmartSynch (acquired by Itron; NASDAQ: ITRI), Clear Standards (acquired by SAP AG; NYSE: SAP), Peace Software (acquired by First Data Corp.), Innova (NASDAQ IPO, acquired by DMC), Xenergy (acquired by Energy East), and Liberty Technologies (NASDAQ IPO). Earlier in his career, Jake worked as a currency trader with the Bank of New York. He received his BA degree from Roanoke College and his MBA from Harvard Business School.
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