| The Catamount Newsletter | Volume 2 |
Welcome to The Catamount Newsletter. Catamount Ventures is a high value-add, early stage technology venture fund based in San Francisco. As proven entrepreneurs and investors, we understand the many needs of the early stage company and seek to invest in and build visionary technology companies. We are actively looking for new investment opportunities, technology leaders, and entrepreneurs – please contact us with comments or for more information.
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Contents
High Value Seed Investing
If you come across an exciting opportunity or entrepreneur that fits our high value added seed investing model, please contact us.
Term Sheets in 2003: What to Expect
by Stefan Reyniak Since launching Catamount over two years ago, we have witnessed a momentous sea change in the state of the venture capital industry. However, we have also observed a constant variable: world-class entrepreneurs continue to start dynamic new businesses that will be the leading technology companies of the future. As these entrepreneurs return to the market to seek first-round financing from venture capital investors, they can expect to see significant differences in proposed funding terms . . .
Seeking Liquidity: An M&A Checklist
by Jed Smith The lifecycle of a successful entrepreneurial venture is predictable and consistent. A company is formed, financing is put in place, the management team is solidified, a product or service is developed, initial customers are attained, case studies are developed, the steady growth and roll-out of the business concept is executed, and the company is either sold or merged or it remains a sustainable and independent entity. If only it were that easy . . .
Applying Storage Intelligence to Backup Operations
by Liam Scanlan and Mark Silverman Organizations spend millions of dollars on data backup systems and sub-systems and millions more each year attempting to manage these systems to ensure the availability of mission-critical data. Yet, despite these massive investments, the typical organization can only make an educated guess as to whether backup operations are actually protecting critical data, let alone meeting reliability and efficiency objectives. . .
Portfolio Highlights
Portfolio in the News
Employment Opportunities
Catamount Developments
Portfolio Highlights
Catamount has some exciting companies in the portfolio, one of which is profiled below. If you think you know of a strong business partner, client, or executive hire for this company, please contact the individual named below.
Siterra Corp. provides business process solutions aimed at improving the efficiency of companies engaged in the development of geographically distributed infrastructure, from initial build-out through ongoing maintenance. Initially focused on the wireless telecommunications market, Siterra has developed the Site Management Solution (SMS) platform and seeks to provide carriers with the industry standard for carrier infrastructure management. The company is led by Paul Remer, a proven entrepreneur and CEO with more than 20 years of experience creating, building and leading successful technology companies. For more information, please contact Siterra or visit www.siterra.com.
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Portfolio In The News
For additional information on our portfolio companies, please visit the Companies section of our web site. Direct links to the press section of those individual companies listed on the website are also included here:
eSilicon
Bocada
Linden Lab
Liquid Engines
Sapias
Siterra
Guru
Grassroots
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Employment Opportunities
We currently have one portfolio company with two open senior level positions. If interested, please send your resume to the contact indicated below.
Company: Sapias
Sapias is a leading provider of intelligent asset management solutions for large enterprise customers. Led by West Shell III, a proven Silicon Valley CEO and entrepreneur having most recently served as Chairman and CEO of Netcentives, Inc., Sapias uses advanced wireless, GPS, Internet, telephony and database technologies to deliver much needed visibility to fleet managers - resulting in reduced operating costs, increased security, productivity and customer satisfaction.
Position: Vice President, Operations
The Vice President of Operations will oversee and manage all day-to-day operational and personnel affairs of the company and, as such, will have shared responsibility for overall organizational leadership with the CEO. Specifically, the Vice President of Operations will be responsible for assisting in setting organizational vision, strategy and overall business planning; for operational oversight of technology development, finance, pricing, marketing, HR and IT; for creating an integrated, dynamic and high-performance, customer-centric culture; for leading the company to achieve objectives set with the executive team and board of directors; and for providing leadership in key relationships with the board of directors, strategic partners, and customers. Candidates should have experience managing the IT systems of a 100+ person organization; be a proven leader and team player with strong interpersonal skills and a service orientation; possess excellent written an oral communications skills; possess proven project and people management experience; and have a collaborative work style that engages people in a common goal. A Master’s degree is preferred but not required; other desired experience includes: 5 – 10 years of experience in operations management of a telematics, transportation, enterprise software or leasing equipment company; 5+ years of experience managing technology development efforts in the software development and network integration areas; 5+ years of experience building large strategic and customer partnerships; P&L experience of budgets in excess of $50 million; and team building, personnel management and organizational experience.
Position: Vice President, Finance
Reporting to the CEO, the Vice President of Finance will be responsible for interpreting and applying revenue recognition rules; for preparing and reporting financial results; for designing and implementing financial systems, records and policies; for hiring, training and managing direct reports; for forecasting for all business units; for coordinating and managing annual budgets; and for interacting with operational heads and partnering with the CEO and COO to continually evaluate company performance. Minimum requirements include: a Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting or related field; CPA or advanced degree; minimum of 10 years of accounting experience; prior experience supervising, training and developing subordinate managers; and strong cost accounting and revenue recognition experience. Ability to solve problems and work in a fast-paced environment with minimal supervision preferred.
Interested professionals should contact Deborah Cohen at Sapias.
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Catamount Developments
Contacting Catamount
Catamount Ventures is located in the Jackson Square neighborhood of downtown San Francisco, neighboring the financial district. Please note our contact information:
Catamount Ventures, L.P.Please refer to our website for a map and detailed driving directions.
400 Pacific Avenue, 3rd Fl.
San Francisco, CA 94133
General: (415) 277-0300
Fax: (415) 277-0301
Web: www.catamountventures.com
Email: info@catamountventures.com
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The Catamount is powered by Grassroots Enterprise, Inc., a proud member of the Catamount Ventures investment portfolio. Visit http://www.grassroots.com.