TEAM
Rincon Venture Partners takes a team-based approach to everything we do. This requires more collaboration and less ego, but it provides for better decisions and better support of our portfolio companies. Each portfolio company gets the whole team, not just “their partner."
INVESTMENT PROFESSIONALS
Jim Andelman, General Partner
Jim is a co-founder and General Partner of Rincon Venture Partners. In this capacity, he is responsible for driving the fund’s investment activities, as well as the firm’s operations. Jim has more than fifteen years of experience in venture capital investing, technology investment banking and advisory services and strategic business consulting.Previously, Jim served as a Principal at Broadview Capital Partners, a $250 million expansion-stage venture capital firm. Jim led the firm’s efforts in software and services, responsible for developing investment themes, sourcing investment opportunities, performing company assessments, negotiating and executing transactions, and advising portfolio companies. Jim led the assessment of over 300 investment opportunities, participated in the deployment of $78 million across five portfolio companies, and enjoyed three successful exits in a challenging macroeconomic environment.
Before BCP, Jim was a member of the Technology Investment Banking Group at Deutsche Banc Alex. Brown. There, he concentrated on equity private placements, mergers and acquisitions and initial public offerings across a variety of sectors including software, IT services, computing equipment, networking equipment, imaging, semiconductors, semi capital equipment and storage.
Jim began his career with Symmetrix, a boutique management consulting firm founded by a Bain & Co. founder, which helped to create strategic advantage through the application of technology. At Symmetrix, Jim specialized in strategy formulation and economic modeling.
Jim received his MBA with highest distinction (first in his class) from the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth College, and his BS in Economics (magna cum laude) from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Jim serves on the Boards of Directors of CADFORCE, Packet Island, Iconix Video, and Campus Explorer, and has Board oversight responsibility for Soliant Energy. In addition, he serves on the Board of Directors of Friends of Yosemite Search and Rescue and on the Advisory Boards of the Douglas Family Preserve and the California Coast Venture Forum.
Brian Kelly, General Partner
Brian Kelly is a co-founder and General Partner of Rincon Venture Partners, and is also its largest limited partner. Prior to RVP, Brian co-founded Eastern Development Corporation. Established in 2000, Eastern Development is one of the largest commercial real estate investment and development firms in the Northeast. In conjunction with many of the nation’s leading retailers, Eastern has led the development of over 100 projects, representing in excess of 10 million square feet and over $1 billion in value. Development partners have included Target, The Home Depot, Stop & Shop, Barnes & Noble, PETCO, Wal*Mart, K Mart and Staples.Prior to the launch of Eastern Development, Brian co-founded Atlantic Retail Properties and grew it into New England’s largest and most active retail brokerage, completing over 200 transactions in excess of 25 million square feet.
Brian serves on the Board of Directors of Blue Casa Communications. In addition, he serves on the Executive Board of Directors of Autism Speaks, a national fund-raising initiative that is committed to raising public awareness and support for research and treatment of autism.
John Greathouse, Venture Partner
John has held a number of senior executive positions with successful startups during the past fifteen years. At Computer Motion (RBOT), he was the CFO and VP of Business Development. At Citrix Online (CTXS - formerly Expertcity), John served as CFO and SVP of Strategic Development. At CallWave (CALL), he served as the SVP of Sales & Business Development. In his capacities at Computer Motion and Citrix, John spearheaded transactions which generated more than $350 million of shareholder value, including Computer Motion's initial public offering and the sale of Expertcity to Citrix for over $230M.John is a CPA and holds an M.B.A. from the Wharton School. He is also a member of the University of California at Santa Barbara’s Technology Management Faculty where he teaches courses on New Venture Creation and Entrepreneurial Leadership.
ACTIVE ADVISORS
To supplement the capabilities of the Investment Team, Rincon has established a set of advisors and
collaborators who are tapped on a deal-by-deal basis to support the activities of the fund.
Kevin O'Connor
Kevin was the founder and CEO of Doubleclick (recently sold to Google for $3.1 billion). In addition, he is an active early-stage investor, and has sat on numerous public-company boards, including Internet Security Systems, 1800flowers.com and Hotjobs. Kevin collaborates on new investment opportunities in the Internet and software sectors.
Troy Ruhanen
Troy is President of BBDO Worldwide, and manages the firm's largest account. He has extensive global experience in advertising and consumer marketing. Rincon utilizes him as a subject-matter expert in these arenas.
Brian Bell
Brian is SVP of Product Marketing at Computer Associates (CA). Previously, he played similar roles at BMC Software, Peregrine Software and Extricity. Rincon utilizes him as a subject-matter expert in enterprise software.
Courtney Rosen Andelman
Courtney has experience both as a VC and as a VC-backed founder and CEO. She most recently served as a member of the investment team at Accenture Technology Ventures. Previously, she built eHow, a consumer web information site that is now a cornerstone property of the MySpace CEO's latest start-up, Demand Media. Courtney serves as a sounding board on new investment opportunities, and as an executive coach to portfolio company CEOs.
Chris Weasler
Chris combines major wireless carrier experience with wireless data services start-up experience. He is currently VP of Global Development for Sprint Nextel, and previously started at ground level in a start-up that went public called Omnisky, and at Palm. Rincon utilizes him as a subject-matter expert for opportunities in the mobile space.
John Morris
John Morris is currently a Managing Director at Los Angeles-based GKM Ventures. In addition, he is past Chairman of Tech Coast Angels, the nation's largest angel investor network. He is also a Director of the Los Angeles Venture Association. John assists with LA deal flow and assessment of new investment opportunities.
OPERATIONS
Loren Banner, Administrative Director
Loren Banner has been working in small business administration: innovating, establishing, and maintaining administrative policies and procedures for successful new ventures since receiving her bachelor’s degree in Communication from UCSB in 1991. She is also a classically trained graphic artist, responsible for creating and maintaining websites and printed marketing materials.Before joining Rincon Venture Partners, Loren worked for the University of California, Santa Barbara where she pioneered the administration of a National Science Foundation grant for the Computational Science and Engineering Program.
Prior to her appointment with the Computational Science and Engineering Program, Loren worked concurrently for UCSB as a Computer Resource Specialist at the Institute for Computational Earth System Science and as the Business Manager for Planet Earth Science, a Santa Barbara based environmental educational software company operating under a grant from NASA.
In addition, Loren led the technical illustration department of Dames and Moore, an environmental consulting firm before co-founding and partnering Pacific Club Maintenance, a successful small business providing service to central coast athletic clubs.
In her spare time, Loren serves as the captain of a local dog training club where she trains dogs and amateur handlers for competition in dog sports.
Lisa Riedmiller, Controller
Lisa Riedmiller has been performing accounting functions for venture capital firms for seventeen years. Firms for whom she has worked include Palomar Ventures, Windward Ventures, OSCCO Ventures, Capstone Ventures, Ocean Park Ventures and Enterprise Partners.Lisa holds a BA in English from San Jose State University, graduating summa cum laude.
