BANKING & FINANCE
{ VENTURE CAPITAL }
CURTIS GUNN
MICHAEL AHEARN
Chairman Desert Angels desertangels.org
Founder True North Venture Partners truenorthvp.com Ahearn founded True North Venture Partners based on a belief that early stage companies in socially disruptive business sectors require a unique approach to funding, growth and market expansion. His perspective is based on his experience with First Solar, the company he cofounded in 1999. Ahearn served as CEO of First Solar from 2000-2009 and currently serves as its chairman. After an initial public offering in 2006, First Solar became a publicly-traded company on the NASDAQ and later became the first pure play renewable energy company to be listed on the S&P 500. Ahearn serves on several additional boards, including Endeavor, a nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming the economies of emerging markets by identifying and supporting high growth, innovative entrepreneurs.
SHERMAN CHU
Founder and managing partner Grayhawk Capital Partners grayhawkcapital.us Chu has more than 20 years of venture capital and private equity experience. Chu is founder and managing partner of Grayhawk Capital, and, previously, a managing partner of Cornerstone Equity Partners. Prior to Cornerstone, Chu spent six and a half years with the commercial lending and merchant banking divisions of Banc One in Dallas. Chu has served on the boards of 12 private companies. Grayhawk provides venture capital to outstanding early and growth stage companies located in the Southwest. Grayhawk is currently investing an $80 million fund. The sectors for investment include mobile computing, cloud/SaaS, security, enterprise and application software, business intelligence, healthcare IT and financial.
76 ABL | Nominate at azBIGmedia.com
HARRY GEORGE
The primary focus of the Desert Angels, which was created by a small group of Tucson-based private investors in 2000, is to fund entrepreneurial ventures. To that end, the organization reviews more than 300 applications per year as possible investments. Those companies that excel during the Desert Angels’ rigorous screening process are invited to present to the organization’s general membership at one of its monthly dinner meetings. Desert Angel members have invested more than $29 million in more than 70 presenting companies. Business advice: “Anyone going after funding, whether it’s individual, angel or venture capital, should do due diligence just to see if the idea they’re pitching is even appropriate for the funding source.”
Managing general partner Solstice Capital solcap.com
George has more than 35 years experience in founding, operating and investing in successful rapid growth technology-related companies. He co-founded Solstice Capital. Previously, from 1981 to 1989, George was co-founder, director and vice president of finance for Interleaf Inc. During this time, Interleaf, a pioneer in electronic publishing, grew to be a publicly traded company with $100 million in annual revenue. In January 2000, Interleaf was acquired by Broadvision in a stock merger that valued Interleaf at approximately $1 billion. George has been a director of a number of private and public companies and is currently a director of Lumidigm, High Throughput Genomics, Medipacs and Syncardia.
GARY MUNSINGER
Chairman Research Corporation Technologies rctech.com Munsinger has been with RCT since it was founded in 1987 and has been chairman since 2005. Munsinger leads RCT, a technology investment and management company that provides early-stage funding and development for promising biomedical companies and technologies. RCT focuses on technology investments with origins from universities and research institutions worldwide. The company carries on a vision chartered in 1912 by Frederick Gardner Cottrell, a university professor and inventor who championed the transfer of academic innovation to commercial use. RCT has assets of more than $200 million to advance technology development through venture investment, partnerships and special licensing programs.