The Fund Manager’s investment committee is comprised of three professionals with over 50 years combined early stage company and investment expertise. Jed Kalkstein and Jim Robinson serve as independent investment committee members along with VCET President and CEO, David Bradbury. As necessary, the investment committee may include additional subject matter and business experts to assist in the evaluation, due diligence and decision process.
James Robinson - Investment Committee Member
As a serial entrepreneur and investment professional, Jim has had an operational role in 12 new companies, seven of which he was a founder. As a financier, Jim has launched more than a dozen funds and has invested in more than 25 companies. These ventures span a breadth of industries ranging from financial services to technology hardware. In 2005 he founded Middlebury Alternative Investments Advisors, LLP in London as an Advisory firm to pursue many of the opportunities in the alternatives and early stage enterprises. More than $100M has been raised through 2008. In 2003, he and partners formed Caydal, LLC to begin an aggressive program of private investing around the world. This team has committed more than $10M in capital to 17 companies many of which were at the seed-stage. Jim sits on six Boards of Directors in the US, Ireland, Switzerland, and Dubai.
Prior to his most recent international work, he had launched successful US-based businesses. Jim's particular area of expertise is in the development of financial services boutiques. He has assisted in the founding of dozens of firms in research, money management, and venture capital. He helped to found and was on the Investment Board of Fresh Tracks Capital Fund I and is a Founding Partner in the Inflexion Fund of Florida. Jim founded Middlebury Capital, LLC in January of 2002 as a regulated NASD Broker-dealer. Based out of Middlebury, it has affiliates in New York and New Jersey. Middlebury Capital, LLC has raised several hundred millions of dollars through 2008, and has invested in deals ranging from $5M to $50M. Jim participated in the founding of the Global Fund Advisors Network, a collection of capital markets firms in more than a dozen countries dedicated to bringing high quality alternative investments to institutional investors.
Jim remains a founding supporter of Digital Bridges, a nationally leading student-entrepreneur program; MiddCORE, a 4-week student entrepreneurship intensive; and Midd Equity Partners, to facilitate carried interest donation to Middlebury College. Jim resides in Weybridge, VT and is a Middlebury College alumnus.
Jed Kalkstein, Investment Committee Member
Jed Kalkstein has a diverse background that includes operating roles in executive management of startup and growth stage companies, turnarounds, and venture capital investing. Jed is a consultant offering a range of finance, investment banking and operations support to growing companies. Prior to relocating to Vermont, Jed was in a CFO role with Perimeter Internetworking Corporation, an IT-services firm that provided security services to small and medium sized businesses and financial institutions. In that role, as a member of the five person senior management team, Jed was responsible for investor communications, HR, legal affairs, contract negotiations, acquisitions, finance and accounting. In two years, the company doubled in revenue and margins, completed six acquisitions, raised $14M in bank debt, and grew to over 200 employees around the country and overseas. Prior to Perimeter, Jed was a partner at Connecticut Innovations, Inc., a state-affiliated $100M venture capital fund. Prior to Connecticut Innovations, Jed was a strategic consulting and corporate development professional at Arch Chemicals and served three years as a political appointee at the U.S. Department of Justice in both the policy and legislative affairs offices.
He has been involved in economic development projects in Maine and in community lending in Connecticut. Jed has served as a Board Director at Mad River Glen in Fayston, VT since 2004 and was its Treasurer 2004-2006. He has also served on the Steering Committee for the Vermont Investors Forum since 2008. Jed graduated with honors from Hobart College and received a BA in Philosophy and Political Science. He also holds an MBA from the School of Management at Yale University. Jed lives in Fayston, Vermont.
David Bradbury, VCET President and Fund Manager
For over 20 years, David has been involved in capital markets, early stage technology firms, and venture investing. David is deeply experienced with economic development, working with entrepreneurs, early stage ventures, and business growth strategies. Since June 2007, David has served as President and CEO of the Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies (VCET), which is an independent non-profit technology business incubator in affiliation with the University of Vermont and eight other Vermont colleges. His full biography is here.
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