Dr. Forest Baskett, New Enterprise Associates
Dr. Forest Baskett joined NEA in 1999 as a Venture Partner and became a General Partner in 2004. Forest focuses on information and energy technology investments. He is the NEA representative on the boards of AstroWatt, Audience, Chelsio Communications, Serious Energy and SuVolta. He also assists Alta Devices, Azuray Technologies, Bandgap Engineering, Conviva, Firefly Green Technologies, Fusion-io (NYSE: FIO), Illumitex, Luxtera, NovaTorque, Solar Junction, Svaya Nanotechnologies, Tableau Software, Terrajoule and Tintri as either a board member, observer or advisor, usually in conjunction with another member of the NEA investing staff. In the past he has worked with, among others, Aeluros, Arch Rock, Atheros Communications, Data Domain, E2O, Fulcrum Microsystems, Nanochip, Newisys, RingCube Technologies, SiBEAM, Telegent Systems, and T-RAM Semiconductor. Forest also previously held advisory positions with FineGround, PolyServe, ReShape and SMIC.
Prior to NEA, Forest was Senior Vice President of R&D and Chief Technology Officer of Silicon Graphics Inc. He founded and directed the Western Research Laboratory of Digital Equipment Corporation before joining SGI. Prior to that, he was a Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at Stanford University. Dr. Baskett received a BA in Mathematics from Rice University, a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Texas at Austin and is a member of the National Academy of Engineering.
Chris Schaepe, Lightspeed Venture Partners
Chris is a founder of Lightspeed, covering infrastructure technologies and services. He has twenty years of venture capital experience and four years of operating experience. Prior to Lightspeed, Chris served in corporate finance and capital markets roles at Goldman, Sachs & Co. Previously, he was a software engineer at IBM.
Chris has frequently been named to the Forbes Midas List of top venture capital investors. He serves on a number of private company boards and public boards, Fusion IO and Riverbed Technology.
Chris holds BS and MS degrees in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering from MIT and an MBA from Stanford University.
Peter Wagner, Accel Partners
Peter Wagner has worked in technology since the mid-1980's, as a physicist, line manager and venture investor. At Accel, Peter focuses in the Information Technology and Energy sectors, investing in start-up ventures as well as growth-stage companies. His interests in IT include digital media, virtualization, cloud computing, storage, networking and mobility. In addition, Peter also helps lead Accel’s activity in the Energy sector, where his interests include renewable energy, nuclear power, energy storage, “smart grid”, energy efficiency, demand management and energy analytics. Peter’s thesis on venture investing in the energy sector is articulated in the Accel white papers “Entrepreneurial Energy” and “Entrepreneurial Energy 2.0".
Since joining Accel in 1996, Peter has led investments in dozens of early stage companies, many of which have gone on to complete IPO's or successful acquisitions. Peter currently serves on the Board of Directors at Blue Jeans Network, Complex Media, Nimble Storage and Qwilt and is responsible for Accel’s investments in Fusion-io, Broadsoft (via its merger with Sylantro), and OPOWER.
In addition to his US-focused investment activity, Peter led Accel’s original initiatives in India culminating in the formation of Accel India in 2008. He has a deep interest in the region and works closely with the Accel India team on investments and strategy. Peter is also a member of the investment committee of Meritech Capital Partners, an affiliate of Accel focused on later-stage venture investing.
Prior to joining Accel, Peter was a line manager at Silicon Graphics, responsible for several generations of digital media and graphics workstation products. Before Silicon Graphics, Peter worked with McKinsey and Company, consulting to market leaders in technology, energy, aerospace and financial services. Peter began his career as a physicist working in nuclear fusion research and aerospace.
Peter is a past President of the Western Association of Venture Capitalists. He holds an A.B. in Physics from Harvard College, summa cum laude, and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, where he was a Baker Scholar.
Steve Wozniak, Fusion-io
Steve Wozniak has served as Chief Scientist of Fusion-io since December 2008. From 1971 to 1976, Mr. Wozniak held engineering positions within HP. In 1976, Mr. Wozniak co-founded Apple Computer, Inc., now Apple Inc. In 1985, Mr. Wozniak was awarded the National Medal of Technology, for his role in the development and introduction of the personal computer. After leaving Apple in 1985, Mr. Wozniak was involved in various business and philanthropic ventures, focusing primarily on computer capabilities in schools, stressing hands-on learning and encouraging creativity for students.
In 2000, Mr. Wozniak was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame, and he was awarded the Heinz Award in Technology, the Economy and Employment. He also co-founded the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and was a founding sponsor of the Tech Museum, Silicon Valley Ballet and Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose. Mr. Wozniak holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences from the University of California, Berkeley.
Leonard Nimoy, Actor, Writer, Director and Photographer
Raised in a Boston tenement, acting in community theaters since age eight, Leonard Nimoy didn't make his Hollywood debut until he was 20, a small part in Queen for a Day (1951) and another as a ballplayer in the perennial Rhubarb (1951). After two years in army Mr. Nimoy was still getting small, often uncredited parts - an army telex operator in Them! (1954), for example - but his part as Narab, a Martian finally friendly to Earth, in the closing scene in the Republic serial Zombies of the Stratosphere (1952), somewhat foreshadowed the role which would make him a household name--Mr. Spock, the half-human/half-Vulcan science officer of Star Trek (1966), one of television's all-time most successful series. His performance won him three Emmy nominations and launched his career as a writer and director, notably of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986), the story of a humpback whale rescue that proved the most successful of the Star Trek movies.
Stage credits have included "Fiddler on the Roof," "Oliver," "Camelot," and "Equus." Mr. Nimoy has also hosted the well-known television series In Search of… (1976) and Ancient Mysteries (1994), authored several volumes of poetry and guest-starred on two episodes of The Simpsons (1989). In addition, he played Mustafa Mond in NBC's telling of Brave New World (1998).
Since 2003, Mr. Nimoy has been focusing primarily on his photography career. His photography is included in many museum collections, including The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, The Judah L. Magnes Museum, The LA County Museum of Art, the Jewish Museum of NY, The New Orleans Museum of Fine Art and The Hammer Museum.
