Iris Capital Expands North American Presence with Appointment of Bernhard Gold

SAN FRANCISCO and PARIS, June 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Iris Capital, the leading pan-European growth stage venture capital firm with strong expertise in the digital economy, announced the appointment of Bernhard Gold as a Partner and Managing Director of its North American operations. Gold will help support the firm's rapid international growth, while fueling strong deal flow and ensuring the long-term success of its portfolio companies.

"Bernhard has a deep knowledge of the Silicon Valley ecosystem and we know his expertise, combined with his work in corporate venture capital makes him an invaluable asset as we continue on our path toward accelerating momentum globally," said Antoine Garrigues, co-founder and Managing Partner at Iris Capital.

Previously, Gold served as Managing Director at T­-Venture of America, the corporate venture capital arm of Deutsche Telekom (T-­Mobile). In that function, he managed the firm's activities in North America, with notable investments in Boxfish, Cooliris (sold to Yahoo! in 2014), Delivery Agent, Nexmo (sold to Vonage in 2016), Ruckus Wireless (IPO in 2012) and ShareThis. Gold also spent time working in Europe, as the Investment Director for T­-Venture in Germany. In that role, he led strategic investments in Moviepilot (sold to Webedia), mediapeers (sold toDeluxe) and Sevenload (sold to Burda), among others.

"This is a very exciting time to join this growing international team. Entrepreneurs need investors who understand their business – and in today's competitive environment leading technology companies are pursuing global expansion earlier into Europe through key countries including France and Germany," said Gold. "Iris Capital has deep insights into the digital economy and a strategic approach that is critical to helping growth stage startups execute their vision, while adding value through our deep relationships with leading corporations like Publicis, Orange Telecom and others."

With over $500 million in assets under management, Iris Capital invests in service or technology companies seeking growth capital in order to realize their global strategy. Over the last 30 years, Iris has invested in more than 230 companies, of which 80 percent have had successful exits. 

"The addition of Bernhard to our leadership team signals our commitment and ability to supporting innovative U.S.-based startups just as we have in Europe," added Pierre de Fouquet, co-­founder and Managing Partner at Iris Capital. "Bernhard has a proven track record for investing in the right companies at the right time, and we look forward to helping entrepreneurs grow globally, with our financial support, but also experience and business relationships that open doors with the largest corporations, and our go to market strategies."

About Iris Capital
Iris Capital is a European venture capital fund manager specializing in digital economy. Since its inception in 1986, the Iris Capital team has invested more than €1 billion in more than 230 companies. Iris Capital targets opportunities in service or technology companies, seeking growth capital in order to realize their strategy. It provides active support to its portfolio companies on the basis of its strong sector specialization and experience, and has offices in Paris, Cologne, Berlin, San Francisco, Montreal, Riyadh, Dubai, Beijing and Tokyo. In 2012, Iris Capital entered into a strategic partnership with Orange and Publicis to manage their joint venture capital initiative. For further detailed information on portfolio companies, please go to www.iriscapital.com

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SOURCE Iris Capital

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