Team
Energy & Materials
Thomas R. Baruch
Maurice E.P. Gunderson
James Kim
David B. Tuckerman, PhD
Bruce Pasternack
Michael Melnick, PhD
Rachel Sheinbein
Ali Iz
Thomas R. Baruch
Founder and Managing Director
Tom Baruch founded CMEA Ventures in 1989 to pursue a lifelong fascination with how investment discipline and strategy can nurture investment success in the application of exponential new technologies, such as Moore's Law and genomics, to building breakthrough companies that will transform markets.
Tom honed his early-stage investment skills beginning at the Battelle Development Corporation in the late 1960's and then at Exxon Corporation in the 1970's and early '80's. At Exxon, he managed investments and created several early-stage technology companies applying materials science and semiconductor-industry technologies such as Supertex (SUPX). Tom formed CMEA Ventures with New Enterprise Associates (NEA) in 1989 after previously having founded and served as CEO of Microwave Technology, Inc., a supplier of GaAs integrated circuits and value-added sub-systems.
Tom was one of the original investors in Aclara Biosciences (which merged with Monogram Biosciences - NASDAQ: MRGM), Flextronics (FLEX), Netro (NTRO), Silicon Spice (acquired by BRCM), and Symyx Technologies (SMMX). He currently serves on the boards of Alien Technology, Entropic Communications, Foveon, NewPath Ventures, Raven Biosciences, RF Magic and Symwave.
Tom currently heads up the firm's energy & materials investments to include fuel cells, solar power generation and management, biofuels, and rechargeable batteries, among others. He continues to engage in his passion for early-stage investments by serving as Chairman of the Board of materials and energy companies including: Codexis, Inc., Intermolecular, Superprotonic and Wildcat Discovery Technologies.
Mr. Baruch holds an engineering degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Juris Doctor degree from Capital University. He is a registered patent attorney and is also a member of the Board of Trustees of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the Board of Trustees of the Berkeley Institute for Synthetic Biology (BISB).
(415) 352-1520 ext. 180
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Maurice E.P. Gunderson
Senior Partner
Maurice Gunderson, Senior Partner, joined CMEA Ventures in 2006 to focus on investments in new and innovative energy sources and technologies. Maurice is a specialist in thermodynamics and energy technologies. Throughout Maurice's career, he has been instrumental in the development of cryogenic equipment, energy systems, turbo-machinery, and computer-based control systems for process plants and pipeline systems. Previously, Maurice co-founded Nth Power, a venture capital firm specializing in investments emerging from the global restructuring of the energy industry. Prior to founding Nth Power, Maurice spent more than 20 years developing profitable products and launched five successful companies. Maurice also has served on the board of directors of many energy technology companies, including Capstone Turbine, CellTech Power, Clean Air Power, Electronic Power Conditioning, H2Gen Innovations, Metallic Power, NanoGram, NEOPhotonics, Pentech Solution, Pentadyne Power, and STM Power. He currently serves on the board of CMEA Ventures portfolio company Superprotonic. Maurice has an MBA from Stanford University as well as MS and BA degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Oregon State University. He is also a member of ASME, SAE, ASHRAE, AIAA and AEE, and a patent holder, Registered Professional Engineer, and pilot.
(415) 352-1520 ext. 247
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James Kim
Senior Partner
Jim joined CMEA Ventures in 2007 and is a Senior Partner. Previously, Jim was a Vice President at GE Commercial Finance where he led technology venture investments in the cleantech, advanced materials, and digital media sectors. Jim helped found the Energy Technology Ventures group at GE Energy Financial Services, where he also worked on domestic and foreign renewable energy structured finance opportunities. Earlier in his career, Jim was an Analyst with GCI Partners in Boston, an early stage IT venture capital consulting firm.
Jim holds BS degrees in Computer Science & Electrical Engineering and Political Science from MIT, and a Masters in Quantitative Methods and an MBA from Columbia University. He continues to work as a research assistant on projects with Columbia Medical Center and the Earth Institute.
(415) 352-1520 ext. 253
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David B. Tuckerman, PhD
Venture Partner
David Tuckerman has been affiliated with CMEA since 1997 in various roles including consultant, partner, and Venture Partner. Since 2003 he has been Chief Technical Officer of Tessera, where he was a member of the management team that executed Tessera's highly successful IPO. Previously, Dr. Tuckerman was co-founder and CTO of nCHIP from 1989 through its sale to Flextronics International Ltd. in 1995. Prior to that, he managed advanced research and development projects at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and, before that, worked for International Business Machines at its T.J. Watson Research Center and Cambridge Scientific Center. Dr. Tuckerman received an S.B. in Physics, S.B. in Electrical Engineering, and S.M. in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University, and an M.B.A. from Stanford's Graduate School of Business. Dr. Tuckerman holds 17 U.S. patents, has authored more than 50 technical publications, and is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
(415) 352-1520 ext. ญญญญญญ257
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Bruce Pasternack
Venture Partner
Bruce Pasternack joined CMEA Ventures in 2007 as Venture Partner. Bruce serves on the Board of Directors of CMEA portfolio companies Codexis, a private biotechnology company, and Symyx Technologies (NASDAQ: SMMX). He also serves on the boards of BEA Systems (NASDAQ: BEAS) and Quantum Corporation (NYSE: QTM). Previously, he was President and CEO of Special Olympics International from 2005-2007. For almost 30 years, Mr. Pasternack was also a Senior Vice President of Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., where he served as the Managing Partner of the Booz Allen's energy, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals practice, started Booz Allen's Organization and Strategic Leadership Center, and was Managing Partner of its San Francisco office. Mr. Pasternack's government experience includes Head of Energy Policy at the Federal Energy Administration, principal staff to the White House Energy Resources Council, and the President's Council on Environmental Quality. Bruce holds a degree in Engineering from The Cooper Union (and currently sits on their board of trustees) and a Masters degree in Systems Engineering and Operations Research from the University of Pennsylvania. Additionally, Bruce has co-authored two business books, The Centerless Corporation and Results.
(415) 352-1520 ext. 258
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Michael Melnick, PhD
Principal
Michael Melnick joined CMEA as Principal in 2008. Prior to CMEA, Michael was Chief Commercial Officer and Executive VP of Operations at Assay Designs from 2006 to 2007; co-founder and Vice President of Business and Corporate Development at Cell Signaling Technology from 1999 to 2006; and staff scientist at New England Biolabs from 1995 to 1999. Michael has a PhD in Genetics from Harvard University, a BS degree with honors from Stanford University, and an MS degree in Biological Sciences from Stanford University. Dr. Melnick is also a Visiting Scholar at UC San Diego.
(415) 352-1520 ext. 185
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Rachel Sheinbein
Associate
Rachel Sheinbein joined CMEA as Associate in 2008 and is part of the firm's Energy & Materials team. Before CMEA, Rachel was a consultant for start-ups in the areas of bio-plastics, solar and water treatment. For 9 years prior to consulting, Rachel worked in several positions at Intel Corporation --- as a Chemical Engineer for industrial liquid waste systems, a Program Manager for Environmental Health & Safety, a Purchasing Analyst, and a Strategic Product Manager in the Information Technology group. Rachel currently sits on the board of the Expanding Your Horizons Network, a non-profit that encourages girls in math, science, engineering and technology. She also is an angel investor, focusing on clean technology, and co-chairs the Keiretsu Forum angel's WISE (Women Investing in and Supporting Entrepreneurs) group. In addition, Rachel volunteers in various roles for California Clean Tech Open - a business plan competition that encourages the development of clean technology companies. Ms. Sheinbein holds a Chemical Engineering degree with a concentration in Environmental Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. Rachel was also a sponsored fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where she received an MBA and a Masters in Civil and Environmental Engineering, with a focus on operations and supply chain.
(415) 352-1520 ext. 256
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Ali Iz
Venture Partner
Ali Iz joined CMEA in 2008 as Venture Partner to concentrate on investments in advance energy projects. Prior to CMEA, Ali was Business Development Leader for General Electric's Energy Division - responsible for mergers and acquisitions for power generation and renewable technologies. Prior to this position, Ali served as general manager of GE Energy's solar technologies business, having led GE's entry into the solar industry via the acquisition of Astropower. Ali's prior experience in GE Energy includes leadership roles in project development as well as power plant sales and services. Ali holds a Bachelors Degree in Industrial and Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan and a Masters in Industrial Management from Columbia University.
415-352-1520 ext. 266
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