As Dan Phillips steps back to launch CloudPercept (team pictured above at the Venture Development Center), venture capitalists Jim Counihan and Michael Gaiss step up as the Venture Development Center’s entrepreneurs-in-residence, dedicated to advising our high tech companies. We’re thrilled they have joined us!
Jim is a General Partner at Prism VentureWorks which he joined in 2000 to run the firm’s software and services practice. Jim holds a B.A. magna cum laude from the UMass Amherst, and a J.D. cum laude from Suffolk University Law School. Jim was instrumental in driving the success of Softricity, acquired by Microsoft, GeoTrust, acquired by Verisign, Silverback Technologies, acquired by Dell.
Michael is the Founder at ThinkB1G which works with an elite group of startups and top universities outside the main entrepreneurial hubs to help make it easier for students to connect with exciting career opportunities at these companies. While at Highland Capital, as Senior Vice President, he advised portfolio companies on marketing strategy, launches, communications and programs. He graduated from the University of Michigan Business School, with a B.S. in Computer Engineering, and has an M.B.A. from the University of St. Thomas.
There is a lot of value to startups in having a network of advisers with different skills. But founders still need objective advice and feedback from a very shrewd business strategist with decades of successful experience behind them. Like Dan’s, Jim’s and Michael’s presence will help founders gain the trust of investors, because they know that they are taking advice from a voice of experience.
Dan has been entrepreneur-in-residence since 2010 at the Venture Development Center. CloudPercept is a rapidly growing cloud performance and business management software-as-a-service company which took shape during the last three months at the Venture Development Center. Dan also founded the Student Entrepreneurship Program, which continues to train and place software development, marketing and sales students into paid interns at an elite group of venture-backed startups in Massachusetts.
Is Dan taking advice from our new EIR’s? Yes.