Honoring Venrock, Index Ventures and Quaker BioVentures for their investment in women
San Francisco/London: Nov. 19, 2009
Astia, the premier Silicon Valley organisation for women-led high growth companies, has announced the winners of its Awards that honor exceptional women innovators and recognize the investors and mentors who championed their success.
“Venrock collaborates with high quality entrepreneurs whose breakthrough ideas have the ability to charter new advancements in technology, healthcare, digital media and energy, “ said Venrock partner, Ray Rothrock. “We are honored and delighted to be presented with two Astia Awards for Venrock’s investment in pioneering women who have built top-notch companies, including Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Apoptos , BlogHer, Boston Power, Celladon, CrossLoop and Slideshare.”
Monique Farantzos, CEO and co-founder of doubleTwist said: “While women are still under-represented in the tech start-up world, it’s very encouraging that organizations such as Astia and venture capital firms like Index, are working to provide financing and support to encourage women entrepreneurs and ensure that they have every chance of succeeding in a competitive and challenging environment.”
The awards ceremony, now in their fifth year, sponsored by Fenwick & West LLP and Deloitte, will take place on the November 19, 2009, in San Francisco. The ceremony will demonstrate the success of women entrepreneurs and the investors who have backed their companies to create global companies of scale. The innovation and mentor awards were open for nomination and the VC awards were identified using Dow Jones VentureSource data. Once again this year, Kara Swisher, Wall Street Journal and D: All Things Digital, will serve as master of ceremonies.
“It is an honor to receive this award from Astia,” says Geeta Vemuri, Partner of Quaker BioVentures. “Quaker BioVentures’ founding partners have cultivated an environment where we pursue and reward excellence in entrepreneurship, and Astia enhances that process for the most exceptional female innovators. Together we are driving economic growth and enabling women to become leaders in their fields, as well as help others achieve the same success.”
For venture capital investment in the 2008 investment year as reported by Dow Jones VentureSource , the winners for include:
DIVERSIFIED PORTFOLIO AWARD - The firm with the greatest percentage of investments in woman CEOs or founders: US Firm - Quaker Bioventures UK Firm - Index Ventures
SHATTERED GLASS AWARD - The US firm with the greatest number of investments in female CEO's: Venrock
BREAKING THE BARRIERS AWARD - The greatest number of investments in companies with a women founder: US Firm – Venrock UK firm - Index Ventures
Winners in the Innovators categories as nominated by prior recipients include:
Technology Innovators Award: Eva Chen, CEO and Co-founder, Trend Micro
Life Science Innovators Award: Chris Meda, CEO and President, Arcxis Biotechnologies
Clean Tech Innovators Award: Kelly Smith, CTO and Co-founder, Pasteuria Bioscience
And the winners in the Mentoring categories as nominated by Astia entrepreneurs:
Deloitte Leadership in Mentoring Award: Anula Jayasuriya MD, PhD, MBA, Managing Director, Evolvence India Life Sciences Fund and Astia Board of Trustees
“We are delighted to announce the winners of the Astia Awards and to recognize the great work of women entrepreneurs and those that support them with their success. The winners of these awards show that innovation and entrepreneurship is still very much alive globally and that women have a place in innovation. It is important that we continue to highlight the very important contribution that women founders and CEOs make and the great work of the VCs that back these fantastic companies and help grow them into world-beating businesses,” commented Sharon Vosmek, CEO of Astia.
Astia Awards sponsored by
The Leadership in Mentoring Award presented by:
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About Astia
Astia is a global non-profit organization that provides innovative programs to exceptional women-led start-ups. Head-quartered in San Francisco, Astia delivers programs for entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley, New York, London and, from 2010, India. Astia is well positioned to work with start-ups around the world as they access capital, grow their businesses, and develop the leadership of the founding team. The Astia model of engaging a community of experts to the benefit of the select start-ups it serves has resulted in an exceptional success rate; since 2003, 60% of companies that have participated in the Astia Investor Forums have secured funding or an exit within one year of presenting, raising more than $½ Billion and achieving 14 exits, including 2 IPOs. For more information: www.astia.org.
Sharon Vosmek
Astia
Phone: (415) 421-5500
sharon@astia.org
About Fenwick & West
Established in 1972, Fenwick & West is a founding sponsor of Astia. Fenwick & West works closely with clean technology, life sciences and other technology companies that are changing the world through innovation. The firm has more than 30 years of experience crafting innovative solutions to the business challenges that arise at the intersection of technology and the law. Fenwick & West clients, who range from start-up ventures to global enterprises, value our attorneys' deep industry experience and understanding of their technologies. The firm is ranked by Minority Law Journal as one of the top five most diverse law firms in the United States. For more information, please visit www.fenwick.com or contact:
Elizabeth Lampert
Elizabeth Lampert Public Relations
Phone: (925) 932.4420
lampert@elizabethlampertpr.com
James Stapleton
Fenwick & West
Phone: 650.335.7641
jstapleton@fenwick.com
“Deloitte” is the brand under which approximately 169,000 dedicated professionals in independent firms throughout the world collaborate to provide audit, consulting, financial advisory, risk management, and tax services to selected clients. These firms are members of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu (“DTT”), a Swiss Verein. Each member firm provides services in a particular geographic area and is subject to the laws and professional regulations of the particular country or countries in which it operates. DTT helps coordinate the activities of the member firms but does not itself provide services to clients. DTT and the member firms are separate and distinct legal entities, which cannot obligate the other entities. DTT and each DTT member firm are only liable for their own acts or omissions, not those of any other entity. Each DTT member firm is structured differently in accordance with national laws, regulations, customary practice and other factors, and may secure the provision of professional services in their territories through subsidiaries, affiliates, and/or other entities.
Heather Gates Massoudi
Deloitte Services
(408) 704-4414
hgates@deloitte.com
