CMEA Ventures Continues to Expand Energy and Materials Practice

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CMEA Ventures announced today that James Kim, most recently a vice president with the technology venture team at GE Commercial Finance, has joined CMEA’s energy and materials investing practice as a partner. This announcement follows the recent addition of Maurice Gunderson, one of the industry’s most experienced energy venture capitalists, as a venture partner to the CMEA team.

“The addition of James Kim to our team is a significant step as we continue building our energy and materials investing capability”

“The addition of James Kim to our team is a significant step as we continue building our energy and materials investing capability,” said Tom Baruch, founding partner and a managing director of CMEA Ventures, and one of the leading materials investors in the world. “Unlike the past where energy investing was mainly execution plays, energy investing in the future will take a highly nuanced, multi-disciplinary approach that combines deep science, financial expertise, great partnering, and team development skills. Kim shares this view, and his background and track record complement our existing resources.”

Kim co-led the energy technology ventures initiative of GE Commercial Finance. His investments included A123 Systems, Ocean Power Delivery, and Nanjing Gear. Kim also managed investments in the advanced materials and digital media spaces. Prior to co-founding the energy ventures group, Jim worked for GE Energy Financial Services on project finance and structured debt transactions in the renewable energy space.

Before GE, Kim was on the strategic venture capital team at GCI partners, evaluating telecommunications, software, and medical device opportunities. Prior to GCI, he was a co-founder of Storefront Media. Kim holds two degrees from MIT: computer science and electrical engineering, and political science. He also holds two masters degrees from Columbia University: one in quantitative analysis, and an MBA.

“CMEA is the only venture firm I found that combines a strong historical perspective on energy investing and the energy industry, years of relevant experience, and a true deep-science focus that spans biotech, IT, and energy and materials,” said Kim. “Joining the energy and materials investing team at CMEA Ventures is a special opportunity. In a future where specific energy breakthroughs will require innovation springing from three, four or more unique disciplines at once – combined with a thorough understanding of what works and doesn’t work in the energy space – CMEA’s technologist-investors are uniquely positioned.”

About CMEA Ventures Energy and Materials Investing Practice

CMEA’s Gunderson was recently quoted as cautioning would-be energy investors and entrepreneurs to “…suppress your inner lemming.” Indeed, in the firm’s opinion, the days of successful energy sector investments based upon execution plays – such as first-generation photovoltaics and fuel cells, distributed generation, and cogeneration – are now over, and venture capitalists who cling to old ways, or jump on popular bandwagons, are in for a surprise.

What is different is that future energy developments will be science-driven and simultaneously require the application of knowledge from fundamentally unrelated disciplines. For example, breakthroughs in bio-diesel as an alternative fuel might require a deep understanding of biochemistry, chemical engineering, sensor-based automated process control, agriculture, and biotechnology, as well as an understanding of fuel properties and internal combustion engines.

But a science focus is not enough. Unlike most other sectors – except perhaps life sciences – the governmental and regulatory issues surrounding energy are profound. Not only will the successful investor have a deep understanding of these issues, but will also need a strong historical perspective on the nuances of energy technology, business models, and industry structure, as well as strong industry ties. Such a multi-disciplinary requirement will yield a level of complexity in understanding and evaluating potential investments, such as execution of the technology and business, which is virtually impossible to find in all but a few investment teams today. CMEA believes that it is one of them.

The firm’s investment strategy has always revolved around the development of technology companies based upon novel, fundamental, and often difficult scientific breakthroughs. In its energy and materials practice, it uniquely combines partners – such as Baruch – who have significant scientific and market depth in materials science, biotechnology and life sciences, or power electronics and other such disciplines with those – such as Gunderson and now Kim – whose depth and breadth of energy-investment experience are hard to duplicate.

CMEA has been focused on energy and materials for some time, with six investments to date that include Superprotonic, and Visyx Technologies. CMEA sees the greatest opportunities in transportation fuels, premium power, alternative generation, and energy intelligence, and believes that there are a wealth of investments that leverage the firm’s unique strengths.

About CMEA Ventures

CMEA Ventures is a venture capital firm focused on life sciences, high technology, and energy and materials investments. CMEA believes that the most successful venture backed companies are science focused with experienced teams intent on winning. As a result, CMEA's portfolio companies typically have cutting edge and highly differentiated technology at their core, with founding teams of the highest caliber.

CMEA invests in both early and late stage ventures, and has a strong network of corporate, investment, and entrepreneurial relationships that it leverages on behalf of its portfolio companies. The firm currently manages six funds representing investments in excess of $770 million. CMEA has been an early stage investor in many leading Silicon Valley high technology companies, including Flextronics (FLEX), Magma (LAVA), Maxygen (MAXY), Monogram Biosciences (MGRM), Silicon Spice (BRCM), Symyx (SMMX), and Syrrx (purchased by Takeda.)

CMEA Ventures was founded in 1989 and maintains offices in San Francisco and Menlo Park. CMEA’s partners and associates have extensive science, engineering, and operational backgrounds that particularly suit CMEA's focus on technology and teams – an effective differentiator for entrepreneurs and venture investment partners who dare to change the world, one great company at a time.

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Additional background information is available at www.roeder-johnson.com.