Venrock Expands Energy and Healthcare Teams

MENLO PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Venrock, a premier venture capital firm founded by the Rockefeller family, today announced that Steve Goldby and Ken Song, MD have joined as partner and vice president, respectively, to identify and build innovative energy and healthcare companies. Goldby and Song will be based out of Venrock’s Menlo Park office.

“The energy sector holds great promise for venture investing”

“Venrock’s team is unmatched in the industry. Their longstanding franchise in healthcare and strong focus on innovation in energy makes Venrock a draw for entrepreneurs and venture capitalists alike,” said Goldby, partner at Venrock. “I look forward to working alongside the team, leveraging my experience in energy and healthcare, to help build enduring companies.”

Goldby has spent more than 30 years building successful life science, materials and software companies. After nine years as CEO of Venrock-backed materials science company Symyx Technologies, Goldby became executive chairman in June of 2007. Prior to Symyx, he was chief executive officer of MDL Information Systems, a leading scientific information company, before its sale to Reed Elsevier. Goldby also held various management positions at Alza Corporation (acquired by Johnson & Johnson) and was president of Dynapol, a specialty chemical company. He currently serves on the board of directors of Intermolecular, Inc. and Sunesis Pharmaceuticals, a Venrock company.

“The energy sector holds great promise for venture investing,” said Ray Rothrock, managing general partner at Venrock. “We are focused on ‘new electrons,’ technologies and techniques that efficiently harness and store energy and electricity, and Steve’s experience working with Symyx will be invaluable to us as we work with entrepreneurs to develop alternative sources of power.”

Song brings more than 10 years of biomedical research experience from the MIT Whitehead Institute, UCSF, and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. His research spans from basic science to clinical trial and pharmacoenomic areas, resulting in 20 publications. In addition, Song has been trained as both an internist and gastroenterologist and retains an appointment as Clinical Instructor of Medicine at the University of Washington. Previously, he worked as a consultant with McKinsey & Company, focused on strategic growth and new businesses for biotechnology companies.

“We are thrilled to have two such accomplished professionals join the team,” said Bryan Roberts, Ph.D, managing general partner at Venrock. “Having the right team is essential as we continue to build on our history, seeking out the most novel healthcare companies to generate great returns for shareholders and improve patients’ lives.”

Venrock helped pioneer healthcare venture capital in the early 1980s and holds one of the best historical portfolios in the industry. Venrock was behind five of the largest biotech companies in the world, including Centocor, Gilead and IDEC, and during the past year successfully brought Trubion to the public market and played a substantive role in the acquisition of Sirna Therapeutics by Merck. With 35 companies in its current healthcare portfolio, Venrock continues to build some of tomorrow’s most promising new companies, such as Anacor, athenahealth, Ikaria and Microbia.

Laurance Rockefeller started investing in the energy sector in the 1930s and was dedicated to the preservation and conservation of natural resources. Venrock continued to build on this heritage with its investment in California Energy in 1980 and today, Venrock’s energy portfolio includes Transonic Combustion and Boston Power, companies that are helping drive a substantial change in the energy source of modern society.

About Venrock

Venrock is a premier venture capital firm with offices in Menlo Park, New York, Cambridge, MA, and Israel. Originally established as the venture capital arm of the Rockefeller family, Venrock continues a seven-decade tradition of partnering with entrepreneurs to establish successful, enduring companies. Having invested $1.9 billion in 400 companies resulting in over 122 IPOs over the past 38 years, Venrock’s investment returns place it among the top tier venture capital firms that have achieved consistently superior performance. With a primary focus on technology, healthcare, and energy, portfolio companies have included Apple Computer, Centocor, Check Point Software, DoubleClick, Gilead Sciences, Idec Pharmaceuticals, Illumina, Intel, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Sirna Therapeutics and StrataCom. For more information, please visit Venrock’s website at www.venrock.com.