Renaissance Venture Capital Fund About Team Advisory Board Investments Contact Investor Login About Team Advisory Board Investments Contact Investor Login The Renaissance Venture Capital Fund was formed with the philosophy that venture capital is important for economic growth and that Michigan and many other major regions are underserved in the amount of venture capital available to fund exciting new ideas and technologies. Success is often built by a combination of innovation, capital and strong working relationships. Our belief is that by providing much needed capital to top tier venture capital firms, and building bridges between those firms, young innovation companies and Michigan's established business community, we can achieve regional success in the form of strong investment returns and economic growth. Bridging Innovationand Investment. Learn More About Us About Profitably investing in Michigans growth. The Renaissance Venture Capital Fund is a Michigan-based fund that supports the growth of venture capital in Michigan while serving as a bridge between Michigans emerging innovation community and its strong industrial and commercial base. Formed out of the groundbreaking Road to Renaissance initiative of Business Leaders for Michigan, the Renaissance Venture Capital Fund is the largest privately funded organization of its kind in the US. Renaissance was created by some of Michigans most important organizations to profitably invest in the states innovation and to serve as a connector of innovative start-up companies with strong, established businesses. The investors in Renaissance recognized the importance of venture capital in the economic growth of the State as well as the financial rewards available to investors who mine the treasure of research and innovation present at Michigans world-class universities, institutions, and corporations. Through its investment in top tier venture firms that are active in Michigan, as well as its own co-investments in emerging Michigan companies, the Renaissance Venture Capital Fund is helping to drive forward both innovation and growth of emerging companies in the region. And it is again proving that Michigan, with its unique combination of scientific, engineering and business talent, is a great place in which to invest. Team Christopher L. Rizik CEO Fund Manager Christopher L. Rizik is the Chief Executive Officer and Fund Manager of the Renaissance Venture Capital Fund. With three decades of experience in technology, finance and law, he has played a principal role in dozens of multi-million dollar venture capital transactions. Prior to forming Renaissance, Chris served as a co-founder, partner, and Board member of Ardesta, LLC, an industry accelerator dedicated to the development of microsystems and other small technologies. Chris also co-founded and served as Managing Director of Avalon Investments, then Michigans largest venture capital firm. During his tenure at Avalon and Ardesta, he accepted four consecutive Deal of the Year awards from the Michigan Venture Capital Association. Prior to joining Avalon, Chris was a senior partner with Dickinson Wright PLLC, one of the Midwests oldest law firms, where he led the firms Emerging Company department. He also passed the Certified Public Accounting examination and worked at PriceWaterhouse Coopers. Chris is also the founder of SoulTracks.com, Americas most popular soul music online magazine. Chris is a member of the Executive Committee and serves as the Finance Chair of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, the State of Michigans economic development organization. He also serves as chair of the Executive Committee of Detroits TechTown accelerator, is the immediate past chair of NextEnergy (Michigans advanced energy economic development organization), and chairs the investment committee of Detroits innovative community investment organization, the First Step Fund. Chris serves on the National Advisory Board of the University of Michigan Office of Technology Transfer and on the Board or the Advisory Board of several other community organizations, including the Detroit Medical Center, the New Economy Initiative and U of D Jesuit High School and Academy, as well as the advisory board of several venture capital funds. Chris was previously named by Crains Detroit Business magazine as one of its Newsmakers of the Year for his leadership role in the advancement of venture capital and entrepreneurship in Michigan, and is frequent lecturer and speaker. Jeffrey Rinvelt Principal Jeffrey Rinvelt is the Principal for the Fund. Jeffs diverse background in venture capital and technology along with his experience working in various start-up ventures uniquely positions him for this role. In addition, Jeff is quite active in the Michigan start-up community, volunteering his time to mentor young entrepreneurs, judge pitch competitions, and guest lecture student classes and organizations. Through Jeffs work on the Fund, his volunteer efforts and his role on the Michigan Venture Capital Associations board of directors, his passion for fostering a productive environment for venture capital investment in the State of Michigan is clearly evident. Jeff was previously part of Ardesta, where he was Director engaged in sourcing, evaluating, and conducting due diligence on investment opportunities, as well as monitoring and providing assistance to the companies in Ardestas portfolio. Prior to joining Ardesta, Jeff was a co-founder of GrapeVINE Technologies, providing Product Management and Marketing for their knowledge management product, eventually resulting in an acquisition by Sun Microsystems. Jeff was also part of the start-up team for MAXfunds.com, an Internet company providing complete coverage of the mutual fund industry, including hundreds of funds not available on any other site. In addition, Jeff spent five years with Ernst Youngs Information Technology group as a senior consultant. Jeff is a proud trustee of Western Michigan University and also lends his expertise to a number of local non-profits. Vince Nystrom Vice President of Business Development Vince Nystrom is the Vice President of Business Development with Renaissance. In this role, Vince leads the connection of Renaissance stakeholders with new technologies and start-up companies. Vince was previously with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, where he led MEDCs in state business development initiatives including the Pure Michigan Business Connect program, the most successful business connection program in Michigan history. Through the PMBC initiative, Vince helped facilitate over $3 billion in contracts between major corporations and Michigan companies. Prior to the MEDC position, Vince was the Program Director at the University Research Corridor which is an alliance of the state of Michigans three research universities, Michigan State University, the University of Michigan and Wayne State University. Vince was also the Vice President of Business Development for Ann Arbor SPARK, an innovation-based economic development initiative in the greater Ann Arbor region. Other roles included the Director of Technology Business Development at the MEDC during the creation and launch of the $2 billion 21st Century Jobs Fund, focused on growing Michigans competitive-edge technology businesses and the entrepreneurial sector. Vince has a Mechanical Engineering degree from Michigan State University and worked for over a decade in the manufacturing sector with an emphasis on automation, robotics and machine vision. This experience included work for a Fortune 100 company, a high-tech NASDAQ firm, and a technology start-up. Jessica Scott Chief Administrative Officer Jessica joins RVCF as Chief Administrative Officer and will handle office operations, marketing and financing, as well as business development support to reinforce RVCFs mission of helping to drive forward both innovation and growing of emerging companies in the region. Jessica previously worked for the Workforce Development Agency (WDA) as an analyst for the IT Talent Systems Department where she managed the Michigan Virtual Career Fair events, social media accounts for Pure Michigan Talent Connect and supported the marketing and outreach for the Pure Michigan Talent Connect system. Prior to working with WDA, Jessica worked for the MEDCs Talent Enhancement Division on the Escalated Services Team where she assisted Michigan employers with finding talent for hard to fill positions and driving talent to utilize Pure Michigan Talent Connect. Christopher L. Rizik CEO Fund Manager Christopher L. Rizik is the Chief Executive Officer and Fund Manager of the Renaissance Venture Capital Fund. With three decades of experience in technology, finance and law, he has played a principal role in dozens of multi-million dollar venture capital transactions. Prior to forming Renaissance, Chris served as a co-founder, partner, and Board member of Ardesta, LLC, an industry accelerator dedicated to the development of microsystems and other small technologies. Chris also co-founded and served as Managing Director of Avalon Investments, then Michigans largest venture capital firm. During his tenure at Avalon and Ardesta, he accepted four consecutive Deal of the Year awards from the Michigan Venture Capital Association. Prior to joining Avalon, Chris was a senior partner with Dickinson Wright PLLC, one of the Midwests oldest law firms, where he led the firms Emerging Company department. He also passed the Certified Public Accounting examination and worked at PriceWaterhouse Coopers. Chris is also the founder of SoulTracks.com, Americas most popular soul music online magazine. Chris is a member of the Executive Committee and serves as the Finance Chair of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, the State of Michigans economic development organization. He also serves as chair of the Executive Committee of Detroits TechTown accelerator, is the immediate past chair of NextEnergy (Michigans advanced energy economic development organization), and chairs the investment committee of Detroits innovative community investment organization, the First Step Fund. Chris serves on the National Advisory Board of the University of Michigan Office of Technology Transfer and on the Board or the Advisory Board of several other community organizations, including the Detroit Medical Center, the New Economy Initiative and U of D Jesuit High School and Academy, as well as the advisory board of several venture capital funds. Chris was previously named by Crains Detroit Business magazine as one of its Newsmakers of the Year for his leadership role in the advancement of venture capital and entrepreneurship in Michigan, and is frequent lecturer and speaker. Jeffrey Rinvelt Principal Jeffrey Rinvelt is the Principal for the Fund. Jeffs diverse background in venture capital and technology along with his experience working in various start-up ventures uniquely positions him for this role. In addition, Jeff is quite active in the Michigan start-up community, volunteering his time to mentor young entrepreneurs, judge pitch competitions, and guest lecture student classes and organizations. Through Jeffs work on the Fund, his volunteer efforts and his role on the Michigan Venture Capital Associations board of directors, his passion for fostering a productive environment for venture capital investment in the State of Michigan is clearly evident. Jeff was previously part of Ardesta, where he was Director engaged in sourcing, evaluating, and conducting due diligence on investment opportunities, as well as monitoring and providing assistance to the companies in Ardestas portfolio. Prior to joining Ardesta, Jeff was a co-founder of GrapeVINE Technologies, providing Product Management and Marketing for their knowledge management product, eventually resulting in an acquisition by Sun Microsystems. Jeff was also part of the start-up team for MAXfunds.com, an Internet company providing complete coverage of the mutual fund industry, including hundreds of funds not available on any other site. In addition, Jeff spent five years with Ernst Youngs Information Technology group as a senior consultant. Jeff is a proud trustee of Western Michigan University and also lends his expertise to a number of local non-profits. Vince Nystrom Vice President of Business Development Vince Nystrom is the Vice President of Business Development with Renaissance. In this role, Vince leads the connection of Renaissance stakeholders with new technologies and start-up companies. Vince was previously with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, where he led MEDCs in state business development initiatives including the Pure Michigan Business Connect program, the most successful business connection program in Michigan history. Through the PMBC initiative, Vince helped facilitate over $3 billion in contracts between major corporations and Michigan companies. Prior to the MEDC position, Vince was the Program Director at the University Research Corridor which is an alliance of the state of Michigans three research universities, Michigan State University, the University of Michigan and Wayne State University. Vince was also the Vice President of Business Development for Ann Arbor SPARK, an innovation-based economic development initiative in the greater Ann Arbor region. Other roles included the Director of Technology Business Development at the MEDC during the creation and launch of the $2 billion 21st Century Jobs Fund, focused on growing Michigans competitive-edge technology businesses and the entrepreneurial sector. Vince has a Mechanical Engineering degree from Michigan State University and worked for over a decade in the manufacturing sector with an emphasis on automation, robotics and machine vision. This experience included work for a Fortune 100 company, a high-tech NASDAQ firm, and a technology start-up. Jessica Scott Chief Administrative Officer Jessica joins RVCF as Chief Administrative Officer and will handle office operations, marketing and financing, as well as business development support to reinforce RVCFs mission of helping to drive forward both innovation and growing of emerging companies in the region. Jessica previously worked for the Workforce Development Agency (WDA) as an analyst for the IT Talent Systems Department where she managed the Michigan Virtual Career Fair events, social media accounts for Pure Michigan Talent Connect and supported the marketing and outreach for the Pure Michigan Talent Connect system. Prior to working with WDA, Jessica worked for the MEDCs Talent Enhancement Division on the Escalated Services Team where she assisted Michigan employers with finding talent for hard to fill positions and driving talent to utilize Pure Michigan Talent Connect. Advisory Board Sam Valenti III (Chairman) is Chairman of Valenti Capital, an investment firm located in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Valenti Capital manages several hundred million dollars in hedge funds, venture capital funds, and other private equity investments. Mr. Valenti is also the Executive Chairman of TriMas Corporation. TriMas is a NYSE listed diversified manufacturing company. Formerly a senior executive, corporate officer and 30 year veteran of Masco Corporation, a Fortune 500 manufacturer of home building and home improvement products with sales approaching $8 billion, Mr. Valenti was the youngest person to be named vice president in the 70-year history of Masco. For over 25 years, he was the leader of a team of investment professionals involved in a wide array of investment activities including stock and bond investment, commodity hedging, merger and acquisition analysis, and venture capital investing. He continues to serve as president of Masco Capital Corporation, the investment subsidiary of Masco Corporation, with assets of several hundred million dollars. Mr. Valenti is the recent chairman and a 15-year veteran of the Investment Advisory Committee of the $50 billion State of Michigan Retirement System. He serves on the Harvard Business School Advisory Council for Global Corporate Governance, the Advisory Council at the University of Notre Dame, and the Advisory Boards of Questor, Long Point, Doll Capital, Camelot and Enterprise Development Fund. In addition, he is a former member of the Board of Directors and Chairman of The Endowment Committee for the Center for Creative Studies and Chairman of the Investment Committee of the Cranbrook Educational Community. He was a member of the board of directors of Childrens Hospital, Arbor Drug, and the endowment committee of the Detroit Institute of Arts. Mr. Valenti received his Bachelor of Arts, with honors, and his Master Arts, also with honors, from Western Michigan University. Richard M. Gabrys The former Interim Dean of the School of Business Administration of Wayne State University and retired Vice Chairman of Deloitte Touche LLP, Mr. Gabrys has more than four decades of experience in public accounting, including extensive service to a variety of publicly held companies in the automotive manufacturing, financial services, and healthcare industries. Most recently, he served as a vice chairman in Deloittes U.S. Global Strategic Client Group, and as a global and U.S. leader of the firms manufacturing and automotive practices. In addition, he assisted a number of large corporations with their implementation of the requirements of Sarbanes-Oxley compliance. Previously, Mr. Gabrys served as the operations leader for Deloittes Financial Institutions Industry Group and served as the U.S. representative on its Global Banking Committee. He also previously served as lead audit partner and advisory partner to a number of financial and healthcare organizations. Mr. Gabrys is also a member of the board of the National Association of Manufacturers and the board of the Manufacturing Institute. In addition, he is active on the boards and advisory councils of a number of organizations in the metropolitan Detroit area. He is past chairman of the board of the Detroit Medical Center, the Board of Directors for the Detroit Regional Chamber, and the Michigan State Chamber of Commerce. He is the treasurer of the Detroit Institute of Arts, as well as chair of its Finance Committee and a member of its Executive Committee. He is the former chairman of the Board of the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation. He also serves on the boards of ArtServe Michigan and The Alliance for a Greater Safer Detroit. Erik Lundberg is the Chief Investment Officer at the University of Michigan, responsible for directing and overseeing the Universitys $9.4 billion in investment programs which includes the 7th largest endowment among U.S. educational institutions. His primary responsibilities include developing and implementing asset allocation for all of the Universitys investment programs, evaluating current and prospective investment managers, exploring alternative investment strategies, and ensuring successful communication and relations with the University and its Investment Advisory Committee. Prior to joining the University in 1999, Mr. Lundberg held several positions with Ameritechs investment office, which was charged with overseeing $22 billion in pension and other plan assets. His responsibilities there included leading global asset allocation activities and managing the companys U.S. and non-U.S. equity programs. Doug Rothwell has worked as an executive in the public, private and non-profit sectors having worked for three state Governors and two Fortune 500 companies. Currently, Doug is President CEO of Business Leaders for Michigan. He helped form this organization and develop the Michigan Turnaround Plan, a five-step strategy to make Michigan a top ten state for job economic growth that has gained broad support throughout the state. Prior to joining Detroit Renaissance, Doug served as Executive Director of Worldwide Real Estate for General Motors. Doug also founded and served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. During his ten-year tenure, Michigan was named the number one state for attracting and retaining corporate site location investments an unprecedented four years in a row, was cited for achieving one of the top business climates in the nation, and was consistently named the best state economic development agency. His work continues to serve as the foundation for much of Michigans economic development strategy, including: Renaissance Zones, Smart Zones, Brownfield redevelopment incentives, MEGA tax credits, economic development job training grants, M-TEC training centers, the NextEnergy initiative and business retention program. Previously he served as Chief of Staff to the Governor of Delaware and was an Executive Vice President at MBNA Corporation, the nations second largest credit card issuer (now part of Bank of America). Investments We at the Renaissance Venture Capital Fund believe that venture capital is both a driver of strong financial returns and of economic growth, and the venture capital funds in which we have invested reflect this belief. 5AM Ventures 5AM Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm focused on building next-generation life science companies. Founded in 2002, 5AM Ventures has offices in Menlo Park, CA and Waltham, MA and over $435 million under management. Allos Ventures Allos Ventures invests in early-stage companies, augmenting the capital provided by angel investors who have helped the companies reach a stage at which they are ready for their first institutional financing round. Allos leverages the investment experience and business-building skills and resources developed over the past decade by its principals in over 100 investments. Additionally, many of Allos' investors are successful technology company entrepreneurs, allowing it to tap into an even broader experience base of business-building expertise. Arboretum Ventures Arboretum Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm specializing in the healthcare sector. Arboretum aims to transform young companies into mature and thriving businesses that improve patient outcomes and lower the cost of care. Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Arboretum currently manages approximately $170 million in capital. Arsenal Venture Partners Arsenal Venture Partners invests in early-stage companies that target extremely large commercial markets, but can also leverage the defense industrial complex in a manner that is beneficial to both the company and the defense community. Atlas Venture Atlas companies are custom built to realize their scientific and business potential.DISCOVER: Identifying true innovation from high-impact science.DERISK: Proving and maturing the science and technology to guide clinical translation.SHAPE: Crafting the right business model for each opportunity.STRENGTHEN: Rolling up our sleeves to position our companies for successful drug development and exits in all market environments. Draper Triangle As the Midwest-based Network Partner of Draper Fisher Jurvetson, the leader in seed and early-stage venture capital, we offer entrepreneurs and investors a host of benefits unrivaled in the industry. Our Managers have significant experience in founding, investing in and growing early stage technology companies. Edison Partners For 28 years, Edison Partners has been helping CEOs and their executive teams navigate the entrepreneurial journey to becoming successful companies. Through the unique combination of early growth equity and the Edison Edge platform, consisting of strategic advisory, the Edison Director Network, and executive education programs, Edison employs a holistic approach to nurturing invention and creating value for growth-stage businesses ($5 to $20 million in revenue) in financial technology, healthcare IT, interactive marketing, and enterprise IT industries. Edison investment objectives also include: buyouts, recapitalizations, spinouts and secondary stock purchases. Flagship Ventures Flagship brings decades of operating and investing experience to the more than sixty companies in its portfolio. The portfolio consists primarily of seed and early-stage investments, with some later stage value investments. Healthcare investments target therapeutics and medical technologies and sustainability investments target clean technology and energy. Critical elements of these investments include visionary people, transformative ideas, significant intellectual property protection, deep market understanding, and the opportunity for capital efficiency and leverage. Frazier Healthcare Partners The Frazier Life Sciences team invests in and builds companies developing and commercializing novel therapeutics. H.I.G. Bioventures H.I.G. BioVentures invests in a broad range of life science opportunities across sectors and stages. H.I.G.s seasoned investment team has extensive and diverse experience in big pharma, small biotech, medical devices, diagnostics, basic science, clinical research, and technology transfer. Mercury Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Mercury is a seed and startup venture capital firm that invests in compelling and novel information technology and science-based startup opportunities. Mercury seeks to partner with extraordinary entrepreneurs to build globally competitive businesses, focusing on technology innovation in the U.S. Midcontinent. MK Capital With offices in Northbrook, Illinois, Santa Monica, California and Ann Arbor, Michigan, MK Capital invests in companies at all stages of the funding lifecycle, with a strong sector focus on digital media, data center automation, software, and education technology. The MK Capital team aligns closely with entrepreneurs as a funding partner, a reliable mentor, and a valuable resource to build successful businesses. Pelion Venture Partners Some of the worlds biggest companies and notable entrepreneurs trust us to help.One of the biggest questions entrepreneurs ask is, What can you do for me? In a world of multiple venture firms all making great claims, it is hard to sort out how a VC sets itself apart from all the noise in our respective industries. At Pelion, we bring seasoned expertise, a dogged work ethic, and a sense of humor to the working relationship. We prefer to work this way and our clients do as well Plymouth Venture Partners Venture capital firm adding value to growth stage companies in the great lakes region. River Cities Capital Funds Founded in 1994, River Cities Capital Funds is one of the most active and experienced growth equity funds in healthcare and information technology (IT). With nearly $500 million under management and more than 100 investments made, River Cities has established itself as a preferred partner among the entrepreneurial and private equity communities. RPM Ventures RPM, based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is an early-stage venture capital firm with a unique investing strategy and core platform that deliver repeatable, consistent value to portfolio companies and our investors. RPM provides capital and guidance to entrepreneurs starting and building innovative technology companies. Techstars Ventures Techstars Ventures is the venture capital arm of Techstars. We have $265M under management and we are currently investing out of our third fund ($150M) which is focused on Seed and Series A investments. We are primarily co-investors alongside the venture capital and angel communities in Techstars accelerator program graduates, new companies started by Techstars alumni, and companies formed by Techstars mentors. Our typical investment is $100,000 at Seed, and $1-2M for Series A. TGap Ventures TGap serves entrepreneurs throughout the Midwest by assisting them define, develop, grow, and build value in their businesses. The TGap team is a mix of successful venture capitalists, managers and entrepreneurs with the aptitudes, experience, empathy, realism and patience required to build great businesses from, and add value to, developing companies. Direct Investments ArborMetrix ArborMetrix combines clinical insight and statistical science to power the most strategic and flexible solution that healthcare providers can deploy to measure clinical performance and efficiency. By marrying innovative information technology, state-of-the-art measurement science, and insights from clinical experts, ArborMetrix helps clients make better decisions to optimize the quality and cost-efficiency of hospital and specialty care. Concerto Healthcare Nine million people are dual eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. Millions more are impoverished or severely ill. These patients urgently need the best care but frequently cannot access it. Health plans, meanwhile, struggle to provide adequate services to those who need the most help.Concerto provides a proven solution to these problems. We surround the elderly and patients with complex needs with the care and respect they deserve. We lift their health burdens and deliver peace of mind. For more than a decade, our team of doctors, nurses, care managers, social workers, and specialists have provided extraordinary outcomes for thousands of patients. Millendo Therapeutics Millendo develops novel, disease-modifying treatments for specialty and orphan endocrine diseases caused by hormone dysregulation. Swift Biosciences Swift Biosciences develops enabling products and technologies (reagents and kits) for genomics and personalized medicine. The company's technologies provide customers with powerful new ways to examine disease-related genes. Swift's products are designed to help customers analyze samples faster, easier and with greater sensitivity and accuracy, while being compatible with existing instrumentation. Contact TWITTER Ann Arbor Address: 201 South Main Street, 10th floor, Ann Arbor, MI 48104-2113 Phone: (734) 997-8661 Email: info@renvcf.com Detroit Address: 600 Renaissance Center, Suite 1760, Detroit, MI 48243-1802 Phone: (734) 997-8661 Email: info@renvcf.com Copyright © 2016 Renaissance Venture Capital Fund Michigan Web Design by build/create