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From our experience as entrepreneurs, we understand what early stage technology entrepreneurs seek in their venture partners: clear, honest communication, reliable and quick action, and trusted advice. These are the principles that underlie our focus on investing in seed and early stage companies. Entrepreneur to entrepreneur, founder to founder, innovator to innovator, we work hand-in-hand with our entrepreneurs, helping them to recruit world-class management, execute key strategic partnerships, raise smart later-stage financing and achieving outstanding exits. Leveraging our vast network of industry contacts, we are committed to helping the entrepreneur build companies that will grow, succeed and win.
We believe that the new sustainable revolution will have as powerful an impact on world economies and global lifestyles as the industrial and internet revolutions. We believe we are at a critical turning point in global recognition of this immense problem. The opportunity for Catamount Ventures to participate in this revolution arises from the growing alignment between sustaining these natural resources and generating economic profit. We believe that what is good for the environment is increasingly good for the bottom line of home and corporate activities. Multi-national corporations that have reached the same conclusion are rapidly creating new markets for sustainable business. Consumers are waking up to the health and economic impact of thinking ‘green’. We see a large and growing need to foster innovation in this sector, and recognize the advantages of Catamount’s early stage and technology expertise in cultivating the coming generation of industry-leading companies.
This is not just about alternative energy or green house gases. Nearly every decision that someone makes can be thought of differently as they keep in mind the impact of the environment. We believe that this emerging change in consumer and corporate behavior has opened up nearly every aspect of our economy for interesting opportunities. Catamount Ventures is on the hunt for world class entrepreneurs who are thinking differently, innovators from all sectors of our economy from food to air to water to transportation to materials to alternative energy and energy reduction.
We believe that many of the revolutionary technology breakthroughs that we all dreamed about in 1999 have come through today. Consumer access to broadband, streaming media, fast computers and video cards have all enabled fascinating applications to come to fruition and acceptance. From Skype to youtube to myspace to secondlife it is clear that we are at the advent of a new and exciting internet revolution. For the past 18 years the Catamount team has been immersed in this technology sector and we believe that we are within one degree of world experts who can help us analyze opportunities and build world class companies. We see innovation on a daily basis from many qualified entrepreneurs and plan to leverage this experience and knowledge to continue backing the future innovators of the technology world.
With the acceleration of business decision-making, entrepreneurs can benefit from experienced guidance now more than ever. We believe that innovation is constantly accelerating - things aren't just moving fast; they're moving faster and faster. The resulting complexity has broad implications for new business creation. Most notably, it invigorates entrepreneurship, encourages the acceptance of change and disruption of the status quo. At the same time, the challenge of acceleration places enormous demands on the entrepreneur. In this climate of change, Catamount Ventures is grounded in the notion that we serve the entrepreneur, who needs the guidance of an experienced partner.
Entrepreneurship is a unique talent, combining financial knowledge, market vision, sales skills and organizational acumen to execute on an idea to the point of successful implementation. It is in this creative process where much of the value of a company is achieved. Few individuals have all of the critical skills to bring an idea to fruition, and these days fewer and fewer venture capitalists have the entrepreneurial backgrounds to be able to put themselves in the founder's shoes. We seek to be 'the advocates for the entrepreneur' by leveraging our years of relevant expertise, industry contacts and domain knowledge to launch successful companies. Having seen the extreme highs and lows of company creation, we can guide an entrepreneur to keep an even keel and focus on the critical matters that lay ahead.
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The catamount, or mountain lion, ranges the high country from British Columbia to South America. They are solitary, efficient hunters. The big cats have a mystique and a still strength which inspires respect. Like an entrepreneur, the catamount strikes it alone, seeking its own way in the face of constant challenges and harsh realities. Ultimately, by working in partnership with the environment, the big cats survive and thrive. The way of the catamount represents the central goal and thesis of Catamount Ventures.
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