Menlo Ventures Hires Houman Haghighi as Business Development Partner

Qualcomm Veteran Brings Scalable Approach to Business and Network Development


MENLO PARK, Calif., Jan. 24, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Menlo Ventures, a leading venture capital firm known for investments in Uber, Roku, Bitsight, Carta and Rover today announced that Qualcomm’s Houman Haghighi joins as Business Development Partner.

As Business Development Partner and member of Menlo’s Fuel team, Houman’s priority is to accelerate growth for the firm’s portfolio companies. He will work closely with the management teams of Menlo portfolio companies to identify mutually beneficial customer engagements, strategic partnerships, and to help catalyze additional rounds of financing. Houman brings his extensive network and experience helping accelerate companies’ growth from his time at Qualcomm Ventures. At Menlo, he will build on that and foster an ecosystem of industry-leading companies and individuals who are committed to partnering with Menlo portfolio companies.

“Bringing Houman onto the team creates an incredible opportunity to help Menlo’s portfolio companies,” said Menlo Partner, Matt Murphy. “After speaking to many founders, it became clear that one of the most impactful things we can do is introduce them to our network and accelerate growth. Houman’s years of diverse experience as an investor, engineer, and founder make him a valuable partner for entrepreneurs, through every stage of go-to-market.”

“The partners at Menlo Ventures share my belief that a VC should bring more to the table than a checkbook and pen. The Menlo team is committed to partnering at every stage of the founder journey,” said Houman. “They brought me here to give founders an unfair advantage: engaging our deep industry relationships to give our companies the access and edge they need to succeed.”

Menlo’s Fuel team is comprised of functional experts across the categories of Talent, Marketing, Business Development, and Network Development. They implement venture services where entrepreneurs need it most: building world-class management teams, catalyzing go-to-market strategies, and creating impactful connections across the Menlo network. Each functional lead on this team comes from a background in venture and can be considered a world-class operator.

“Building a breakthrough company requires more than just funding,” explained Jordan Ormont, Talent Partner at Menlo Ventures and member of Menlo’s Fuel team. “At Menlo, being all in means providing resources well beyond financial, to create impact where our entrepreneurs need it most. With our vast network and a laser focus on Go-to-Market acceleration in the areas of Sales, Marketing, Talent, and Business Development, we don’t just invest, we’re invested.”

Before joining Menlo Ventures, Houman spent fifteen years at Qualcomm where he most recently ran Business Development for the company’s Ventures division. In that role, he worked closely with companies such as AttackIQ, Clarifai, Cohesity, Fitbit, Magic Leap, MapR, Ring, RetailNext, Thundersoft, and Zoom. He was a founding member of and ran the Qualcomm Robotics Accelerator, in partnership with TechStars, where he invested in ten early-stage robotics companies in the nascent days of robotics investment.

While at Qualcomm, Houman invested in robotics startups, Reach Robotics, Carbon Robotics, AI platform, Clarifai, and security company, AttackIQ. He serves as an independent board member at Portfolium and is an investor board member at DARPA. Previously he co-founded a patient health network, RxMatch. Houman is also an inventor and has been granted two U.S. Patents in the field of radio frequency modulation in mobile phones.

Houman graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a B.S. in Computational Cognitive Science. He is also a Stanford Certified Project Manager and has completed additional coursework at Harvard Business School’s Executive Program.

About Menlo Ventures 

Menlo Ventures is a venture capital firm that strives to have a positive impact on everything we do. That’s why we support businesses including Uber, Betterment, Warby Parker, Roku, and Carbonite that are reimagining life and work for the better. Over 40 years we’ve grown a portfolio that includes more than 70 public companies, over 100 mergers and acquisitions, and $5 billion under management. We invest at every stage and in every sector, with expertise in B2B, B2C, and Healthcare. From developing market strategies to creating communities, we provide real impact where entrepreneurs need it most. When we’re in, we’re all in. Learn more at www.menlovc.com.

Menlo Ventures
menlo@nectarpr.com

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