Shasta Ventures Expands Team with New Entrepreneur in Residence and Senior Associate

Business Wire, Dec 10, 2008

Kartik Raghavan and Sean Flynn Bring Experience from Microsoft, Yahoo and More

MENLO PARK, Calif. -- Early-stage venture capital firm Shasta Ventures today announced the addition of two new team members, naming Kartik Raghavan as an entrepreneur in residence and Sean Flynn as a senior associate.

In this new role, Raghavan will help assess prospective investments and will assist and advise companies in the Shasta portfolio. Sean Flynn will be responsible primarily for evaluating mobile and Internet investment opportunities.

"At Shasta we have a successful track record of investing in technology-enabled businesses spanning multiple sectors," said Robert Coneybeer, managing director at Shasta. "We're especially enthusiastic about recent developments in the wireless market, with smart phones and open source development dramatically changing the landscape. With their strong backgrounds in technology and business, Kartik and Sean are terrific additions to our team as we source and evaluate new investment opportunities in this area, as well as others."

Previously, Raghavan worked with Trilogy Equity Partners in Bellevue as a venture partner and special advisor. Before that he was with Microsoft for 10 years in a variety of roles ranging from management to technology to business strategy, working primarily in software and software services. He is currently an advisor to Pelago, InstallFree, and several other startups. He holds B.A. degrees in Engineering Sciences/Computer Sciences and Economics/Applied Math from Dartmouth College.

Before joining Shasta Ventures, Flynn worked at Yahoo in various product management, business development, and strategy roles. Most recently, he was senior director of business development and business operations for Yahoo's communication and community products. Previously, Flynn launched Yahoo's premium voice services as a product manager on the Yahoo Messenger team. Prior to Yahoo, he was an investment banker at Morgan Stanley where he advised technology, telecom, and media companies on equity financings and merger and acquisition opportunities in both New York and Singapore. He holds a B.A. in Economics from Brown University.

About Shasta Ventures

Shasta Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm investing in technology-enabled businesses serving consumers and enterprises. Located in Menlo Park, California, Shasta Ventures has $460 million dollars under management. Shasta was formed in 2004 by venture capital veterans and has made more than 30 investments to date across consumer and business services, infrastructure and software. For more information on Shasta Ventures, please visit www.shastaventures.com.