User:Sanfran1276/Joanna Rees
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Joanna Rees | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 14, 1961 Montclair, New Jersey |
| Occupation | Venture Capitalist |
| Employer | VSP Capital |
| Spouse | John Hamm |
| Website | VSP Capital |
Joanna Rees is a managing director at VSP Capital,[1] a San-Francisco based venture capital firm.
Rees founded VSP after working in investment banking at BA Securities and Vrolyk & Co. In 1996, Rees launched Venture Strategy Group, which has since been renamed VSP Capital.[2] Rees raised a fund in 2000 with $185 million under management comprised of institutional investors including Horsley Bridge Partners, Pantheon, FLAG Ventures and The Commonfund. VSP investments have included Affinity Labs, Truveo, QuinStreet, and FON.[3]
In addition, Joanna has filed campaign papers announcing her intention to run for Mayor of San Francisco [4] in the 2011 election,[5] to succeed Gavin Newsom who resigned when he became California's Lieutenant Governor.
Early life
[edit]Rees was born in Montclair, New Jersey, the daughter of Joan (Pernetti) Rees and John Rees. Rees graduated from Montclair High School and attended Duke University where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. She then earned her MBA in Finance at the Columbia Business School.[6]
Career
[edit]In 1985, Rees joined Groupe Danone until leaving in 1989 to attend business school at Columbia University. She graduated from Columbia and then took over a family-owned hotel business bringing her back to her hometown of Montclair, NJ.[7] After growing and selling that business, she moved to San Francisco, California in 1993 and opened Eric Restaurant in San Francisco with her now former husband, Eric Gallanter.[8][9] She then worked in investment banking at BA Securities and Vrolyk & Co.[10]
In addition to managing VSP Capital, Rees serves as Chairman of the USA Advisory Board for Madrid-based FON.[11][12] Rees is also an Adjunct Professor in the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University where she teaches a course on values based leadership.[13] She also serves on the boards of NewSchools Venture Fund,[14] the Bay Area Board of the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship, the Annual Fund board at Duke University, and the Global Board of Endeavor.[15] Rees recently completed a 4-year term on the board of the National Venture Capital Association where she continues as a media spokesperson. Rees previously worked with other non-profits including the Junior League of San Francisco and the March of Dimes.[13]
Rees, along with Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg and fellow Silicon Valley venture capitalists John Doerr and Bill Gurley recently hosted screenings of the new educational documentary "Waiting for Superman".[16]
References
[edit]- ^ Joanna Rees’ profile at the VSP Capital Official Site
- ^ "Alley Cat - Forbes.com".
- ^ "VSP Capital: Current Portfolio Properties".
- ^ Joanna Rees Campaign Website
- ^ Joanna Rees dives into mayor's race
- ^ "Joanna Rees interview with ABC 7 News".
- ^ "Joanna Rees in Fast Company article".
- ^ Eric Gallanter Private Dining
- ^ Entrepreneur eyes San Francisco mayor's race
- ^ Joanna Rees-Gallanter Executive Profile
- ^ FON: About Us
- ^ Joanna Rees’ Crunchbase Profile
- ^ a b "Joanna Rees, Lecturer of Management".
- ^ Joanna Rees’ profile at NewSchools Venture Fund
- ^ Joanna Rees’ Endeavor Profile
- ^ "Why Our Schools Suck, The Movie".
Category:Venture capitalists Category:Duke University alumni Category:Columbia Business School alumni Category:Private equity and venture capital investors Category:Living people