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About
Brian Ascher is a Partner at Venrock, based in Menlo Park (Palo Alto), California, where he has served since 1998. His key responsibilities include sourcing and managing investments, serving on several boards—including 6sense, Socrates AI, Personal Capital, Dynamic Signal, Retail Solutions, SmartBiz Loans, Contract Wrangler, and INRIX—and providing strategic guidance to portfolio companies.
Ascher focuses on early-stage and growth investments in enterprise software, FinTech, and consumer internet sectors, actively seeking opportunities in data analytics, financial technology, and enterprise service platforms. His portfolio includes notable exits such as Vocera (NYSE:VCRA), DATAllegro (acquired by Microsoft), Atrenta (acquired by Synopsys), Redbeacon (acquired by Home Depot), Tudou (acquired by Youku), RelayHealth (acquired by McKesson), and Unicru (acquired by Kronos).
Prior to Venrock, Ascher was Senior Product Manager at Intuit, where he was responsible for Quicken and Quicken.com, and previously worked as a strategy consultant at Monitor Group. He holds a BA in Biology from Princeton University and an MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business; he has repeatedly been named to the Forbes Midas List, recognizing his contributions and influence in venture capital.
Career History
| Organization | Role | Date Range | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venrock | Partner | Jul 1998 to Present | I invest in early-stage technology start-ups and do whatever it takes to help them succeed. I currently serve on the Boards of:
6Sense
FirstUp
SmartBiz Loans
Auditoria
INRIX
Zero Networks
Nightfall (... |
| 6sense | Member Board of Directors | Jul 2013 to Present | — |
| Intuit | Senior Product Manager | Jun 1995 to Jan 1998 | Responsible for launching and managing several versions of award winning Quicken software products and helped launch Quicken.com personal finance site. My tenure at Intuit was during the early phase ... |
| Robertson Stephens | Associate | Jun 1994 to Sep 1994 | Summer Associate in M&A and Corporate Finance. Worked with private equity group looking at mid-market buyouts and the M&A advisory team. I developed an appreciation and respect for the role investme... |
| Monitor Group | Consultant | Jan 1989 to Jan 1993 | Fresh out of college I was given a surprising amount of responsibility and broad exposure to management and business strategy projects, mostly for large enterprises. I was even transferred to The Net... |
Education
Stanford University Graduate School of Business
1993 — 1995
Princeton University
1985 — 1989
Skills & Expertise
Others at VR Adviser, LLC (15)
| Name | Role | Location |
|---|---|---|
 | Partner | Palo Alto, CA , United States |
 | Partner | CA , United States |
 | Partner | New York, NY , United States |
 | Head Trader | New York, NY , United States |
L Lisa Harris | Partner | Redmond, WA , United States |
 | General Partner | Cambridge, MA , United States |
 | Partner | New York, NY , United States |
| Partner | New York, NY , United States | |
A Anthony Evnin | partner | New York, NY , United States |
 | Partner | Palo Alto, CA , United States |
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