Andy De Mari, Partner
Alexandra Giurgiu, Partner
Steve Kahng, Partner
Elserino Piol, Advisor
Oliver Novick, Advisor
Amanda Johnson, Associate

Andy De Mari, Partner
ademari@4cventures.com

• Andy joined 4C formally as a Partner in 2000 with the launch of 4C Ventures II

• He serves on the Board of Directors of Net-Tel and Network 365.

• He has worked with the 4C team for 15 years as the Founder and CEO of two companies in which 4C was a first-round investor:
  
  
  • Isocor, founded in 1991, which went public and was sold to Critical Path in January 2000. Isocor develops meta-directory enterprise software, as well as providing high-speed message (e-mail) servers.
  
  
  • Retix, founded in 1985, which went public (now named Vertel). Retix made networking equipment.

• Prior to founding Retix, Andy served as a vice president of Compucorp, an office automation company

• Andy has significant expertise in software development, networking and messaging

• Andy holds a MSEE and PhD in Electrical Engineering from Caltech, and an electrical engineering degree from Turin Polytechic.
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Alexandra Giurgiu, Partner
agiurgiu@4cventures.com

• Alexandra has been a 4C Partner since 1985, originally as part of the management team for Olivetti's venture investment program.

• She has served on the Board of Directors of several key companies in the 4C portfolio, including Wireless Access, Xcelon, Isocor, and Alacrity Systems.

• Prior to joining 4C, Alexandra was director of international operations for Lifeboat Associates, a software distribution and publishing company. There she was responsible for managing Lifeboat's international operations in Europe and the Far East. She was hired as a turnaround manager to review and manage operations in the UK, France, Switzerland, Italy, Holland, Germany and Japan.

• Earlier, Alexandra was senior officer in charge of administration and finance for Chemtex, Inc, a privately held company specializing in technology sourcing, equipment procurement and engineering services for man-made and synthetic fiber plants in developing nations.

• Alexandra holds a BS in Operations Research, and an MS in Industrial Engineering from Columbia University School of Engineering. Her Masters Thesis was on the transfer of technology to developing countries. She speaks five languages: English, French, Italian, Spanish, and Romanian.
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Steve Kahng, Partner
skahng@4cventures.com

• Steve had a very close working relationship with 4C, having worked directly with the team since 1993 as founder and CEO of a key portfolio company, Power Computing.

• In 1993, Steve co-founded Power Computing Corporation with the support and backing of Elserino Piol and the 4C team. The company was the largest and most successful Macintosh personal computer clone maker, reaching a $500 million annual sales run rate in 3 1/2 years. Steve served as president and CEO of the company, and made a significant personal investment in the company. 4C held two Board seats and was the lead investor in the firm. Other investors included Kleiner Perkins, ASCII Ventures, and LG Electronics. The company was sold to Apple Computer in 1998.

• Prior to founding Power, Steve served as president and CEO of Up To Date Technology, a computer industry consulting firm focusing on engineering, operations, manufacturing and development projects for major industry players, including Compaq, Motorola, Digital Equipment Corporation, and the three largest Korean computer manufacturers.

• In the early 1980's, Steve was actively involved with the development of an IBM-compatible mainframe computer at STC Computer Research. He began his career at IBM as a design engineer on the successful new IBM 3080 series of mainframe computers.  

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Elserino Piol, Advisor
 

• Elserino initiated Olivetti's corporate venture program in 1980 and has been active in the initiative throughout its existence. Beginning in 1998, Elserino and Oliver Novick formed Pino Venture Partners and Pino Partecipazioni, advisor to the Kiwi funds, one of the leading European technology investment groups in Europe. He currently acts as an Advisor to the General Partner of the 4C funds, as well as advising the Kiwi funds through Pino.

• During his long career with Olivetti, Elserino served in a number of senior executive-level positions, including Director of Product Planning and Corporate Marketing, Senior Vice President of Olivetti of America in charge of sales and marketing, and Executive Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development.

• In 1990, Elserino was appointed CEO for Olivetti's Systems & Networks, and later became the COO of Olivetti's core business until September 1992. He also served as a member of the Board of Directors of Olivetti from 1987 to 1996 and as Vice Chairman from 1988 to 1996, as well as Chairman and CEO of Olivetti's new telecommunications and multimedia initiative, Olivetti Telemedia.

• Elserino designed the strategy for Olivetti entering into telecommunications and served as the first Chairman of Omnitel (wireless telecom) and Infostrada (wireline telecom services).

• Elserino had a significant role in founding and building major new high-tech companies, among them Power Computing, Olicom, Virata, and Veron. He is or was a Director of Acorn Computer (UK), Olivetti Advanced Technology Center, Olicom, Power Computing, Docunet, Veron, Progress, and Tecnost.

• Elserino acted as Chairman of PICIENNE, the consortium including British Telecom, Mediaset, and Telenor which bid for the third GSM service license in Italy.
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Oliver Novick, Advisor
 

• Oliver founded Pino Venture Partners and Pino Partecipazioni, advisors to the Kiwi funds, with Elserino Piol beginning in 1998, and he has actively worked with the portfolio investments of both Kiwi funds. He serves as an Advisor to the General Partner of the 4C Ventures funds in addition to his role with Pino.

• Previously, Oliver served as CEO of Olivetti's Internet and new media division, which included Italia Online, Italy's first ISP.

• From 1989 to 1994, headed Strategy and Development for the Fininvest Group, Italy's leading media company - active in television, cinema, publishing, financial services and retail initiatives.

• Prior to Fininvest, Oliver served as Group Vice President of Corporate Development at Olivetti with overall responsibility for US and European venture capital activities. His team concluded more than 50 investments in Europe and US, representing total investments in excess of $600 million.
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Amanda Johnson, Associate

• Joined 4C Ventures in 1995 as an associate.

• Previous industry experience includes strategic planning and marketing for wireless systems and enhanced voice services at AT&T. Prior to AT&T, Ms. Johnson worked in research and planning educational documentaries for National Geographic. She has had a long-standing involvement with primary and secondary education and the application of new technologies in education.

• Ms. Johnson holds an MBA degree from George Washington University and a BA from Indiana University. She also pursued post-graduate work at Columbia University.
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