NEWS & EVENTS
Charles River Ventures Adds Former Sonus Networks CEO Hassan Ahmed as Senior Advisor
Charles River Ventures Adds Former Sonus Networks CEO Hassan Ahmed as Senior Advisor
WALTHAM, Mass. (April 14, 2009) – Charles River Ventures (CRV), one of the nation’s leading early-stage venture capital firms, today announced that Hassan Ahmed has joined the firm as Senior Advisor. Ahmed will work with the partners at CRV to identify new investment opportunities while also advising the firm’s portfolio company executives on product and market strategy.
“As early investors in Sonus, we know first-hand how Hassan can take a breakthrough idea and grow it into a market-leading company,” said Bruce Sachs, partner, Charles River Ventures. “We are happy to have that type of innovating thinking on board and know that CRV and our portfolio companies will greatly benefit from Hassan’s experience and know-how in helping young companies achieve market traction through all kinds of market conditions.”
Ahmed brings a wealth of experience as one of the early pioneers of VoIP as Chairman and CEO of Sonus Networks, a CRV portfolio company, which he joined as President and CEO in 1998. Prior to joining Sonus, Ahmed was Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Core Switching division of Ascend Communications. He served as CTO and Vice President of Engineering prior to Ascend’s acquisition of Cascade Communications. Previously, Ahmed was President and founder of WaveAccess, a pioneer in high-speed wireless network products. Ahmed has also held the positions of Product Engineering Manager, Analog Devices, and director, VSLI Systems, Motorola Codex. Additionally, he was an Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Management, Boston University.
“Even in this tough economy, companies with groundbreaking technologies continue to emerge, and it is an exciting time to be advising these companies on market strategy and working with CRV to explore new investment ideas,” said Ahmed. “I’ve known CRV for a long time having worked with them at Sonus, and I welcome the opportunity to work more closely with the firm’s partners and portfolio companies.”
Ahmed holds a B.S. in electrical engineering, an M.S. in aerospace engineering from Carleton University and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Stanford University.