Bill Tai
650.687.5600
Email
Areas of greatest interest
Digital Television
Enabling Technology
Web Based Services
Wireless Infrastructure
Track Record
Avvenu – acq. by Nokia (NYSE NOK), 2007
SlimDevices – acq. by Logitech (NASD LOGI), 2006
IPinfusion Inc. – acq. by ACCESS (TSE 4813), 2006
RLX Technologies – acq. by HP (NYSE HPQ), 2005
NCompass – acq. by Microsoft (NASD MSFT), 2001
ImGo – IPO 2001 via reverse merger (HKSE:0067)
Microtune – IPO 2000, (NASD TUNE)
iAsiaWorks Inc. – IPO 2000 (NASD IAWK)
Transmeta inc. – IPO 2000 (NASD TMTA)
ICWorks – acq. by Cypress (NYSE CY), 1999
Terayon – IPO 1998 (NASD TERN)
8x8, Inc. – IPO 1997, (NASD EGHT)
Award Software – IPO 1996 (NASD AWRD)
Rastergraphics – IPO 1996 (NASD RGFX)
Premisys Inc. – IPO 1995 (NASD PRMS)
Network Peripherals – IPO 1994 (NASD NPIX)
Centrum Inc. – acq. by 3Com (NASD COMS) 1994
Microchip – IPO 1993 (NASD MCHP)
Creative Technology – IPO 1992, (Nasdaq : CREAF)
Past Lives
VC since 1991
Founder or Chairman of several companies (iAsiaWorks, IPinfusion, Tradebeam)
Created semiconductor practice at Alex.Brown & Sons
First valley start up job Marketing, LSI Logic
What he does for fun
Kiteboards on water and snow
Co-creator with Susi Mai of the MaiTai Kite Camp www.maitaisports.com
Joined CRV
2002
Education
MBA, Harvard Graduate School of Business
BS, Electrical Engineering, University of Illinois
Current Projects
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Glyde
Glyde is a next generation Web company.
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WangYou
WangYou, based in China, is developing a cross-media user-generated content community through its internet-based wireless platform.
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Maxthon
The Maxthon browser was awarded the Red Herring Asia 100 prize in 2005 and was named as one of the best 100 products by PC World. Equipped with features and tools not found on any other browser, Maxthon is the favorite of 30 percent of Internet users in China and is rapidly increasing its market share in the rest of the world. Since the launch of version 2.0 in 2006, it has been downloaded 40 million times, increasing its cumulative total to more than 140 million downloads. These accomplishments were achieved without marketing or advertising, attesting to the growing number of fans who have spread the word about Maxthon’s abilities. Being publicly endorsed by Microsoft and leading Wall Street Internet analysts, Maxthon (http://www.maxthon.com) also has working arrangements with Google and Skype.
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Scribd
Scribd began with a simple observation – that there’s a writer in all of us. And that even more fundamental than our desire for self-expression is our need to learn and be inspired.
Today, Scribd is the place where you publish, discover and discuss original writings and documents. More than 50 million people each month are finding or sharing fun, functional or fantastical writings and documents on Scribd.com and tens of thousands of other websites that have embedded Scribd’s document reader.
We built a technology that’s broken all barriers to traditional publishing and in the process also built one of the largest readerships in the world.
01/19/2009
Scribd in TechCrunch: Scribd Raises $9 Million So You Can…more
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Nantero
Nantero is a nanotechnology company using carbon nanotubes for the development of next-generation semiconductor devices. Nantero’s main focus is the development of NRAM™. Nantero is also working with licensees on the development of additional applications of Nantero’s core nanotube-based technology. More information on Nantero, Inc. is available in English and Japanese at http://www.nantero.com
08/25/2008
Nantero Named 54th Fastest-Growing Private Company by Inc. more
05/01/2008
Nantero featured in Entrepreneur: Small Wonders more
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Rosum
Rosum is the first and only company to use unmodified broadcast TV signals for position location of mobile assets. Rosum is also the first to combine TV and GPS signals for truly robust situational awareness in all environments. Rosum has also developed a deployable signal offering in support of defense and first response applications. Partners include Intrado Inc., Trimble, and the Boeing Company. Rosum’s founding team includes the original architects of the GPS constellation. More information is available at http://www.rosum.com.
05/11/2009
Rosum Corporation Names Industry Veteran Brad Anderson to Serve as…more
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Veebeam
Veebeam, formerly known as Staccato Communications, is developing a consumer electronics device to wirelessly deliver high quality internet video content from the consumer’s laptop to the flat screen. Staccato Communications developed wireless USB silicon and software solutions and changed its name in April 2010 to acknowledge its new consumer electronics focus.
Updates
Blog
Links
Press
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11/12/2009
Bill Tai: The Kite Guy of Silicon Valley more
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06/09/2009
Silicon Clocks Completes $10.3M Series C Financing Led By Silicon Labs and Premier Venture Firms more
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06/02/2009
Forbes.com: Kiteboarding Techies more
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05/11/2009
Rosum Corporation Names Industry Veteran Brad Anderson to Serve as CEO more
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01/19/2009
Scribd in TechCrunch: Scribd Raises $9 Million So You Can Continue To View PDFs Online more
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06/16/2008
Silicon Valley quest: Wind over water more
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05/09/2008
CNET - Want a VC deal? Go fly a kiteboard more
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12/04/2007
Nokia acquires Avvenu for Mobile Access and Share Technologies more
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11/04/2007
Silicon Clocks raises $8M financing as Lux Capital joins existing investors Charles River, Formative, and… more
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04/27/2007
PodTech, Bill Tai of Charles River Ventures on Finding The Next Google more
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04/26/2007
PodTech, Bill Tai of Charles River Ventures: Is The VC Game Going To the Angels? more
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11/01/2006
Boston Globe- Charles River Ventures rolls out a seed-money program for Net start-ups more
Events
