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Corporate Venture Capital

Biography

Scott is a Partner and supervises the Cerity Partners Ventures’ industrial manufacturing and food & agriculture sector practices.

Prior to joining Cerity Partners, Scott co-founded Touchdown Ventures, which pioneered “venture capital as a service” by partnering with leading corporations to manage their venture capital programs. This unique model supports corporate innovation efforts by focusing on strategic benefits and financial returns, enabling collaboration between corporates and start-ups.

Scott began his venture capital career in 1992 as the first associate at Geocapital Partners, a late stage venture capital firm focused on technology investments. In 2002, Scott co-founded DFJ Frontier, an early stage fund making west coast investments for the DFJ Network. Following his initial experience as a venture capitalist, he worked in product marketing for Trilogy Software in Austin, Texas, and was the co-founder & CEO of SmartFrog, the first cash-back rewards program for online shopping, which he sold to Cybergold.

Education

  • MBA in entrepreneurial management from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
  • AB in Comparative Literature from Princeton University

Highlights

  • Co-founded the Entrepreneurship Center at UC Davis, where he was an adjunct for seven years at the Graduate School of Management and served on the advisory board for the Dean of the College of Biological Sciences
  • Has taught corporate innovation as a visiting professor at UCLA Anderson and venture capital as an adjunct professor at USC’s Marshall School
  • Served on the board of directors of the Sacramento Philharmonic
  • Served on the board of the Kenley Jansen Foundation, which provides entertainment and technology for children’s hospitals

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