C. McKenzie (Mac) Lewis III - Partner

Mac Lewis is founder and a partner of Sherpa Partners, a technology investment firm. His background includes over 10 years as President and CEO of Computer Network Technology (CNT), as well as founder and CEO of The Systems Center. Prior to his involvement with these two start-up companies he had 14 years with IBM in management, sales, systems engineering and product management. In addition to investment activities through Sherpa Partners, he was Managing General Partner at Minnesota Management Partners, a technology investment fund. He serves on boards of several early stage private companies including Eridon, MagnaLynx and SearchAmerica. He is also on the Board of non-profit organizations, including Adventium Labs, MN High Technology Association (MHTA) and Social Venture Partners as well as being active with the Guthrie Theater.  He is a graduate of Princeton University.

Phone: 612-803-6497

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Richard A. Brimacomb - Partner

Mr. Brimacomb began advising and investing in early-stage and emerging companies as a venture capitalist in 1991.  Prior to that time, he covered and worked with early-stage companies as a research analyst and investment banker.  For nearly two decades, Mr. Brimacomb has helped numerous companies develop into “investment grade” opportunities, attract funding and create shareholder value.  Past investments and clients include: Ancor Communications (acquired by QLogic); Cartia (acquired by Aurigin); Computer Network Technology (acquired by McDATA); Jasc Software (acquired by Corel); NetStar (acquired by Ascend Communications); ProVation Medical (acquired by Wolters Kluwer); and, XIOtech (acquired by Seagate) 

In addition to being founder of Brimacomb & Associates, a strategic and financial advisory firm, and a General Partner at Sherpa Partners, he is a Board Member and past President of the Minnesota Venture Capital Association, and Co-Founder of the Early-Stage Investors Network - an angel investor group.  Mr. Brimacomb is also active in at the University of Minnesota, where as a member of the Business Commercialization Advisory Board and past VC In-Residence at the Office of Business Development he is assisting the University incubate new technologies and bring them to the private sector. 

Mr. Brimacomb joined Sherpa Partners in 1998 and co-founded the Sherpa Trek I venture capital fund in 2001.  Prior to joining Sherpa, he was Senior Director at Smaby Group, Inc. where as a venture catalyst he led strategic and financial advisory practices serving early-stage companies.  He also co-founded Cartia, a venture capital-backed software startup, where he was Vice President of Finance and ‘right-hand-man’ to the Founder and CEO.  His prior experience includes venture capital, investment banking and investment research at Norwest Venture Capital, Piper Jaffray and Needham & Co., respectively.  At Norwest, Mr. Brimacomb focused on traditional venture investing and management buyouts.  At Piper he was active in public and private offerings, mergers and acquisitions and venture capital.  While at Needham, he was a research analyst covering high technology companies.  Mr. Brimacomb is an advisor to several early stage companies.  He earned both his BS and his MBA from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.

Phone: 612-803-3169

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Steven J. Pederson - Partner

For the past 8 years Mr. Pederson has been a General Partner of Sherpa Partners, LLC., and co-founder of the Trek I Fund  In addition to serving as a Director for three portfolio companies, he has been active as an interim operating officer in numerous early-stage, Sherpa sponsored companies as they strive to meet their business milestones. Prior to Sherpa, Steve was an operational executive at Xerox Corporation, Design Stages and Skyline Displays where he helped create strategic programs that facilitated new channels of sales distribution, customer and employee training, product development and quality programs (TQM). His focus centered on creating systems and processes that allowed the parent companies and channel partners to grow exponentially, providing the infrastructure to help them become leaders in their markets.

In addition to his Sherpa duties, Mr. Pederson is currently a partner with Concerto Venture Partners, LLC. Concerto Venture Partners (CVP) is an early stage venture firm formed to capitalize on a significant investment opportunity that currently exists as a result of a "disconnect in the United States between where innovation is occuring and where innovation is being funded". Concerto's Mission is "to establish a long-term, sustainable support infrastructure dedicated to creating a world class international investment & innovation commercialization hub in Mid-America that capitalizes on opportunities which will generate significant financial returns for its investors". For more information, visit www.concertovp.com.  

Mr. Pederson earned his undergraduate degree from St. Olaf College. He received his Masters degree and the coursework requirement for his doctorate at the University of Illinois.

Phone: 612-840-6888

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