THE MONEY: Former chairman/CEO of Quest Capital founded Toba Capital in 2012 with the observation that a VC firm comprised solely of senior software executives would be uniquely positioned to identify promising companies and enable their success. The Newport Beach-based team has made more than 120 investments with 26 exits.
Has taken dozens of software businesses beyond $20M in sales, with two reaching billion-dollar-plus outcomes. Holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Delaware.
QUEST SOFTWARE: Joined Quest in 1995, when it had 35 employees and $9.5Min annual sales; became CEO in 1997. Gained about $800M in 2012 from the $2.4B sale of Quest to Dell. Used proceeds, roughly $250M, to start Toba, OC’s largest VC with $1.3B of assets under management.
OC INVESTMENTS: Alteryx, SecureAuth, NextVR, Synoptek, Happy Money, and Tebra Technologies. Investments this year include follow-on round in Bedrock Energy, a geothermal heating and cooling company that raised $12M in a Series A round and participation in a $25M Series B round for Pattern Brands.
PHILANTHROPY: Supports more than 100 charities, including his own Teach a Man to Fish Foundation.
