Ken Elefant Sorenson Capital Partners since 2017 and leads the firm’s early-stage technology practice. enjoys working closely with entrepreneurs to help them attack new market opportunities and gain access to key initial customers and partners. His efforts have led to recognition as one of the most connected names in tech. Before joining Sorenson, Ken was Managing Director at Intel Capital and VP at Intel Corporation. Leading the software and security groups at Intel Capital, Ken invested in several market-leading companies including AtHoc (Blackberry), Prolexic (Akamai), Carbon Black, DocuSign, Forescout, AlienVault, Venafi, Vectra Networks, Gigya, BrightEdge, among many others. Prior to Intel Capital, Ken was a founding general partner at Opus Capital. While at Opus, he served on the boards of Spock Networks (Intelius), Transpond (Webtrends), Supersecret (Knowledge Adventure), Alert Enterprise, Jivox, and TrustedID (Equifax). Previously, Ken was a Senior Associate at both Lightspeed Venture Partners and Battery Ventures. Before business school, Ken worked at Radius, Claris Corporation (the software subsidiary of Apple), and RealNetworks. Ken received an MBA from Harvard Business School and holds a Bachelor of Science in economics from the Wharton School of Business. He is a Kauffman Fellow.
Pemo Theodore
Chris Downer, XL Innovate #insurtech
Chris Downer Associate XL Innovate focusing on insurtech investments in North America, Europe and Asia. Before joining XL Innovate, Chris was an Associate in the Alternative Investments and Manager Selection Group within the Investment Management Division of Goldman Sachs, where he was on a 40-person team managing $110+ billion in long-only equity and fixed income assets. During his five years at Goldman, he developed special expertise in emerging markets and Asia and worked in both the New York City and London offices. Prior to that, he interned as a Research Analyst with Klingenstein Fields and as a Sponsorship Team Member for the NHL’s St. Louis Blues. He also served as a translator and guide for the U.S. Olympic Committee during the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing. Chris graduated magna cum laude from Dartmouth College, with a BA in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies and a minor in History. Chris was co-captain of the Dartmouth Rugby team, which won the National Championship in rugby sevens in 2011. Chris graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy with high honors and was awarded the Yale Cup with his twin brother, recognizing outstanding scholarship, athletics and citizenship among their peers. Outside of XL Innovate, Chris is a dedicated cyclist, avid New York Rangers fan and American History buff.
Disruption in Insurance Investors #insurtech
DISCUSSSION: Joe Guzel, Senior Associate Crosslink Capital; Ken Elefant Sorenson Capital Partners; Ben Narasin Partner Canvas Ventures; Chris Downer Associate XL Innovate; MODERATOR: Pierre-R. Wolff Managing Director ExecConnect
FinTech Opportunities in Asia #fintechAsia
Main Fintech trends and developments in Asian Fintech, as well as opportunities for Fintech companies in Silicon Valley considering expansion into Asia. Interactive Panel with Lawrence Tang, Head of Investement Promotion at Hong Kong Economic and Trade, Cang Quach, Managing Partner Stern Ventures, and Ivy Montgomery, Vice President of Marketing, Layer; Amy Shuen, Berkeley-based HKU Professor & moderated by Pemo Theodore, Executive Producer of Fintech Silicon Valley.