Ben Narasin Joins NEA As Venture Partner

MENLO PARK, Calif., Oct. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Global venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates, Inc. (NEA) today announced that Ben Narasin has joined the firm as a Venture Partner. Narasin, a prolific entrepreneur and highly regarded early-stage investor, brings more than three decades of company-building expertise to NEA's technology practice. He has focused on emerging technologies and new markets throughout his investment career, with a portfolio comprising key early successes in some of today's fastest growing sectors, such as fintech and connected devices.

"It has been our good fortune to collaborate with Ben on numerous investments, such as Branch Metrics, Enigma and Transfix," said Scott Sandell, Managing General Partner, NEA. "He is a talented investor and a deeply committed partner to entrepreneurs, and we believe his focus on disruptive early-stage companies will bring tremendous value to our technology practice. We're thrilled to welcome him to the team."

Narasin is a 25-year entrepreneur and 10-year early-stage investor. His knack for spotting emerging trends led him to make seed investments in companies like Dropcam, Lending Club and Zenefits. Narasin most recently served as a General Partner at Canvas Ventures, and was previously with TriplePoint Capital, where he oversaw the firm's seed funding investment activities.

"I've been an investor and relationship builder for entrepreneurs for over a decade, working closely with many top venture capital firms as my companies graduated to Series A rounds and beyond," said Narasin. "NEA really sets the bar when it comes to company-building, and the firm's ability to invest across all stages is an ideal platform in today's evolving early-stage investing landscape. I believe the best time to partner with an entrepreneur is at the beginning, but I also want to invest and add value at other stages in a company's lifecycle. I can't imagine a better place to do that than NEA."

Like many of NEA's partners, Narasin's path to investing is rooted in entrepreneurship. He founded several consumer companies before launching his investing career, including Fashionmall.com which he founded in 1993 and led to a successful IPO in 1999. Narasin frequently writes and speaks about technology and investing, as well as food and wine, a lifelong passion. He holds a B.A. in Entrepreneurial Studies from Babson College.

About NEA

New Enterprise Associates, Inc. (NEA) is a global venture capital firm focused on helping entrepreneurs build transformational businesses across multiple stages, sectors and geographies. With over $20 billion in cumulative committed capital since the firm's founding in 1977, NEA invests in technology and healthcare companies at all stages in a company's lifecycle, from seed stage through IPO. The firm's long track record of successful investing includes more than 210 portfolio company IPOs and more than 360 acquisitions. For additional information, visit www.nea.com

SOURCE New Enterprise Associates, Inc. (NEA)