Gladden departs after 14 years at Adams Street Partners

Partner Tom Gladden left fund-of-funds manager Adams Street Partners at the end of 2016, according to the firm.

Gladden spent more than 14 years at Adams Street, where his responsibilities included sourcing, analyzing and monitoring investments in private equity partnerships in the primary funds group, according to his LinkedIn profile.

An archived biography on the firm’s website notes that Gladden specialized in venture capital and growth equity strategies. He managed relationships with firms like Alta Partners, Bain Capital Ventures, Charles River Ventures, Redpoint Ventures, Split Rock Partners and Summit Partners.

Prior to Adams Street, Gladden was an associate at Duke Management Co and the executive director of the non-profit Youth and Family Research Center in Chicago.

Whether Gladden has joined a new firm is unclear. He did not respond to a request for comment sent to his LinkedIn account.

“Tom Gladden departed the firm at the end of 2016,” said Kelly Meldrum, partner and head of primary investments at Adams Street. Gladden’s responsibilities were transitioned to other partners, including Brijesh Jeevarathnam, who joined the firm last June as co-head of global venture fund investments.

Adams Street’s primary investment team includes 22 investment professionals, of whom 13 are partners. In addition to its primary team, the firm manages platforms for direct investing, co-investments, secondaries and private credit.

Another high-level executive, Jason Gull, left the firm at year end. Gull ran Adams Street’s secondary team. He was succeeded by Jeffrey Akers.

Adams Street, Chicago, manages $29 billion of assets. Last year, the firm opened offices in Boston and New York.

Action Item: For more about Adams Street: www.adamsstreetpartners.com

Chicago skyline as seen from Lake Michigan. Photo by Alastair Goldfisher, Buyouts