Shasta Ventures Hires

Early stage venture capital firm Shasta Ventures has hired Jim Barnett as partner and promoted Sean Flynn to partner. The executive moves boost the growth of Shasta Ventures which, in September 2011, closed its most recent fund, Shasta III on $265 million.

PRESS RELEASE

Early-stage venture capital firm Shasta Ventures today announced the hiring of Jim Barnett as Partner and promotion of Sean Flynn to Partner. The firm continues to add and promote top Silicon Valley talent to its expanding leadership team. These executive moves bolster the growth of Shasta Ventures which, in September 2011, successfully completed the raise of $265 million for its most recent fund, Shasta III.

Jim Barnett joined Shasta Ventures in November 2011. Jim has been a highly successful CEO and entrepreneur at several companies and is currently Chairman and co-founder of Turn, Chairman of Extole and Sojern and on the board of RelayRides. His focus will be on the consumer Internet and software sectors.

“Jim brings a wealth of experience leading and growing successful companies. His knowledge and judgment will be a tremendous asset to our investment team and portfolio companies,” said Tod Francis, Managing Director at Shasta.

Before joining Shasta Ventures, Jim was CEO, Chairman and co-founder of Turn, the leading platform for data-driven digital advertising from 2004 to 2009. Before that he was President of Overture Search, a division of Overture Services, Inc. Jim joined Overture via its acquisition of AltaVista Company, where he was President and CEO. Prior to that, Jim was President and CEO of Infogrammes North America, a leading global publisher of video games and entertainment software. He was also Chairman, President and CEO of Accolade Inc, Infogrammes’ predecessor company, and prior to that was Chief Operating Officer of an “Inc. 100 Fastest Growing Private Companies.” Jim has served on the boards of many private and public companies including SideStep, Inc. where he was Chairman and Petco where he was also an early investor. Jim received a bachelor’s degree, MBA and J.D. from Stanford University.

Sean Flynn has been part of Shasta Ventures since September 2008. As a Partner, he will continue to focus on making early-stage venture investments in the consumer Internet and mobile sectors. Sean led Shasta’s investments in TaskRabbit, Simple, and Movieclips, and was actively involved in Shasta’s investments in Demdex, Nextdoor, Luminate and LiquidSpace. He currently serves on the board of directors of TaskRabbit and Movieclips, and he is a board observer with Simple.

“Sean has been an important contributor to Shasta’s success, and we are thrilled that he will be playing a pivotal role in the future of Shasta Ventures,” said Tod Francis, Managing Director at Shasta. “He is a rising star in the venture business. He has demonstrated excellent investment judgment, and his strong operating experience is a major asset to the entrepreneurs with whom he works.”

“Shasta is lucky to have Sean. When choosing a Series A partner, having the opportunity to work with him made a huge difference,” said Leah Busque, founder of TaskRabbit. “He has become a trusted advisor to me for all of our most important decisions.”

Before joining Shasta Ventures, Sean worked at Yahoo where he was Senior Director of business development and business operations for Yahoo’s communication and community products, as well as holding various product management and strategy roles. During that time, he helped Yahoo Mail become highly profitable and the leading online email provider. Sean also previously worked in investment banking for Morgan Stanley where he advised venture-backed start-ups. He holds a BS in Economics from Brown University.

About Shasta Ventures
Shasta Ventures is an early-stage investment firm focused on companies in the consumer-Internet, mobile and software sectors. Shasta was formed to back brilliant entrepreneurs with an unwavering commitment to the customer experience. The firm is based in Menlo Park, California.