SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - Jan 4, 2016) - Spruce Capital Partners, LLC, a leading venture capital firm and co-manager of the Malaysian Life Sciences Capital Fund I and MLS Capital Fund II, today said it named Dr. Jonathan Burbaum an entrepreneur-in-residence. Dr. Burbaum will evaluate opportunities to initiate new businesses for MLS Capital Fund II.
"Jonathan has extensive experience in the biogreentech space as both an executive and scientist applying biotechnology to address challenges we face with energy and agriculture," said Dr. Ganesh Kishore, managing partner of Spruce Capital Partners and MLS Capital Fund II. "He is an ideal candidate for us to pursue the incubation of transformative technologies that can form the basis of new companies that can address serious societal challenges."
Among the opportunities Burbaum is expected to explore include ways to improve crop productivity, increase the nutritional content of plants, and enhance their value as food and feedstocks.
"I'm excited to join the Spruce team to work with its portfolio companies and to examine opportunities to build new companies that can create substantial value," said Dr. Burbaum. "Today there's an unparalleled opportunity to harness advances in the biosciences to improve the productivity, sustainability, quality, and affordability of agriculture to feed and fuel the world."
Prior to joining Spruce, Dr. Burbaum served as a Program Director at the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). There, his work focused on transportation energy, ranging from advanced biotechnology applications for biofuels to network optimization applied to personal transportation energy use.
He has had a long career as a technology leader, focusing on realizing value from novel technologies, products, and commercial strategies in the life sciences. He founded two startups, both based in San Diego, and has worked for corporate, venture, and government clients.
Before entering consulting, he played seminal roles with two venture-backed startup companies. He served as Associate Director of Princeton, New Jersey-based Pharmacopeia from inception through its initial public offering and commercial launch, and as Vice President of Research for San Diego-based ActivX Biosciences. He began his industrial career at the Merck Research Laboratories in 1991.
Dr. Burbaum received his B.S. in Chemistry from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1981, and his Ph. D. from Harvard University, where he worked for Jeremy R. Knowles on the energetics of enzymatic catalysis. From 1988 to 1991, he conducted post doctoral work on protein structure, function and folding at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with Paul Schimmel. He received his M.B.A. from the Rady School of Management at the University of California, San Diego in 2009.
About Spruce Capital Partners
The principals and founders of Spruce Capital Partners, Dr. Ganesh Kishore, Dr. Roger Wyse, and Greg Young, are well known investors and thought leaders in the biogreentech sector. They bring a wealth of experience as investors, advisers, and domain experts in helping entrepreneurs build the next generation of successful biogreentech companies. They formed Spruce Capital Partners not only to manage venture funds, but also to develop new talent for the industry, provide thought leadership, and promote innovation in companies and countries. The principals have worked together for more than 10 years and have shepherded investments across multiple funds and multiple sectors. They are also active in advising, partnering, and shaping the life sciences industry globally and, especially in Malaysia and United States. Spruce Capital Partners is a co-manager of the MLS Capital Fund II. Additional information is available at www.sprucecp.com.