Scott Sandell

Scott Sandell is a general partner and head of technology investing practice for New Enterprise Associates, one of the leading venture capital firms in the world, and the largest venture capital firm in the United States. He received his bachelor’s degree in engineering sciences from Dartmouth College and then began working at Boston Consulting Group, a global management consulting firm. He later headed to Silicon Valley where he joined the company C-ATS Software, Inc. as their first salesman. After founding and running the company’s European subsidy, he headed back to California to get his master’s in business administration from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Sandell arrived at Microsoft, where he worked as product manager for the Windows 95 project. He then joined New Enterprise Associates (NEA) in 1996, and became a general partner in 2000. At this point Sandell’s passion for venture capital was just beginning. Sandell leads NEA’s investments in alternative energy, information technology, infrastructure, and electronics. Since joining NEA, he has personally led investments in industry-transforming enterprises, such as Fusion-io, Tableau Software, WebEx, and early investment into the innovative energy tech company Bloom Energy. He is lead director for a number of companies, such as Bloom Energy, Fusion-io, CloudFlare, HelioVolt, just to name a few.  

He is also responsible for NEA’s investments in China, shuttling back and forth between China and the US six to eight times a year. He helped to drive close to $400 million investments in Chinese companies and even serves as a board member for Spreadtrum Communications, a major Chinese semiconductor company. In 2007 he orchestrated Spreadtrum’s entrance to the Nasdaq with a market capitalization of $1.7 billion.

Sandell looks to the US and Chinese markets for solving the future’s problems, pointing out the major environmental effects of China’s tremendous growth, and stating that the real opportunities lie in integrating US technological innovation with Chinese manufacturing facilities. He has made Forbe’s Midas list several times for the successful public offerings or mergers of 16 technology companies in his portfolio. Sandell also serves on the executive committee of the National Venture Capital Association, where he works alongside others to promote venture capital for the nation’s most innovative entrepreneurs. Scott Sandell is one of the few people who can truly leverage the funding and support for innovative development of technology between the US and China.

Jiang Xiaodong, Managing Director of NEA, receiving the US China Outstanding Contribution Award on behalf of Scott Sandell, at the Award Ceremony on Nov. 19th, 2012 in Shanghai.