Ed Cluss
Partner at Signia Venture Partners
Redwood City, California
Overview
Work Experience
Partner
2012 - Current
Founding Managing Director at Signia Venture Partners, an early-stage fund dedicated to helping passionate entrepreneurs realize their vision and build impactful, high-growth ventures. We focus on teams developing innovative software, data and frontier technologies. Raised and still managing the first three funds but not personally making new investments.
Signia Venture Partners is an early stage fund helping passionate entrepreneurs build impactful world-changing companies.
Investor and Board
2020
Silicon anode nanotechnology and scalable manufacturing processes to decrease lithium-ion battery cost and dramatically increase the range of electric vehicles.
OneD Battery Sciences is a nanotechnology startup specializing in adding silicon to electric vehicle batteries.
Raised $25,000,000.00 from General Motors Ventures and Volta Energy Technologies.
Investor and Board Member
2016
Autonomous detect and avoid radar for beyond line of sight (BLOS) capabilities including the "DroneHunter."
Fortem Technologies is a privately held, venture backed company that delivers ultra small C-SWAP radar to enable the autonomous revolution.
Raised $49,670,669.00 from Lago Innovation Fund, Hanwha Aerospace, DCVC, Signia Venture Partners, Alternative Investment Management and Lockheed Martin Ventures.
Investor and Board Member
2019
Loan marketplace providing financing to start and expand franchise businesses.
ApplePie Capital is an alternative financing software platform designed for franchise businesses.
Raised $42,362,000.00 from ZMT Capital.
Founder
2008 - 2012
Made angel investments in consumer software and internet marketing companies. Portfolio included Cie Games (acquired by Glu Mobile), Dynamic Signal (acquired by SocialChorus), Funzio (acquired by Gree), Playdom (acquired by Disney) and Wild Needle (acquired by Zynga). Also collaborated closely with venture capital firm, NEA, as a portfolio company board member, consultant and member of NEA's consumer and energy teams.
President & CEO
2002 - 2008
Provided data communications software to leading OEMs that powered the greatest amount of internet equipment excluding Cisco. Sold company in 2008.
Executive in Residence
2001 - 2001
New Enterprise Associates is a venture capital firm that focuses on investments in technology and healthcare startups.
Vice President and General Manager
2000 - 2001
Cisco DevNet is your source for everything developer at Cisco Systems.
President & CEO
1997 - 2000
Introduced the “iPhone” internet appliance in 1997 with 50 content and e-commerce partners, reaching 100,000 subscribers during the first year. Returned 20x (in 20 months) to Pref A investors.
President & COO/CEO
1996 - 1997
Developed the first consumer shopping and video application on personal computers. Marketed software with Apple, Intel and leading PC OEMs. Board member through 1999.