Iris Choi
Partner at Floodgate
Iris Choi
Partner at Floodgate
Palo Alto, California
Overview
Work Experience
Partner
2013 - Current
Iris Choi is a Partner at FLOODGATE. She leads follow on investing at FLOODGATE and works closely across the portfolio of companies on a range of strategic areas, including business development, partnerships and financings. Iris serves on the board of select companies, including TouchofModern, MangoHealth, Sharethrough, Maker Media, Nirvana and Business Connect China. Iris also leads FLOODGATE's efforts to cultivate new and existing relationships with senior leadership at established technology companies that operate in the spaces in which FLOODGATE invests. These relationships afford FLOODGATE an opportunity to gain insights into industry priorities and trends and also partnership opportunities between the larger players and FLOODGATE portfolio companies. Iris is also responsible for offering a current perspective around capital markets and M&A trends for portfolio companies and best practices in exit scenarios.
Consultant, Head of Business Operations
2012 - 2012
Samasource is a non-profit technology company focused on poverty alleviation through digital work in developing countries - Partnered with cross functional business lines to create company-wide budget, manage costs and evaluate financial metrics - Developed and managed Accounting, Finance, HR/Recruiting, IT and Legal functions, including internal staff and external advisors
Vice President, Investment Banking Division
2004 - 2010
- Responsible for all aspects of deal execution from origination to close for mergers, equity offerings and debt financings - Led transaction teams across multiple divisions and geographies, including external advisors and consultants - Worked closely with executive teams in negotiating transaction agreements, evaluating strategic alternatives, developing financial forecasts, creating valuation analyses, coordinating due diligence sessions, and drafting management presentations - Developed communication strategies for clients in relation to transactions and financings - Representative transactions include: $13.5bn merger of Veritas Software with Symantec; $7.4bn acquisition of Pixar by The Walt Disney Company; $4.5bn sale of Sabre Holdings to Texas Pacific Group and Silver Lake Partners; $884mm acquisition of Wind River Systems by Intel; raid defense of SanDisk
Associate
2001 - 2002
eVentures was a strategic investments group within MetLife - Evaluated investment opportunities within the context of MetLife’s business strategy and assessed potential synergies - Reviewed industry landscape, led due diligence, determined valuations and structured investments - Created partnership agreements and monitored joint marketing plans with portfolio companies
Associate
2000 - 2001
eFinanceworks was a venture capital firm funded by General Atlantic Partners and Capital Z, with $300 million under management, focused on early stage financial services technology firms - Assisted in development of investment strategy, including establishment of relationships and exploration of partnerships with incumbent financial institutions - Screened business plans, met with management teams and conducted due diligence on potential investments
Investment Banking Analyst
1997 - 2000
- Performed company valuation analyses using discounted cash flow, comparable company, precedent transaction and pro-forma merger models - Created capitalization models to assess earnings potential and cash flow impacts of alternative financing structures - Transaction responsibilities included leading due diligence sessions, crafting client presentations, preparing fairness opinion materials, creating investor roadshow presentations, drafting transaction documents - Led 6-week analyst training course for a class of 250 incoming first-year investment banking analysts - Transactions included: Privatization of Telkom Kenya, Ltd, government owned telecommunications service provider; $12 billion merger of equals between Provident Companies, Inc. and UNUM Corporation
Education
MBA
2002 - 2004
Bachelor of Arts (BA)
1993 - 1997