Eclipse Ventures Expands Investment Team to Advance Mission to Modernize Essential Industries
Aidan Madigan-Curtis and Jay Knafel bring unique strengths and shared drive to build generational companies
PALO ALTO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#Investors—Eclipse Ventures, the firm founded to digitally transform essential industries, today announced the addition of two new partners, Aidan Madigan-Curtis and Jay Knafel. Madigan-Curtis formerly held senior positions at Apple and Samsara while Knafel served as a Research Analyst at Fidelity. The new partners will help the firm invest its over $2 billion under management allocated for the modernization of industrial sectors such as manufacturing, logistics and supply chain, transportation, construction and healthcare. They will work closely with founding teams to build generational companies.
“The overriding reason we wanted Aidan and Jay on our team is that each is passionate to the core about the digital transformation of our essential industries,” said Lior Susan, Founding Partner at Eclipse. “As our economy recovers from the past year, and the failures of our fragile infrastructure mount by the day, we recognize that a large part of ensuring prosperity is the revitalization of the sectors that define and drive economies. Eclipse is expanding our team to meet this monumental challenge.”
Applying Deep Experience to Digitally Transform the Industries That Drive Economies
At Eclipse, Madigan-Curtis will draw on her experiences as an executive leader of large, complex operations for global brands. She joins the firm from Samsara, where she was employee No. 27 and most recently served as VP and General Manager of Samsara’s Connected Sites business unit. Madigan-Curtis was instrumental in helping the company grow into a global leader of cloud data and insights for industries that depend on physical operations—serving a customer base now exceeding 20,000 across nearly every sector. She was also a founding member of Samsara’s Privacy & Ethics Board and its Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Board, as well as Samsara‘s PRIDE ERG Executive sponsor.
Prior to Samsara, Madigan-Curtis helped launch the first Apple Watch and the iPhone 6S as part of Apple’s Global Operations team. Earlier in her career, Madigan-Curtis worked as an investment analyst at Bridgewater Associates.
“I have always loved building businesses that aim to bridge the digital and physical worlds, and have found it incredibly rewarding over the past decade to do this across core industries like manufacturing, logistics, supply chain and healthcare,” said Madigan-Curtis. “I was excited to join the Eclipse team because I felt we shared a long-term vision and passion for making a positive impact on the bedrock sectors that drive our economy.”
Knafel was also drawn to Eclipse’s mission, as it mapped to an investment thesis he formed as an equity analyst at Fidelity. Knafel worked with the Eclipse team on an investment in Owlet Baby Care and recognized the shared mission to reinvent industrial sectors by building new and enduring companies.
After spending six years studying the success and failures of companies at different growth stages, as well as leading deals at Fidelity, Knafel refined his skill set to understand exactly what is required of companies in terms of their business model, revenue streams, cost structure and positioning to both later stage investors and the market. Knafel will apply this knowledge to Eclipse portfolio companies, helping to ensure they thrive.
“Our physical industries are on the verge of the same structural change our knowledge-based industries experienced over the past two decades,” said Knafel. “The companies in our portfolio are growing up, their tech is proven, the markets are massive, and I intend to help them bridge the gap between early stage and IPO.”
About Eclipse Ventures
With over $2 billion in assets under management, 70 portfolio companies, and a team of investors with deep expertise in technology, manufacturing, supply chain, logistics, healthcare and consumer products. Eclipse is one of the nation’s leading venture capital organizations. Its leadership team has the experience and deep expertise necessary to create and scale complex operations – with partners coming from industry giants such as Flextronics, Tesla, Apple, Samsara, Microsoft, Intel and GE. Eclipse partners with entrepreneurs boldly transforming the essential industries that define and propel economies. For more information, visit www.eclipse.vc.
Contacts
Amber Moore
GMK Communications for Eclipse Ventures
amber@gmkcommunications.com