Early-stage venture capital firm Charles River Ventures has announced that Hassan Ahmed has joined the firm as a senior adviser.
Early-stage venture capital firm Charles River Ventures has announced that Hassan Ahmed has joined the firm as a senior adviser.
Ahmed (pictured) will work with the firm’s partners to identify new investment opportunities and advise portfolio company executives on product and market strategy.
‘As early investors in Sonus, we know first-hand how Hassan can take a breakthrough idea and grow it into a market-leading company,’ says partner Bruce Sachs. ‘We are happy to have that type of innovating thinking on board and know that CRV and our portfolio companies will greatly benefit from Hassan’s experience and know-how in helping young companies achieve market traction through all kinds of market conditions.’
Ahmed brings a wealth of experience as one of the early pioneers of VoIP as chairman and chief executive of Sonus Networks, a CRV portfolio company, which he joined as president and chief executive in 1998.
Prior to joining Sonus, Ahmed was executive vice president and general manager of the core switching division of Ascend Communications. Previously, Ahmed was president and founder of WaveAccess, a pioneer in high-speed wireless network products.
‘Even in this tough economy, companies with groundbreaking technologies continue to emerge, and it is an exciting time to be advising these companies on market strategy and working with CRV to explore new investment ideas,’ says Ahmed. ‘I’ve known CRV for a long time having worked with them at Sonus, and I welcome the opportunity to work more closely with the firm’s partners and portfolio companies.’
