Team
The Leader team is comprised of professionals with strong track records who collectively have 50+ years of operating experience in venture backed companies and financial institutions, and nearly 30 years of combined experience in providing venture debt to technology and life science companies. Since 2001 most of the Leader team has worked closely together at Dominion Capital Management, one of the pioneers in venture lending. We have invested in over 100 companies and pride ourselves on being supportive of our portfolio companies.
Renee C. Baker
Managing Director
Prior to joining Leader Ventures, Renée held the position of Managing Director of the Early Stage Group at TriplePoint Capital, a private venture finance company. Earlier in her career, Renée was a Managing Director and Co-Founder at Dominion Capital Management, a venture leasing firm focused on lending to early stage venture capital-backed companies in the technology, lifescience and communication industries. Renée began her venture lending career at Dominion Ventures, one of the pioneers in creating the venture leasing and lending industry in the United States. Prior to Dominion Ventures, Renée was a Principal at Nippon Enterprise Development Corp. (NED), a Tokyo based venture capital firm where she directed equity investments in the U.S. and the firm’s limited partnerships in U.S. venture funds. Renée holds a B.S. from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and an M.B.A. from the University of San Francisco.
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Brian Best
Managing Director
Prior to joining Leader Ventures, Brian was an Investment Partner with Western Technology Investment, a leading venture lending firm that specializes in investments to venture-backed technology and life sciences companies. With more than 20 years of finance and technology experience, Brian has worked with a wide variety of companies to enhance their capital structures and improve returns to their investors. Beginning his career with Ernst & Young, Brian worked with a diverse group of clients. Following Ernst & Young he joined Ross Systems, Inc. as a pre IPO software company and served in various operational and finance positions. Brian holds a B.S. with honors from the University of the Pacific and an M.B.A. from U.C. Berkeley's Haas School of Business.
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Patrick L. Gordan
Managing Director
Patrick founded Leader Ventures in 2005. He is also a Managing Director of Dominion Capital Management. Previously, he was Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Business Development for ShoppingList.com, Inc., a venture-backed start-up. He also served as President and CEO of Paragon Electronic Systems, Inc., a leading backplane manufacturer, and President of Cima Capital Group, a growth equity firm where he concentrated on investment opportunities in the technology and healthcare services sectors. Mr. Gordan holds an M.B.A from Stanford Business School, where he was an Arjay Miller scholar, and an A.B. in Social Studies magna cum laude from Harvard College, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
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Katrina Lake
Associate
Katrina works primarily with prospective investments across a wide range of industries. Prior to joining Leader Ventures in 2007, Katrina worked as a Senior Associate at the San Francisco office of The Parthenon Group, where she worked in the private equity practice and in the consumer products and services industries. Katrina graduated from Stanford University, receiving a B.A. in Economics with Honors.
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Robert W. Molke
Managing Director and CFO
Bob founded Leader Ventures in 2005. He is also a Managing Director of Dominion Capital Management. Bob has over twenty-five years experience in the financial services industry. He has twelve years of commercial lending experience with The Bank of New York. Subsequently, he spent eleven years at Providian Financial Corporation in San Francisco serving in various capacities including Treasurer, Vice President Finance, Chief Credit Officer and Corporate Risk Manager. Mr. Molke has an M.S. in Business Policy from Columbia University and a B.A. in Economics from Bucknell University.
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Emily Walther
Finance Manager
Emily’s primary duties at Leader are the accounting and tax functions. Emily has been in the venture debt industry since 1996, when she started with Dominion. Prior to Dominion, Emily had Big 4 accounting firm experience with Ernst & Young LLP. Emily has an M.S. in Taxation from Golden Gate University and a B.S in Business Administration from the University of California, Berkeley.
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Joni Wesley
Portfolio Administration
Joni is responsible for documentation, compliance processing, quarterly reporting, and other finance and accounting functions. Joni has over 20 years of experience in lease and loan administration. Prior to Leader, Joni worked in similar administrative capacities with US Leasing and Dominion. Joni attended City College of San Francisco and University of San Francisco.
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