EVOLVING WITH A TRANSFORMING MARKET

Dr. Kressel served as a senior partner and managing director at Warburg Pincus, a major international private equity firm, for over thirty years where he focused on technology and communications investments. He has led investments in over thirty companies, many of which became publicly traded. These have ranged from startups to multibillion revenue enterprises and have established themselves as leaders in their industries.  He is currently a Special Limited Partner at the firm.

Before joining Warburg Pincus in 1983, he was the vice president at RCA Laboratories responsible for the worldwide research and development of microelectronics, power electronics and associated software. Dr. Kressel holds 31 U.S. patents covering various electronic and optoelectronic devices. He pioneered the development and commercial introduction of the first semiconductor lasers, which are the basis of fiber optic communications systems, DVDs and other consumer, industrial and military products. He is the recipient of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE) David Sarnoff Award for contributions to electronic devices. A graduate of Yeshiva College, Dr. Kressel received an M.S. from Harvard University, an M.B.A. from The Wharton School and a doctorate in engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. He received an honorary doctorate degree from Yeshiva University. He is an IEEE Life Fellow and Fellow in the American Physical Society.  He is an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering and is the founding president of IEEE Photonics Society.  He co-founded the Journal of Lightwave Technology. Dr. Kressel has served in an advisory capacity to NASA, the U.S. Air Force, the National Science Foundation and served as a board member and advisor to SRI International (formerly called the Stanford Research Institute). He is Chairman Emeritus of Yeshiva University and formerly served on the board of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Dr. Kressel is the author of five books: Competing for the Future: How Digital Innovations are Changing the World (Cambridge University Press, 2007) is an inside look on the significance of going digital and the drivers behind the technology. Investing in Dynamic Markets: Venture Capital in the Digital Age (Cambridge University Press, July 2010) which draws on his extensive experience to show how venture capital works, why venture capitalists fund certain companies and not others, and what factors influence the success or failure of their high-risk, high-reward investments. His book, Entrepreneurship in the Global Economy: Engine for Economic Growth (Cambridge University Press, 2012), focuses on the factors that determine global economic growth.  And, his most recent book, If You Really Want to Change the World (Harvard Business Review Press, October 2015), leads entrepreneurs through the critical stages of building successful businesses. He is also co-author with J.K. Butler of Semiconductor Lasers and Heterojunction LEDs (Academic Press, 1977).

Nikhil is Co-Head of Investments at Vestar Capital, and sits on the firm’s Management Committee. He previously led the firm’s Business & Technology Services investing efforts. Current board involvement includes 360training, LERETA, Stratus, Circana (formerly IRi/NPD), Quest Analytics, and Edward Don. Prior to Vestar, Nikhil worked at Advent International. He began his career as a consultant at Bain & Company. Nikhil holds a BS in Economics, magna cum laude, from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He earned his MBA at Stanford GSB, where was an Arjay Miller Scholar. In addition to his corporate board positions, Nikhil serves as a member of the New York Regional Advisory Board of Bottom Line, an education nonprofit.

Yup S. Kim serves as an investment director and head of investments for private equity at CalPERS, California’s $450 billion pension fund. He serves on the private equity investment review committee and helps lead CalPERS’ private equity program across all functions, including strategy, team management, and investment activities across primary, secondary, and co-investment opportunities globally. Previously, he served as the senior portfolio manager at the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation, an $80 billion sovereign wealth fund, where he helped lead private investment activities. The private equity and special opportunities portfolio generated 25% net of fee returns over the past decade. He has also held positions at DB Private Equity, where he served on the Investment Committee, Performance Equity, and Silver Point Capital, and he began his career at Citigroup in New York. Kim received his B.A. in economics from Yale University and speaks six languages.