Accelerated Networks

Mr. Hara has been active in venture capital and high technology American/Japanese alliances since 1984. He is known as a leading edge venture capitalist and visionary leader in information technology in Japan and the Pacific Rim region. Mr. Hara is responsible for helping portfolio companies build international business alliances that aim to generate substantial revenue growth, particularly in Japan and Asia. Mr. Hara has managed his venture capital funds (DEFTA VENTURE FUNDS) for the US, UK and Israeli startups mainly in the areas of software, telecommunications and Internet, where more than half of his portfolio companies have already gone through exit strategies such as IPO. In September, CyberGold (Internet micropayment engine), one of his companies went public (IPO) on NASDAQ. He has served as Chairman of Borland Co. Ltd., and has been a board member and major investor of many successful ventures such as Picturetel (the largest video conference system manufacturer), ZORAN (one of the most successful Israeli ventures), OREN Semiconductor and TRADEX (eCommerce). Today ZORAN, a portfolio company, is the largest provider of DVD chips, with more than 50% of world market shares and Mr. Hara played a key role in assisting this company in establishing the requisite relationships with Japanese consumer electronics companies. Currently, he is helping OREN SEMICONDUCTOR, an Israeli/US venture, to establish a world standard position for digital TV multi-standard DSP for terrestrial, satellite, and cable digital TV. TRADEX is the leader in digital eCommerce Platforms, with key Asian client relationships such as Nippon Telegraph & Telecom. TRADEX was merged with ARIBA in December 1999 at a valuation of 1.86 billion dollars (current valuation exceeds 2.2 billion dollars). In addition to the previously mentioned companies, Mr. Hara serves on the board of directors of Pixera (digital camera), Actuate Co. Ltd. (XML report writer) and Chemtrix, which was founded by Physics Nobel Laureate Mel Schwartz. Mr. Hara has a broad background in investment management and corporate development. In 1990, Mr. Hara became a General Partner with Accel Partners at Accel Japan, where he developed many successful strategic alliances such as PictureTel/NTT, First Virtual/NTT, Wollongong/NTT Data, and Borland/RIOS. Prior to Accel, Mr. Hara co-founded Japan Incubation Capital with Masayoshi Son of Softbank, Japan's first independent venture capital firm in 1985. DEFTA and Accel Japan portfolio companies include Accelerated Networks, Agile, Argomed (Israel), Artisan (UK), ASSA (Israel), Books That Work, Breaker Technology (UK), CoroNet, CyberGold, Cycolor (Japan), Digident (Israel), Environmental Learning Laboratories (Japan), Farallon, Illustra, Internet Dynamics, Intraspect, Microcosm (UK), Oren Semiconductor (Israel), Pixera, Polycom, Quickturn, Santa Cruz Operation, TRADEX (merged with ARIBA in December 1999), Ultra Guide (Israel), VIVO Software, Yacmail.com (UK) and Zoran. In the public sector, Mr. Hara was appointed advisor to the Governor of Osaka in 1986/87, where he helped develop plans for Japan's first business park specially designed to help foreign companies launch operations in Japan. He is currently policy advisor to the Governor of Gifu Prefecture. He is also Chairman of the Alliance Forum Foundation, an organization that helps build US/APEC high tech industry alliances. In San Francisco, Mr. Hara has served on the boards of the San Francisco Opera, San Francisco Zoo, and the Business School of the University of San Francisco. He is currently Vice Chairman of the San Francisco-Osaka Sister City Committee, and serves on the board of directors of the Japan Society of Northern California and the Hara Research Foundation (a fellowship foundation established under the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications). He is an advisory committee member of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications and Keizai Doyukai (Committee for Economic Development)...