Seasoned Technology Executive Howard Gwin Joins the Toronto Office of
Bridgescale Partners

Venture Partner Gwin Will Source and Manage North American Investments For Growth Equity Firm

MENLO PARK, CA and TORONTO , ON, Nov. 23 /CNW/ - Bridgescale Partners (www.bridgescale.com), a California- and Toronto-based investment firm providing equity to high growth information technology companies, today announces Howard Gwin has joined its Toronto office as Venture Partner. In his new role, Gwin, a technology industry veteran, will leverage his background and broad network to originate, source and manage new investment opportunities for Bridgescale Partners throughout Canada and the United States .

"Our investment strategy is to share our Silicon Valley network and investment expertise with Canadian and U.S. entrepreneurs, helping them scale their companies and providing them with enormous value," said Robert Chaplinsky, managing director, Bridgescale Partners. "Howard's Board leadership expertise, strong Silicon Valley experience and proven management skills make him the right person to help lead Bridgescale's Canadian investment activities. We are confident Howard's magic touch and track record in selecting winners, will continue as he joins the Bridgescale team."

Over the past nine years, Gwin has served on Boards for more than 20 software and services companies. Gwin currently serves on the Boards of Coveo Inc. (Québec, Québec), dna13 Software ( Ottawa , Ontario), Cirba Inc. ( Richmond Hill, Ontario), Kinaxis Inc. ( Ottawa , Ontario), MKS Inc. (Waterloo, Ontario), and Opalis Inc. (Mississauga, Ontario).

"There is enormous opportunity for investment in Canada right now, particularly in the technology sector, as seen by Bridgescale's recent investment in BlueCat Networks," said Howard Gwin , Venture Partner, Bridgescale Partners. "I am looking forward to working with my colleagues at Bridgescale Partners to identify the best of these opportunities and playing a key role in the growth and development of several Canadian startups."

Prior to joining Bridgescale and serving on multiple Boards, Gwin served as President of Solect Technology Group, a global provider of billing, customer care and service management software for the telecommunications industry. Prior to Solect, Howard held a variety of executive management positions at PeopleSoft Inc., IBM Corporation and Xerox Corporation.

Bridgescale has significant experience working with Canadian entrepreneurs and companies and is currently an investor in Bluecat Networks, as well as an investor in Cortina, a semiconductor company with a large development center in Ottawa and Proofpoint, which also has a presence in Toronto based on its acquisition of Fortiva.

About Bridgescale Partners

Bridgescale Partners (www.bridgescale.com) is a Menlo Park, California based growth equity firm providing expansion capital to U.S.-based, later-stage technology companies. The founding team has more than 40 years of venture capital experience at leading early- and later-stage institutions and brings deep expertise in helping semiconductor, communication and internet companies scale their businesses. Bridgescale invests in companies that are at a stage where they need expansion capital to "scale" their business and "bridge" them to an IPO or other strategic goal.

For further information: Media Contact: Lisa Tarter, TidalWave PR, [phone], [email protected]