Runtide Capital | Team
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Robert Manning

Partner

rmanning @ runtidecapital.com

Rob's Bio

Rob Manning has been building growth businesses and investing in the connected digital economy for over 30 years. Rob served as a partner at Baker Capital from 2002 to 2015 developing successful businesses in mobile communications, cloud services, digital media, e-commerce and networking technology, among others. Before joining Baker, he was a founding executive of the first satellite digital radio network, DMX, Inc., CFO of Intermedia Communications, Inc., one of the largest and fastest growing CLECs during the 1990s, and a director of its majority-owned subsidiary, Digex, Inc., a web hosting services provider.
Rob served on the boards of Interxion N.V. (NYSE: INXN), Wine.com (Chairman), Adaptix, Inc. (Chairman), CoreValue Software (Chairman), Digex, Inc., Canal+ Nordic, Broadview Networks, DigiTV Plus, Turin Networks and DMX-Europe. He also serves on the Board of Advisors of the Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, Connecticut. Rob is a graduate of Williams College.

Chuck Auster

Partner

causter @ runtidecapital.com

Chuck's Bio

Chuck Auster has been creating value for investors for more than 35 years through entrepreneurship, executive management and private equity leadership within the telecom and technology industries. For the last 15 years he has been investing in value-oriented businesses, first as a partner and managing director at One Equity Partners (OEP), the private equity arm of JPMorgan Chase, then as the founder and managing partner of Auster Capital Partners. Prior to joining OEP, Chuck was the president and CEO of Infocrossing, Inc. (NASDAQ: IFOX), an IT solutions outsourcer and data center provider, and founded and served as EVP & COO of IXnet, Ltd. (NASDAQ: EXNT), a network and managed services provider for the financial industry. In the founding and sale of IXnet, Chuck was a key member of the leadership team that took the company from a startup business through IPO and NASDAQ listing to a $3.5 billion sale.
Chuck served on the boards of Infocrossing, IXnet, Polaroid Corp. (Chairman), WestCom Corp., Globalpack Corp. N.V. (Chairman), Cascal N.V. (NASDAQ: HOO), Binwise Ltd. (Chairman), Model Metrics, Inc., Wicoms Ltd. (Chairman) and Assure Space LLC. He is a founder and trustee emeritus of The L’Enfant Trust, a nationally recognized historic preservation organization, and Chairman of the Tufts University Entrepreneurship Center. Chuck graduated Magna Cum Laude from Tufts University and holds a JD with Honors from the National Law Center, George Washington University. He is a member of the District of Columbia Bar and the Virginia State Bar.

Matt Auster

Partner

mauster @ runtidecapital.com

Matt's Bio

Matt Auster has over a decade of experience investing in and advising growth companies across software, mobile and technology-enabled sectors in the middle market. Prior to joining RunTide, Matt was an investment professional at Auster Capital Partners (ACP), a venture and growth capital investment firm. At ACP, he led and executed a variety of investments and assisted management teams in executing their business plans with particular emphasis on financial reporting and forecasting, digital marketing and business development. Prior to ACP, from 2007 to 2011, Matt was at investment bank Carl Marks Advisory Group where he focused on mergers and acquisitions, capital raises and financial restructurings. Matt began his career as an analyst in Citigroup’s leveraged finance department.
Matt has served on the boards of Assure Space LLC, Binwise, Inc. and Wicoms Ltd.  Matt is a graduate of Colgate University.

RunTide Operating Partners are independent founders and C-level executives who have built innovative, sustainable, and incredibly successful firms in the technology, digital media and communications sectors.  Their deep operational expertise, strategic perspectives, broad networks, and objective advice add immense value to portfolio company executives and to our deal teams.

Michael Pisterzi

Operating Partner

mpisterzi @ runtidecapital.com

Mike's Bio

Mike has over three decades of experience working in both Global 100 and private equity-backed companies. Since 2005 he has been a leader in IP development and monetization, first as CEO of Adaptix, Inc., a prominent developer of patented 4G mobile broadband technologies sold to Acacia Research in 2012, then as the CEO of PanOptis, completing the acquisition of large patent portfolios from several multinational companies. Prior to Adaptix, Mike was an executive in the telecommunications sector overseeing the development and sale of over $20 billion in products and services. This included serving as the COO of Alcatel USA, CEO of Transat Technologies, a provider of carrier-grade software, CEO of Photuris, a pioneer in the field of high-density optical switching, and CEO of AccessLan Communications, a supplier of carrier-grade access equipment for integrated communications providers. Earlier in his career Mike held positions in acoustical physics research and electronics design engineering.
Mike has been granted numerous patents covering telecommunications and electronics. He is a member of the Licensing Executives Society, the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the Audio Engineering Society. Mike holds degrees in Electrical Engineering Technology and Management from Purdue University.

Kerri Ford

Senior Advisor

kford @ runtidecapital.com

Kerri's Bio

Kerri Ford has been an investor in, operator of and advisor to growing companies for over 20 years. At Baker Capital between 2003 and 2015 she helped management teams implement critical reporting and control systems, develop planning and cash management models and develop market assessments to focus strategy. Prior to joining Baker Capital, Kerri spent six years at Cabletron Systems, a pioneering Ethernet technology and intelligent networking company, working in six countries on five continents driving financial and operational efficiencies and strategy. During her tenure the company grew revenue 3x from $500 million to $1.4 billion. Additionally, Kerri was an associate with Goldman Sachs’ technology investment banking group.
Kerri served on the boards (or was a board observer) of Canal+ Nordic, Adaptix, DigiTV Plus, Broadview Networks and MediaNet.  She serves on the Advisory Board of the Andover Coalition for Education. Kerri received her MBA from Wharton Business School.

Drew Kelton

Senior Advisor

dkelton @ runtidecapital.com

Drew's Bio

Drew is a global business leader with over 30 years of experience in technology and telecommunications companies across Europe, the U.S., Asia and Australia. Most recently Drew was the managing director for DocuSign, Inc.’s Asia Pacific operations. Prior to DocuSign, he was an executive vice president of T-Mobile USA and a member of the executive team. From 2010 to 2013 Drew was the president of Bharti Airtel, a B2B telecommunications company in India and Southeast Asia, and from 2002 to 2010 was the managing director of Telstra International, leading Telstra’s operations outside of Australia. Prior to Telstra Drew was an executive vice president with Asia Global Crossing, the managing director of IXNET and the founder and CEO of Saturn Global Network.
Drew serves or served on the boards of Mobile Embrace (Chairman), FirstWave Cloud Technology (Chairman), Starlogik (Chairman), Enice and Megaport. He is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers/Charter Engineer. Drew holds a degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Western Scotland.

Although certain individuals are identified on this website as “Partners” or “General Partners,” such titles reflect business usage that is customary within the venture capital and private equity industry and are not intended to indicate that any such individual is actually a partner or general partner of any partnership as those terms are used for legal purposes.