Scott Chou

Partner

"Working with entrepreneurs is a great privilege. As a technologist and entrepreneur myself, it gives me tremendous satisfaction to help introduce exciting innovations to society." -- Scott Chou

Scott Chou joined Gabriel Venture Partners in 2000, bringing a broad base of experience in venture capital, technology and startup operations to the firm. His extensive experience working with early-stage technology ventures is a direct reflection of his passion for innovation and entrepreneurship. Scott leads Gabriel's Disruptive Technologies practice, proactively managing relationships with universities, as well as corporate and government labs, in search of groundbreaking innovations with enormous market potential.

Venture Capital Experience

Scott entered the venture capital arena via the Kauffman Fellows Program, a prestigious fellowship in venture capital awarded annually to a select number of recipients. He completed his fellowship at Onset Ventures, a groundbreaking firm in seed capital investing. Scott is also the author of Maxims, Morals, and Metaphors: A Primer on Venture Capital, a popular book used in teaching the art of venture capital. Scott has invested in several successful companies, including Iridigm (acquired by QUALCOMM) and LVL7 Systems (acquired by Broadcom), as well as NextG Networks (leader in DAS newtorks) and SkyCross (leader in antenna-centric RF), both of which are pending IPOs.

Investment Focus

Scott focuses on investments in disruptive technologies emerging from research labs. With a keen ability to recognize very early-stage technologies with the potential to become break-out products and market-leading companies, Scott has led Gabriel’s efforts in funding paradigm-shifting innovations such as distributed antenna systems, zero-power color displays, solid-state lighting, embeddable antennas, lithium ion batteries, tunable filters, and noise-cancellation software.

Entrepreneurial Experience

Scott understands the unique needs of entrepreneurs, because he has been one himself. He knows first-hand what type of hands-on, practical guidance startup entrepreneurs need to succeed. Scott himself has worked at six startup technology ventures including Memory Card Associates, a systems integration firm he founded focused on portable computing, and Integrated Computing Engines (ICE), a venture-backed spinout from MIT Lincoln Labs where he was the founding manager of the engineering and manufacturing organizations.

Operating Experience

Scott joined his first startup as a software developer while still in high school, helping build a small business accounting package. He has since worked for eight other technology organizations in capacities ranging from IT-guy, to chip designer, to founder. At Bellcore, Scott conducted pioneering research in broadband packet switching for the Internet. At IBM, he received an Outstanding Technical Achievement Award for his design work in enterprise storage systems. Scott was also instrumental in the launch of the handheld computing market while working at Poqet Computer, a startup later acquired by Fujitsu.

International Experience

Scott is a director in four Asia-Pacific joint ventures launched by U.S.-based portfolio companies, and frequently assists Gabriel portfolio companies with setting up manufacturing or development offices in China. These ventures typify Gabriel's strategy of assisting companies with capital efficiency and business development in Asia-Pacific. Scott speaks Mandarin Chinese, and his keen understanding of the Asian market enables him to offer strategic guidance to Gabriel’s U.S.-based portfolio companies seeking to expand in the region, or looking to join forces with Asia-based partners.

Board Memberships and Affiliations

Scott currently serves as a director on the boards of Boston-Power, iForem, NextG Networks, Sequoia Communications, SkyCross, Step Labs, and YLX. He has also served on the advisory boards of the University of Maryland Technology Visionary Series, the Kauffman Fellows Program, and the TiE Semiconductor SIG.

Philanthropy

Scott has been an active volunteer in relief charities during recent disasters such as Katrina, Myanmar, and Sichuan. Most recently he has conducted book signings with all proceeds going towards the Sunflower Foundation, a micro-finance charity dedicated to assisting under-privileged women through entrepreneurial self-sufficiency.

Education

MS – Engineering, Stanford University (full fellowship)
MS – Computer Science, Harvard University (full fellowship)
BS – Electrical Engineering, California Institute of Technology (with honors)