Jim Lussier

Jim is Founder and Managing Partner of The Coast Ridge Group, an advisory and investment firm helping entrepreneurs, corporate and financial investors and executives in emerging technology to be more successful. The firm leverages Jim’s 30 year track record as corporate investment group leader, VC general partner, board member, entrepreneur, general manager, and strategy consulting practice leader. Areas of expertise include: corporate governance and leadership, board of directors and advisors, innovation and venture capital program development and management, business strategy and planning, corporate development, business development and partnerships, fund raising strategy and execution, executive team development and general management.

Until recently, Jim served as Managing Director and Head of Dell Technologies Capital (formerly Dell Ventures). Jim led Dell’s investing activities companywide, and was responsible for setting the overall investment strategy, building the investment team, designing and implementing investment processes, completing transactions, managing the portfolio, and collaborating with the ecosystem of investors and entrepreneurs on how Dell can help companies succeed. In this role, he launched the $300 Million Strategic Innovation Venture Fund and oversaw investments in over 25 companies and 12 venture funds in strategically relevant areas including: Storage, Data Center, Cloud, Big Data/Analytics, Security and Mobile. While at Dell, Jim was named three times to Corporate Venture Magazine’s Powerlist 100, most recently in 2016.

Prior to joining Dell in 2011, Jim spent more than a decade as a General Partner at Norwest Venture Partners, a global venture capital firm based in Silicon Valley with $3.7B under management, 16 partners and 80 portfolio companies. In that role, he developed deep experience with all aspects of the investment process including: devising investment themes, sourcing companies, completing due diligence, structuring transactions and guiding company success as a board member. Jim served on more than a dozen boards, and completed dozens of transactions including financings, company sales, mergers and acquisitions.

Before NVP, he was Vice President and General Manager of the Direct e-Commerce Solutions division of Beyond.com Corporation. Prior to Beyond.com, he managed Accenture's (formerly Andersen Consulting) electronics and high technology strategy practice for North America. He has also held executive positions at Booz Allen & Hamilton and Metaphor Computer Systems.

Jim holds an MBA from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and a BS in Finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.