Jeffrey P. Parker
Venture Partner
Jeff has an extensive history of success as an entrepreneur, CEO and investor in financial services companies over the past 20 years. Jeff has been involved with over twenty investment transactions, companies he has either created, bought or sold with a combined value of over half a billion dollars. He brings an operating perspective to the companies in which he invests, as well as a wealth of financial expertise and an extended network of domestic and international business contacts. Jeff currently represents GrandBanks Capital on the board of directors of KnowledgeVision and as Chairman of the board of directors for First Coverage. He was named 2003 New England Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young in the Financial Services category. Jeff currently serves as an advisor to MedPanel of Boston and is a member of the board of directors of Mainstream Data and Firmex. In October 2010, Jeff was named to Inside Market Data’s Hall of Fame.
Background
In 1980, Jeff founded Technical Data Corporation, a provider of financial analytic services for the institutional investor community. In 1983, he founded First Call Corporation, which quickly became one of the financial community’s leading providers of real-time broker-sourced research, earnings estimates, equity and fixed income ownership information, insider trading information and corporate news releases. In 1986, Jeff sold both these businesses to the Canadian publishing giant International Thomson, now The Thomson Corporation, and became Chairman and CEO of Thomson Financial, its financial services subsidiary. Under Jeff’s leadership, Thomson Financial became the major provider of proprietary financial information to the investment and corporate communities. Thomson Financial currently serves over 75,000 institutional clients worldwide and has annual revenues in excess of $750 million.
After serving as CEO of Thomson Financial, Jeff co-founded 38 Newbury Ventures, a venture capital firm which focused on start-up and early stage companies. While at 38 Newbury Ventures, Jeff and Charley Lax co-invested together in several companies including FAXNET and LimiTrader.
In 1997, Jeff co-founded CCBN.com (Corporate Communications Broadcast Network), a leader in enabling direct communications between public companies and the investment community over the Internet. CCBN.com builds, manages and hosts the investor relations sections of Web sites for more than 2,000 public companies, providing detailed shareholder information through interactive, multi-media solutions. Jeff served as CCBN’s Chairman and CEO until the sale of the company to The Thomson Corporation in March 2004.
Education
Cornell University, Bachelor of Engineering, 1965
Cornell University, Master of Engineering, 1966
Cornell University, MBA, 1970
Jeff is a Trustee Emeritus of Cornell University where he founded the Parker Center for Investment Research at the Johnson School. An alumnus of Cornell, he earned a Bachelor of Engineering degree in 1965, Master of Engineering degree in 1966 and a Master of Business degree in 1970. He has been recognized as a foremost benefactor of the University, serves on the Johnson Graduate School of Management Advisory Council, is a member of the University’s Executive Committee and is co-chair of the University’s Committee on Alumni Affairs and Development. In 2001, Jeff was inducted into the Johnson Graduate School of Management Hall of Honor, the Johnson School’s highest award and was also selected as the Cornell University 2001 Entrepreneur of the Year.
Interests
Jeff is an instrument-rated private pilot, as well as an active speaker on entrepreneurship. He is married and has four children.