Len is a veteran venture capitalist and entrepreneur who has invested in and founded many venture-backed entrepreneurial companies and venture capital investment organizations since 1982. He is currently Chairman and CEO of Batterson Venture Capital, LLC (“BVC”), headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.
Previously, Len was the Managing General Partner of Batterson, Johnson & Wang LP, one of the first private venture capital firms in Illinois focused on early-stage high technology and life sciences companies. He was also an early or founding investor in other major venture capital and private equity firms including Advent International, APAX, Athena SA, M/C Partners and U.S. Venture Partners. Earlier in his career as a venture capitalist, Len specialized in the turnaround and revitalization of entrepreneurial companies as Principal of Leonard Batterson Associates.
From 1985 to 1987, Len was the Director of the Venture Capital Division of Allstate Insurance Company, one of the nation’s oldest, largest and most successful venture capital operations. There, Len played an integral role in the financing and restructuring of Control Video Corporation, which became America Online, Inc. He also sourced and introduced Allscripts to the venture capital industry while at Allstate.
Len has since been a founding or early investor in a number of successful entrepreneurial companies, including Cleversafe, CyberSource, Beyond.com, Atlantic American Cablevision, Health Magazine (subsequently acquired by AOL/Time Warner), Illinois Superconductor Corporation (OTC: ISCO), and Nanophase Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: NANX). AOL, Allscripts, and Cybersource have all become $1 billion+ valued companies.
Len received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington University, a Juris Doctor degree from Washington University, and an MBA from the Harvard Business School. He is the author of Raising Venture Capital and the Entrepreneur (Prentice-Hall). A thought leader on venture capital investing, Len speaks at industry events and is frequently consulted by business reporters.