Meet Our New EIRs

As Dan Phillips steps back to launch CloudPercept, venture capitalists Jim Counihan and Michael Gaiss step up as the Venture Development Center's entrepreneurs-in-residence, dedicated to advising our high tech companies. We're thrilled they have joined us! 

Jim is a General Partner at Prism VentureWorks which he joined in 2000 to run the firm's software and services practice. Jim holds a B.A. magna cum laude from the UMass Amherst, and a J.D. cum laude from Suffolk University Law School. Jim was instrumental in driving the success of Softricity, acquired by Microsoft, GeoTrust, acquired by Verisign, Silverback Technologies, acquired by Dell.

While at Highland Capital, Michael advised portfolio companies on marketing strategy, launches, communications and programs. He has worked with over 125 startups and emerging growth companies. He is the Founder at ThinkB1G which works with an elite group of startups and top universities outside the main entrepreneurial hubs to help make it easier for students to connect with exciting career opportunities at these companies.

Every tech startup company needs someone with decades of successful experience behind them who is a very shrewd business strategist and who regularly provides advice and feedback. Like Dan, Jim and Michael have been there, and done that. Their presence will help you gain the trust of investors, because they know that you’re taking advice from a voice of experience.

Dan has been entrepreneur-in-residence since 2010 at the Venture Development Center. CloudPercept is a rapidly growing cloud performance and business management software-as-a-service company which took shape during the last three months at the Venture Development Center. Dan also founded the Student Entrepreneurship Program, which continues to train and place software development, marketing and sales students into paid interns at an elite group of venture-backed startups in Massachusetts.