Coral Group
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  • Industry Platforms
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Radical technology-driven change — from concept to scale.

image descriptionWe address large market opportunities through a unique combination of complementary disciplines:
Knowledge
“Coral’s domain expertise has been critical to the strategic questions facing our company, from identifying new market opportunities to developing product direction.” —Steve McKay, CEO of Entone Technologies
Leadership
“Coral’s insights and leadership helped us reinvent ourselves, putting us on a significant growth trajectory with a large market opportunity.” —Ron Czerny, founder and CEO, Playphone
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Venture Capital

We Back Tomorrow’s Leaders.

We help build scalable companies that disruptively change markets. Our team has invested globally in more than 100 companies, across multiple technology sectors and at all stages.

Selected Portfolio companies

  • Advanced FiberAdvanced Fiber
    tellabs.com
  • calixcalix
    calix.com
  • dgdg
    dgit.com
  • EntoneEntone
    www.entone.com
  • firetidefiretide
    firetide.com
  • fonfon
    fon.com
  • macromediamacromedia
    adobe.com

    acquired by Adobe, Nasdaq: ADBE

  • playphoneplayphone
    playphone.com
  • redbendredbend
    redbend.com
  • sugarsyncsugarsync
    sugarsync.com
  • vizrtvizrt
    vizrt.com
  • zoranzoran
    csr.com
  • All companies
  • Media
  • Services/Applications
  • Internet
  • Mobile
  • Enterprise
  • Telecom
  • Adra Systems
  • Advanced Fibre
  • AeroScout
  • Aksys
  • Alfy
  • American Health Sciences
  • Ascent Healthcare Solutions
  • Bayard Open Systems
  • Baystone Software
  • Bridge Medical
  • BroadRiver Communications
  • Calix
  • Call Connect
  • Cardiac Science
  • Celerity Computing
  • Certified Technologies
  • Cerus
  • Check Technology
  • Computer Aided Services
  • Coulter Pharmaceutical
  • Damark International
  • Delivery Agent
  • Dgit
  • Digital Generation Systems
  • Digital Microwave
  • E/O Networks
  • ebix.com
  • Elity Systems
  • Endocardial Solutions
  • Endosonics
  • EndoTherapeutics
  • Entone
  • Epicor Medical
  • Exanet
  • FaxSav
  • Firetide
  • FlexLight Networks
  • Fon
  • Force10 Networks
  • Freeborders
  • Friendly Robotics
  • Gearworks
  • Gift Certificate Center
  • Global Aircraft Parts
  • GoDigital Networks
  • GoToCall.com
  • Iconoculture
  • Image-Guided Neurologics
  • Infineria
  • InfoGin
  • Integral Access
  • International Healthcare
  • Joy Technologies
  • LabIntelligence
  • Macromedia
  • Magnet Communications
  • Medinet
  • Minnesota Aquafarms
  • Molecular Applications Group
  • Movius
  • Mycogen
  • Myocor
  • NaviNet
  • NewCity Communications
  • NextNet Wireless
  • Oceania
  • Omnia
  • OncoTherapeutics
  • Optical Sensors
  • Optical Solutions
  • OraMetrix
  • Pacific Monolithics
  • Paradigm Holdings
  • Performance Semiconductor
  • Picolight
  • Playphone
  • Prodea
  • Quantum Health Resources
  • Racotek
  • Raycom Systems
  • Red Bend Software
  • Resonex
  • RichFX
  • SangStat Medical
  • Signature BioScience
  • SugarSync
  • Symphonix Devices
  • Syntelligence
  • Systems & Networks
  • Tectonics Companies
  • Teltech Resource Network
  • Tinos
  • Tricare
  • Tricord Systems
  • Vaser
  • Veracicom
  • Vertical Communications
  • Vicarious
  • Vizrt
  • Wireless Channels
  • Xcat
  • Youth Fair
  • Zoran
Vision
“Since Coral joined Red Bend's board, they focused discussion more on the vision of the company and building our franchise around that vision. As management, we are fortunate to have Coral support us as we build our company.” —Yoram Salinger, CEO, Red Bend Software
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Strategic Projects

Leveraging multiple innovations to solve large-scale challenges.

We deliver specific programs and integrated solutions on behalf of large multinational companies. Our team’s collective global experience makes us one of the few venture-based firms to have its own solution integration capability.

Case Study:

  • Improving Operations and Service in the Transportation Industry Read
Telecom Domain Expertise
“Coral’s long tenure in our industry helped us navigate common pitfalls in our company-building process.” —Steve McKay, CEO, Entone Technologies
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Industry Platforms

Solving tomorrow’s challenges within an industry.

We leverage our venture capital and strategic projects experience to help mavericks within an industry reinvent themselves. To do so, we create investment vehicles that deliver sustainable, strategic advantage to our partners through a set of integrated solutions.

Coral’s Network
“Coral opened up its network to us and helped us form relationships that led to major global partnerships.” —Alex Puregger, COO, FON Wireless

Partners

We work with both entrepreneurs and investors to create the next industry leader.

Our team has a deep heritage in business strategy, entrepreneurship and operations. Coral knows building a great company is a long — and often painful— process, but we have been instrumental in effecting successful changes for companies, even with a multitude of variables.

The only way we will be successful is if you are successful. Things will go wrong, and when they do, we extend advice. But most importantly, we work with you, as a team, to address the challenges.

It is paramount to strive for parallel interest between a company’s founders, its management team, and the investor syndicate. We prefer simple capital structures; with balanced, small, agile and insightful Boards of Directors representing all stakeholders with equal tenacity.

At Coral, we will only invest when your entrepreneurial team and ours share a vision. Our assignment is to help you win. We do so by keeping abreast of the marketplace and applying our imagination, experience, professional network and capital to your business.

Coral employs a comprehensive set of investment processes and tools designed to help us evaluate, scale and monetize innovations in all three of our business disciplines — Venture Capital, Strategic Projects and Industry Platforms.

Our Investment Processes are unique and highly disciplined. Key phases include proactive Deal Flow Generation, a thorough Due Diligence Process (with generic, and fund-specific criteria), a systematic Enterprise Building Model and a structured Risk Management Process.

These investment processes and tools enable us to modulate our enthusiasm for our portfolio companies with measurable and responsible control systems.

Proactive Engagement
“Coral was with us all the way. They sat alongside in our first major sale and helped us close that sale, participated in product planning sessions and helped reshape Magnet’s business model. Coral is not afraid to roll up its sleeves and get to work with management.” —Steve Gordon, CEO, Magnet Communications

About

The Coral Group began as a classic venture capital group. For more than 25 years, we have managed multiple types of funds, including early-stage, late-stage, regional and strategic.

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In 2007, we built upon our successes and professional network by adding our second discipline, the Strategic Projects group. And today, the Coral Group has evolved – adding Industry Platforms – combining Venture Capital and Strategic Projects services to build a revolutionary new offering: solving problems for entire industries.

Our three capabilities are highly synergistic. Each discipline stands alone, but they all work seamlessly together.

We employ a team approach to investing.

Our team has a proven track record of identifying emerging markets. We pair relevant products and technologies to these opportunities, and take the resulting companies to scale. Our managing directors have backgrounds as founders, operators and investors — and we bring these experiences, networks and expertise to elevate each company in which we engage.

Meet our executive team.

  • Yuval Almog image description Yuval Almog Chairman & Founder Minneapolis, Minn. 612-335-8680 yuval@coralgrp.com
  • Miki Granski image description Miki Granski Managing Director Tel Aviv, Israel 612-335-8666 miki@coralgrp.com
  • Mark Headrick image description Mark Headrick Managing Director Minneapolis, Minn. 612-335-8683 mark@coralgrp.com
  • Richard Siber image description Richard Siber Managing Director Boston, Mass. 617-605-2171 richard@coralgrp.com
  • John Romanow image description John Romanow Managing Director Minneapolis, Minn. 612-335-8671 john@coralgrp.com
  • Chris Smith image description Chris Smith Minneapolis, Minn. 612-335-8669 chris@coralgrp.com
  • Linda Watchmaker image description Linda Watchmaker Managing Director & CFO Minneapolis, Minn. 612-335-8682 linda@coralgrp.com

Advisors

  • Shahid Ahmed North American Network Practice Lead, Accenture
  • David Frigstad Chairman, Frost and Sullivan
  • Bob Stott Former Senior Officer, Verizon Communications
  • Scott Fox Former Chairman, GSMA
    Former CTO, BellSouth Mobility/Cingular/AT&T Wireless
  • Mike Turner Former Senior Officer, AT&T
“The Coral Group possesses deep integration and solution delivery skills in communications and high tech.” —Shahid Ahmed, North American Network Practice Lead, Accenture
(612) 335-8666 60 S 6th St # 2210 Minneapolis, MN 55402

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