NXT Ventures is a Boston-based investment firm that seeds and supports some of the most innovative startup companies across all industries and verticals. We typically look to partner with entrepreneurs and their teams early in their journeys to provide the capital and ongoing guidance needed to bring their potentially disruptive solutions to market and scale. We also specialize in helping our portfolio companies explore cross-border synergies, especially in the Asian markets, including opportunities that leverage our vast network and strong connections in manufacturing, distribution and strategic partnerships.
Team
Raymond Chang
Managing Director
Raymond N. Chang is a successful entrepreneur and an active angel investor. In 1997, Raymond founded GigaMedia, the first broadband company in Asia. In 1999, GigaMedia received 35mm strategic investment from Microsoft, and in 2000, the Company went public on NASDAQ and raised US$280mm, one of the largest IPOs for Internet company prior to 2000. In 2007, Raymond founded Luckypai, a leading TV shopping company in China and raised venture financing from Lightspeed Venture Partners, DT Capital, Intel, Lehman Brothers, and Goldman Sachs. In 2010, Luckypai was sold to Lotte Home Shopping for US $160mm. From 2012-2013, Raymond served as the CEO of New Focus Auto, the largest automobile aftersales service company dual-listed on Hong Kong & Taiwan exchanges, (US$750mm in market cap). In 2013, Raymond completed a US$160mm investment from CDH Capital, a leading Chinese private equity fund. In 2000, Raymond was selected by FORTUNE as one of the twenty-five Next Generation Global Leaders Under 40, (5/2001), and by BUSINESS WEEK Asia as one of Asia’s 20 most influential new economy leaders in the 21st century, (7/2000). He was also featured as a panel speaker at World Economic Forum in Zurich, Switzerland in 2005.
Currently, Raymond is an Adjunct Professor at the Yale School of Management and at Babson College. Raymond was the Former Treasurer/Elected Board Member of Shanghai American School and a member of Young President’s Organization – Shanghai Chapter. Raymond received his BA from New York University, MBA from Yale School of Management, and MPA from Harvard JFK School of Government. Raymond is also a member of Launchpad and Boston Hub Angel.
Barry Turkanis
Managing Director
Barry currently is the co-founder of Ocean Gate Capital Management, an investment management firm founded in 2004, and he is also a principal at Ocean Gate Realty Advisors, a private equity real estate platform.
Barry joined Salomon Brothers in 1982 as an institutional salesperson. In 1988, he moved to Goldman, Sachs & Co. for 15+ years until he retired as a Managing Director in June 2004. While at Goldman Sachs, he served as the Global Sales Manager for Goldman Sachs’ Mortgage Securities Department and Co-head of Goldman Sachs’ Mortgage Sales and Trading Division. His responsibilities included oversight of trading, risk management, sales, research, structured finance and compliance for the department. In addition, he co-managed a large institutional Life Settlement Fund from 2007-2011. He also serves as a director at Ionetix Corporation, which is engaged in the commercialization of proprietary compact superconducting cyclotron technology in the Medical Imaging, Active Interrogation and other medical and industrial applications.
Barry holds a J.D. from Boston College Law School and a B.S. from Syracuse University. He currently serves on a variety of charitable boards and foundations in the Boston area.
Kacey Muldoon
Chief Financial Officer
Kacey Muldoon oversees the fund administration, accounting and financial reporting, and investor relations of NXT. Currently, she also holds the position of CFO at Ocean Gate Capital Management, an alternative asset management firm which she joined in 2006. While at Ocean Gate, Kacey has been involved in the start-up and ongoing operations of numerous private equity and real estate investment funds. Prior to joining Ocean Gate, Kacey worked as a financial analyst for Mercer Human Resource Consulting, an international human resources management and consulting firm. Kacey began her career in public accounting, spending five years in the audit practices of Arthur Andersen LLP and AAFCPA’s. Kacey earned her Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Boston College.
Jared Jaffe
Senior Associate
Jared serves as a Senior Associate at NXT Ventures, assisting with deal sourcing, due diligence, strategy, portfolio management and other operational aspects of the business.
Prior to joining NXT Ventures, Jared gained invaluable experience across various industries and job functions. Jared began his career in New York City as a member of Major League Baseball's Legal & Business Affairs Department. After several years of interfacing with MLB's corporate partners as it pertained to the use of trademarks and other intellectual property on licensed products, advertisements and sponsorship materials, Jared took on a hybrid internal consulting and business development role with a global lighting and battery distribution company. While there, Jared was intimately involved in a number of impactful projects that resulted in the rollout of an expanded product assortment, enhanced approaches to several sales channels and growth into new markets, both domestically and abroad. With both of those corporate experiences under his belt, Jared eventually decided to shift his focus to the budding world of startups in 2010. Since then, Jared has helped design and launch multiple web and mobile products as a co-founder, and he has also advised major brands and manufacturers on digital product content strategy and change management best practices for an e-commerce SaaS offering.
Jared graduated from Cornell University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial and Labor Relations.
