REDWOOD SHORES, Calif., Oct. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Employee Stock Option Fund (ESO Fund), a pioneer in stock option financing for employees of leading, venture-backed technology and healthcare companies, today announced that Tony Tsao has joined the firm as a Principal. Mr. Tsao was previously an investment professional in venture debt with Western Technology Investment, direct secondary investing with Saints Capital, and venture capital with H&Q Asia Pacific.
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"Tony possesses a unique experience set in the venture capital arena, having led and managed investments across direct equity, secondary direct and senior debt investments in rapidly-growing, venture-backed companies across the globe. Combined with his investment banking background, he is a seasoned financier who has excelled in both traditional and cutting-edge private investment models. We are thrilled to add him to our team," said Stephen Roberts, co-founder and Managing Partner of ESO Fund. "Tony's skills and experience complement well our track record in monetizing equity upside situations, and we look forward to working alongside him to capitalize on more."
"I am honored to join the ESO Fund team. They are at once both the most entrepreneurial operating executives and the most experienced financial investors that I have met. And we share a keen, mutual desire to partner with employees of the world's leading private companies to help them maximize the value of their tenure via loan structures designed to align both parties' interests," said Tsao. "What we are doing at ESO Fund has never been done before, and I look forward to creating a new industry category with them."
Mr. Tsao began his investment career in early- to late-stage venture capital investments in private technology companies throughout the US and Asia. He also managed and executed acquisitions of direct investments and portfolios of direct investments in high-growth, private technology companies from other institutional and individual investors. Most recently, he focused on senior, secured debt and structured equity investments in leading private companies across the technology, healthcare and clean technology sectors. Prior to his investment career, Mr. Tsao worked in the investment banking division of Lehman Brothers in New York and London, where he focused on corporate finance, M&A and merchant banking for emerging growth companies in the healthcare industry. Mr. Tsao received both a BS and an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
About ESO Fund
The ESO Fund provides loans for exercising stock options. The fund bears the risk of loss instead of the option holder if the stock should become worthless. The firm is headquartered in Redwood Shores, California. For more information, please visit www.esofund.com.
Scott Chou
1-650-262-6670
scott@esofund.com
SOURCE ESO Fund