Michael Marks

Michael Marks is a co-founder and managing partner of Maui Greens. He is a co-founding managing partner at Celesta Capital. He has served on the board of directors of Supply Chain Resources Group and Gate. He is a board member of Boom Supersonic, Slate, Colors Living Produce and Atonarp. He was a board member of Berkeley Lights. He is also an advisor at Excision. He previously co-founded and served on the board of directors of Katerra. He was a board member of Lolli & Pops, The melt, BrightSource Energy, iFly Holdings and Skycatch. He co-founded Riverwood Capital. He was the founder and general partner of Paxion Capital Partners. He is a founding partner of Riverwood Capital, a Menlo Park-based private equity firm. Prior to founding Riverwood, he was a partner and senior advisor at Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. in 2006 and 2007. Prior to KKR, he was CEO of Flextronics International Ltd. for several years, building it into one of the largest technology companies in the world. He was an advisor to Greenoaks Capital. Board member of Enjoy Technology, Schlumberger Limited, The Melt, H20.ai, Berkeley Lights and The Juilliard School. He has served on the boards of K1 Speed and Canary. Serves on the boards of Finicast and Canary. He is chairman of the board of Prellis Biologics. He is a founding managing partner of Smartfrog & Canary Holdings.

Professional Summary

Accomplished venture capital investor, technology executive, and strategic leader with extensive experience building and scaling global technology companies. Proven track record of transforming organizations, serving on multiple corporate boards, and driving innovation across technology sectors.

Professional Experience

Founding Managing Partner (2014 – Present)

Celesta Capital

• Lead venture capital firm focused on accelerating and scaling disruptive global technology companies
• Identify and invest in high-potential technology startups across multiple sectors
• Provide strategic guidance and operational expertise to portfolio companies

Board Leadership Roles

Chairman of the Board, Carbitex (2021 – Present) Board Member, Biomason (2022 – Present) Board Member, Autonomy (2022 – Present) Board Member, Alveo Technologies (2021 – Present)

• Provide strategic oversight and governance for multiple technology and innovation-driven companies
• Contribute extensive executive experience to guide organizational growth and development

Previous Executive Roles

Interim CEO, Tesla CEO and Chairman, Flextronics International Ltd. (13 Years)

• Transformed Flextronics into one of the largest technology companies globally
• Demonstrated exceptional leadership in scaling international technology enterprise

Founding partner

Riverwood Capital (Prior to Celesta Capital)

• Established and developed private equity firm based in Menlo Park
• Executed strategic investments and corporate transformations

Academic Contributions

Adjunct Professor, Stanford Graduate Business School (2008 – 2017)

• Taught graduate-level business and technology management courses
• Shared extensive industry insights with future business leaders

Investment Portfolio

1. Carbitex (17-Oct-2024)
   • Deal Type: Later Stage VC
   • Industry: Other Textiles
   • Stage: Generating Revenue
2. Crowded (24-Aug-2023)
   • Deal Type: Financial Software
   • Stage: Generating Revenue
3. AjnaLens (28-Feb-2022)
   • Deal Type: Other Hardware
   • Stage: Generating Revenue
4. H2O.ai (02-Dec-2021)
   • Deal Type: Business/Productivity Software
   • Stage: Generating Revenue
5. EnTribe (17-Aug-2021)
   • Deal Type: Business/Productivity Software
   • Stage: Generating Revenue
6. Caspar AI (21-Jun-2021)
   • Deal Type: Other Healthcare Technology Systems
   • Stage: Generating Revenue
7. Carbitex (12-Jan-2021)
   • Deal Type: Other Textiles
   • Stage: Generating Revenue
8. Finicast (02-Dec-2020)
   • Deal Type: Business/Productivity Software
   • Stage: Generating Revenue
9. iluvia (02-Sep-2020)
   • Deal Type: Angel (individual)
   • Industry: Personal Products
   • Stage: Generating Revenue
10. Extend (06-Nov-2019)
    • Deal Type: Early Stage VC
    • Industry: Business/Productivity Software
    • Stage: Generating Revenue

Education

Harvard Business School

• Master of Business Administration (MBA), 1975-1977

Oberlin College

• BA, MA in Psychology, 1969-1974

Additional Board Experience

• Board Director for over 20 companies
• Previous Director roles at Schlumberger Limited, GoPro, and SanDisk

Contact Information

• Location: San Francisco Bay Area

– LinkedIn Connections: 500+

– Professional Followers: 4,099