Western Digital, a Nasdaq-listed memory storage provider, last month set up a corporate venturing unit led by Mark Long, and disclosed its first deal was Skyera.
As executive vice-president of strategy and corporate development, Long leads Western Digital Capital, a strategic investment fund targeting companies within the broader storage industry and related markets aligned to the parent’s business.
Long was previously senior vice-president of strategy and corporate development at Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (HGST), which was acquired by Western Digital in March last year.
Steve Milligan, president and chief executive of Western Digital, said: “[Long] brings tremendous strategic and operational ability to this role, including an extensive background in mergers and acquisitions. He will focus on executing our growth strategy and capitalizing on the many opportunities present in today’s dynamic storage industry.”
Before HGST, Long was managing director of VisionPoint Capital, where he provided merger and acquisition and corporate finance services to a range of technology companies, including Fabrik, which was acquired by HGST in April 2009.
Long has also been a senior executive with both public and private venture-backed technology companies and has been an investment banker with Credit Suisse First Boston and Deutsche Bank Securities. Long began his career as a corporate lawyer with Gunderson Dettmer,