Venture Capitalist Chris Lynch Gets Candid On Enterprise Trends, Investments

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If you're interested in launching a technology accelerator or mobile dating application, do not take these ideas to Chris Lynch. The dynamic venture capitalist has made it clear he is only interested in investing in serious technology solutions and real entrepreneurs.

"Do I think that there’s a billion-dollar market opportunity? Do I think they have differentiated technology? Do I think that there are barriers to entry for other people to develop like-minded technology?" Those are the considerations Lynch said he makes when deciding to invest in a technology startup.

Lynch, who most recently led an investment in Reddo Mobility, is a partner at Cambridge, Mass.-based venture capital firm Atlas Venture. However, Lynch’s team has rebranded itself as ’Formerly Known As Atlas,’ as the technology investment group has separated from the rest of Atlas. Lynch said the separation was a natural progression following the way investors operate in the market today.

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Lynch also served as president and CEO of Vertica Systems, which was acquired by Hewlett-Packard in March 2011. He then served as senior vice president and general manager of HP’s Database Business Unit. Before that, Lynch also led global sales and marketing for Arrowpoint Communications, and saw the company through its IPO and $5.7 billion acquisition by Cisco.

While Lynch said he "doesn't understand" mobile dating apps like Tinder, he has his finger on the pulse of tomorrow's technology trends. He predicts his personal passion, big data, will be the dominant force of the market in coming years. For that reason he launched the Cambridge-based big data center Hack/Reduce. Lynch wants the distinction to be clear: Hack/Reduce is not a technology accelerator.

'I think accelerators are a modern-day version of human trafficking for hipsters," Lynch said.

Hack/Reduce, unlike many accelerators, does not take equity from companies, but provides the space, hardware, and technology for big data enthusiasts to innovate and explore.

"We're not looking for anything in return, so I think that's a different value proposition, and we're doing it for the same reason why I’m big on big data: We want to instrument Boston for people to understand that this is one of the epicenters for technology," Lynch said.

PUBLISHED JAN. 22, 2015