Intersouth Expands Venture Capital Investment Team

is expanding its investment team, promoting Katrin Burt to an associate.

Burt, 30, becomes of the few female venture capitalists in the Southeast. She joins Hannah Clifford, who was hired by Intersouth earlier this year as part of its operation in suburban Washington. D.C.

A member of Intersouth's staff since 2004 when she signed on as an analyst, Burt will be part of Intersouth's information technology team.

"For us, it is all about good interpersonal relationships at Intersouth and with the entrepreneurial community. She fits our culture very fell," said Mitch Mumma of Intersouth. "We have seen her in action the last couple of years and she has done a good job."

The promotion fulfills Burt's dream for what she enthusiastically called her "dream job".

"After a long review about what I wanted to do, I decided that being a venture capitalist was my dream job," said Burt, a native of the United Kingdom who now lives in Raleigh.

A seven-year veteran of international financial powerhouse HSBC in London, Burt became familiar with North Carolina and the Southeast while completing an MBA program through Duke University.

"Once I made the decision I wanted to work as a venture capitalist, I looked at the Southeast," she said. "Intersouth has a terrific reputation. I visited several VC firms, and I was just thoroughly impressed by the caliber of people."

Burt, who grew up in Buckinghamshire about an hour north of London and attended Oxford University, already is an observer on the boards of directors for 6th Sense Analytics, HexaTech and Ziptronix. All are Intersouth portfolio companies.

Working with entrepreneurs and emerging technologies are among the factors that led Burt to decide to become a VC.

"First there is the intellectual stimulation of understanding trends in technology and markets. By definition, entrepreneurship means you are on the cutting edge of what's happening," Burt said. "Second is working with the entrepreneurs themselves. It's a unique situation to work with people who are passionate about what they do."

She acknowledged that she is one of few women in the venture capital industry.

"Fortunately, my gender has never been a hindrance even though I have worked in male-dominated fields," Burt said, but she added more women are interested in venture capital. "I think it is great to see more women moving toward venture capital. It's a fascinating area to work in."

As part of the Intersouth IT team, Burt will look for potential investments in that space. But she said she would be seeking more than products or technology.

"One of the interesting things about early-stage companies is how people interact with each other," she said. The chemistry of a management team is a crucial factor not to be overlooked, she added, noting that how people work internally will be reflected in how they deal with customers and other relationships.

Burt's role at Intersouth has expanded over time, so she is already familiar with many Southeastern-based firms. And she likes the new company climate.

"There has been a pretty steady flow the past several months," Burt said of potential investments, especially in the area of wireless.

The hiring of Burt is the third in a series of expansion moves made by Intersouth since it closed on its seventh fund -$275 million - in May.

Burt, an avid runner and golfer, worked in a number of different roles at HSBC, ranging from working as a foreign exchange trader to business development in the firm's Global Markets Europe Division.

Other members of the Intersouth IT team include: Kip Frey, John Glushik, Mitch Mumma, Don Rainey, Steve Clark and Clifford.

Intersouth's portfolio includes more than 80 companies. The firm has more than $775 million under management.