SAN MATEO, Calif., March 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Emergence Capital Partners, the leading venture capital firm focused on SaaS and technology-enabled services, announced today the appointment of Alison Berkley Wagonfeld as Operating Partner. She will be working closely with portfolio companies to help them leverage Emergence's deep expertise in SaaS go-to-market strategies, and also help Emergence companies with recruiting and talent management.  In addition, her core responsibilities will include communicating Emergence's thought leadership in cloud-based software services and cultivating the firm's network of resources and business partners.

Wagonfeld was previously the Executive Director of the Harvard Business School's California Research Center located in Menlo Park where she wrote over 50 business case studies about innovative West Coast firms, with a focus on entrepreneurial software companies. Earlier in her career, she co-founded QuickenLoans at Intuit, where she wrote the original business plan for the company's home-loan business. Her efforts propelled QuickenLoans to become one of the largest online home lenders in the country. Wagonfeld later joined Greenlight.com as the second employee, where she served as Senior Vice President of Marketing and Business Development. The company was incubated and backed by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, then purchased by CarsDirect (Internet Brands).   

"Alison is a very strong addition to our investment team, someone who has experience with both startups as well as leading public technology companies," said Jason Green, General Partner, Emergence Capital Partners. "Her experience will provide significant value to our portfolio companies as she has an extensive network of contacts at firms throughout Silicon Valley due to her time with Harvard Business School and helping start two ventures. Alison understands what it takes for companies to overcome challenges and succeed."

"I'm thrilled to join Emergence Capital Partners. The firm was a pioneer in backing early SaaS leaders such as Salesforce.com and SuccessFactors, and is now working with entrepreneurs who are developing ground-breaking solutions in new sectors, including vertical SaaS solutions, mobile business applications, and social applications for business," said Wagonfeld. "The Emergence team has always been at the vanguard of helping companies leverage the cloud to deliver superior technology-enabled services to business customers."

Wagonfeld received her MBA from Harvard Business School after earning her B.A. at Yale. She has also worked as a product manager at Microsoft and as an investment banker with Morgan Stanley.

About Emergence Capital Partners (@emergencecap)
Emergence Capital Partners, based in San Mateo, Calif., is the leading venture capital firm focused on early and growth-stage SaaS and technology-enabled services companies. Its mission is to empower business users and organizations around the globe by unleashing the power of technology-enabled Services. The firm's investments include Salesforce.com (CRM), SuccessFactors (acquired by SAP), Yammer (acquired by Microsoft), Lithium, YouSendIt, Box, and Veeva Systems. Founded in 2003, Emergence Capital has $575 million under management. More information on Emergence Capital can be found at http://www.emcap.com/.

SOURCE Emergence Capital Partners