MENLO PARK, Calif., Nov. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Highland Capital Partners, a venture capital firm focused on putting the entrepreneur first, today announced Manish Patel as a Partner in its Menlo Park office.

After spending nearly seven years at Google building the products and teams responsible for many of the company's key product offerings, from AdWords and AdSense, to Google TV and Google Maps, Patel joined Highland in late 2010 to extend the firm's reach into the Bay Area entrepreneurial community. His background in engineering and design has been instrumental in growing the firm's local portfolio, with active involvement in Leap Motion and Game Closure, among several other companies. In his new role as Partner, Patel's efforts will be dedicated towards growing the firm's Consumer Internet, Mobile and Digital Media practice, with a key focus on the emerging market of companies that use technology to solve problems at a human scale.

"Manish's background of business strategy, design and engineering make him a unique member of the Highland team," said Peter Bell, General Partner at Highland. "His capacity to discover and advise the exceptional talent that's a trademark of Silicon Valley is unmatched. We're very fortunate to have him at Highland and look forward to his continued success at the firm."

"Manish introduced us to Highland and has been a true extension of the Leap Motion team ever since," said Michael Buckwald, co-founder and CEO of Leap Motion. "Not only can he offer strategic advice, but he also sees things through a product and user experience lens, enabling him to give invaluable input from both ends of the spectrum. He has been one of our biggest allies as we continue to grow and prepare for one of the most challenging yet exciting stages of our company."

Highland continues to invest in building its team in Silicon Valley to better serve its portfolio and the many dynamic and innovative entrepreneurs that are turning high-growth companies into category-defining leaders. Along with the addition of Manish to its Partner team, Alex Taussig, a Principal at Highland since 2009, recently relocated to the Menlo Park office. Amy White, who spent over three years helping build the brand of Box, also joined in October as Director of Marketing.

"Highland has allowed me to take everything I loved doing at Google – building teams and creating products that solve real problems – and apply it to companies and young entrepreneurs that are in early stages of development, which I find extremely rewarding," said Patel. "The team at Highland has been great to work with and shares my passion for putting the entrepreneur first. I look forward to helping extend those values and culture to the Silicon Valley startup community."

About Highland Capital Partners
Founded in 1988, Highland Capital Partners is a global venture capital firm focused on putting the entrepreneur first. With over $3 billion of committed capital and offices in Menlo Park, Cambridge, Geneva, London and Shanghai, Highland has invested in more than 225 companies, resulting in category-defining businesses across Mobile, Consumer Internet and Enterprise technology. Investments include 2U, Ask Jeeves, Bromium, Calxeda, Leap Motion, LevelUp, Lycos, MapQuest, Nebula, QD Vision, Qihoo 360, Quattro Wireless, RentJuice, Rent the Runway, Sybase, Violin Memory, VistaPrint and WePay. Highland also serves as a mentor for future entrepreneurs through Summer@HIGHLAND, a program that provides students and university-affiliated startups with the environment and resources to take their initiatives to the next level.  For more information, visit www.hcp.com.

SOURCE Highland Capital Partners