Spencer Trask & Co. is a name that carries weight–known instantly, trusted universally. It’s a magnet for bold ideas, brilliant founders, top-tier investors, and maverick entrepreneurs.Our brand isn’t just a legacy; it’s a promise to discover potential first and turn it into progress that lasts.
We thrive in the early stages—where risk meets reward, and vision becomes value. Our record proves it: we’ve launched or seeded 13 companies that hit billion-dollar valuations, with a combined peak worth topping $128 billion. That’s not luck—it’s instinct honed over decades.
We back ventures that deliver two things: real returns and real change. It’s about building wealth while tackling big problems—easing suffering, saving lives, connecting people, and pushing humanity forward. Think of it as value with a backbone.
At Spencer Trask & Co., we don’t just fund startups—we ignite movements. Our work creates companies that stand the test of time, financially and morally. That’s our edge, now and always.
Members of the Spencer Trask & Co. team played a seminal role in discovering scientific and technological breakthroughs and launching the companies that scaled them. We have a genuine passion for helping founders and venture teams transform their ideas into reality. As advisors, creators and investors, we provide the experience, wisdom and access to make innovations practical, which is what matters most.
Kevin B. Kimberlin is Chairman of Spencer Trask & Co., an advanced-technology investment firm he has led since 1991. He co-founded CIENA Corporation, whose optical amplifiers underpin today’s Internet, and advised the launch of Millicom, the world’s first cellular phone company. As sole general partner of Next Level Communications, he guided its rise to a $17 billion market value before its sale to Motorola. In life sciences, Kimberlin created The Immune Response Corporation with Jonas Salk to advance AIDS immunotherapy and the science behind the first FDA approved cancer vaccine. He later co-founded Osiris Therapeutics, which secured the first regulatory approval for a systemic stem cell therapy, and helped establish Myriad Genetics, discoverer of the BRCA1 breast cancer gene. Kimberlin earned his MBA from Harvard Business School.
William Clifford is the CEO emeritus of Spencer Trask & Co. and previously served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Gartner Group, Inc., the world’s leading IT research and advisory firm. During his tenure at Gartner, Mr. Clifford oversaw a 346% increase in annual revenues and expanded the company into numerous new services and global markets. He brings decades of executive leadership experience in the technology industry and continues to advise Spencer Trask’s strategic initiatives as a senior leader and board advisor.
Paul Latchford is the Chief Executive Officer and Spencer Trask Media & Communications Group LLC, an affiliate of Spencer Trask & Co. He joined Spencer Trask in 1999 after a successful career in global telecommunications and infrastructure. Prior to Spencer Trask, Mr. Latchford served as Principal Vice President of Global Business Development at Bechtel Group, Inc. from 1997 to 1999. Earlier in his career, he held senior business development roles at Bell Atlantic International, including serving as Vice President of Business Development for the Asia-Pacific region in 1994. Mr. Latchford’s extensive leadership experience provides strategic insight to Spencer Trask’s portfolio companies.
Neil Edwards is a strategic operator and investor who helps build and scale high-value ventures at the intersection of healthcare, generative AI, and global markets. As Managing Director at Spencer Trask & Co. he brings over 25 years of executive leadership in growth-stage companies and complex turnarounds. He has led exits, capital raises, and cross-border partnerships, including an AI acquisition that grew a portfolio company’s value from $8 million to $1 billion. An expert in applying generative AI and data to complex problems, Neil has operated across the U.S., EU, China, and Israel. He serves on the board of Vertec BioSolvents and as an advisor to Vesselon.
Kerry Safir is the Chief of Staff at Spencer Trask & Co., where she oversees administrative operations and drives strategic initiatives to accelerate the firm’s growth and visibility. With the company since 2010, she brings a wealth of experience from her previous roles in public affairs at Burson-Marsteller and Edelman Public Relations. Ms. Safir recently completed two years as President of the Junior League of Stamford–Norwalk after a decade on its Board, and has also chaired the Stamford Counseling Center’s Board of Trustees.
Jamie Dunne serves as Chief Communications Officer at Spencer Trask & Co., bringing over 15 years of experience in public relations and strategic communications. He has led high-impact branding and media campaigns with global brands such as Guess, Disney, Samsung, and others. Mr. Dunne specializes in reputation management, messaging strategy, and media relations, consistently securing top-tier press coverage in outlets including Fast Company, CNBC, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Prior to joining Spencer Trask, he held senior communications roles in both agency and in-house settings and founded an independent consultancy advising technology and healthcare startups on public relations strategy.
Ron Buesing is Chief Technology Officer at Spencer Trask & Co., bringing 30-plus years of strategic tech leadership. He has held CIO, CTO, and COO roles, using disciplined innovation to drive business transformation. In 2007 he co-founded Certus Technologies, a managed-services provider later acquired by Network Solutions & Technology (now Sourcepass). Spotting a widening cybersecurity gap for small and mid-sized firms, he launched Guardian Solutions IT in 2023. Buesing blends results-driven execution with mentoring teams in automation and AI. Recent projects include robotic process automation, API-based logistics tracking, and AI-powered finance and HR agents that expand human capability. He champions continuous improvement, ethical integrity, and purpose-driven growth.
The Immune Response Corporation
DISCOVERY – Non-infectious viral vaccines.
INNOVATOR – In the history of medicine, few figures have had as profound an impact on human health and wellbeing as Dr. Jonas Salk. His polio vaccine breakthrough was the culmination of centuries of research, dating back to Louis Pasteur discovering inoculation. However, Salk’s method was different. He found a way to protect people from viruses without giving them the very disease the vaccine was designed to prevent.
Using this no-infection method, Salk worked with Kevin Kimberlin of Spencer Trask to develop cancer vaccines and an immunotherapeutic to slow or prevent AIDS. They patented and conducted preclinical studies on a cancer vaccine that demonstrated a startling 90% protection against lethal malignancies.
IMPACT – A fusion of dendritic cells and the cancer antigen, their technology formed the basis for the first FDA-approved cell-based immunotherapy. Over 40,000 men with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer have received the treatment, and it appears especially effective for African-American men who receive a 48% improved survival benefit compared to white men.
The team and facility making this immunotherapy also made clinical and commercial supplies of the first approved gene therapy, the CAT-T drug Kymriah.
The first approved cell-base immunotherapy and gene therapy prompted the FDA Commissioner to say, “New technologies such as gene and cell therapies hold out the potential to transform medicine and create an inflection point in our ability to treat and even cure many intractable illnesses.”
The noninfectious vaccine approach developed by Jonas Salk eliminated polio from the developed countries, his flu vaccine mitigated the effects of influenza for the past 75 years, and finally, the cancer vaccine developed at his Immune Response Corporation led the way to gene, cell-based, and immune therapy innovations that will impact human health for generations. In summary, Salk released the last step in enabling the most important preventative medicine – non-infectious viral vaccination.