Ron Bernal
Venture Partner at New Enterprise Associates
Longmont, Colorado
Overview
Work Experience
Principal
2025 - Current
Focus on my personal interests and hobbies while spending some time advising companies and mentoring entrepreneurs.
Venture Advisor
2025
Advisor to NEA and their portfolio companies - currently serving on the Cohere Technology, Gladly and Heavy AI boards.
Venture Partner
2010 - 2025
Ron joined NEA in 2010 as a Venture Partner and focused on infrastructure hardware and software investments. He continues to serve on the boards of Cohere Technologies, Gladly and Heavy AI after stepping down from NEA. His previous board memberships include Big Data Federation, Blue Jeans Network (acquired by Verizon), Boulder Wind Power, Data Domain (acquired by EMC), Datrium (acquired by VMware), Drobo (acquired by Connected Data), Gainspeed (acquired by Nokia), HelioVolt, Igneous Systems (acquired by Rubrik), Indicative (acquired by Nimsoft), IonQ (public), Ketra (acquired by Lutron), Kumu, Leyden Energy (acquired by A123), LifeSize (acquired by Logitech), Miim, Nicira (acquired by VMware), ProStor (acquired by Imation and Tandberg), Redseal Systems, SmartCar, Solidfire (acquired by NetApp), Splashtop, Tigera and Uhana (acquired by VMware).
New Enterprise Associates is a venture capital firm that focuses on investments in technology and healthcare startups.
Member Board of Directors
2024
Partner
2006 - 2010
Ron was a Partner at Sequel Venture Partners where he focused on cleantech, enterprise infrastructure and enterprise software investments. While at Sequel, he led the firm's investments in HelioVolt and Buzzwire
Venture Partner
2002 - 2006
Ron served as a Venture Partner at Sutter Hill Ventures, where he led the firm's investments in Data Domain, Drobo, ProStor, LifeSize, Indicative and Redseal Systems.
VP of Operations for SP Line of Business and Chief Development Officer
2000 - 2002
Ron worked for Cisco Systems as Vice President of Operations for the Product Technology Groups and the Service Provider Line of Business. He joined Cisco following the acquisition of Growth Networks in 2000
Cisco DevNet is your source for everything developer at Cisco Systems.
President, CEO
1998 - 2000
Ron was President/CEO and co-founder of Growth Networks, an Internet switching fabric company, founded in1998 while he was serving as an entrepreneur-in-residence (EIR) at NEA.
SVP and General Manager
1990 - 1998
Ron spent more than seven years with Silicon Graphics, Inc. (SGI) in roles including Senior Vice president and General Manager of the $1 billion-plus server division and President of the MIPS group, the microprocessor subsidiary of SGI.
Silicon Graphics provides workstations for conceptual design analysis and simulation of 3D objects.
VP of Engineering and COO
1983 - 1990
Ron was Vice President of Engineering and COO of Edge Computer, a computer company he co-founded in 1983
Education
BSEE
1976 - 1978