Battery announces that Ewen will assist in leading the expanding London office and work to pursue growth and private equity deals throughout Europe.
Zak Ewen, a software investor, was made partner at Battery Ventures, a global investment company with a focus on technology. Ewen, who maintains a residence in London, will continue to assist in leading the company’s initiatives to invest in European software.
Battery Ventures Select Fund II, a $530 million fund that was closed last year, and Battery XIV, a fund with a $3.3 billion capitalization and a companion fund, are currently investing as the company enters its 40th year of operations.
Ewen, who first joined the company in 2010, focuses on private equity and growth-equity investments in software, information services, and enterprise technology in the US and Europe. Craftview, Easy Software, VertiGIS, Vita Mojo, Forterro, a company in the Battery portfolio, and the European software firms Vimcar and John Raguin, a seasoned executive in the software sector and the former CEO and president of Guidewire Software, will return to the company as an executive in residence, according to a separate announcement from Battery. Raguin will work closely with Avrios and Vimcar and provide operational advice to Battery portfolio software companies in the US and Europe. Raguin served on the boards of Battery portfolio companies MadCap Software and CrunchTime! Information Systems while working as an EIR at Battery from 2011 to 2013.
“We are excited to bring John back on board as an EIR, and also extremely proud to announce Zak’s promotion to partner. It’s a role he exemplifies in every sense, as Zak serves as a partner to technology entrepreneurs and management teams, to junior Battery team members and to others across the firm’s global offices,” said Morad Elhafed, a general partner who works closely with Ewen on European investments. “As a senior member of our London team, Zak has played an instrumental role in developing our technology investment strategy across Europe, one that we plan to accelerate in the years to come.”
Ewen will assist in managing the London office as Battery expands its operations throughout Europe, which is becoming a bigger focus for the company. Since 2005, the company and the companies in its portfolio have made investments in more than 100 businesses based in Europe. In 2016, Battery Ventures opened an office in London. Battery only recently announced new European investments in Vita Mojo, a provider of restaurant software, Titian, a provider of life sciences technology, and Proemion, a provider of telematics platforms, all of which are based in the United Kingdom. Additionally, Battery invested again in the UK’s SPT Labtech and the European ERP software company Forterro after their sales to Partners Group and EQT Private Equity, respectively.
Ewen has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BS in economics and finance from Bentley University.
