TEL Venture Capital, Inc.

Our Investment Team

Kay Enjoji, President Kay Enjoji was appointed TEL VC President in 2011 and he currently oversees its operations, strategic direction, investment approval process and board-related decisions. Kay has more than 20 years of semiconductor industry experience with career highlights as a senior manager in device and process technology businesses for TEL. His most recent role was as Director of TEL’s MEMS division. Previously, Kay held various senior management roles in TEL Corporate Marketing, where he guided new product development and new business expansion. His experience also includes leading TEL’s single wafer deposition and diffusion systems business unit as well as TEL’s physical vapor deposition and ion implantation business development efforts with Varian Corporation. Kay received his B.A. in economics from Keio University.

Tsutomu Awaji, Venture Partner Tsutomu Awaji is a founding member of TEL VC. Currently, he manages all finances and leads investment target valuation assessments. Tsutomu possesses in-depth financial and marketing knowledge. In the TEL corporate marketing department, Tsutomu was in charge of business development and valuation of mergers and acquisitions targets. By continuing to work in both TEL's marketing department and with TEL VC, Tsutomu acts as a communication conduit between TEL and TEL VC. His investment interests include advanced materials. Tsutomu graduated from Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan with faculty of law.

Ted Hirose, Group Director Ted Hirose provides strategic direction for TEL VC and oversees the entire investment process, from evaluation to approval. Ted is passionate about supporting and growing venture companies, especially in new materials and clean tech areas. Ted has ten years of experience in business strategy, planning and marketing in semiconductor capital equipment at both TEL Japan and U.S. headquarters. Before TEL, he managed key strategic alliances including distributorship, joint R&D and manufacturing programs at a Japanese trading firm. Ted holds a BA from Keio University, and an MBA from New York University.

Ruben Serrato, Venture Partner Ruben Serrato identifies, negotiates and manages investments for TEL VC. Ruben has an established technology investment background with particular interests in nanotechnology and photonics. Before joining TEL VC, Ruben managed partnerships and acquisitions at Canon, overseeing their early-stage US technology investments. He has also devised corporate strategy for NanoGram, conducted acquisitions for Liberty Media and worked in investment banking for Lehman Brothers. Ruben is a Managing Editor of The Journal of Nanotechnology Law and Business and co-author of The Handbook of Nanotechnology: Business, Policy and IP Law. Ruben graduated from Stanford University with degrees in Economics and Political Science. He is an observer at Unidym.

Nitin Parekh, Venture Advisor Nitin serves as a Venture Advisor to TEL VC. He is a seasoned executive with both Fortune 500 and high growth entrepreneurial companies. His twenty-five years of experience span the cleantech and semiconductor industries. He has created and run business units within large corporations, driven business development at both global corporations and start-up companies, led the acquisition of public and private multi-million-dollar enterprises, along with raising Venture Capital funding and doing due diligence prior to venture investing.

Zoltan Papp, General Counsel Zoltan Papp is one of the founding members of TEL VC and is an officer of the company. He has over twenty-five years of experience in law and intellectual property and is currently responsible for all global legal and intellectual property matters for Tokyo Electron Limited. He has an extensive background in international M&A, venture capital, commercial transactions, corporate governance, securities, litigation and intellectual property. He has direct experience in startups, large public companies and private practice. He holds a law degree from Michigan State University College of Law and is licensed to practice in California, Texas, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Scott Sechovec, Financial Adviser Scott Sechovec is one of the founding members of TEL VC.  He is an officer and the Treasurer of the company.  He has over twenty-five years of experience in Accounting and Finance.  In addition to his Treasurer position at TEL VC he is the Vice President of Finance for TEL’s US entities and is headquartered at the US corporate offices located in Austin, Texas.   He has experience in M&A valuations, public debt offerings, and SEC filings.   He holds two Masters degrees in management (MBA and MS in IT) and a BS degree from Iowa State University.