Accel Partners Adds Dick Williams as CEO-in-Residence

    PALO ALTO, Calif., Dec. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Accel Partners, a
 leading Silicon Valley venture capital firm, today announced the addition
 of Dick Williams as CEO-in-Residence. Dick brings unparalleled operational
 experience and leadership, as well as deep knowledge in the enterprise
 software and digital media markets.
 
     As CEO-in-Residence, Dick will work with the Accel team to identify and
 analyze new ventures that have the potential to define important market
 categories. Dick will also directly advise and assist Accel portfolio
 companies which will benefit from his valuable experience.
 
     "Accel and I have a long history of shared success," said Dick
 Williams. "We've built great companies together and had tremendous
 experiences doing so. I look forward to continuing my partnership with the
 Accel team as I explore my next opportunity."
 
     Dick has previously worked with Accel as CEO or Chairman of three
 category-defining portfolio companies. He was CEO of Illustra Information
 Technologies, a pioneer of object database technology, which was acquired
 by Informix in 1996. Dick was then co-founder and Chairman of Quokka
 Sports, an online immersive media company, which completed its initial
 public offering in 1999. Most recently Dick was CEO of Wily Technology, the
 leader in Web application management, which was acquired by Computer
 Associates in 2006.
 
     Prior to Illustra, Williams worked for 22 years at IBM in a variety of
 management roles culminating with his service as vice president with the
 General Products Division. He then served as president and CEO of Digital
 Research, which was later acquired by Novell. At Novell Williams served as
 executive vice president of sales and support, and general manager of
 Novell's Digital Research Systems Group.
 
     "Dick Williams is one of the finest CEO's we have ever worked with,"
 said Peter Wagner, General Partner at Accel. "We look forward to working
 closely with Dick as we together identify exciting new opportunities where
 his superb leadership can help create a true market leader."
 
     About Accel Partners
 
     Accel was established in 1983, and today invests globally with offices
 in Palo Alto, California and London, as well as in China via the IDG-Accel
 Partnership. With over $4 billion under management, Accel has helped
 technology entrepreneurs build over 300 successful companies, many of which
 have defined their categories. The Accel portfolio includes long-term
 market leaders such as Veritas, RealNetworks, Foundry Networks and Polycom,
 as well as recent IPO's MetroPCS, Infinera, ComScore, and Riverbed
 Technologies.
 
 
 

SOURCE Accel Partners