Conrad_Burke

Conrad Burke

Conrad Burke

Irish physicist and entrepreneur

Conrad Burke is an Irish physicist and entrepreneur.[1]

Early life and education

Born in Dublin[2] and raised in Bray, County Wicklow,[3] Burke attended school in Greystones.[4] At third-level, he received a BSc in physics from University College Dublin in 1989[5] and an MSc in physics from Trinity College Dublin.[2] He also attended the London Business School.[2] He left Ireland in the late 1980s.[6]

Career

Burke began his career in 1989 as a research engineer at NEC Corporation's Central Research Laboratories in Japan. He then joined AT&T in 1992, working in engineering, marketing and product management roles. In 1999, Burke took responsibility for Lucent Technologies' integrated network modules business before joining a startup, OMM, developing optical switching subsystems. In early 2003, he became a venture partner at US venture capital firm, Sevin Rosen Funds.[7]

In 2005, after working as senior vice-president of worldwide sales at optical components manufacturer Bookham[8] (today Oclaro),[2] Burke founded Innovalight, which developed silicon ink for proposed use in solar energy technology.[9] He was the president and CEO until August 2011, when DuPont acquired the company for about $60m.[8][1] He was then general manager of DuPont Innovalight, based in Silicon Valley.[1] For three years, Burke served on the board of SolarPower Europe - the European solar industry association.[10]

Burke is co-founder and managing partner of MetaVC Partners, a venture capital firm based in San Francisco.[1] In July 2021, he co-founded a fund to back start-ups working with metamaterials. The fund, which was backed by Bill Gates and former Microsoft chief technology officer Nathan Myhrvold, made early investments in telecommunications company Mangata Networks and in Neurophos, which uses metamaterials to build optical processors.[11]

Awards

Burke has been a recipient of the Technology Pioneer Award at the World Economic Forum and an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.[2][12] In 2022, he received the UCD Alumni Award in Science.[13]

References

  1. [1]
    Keane, Jonathan (28 June 2021). "Irishman Conrad Burke leading new Bill Gates-backed fund". Silicon Republic. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  2. [2]
    "Business 100 (2011): Conrad Burke". Irish America Magazine. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  3. [3]
    "Bray-born entrepreneur joins hi-tech venture fund backed by Bill Gates". independent.ie. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  4. [4]
    "Bray businessman a leading light in solar energy in USA". Bray People. 6 December 2007. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  5. [5]
    "Celebrating Success and Exceptional Achievement". UCD Connections. 1 September 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  6. [6]
    "'We'll emerge from this crisis as a more confident nation'". Bray People. 16 October 2013. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  7. [7]
    "Conrad Burke Joins Capella's Board". Light Reading (Press release). 13 April 2005. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  8. [8]
    "DuPont acquires silicon ink developer Innovalight". Optics.org. 25 July 2011. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  9. [9]
    "Solar Ink to create a solar revolution?". Renewable Energy Magazine. 2005. Archived from the original on 8 November 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  10. [10]
    "Home". MetaVC Partners. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  11. [11]
    "Bray man Conrad Burke's Bill Gates-backed materials fund MetaVC raises €56m". Irish Independent. 16 April 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  12. [12]
    "Conrad sees light as solar business picks up award". Bray People. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  13. [13]
    "UCD Alumni Award in Science 2022". UCD Alumni Awards. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
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