Commons Capital LP - Managing Partner
http://www.commonscapital.com

United States of America (Brookline, MA)

William Osborn is the founding General Partner of Commons Capital LP and the Massachusetts Green Energy Fund, both Boston-based high social impact venture capital funds investing in healthcare, education and cleantech companies.  In the last two years, Mr. Osborn and his partner Elizabeth Bailey have been working under a Gates Foundation grant to explore financing mechanisms for using a venture capital model to invest in sustainable businesses addressing healthcare problems the developing world.  Before raising his current funds, Mr. Osborn was a special partner with Arete Corporation, which managed $135 million in utility industry investments primarily in the cleantech and telecom fields.  Prior to that he was a principal at Venture Investment Management Company, LLC (VIMAC), which manages "angel" investments in early stage companies.  For VIMAC Mr. Osborn focused on healthcare, clean energy, environmental, and education companies. Mr. Osborn has been an entrepreneur in the environmental and energy field, founding and managing an electric vehicle subsidiary for a major utility company and starting a business development consulting firm. He also co-managed a venture capital fund and offshore business development office for automaker BMW and was a management consultant with Arthur D. Little, where he led a group evaluating new technology companies in a variety of industries. Prior to his consulting work, Mr. Osborn practiced law and worked in state government. In addition to overseeing the healthcare and energy portfolios of the two venture funds he started, Mr. Osborn is currently or has been on the Boards of Surgical Sealants (light activated tissue adhesives), Apex Medical (LVAD devices for chronic heart disease patients), Greentech Media (cleantech industry research and information services), Bandgap Engineering (advanced high efficiency photovoltaic cells), Porogen (biomass process separations), Evergreen Solar (photovoltaic modules), World Power Technologies, Inc. (power quality instrumentation), Evolutionary Technologies, Inc. (enterprise software for applications integration), Fingerlakes Aquaculture LLC (recycled-water aquaculture), Conservation Services Group (energy efficiency services), and CTP Hydrogen (fuel cell reformers). He is a founding Trustee of the Domini Social Equity Fund and was a Board Member of Investors’ Circle, where he also chaired the Selection Committee for presenting companies. He has a BA from Princeton University and a JD from George Washington Law School.