Nick Colella

Nicholas J. Colella is Co-Director at Incubic Management, LLC, where the principals describe themselves as “value-added angels” who invest selectively while mentoring and coaching entrepreneurs. Incubic says Colella joined in January 2007.

Before Incubic, Colella was Senior Vice President at Tessera, Inc., reporting directly to the CEO. Incubic says he was part of the executive team that helped turn Tessera around, take it public in 2003, and grow its value to roughly $2 billion. He built and led Tessera’s Product Miniaturization Division and contributed to corporate strategy.

Earlier, Colella was Chief Technology Officer and Vice President of R&D at PolyStor Corporation, a lithium-ion battery company serving cell-phone and hybrid-electric-vehicle markets. In 1995, he co-founded Angel Technologies Corporation, a broadband wireless communications company, and served as CTO and Executive Vice President. He also held senior roles at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where he led strategic and theater missile defense programs and co-founded nChip, Inc., later sold to Flextronics International.

Colella earned a B.A. in Honors Physics from Temple University and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Physics from Carnegie Mellon University. He co-founded the National Robotics Engineering Center at Carnegie Mellon and served on its Advisory Board, including as Chairman. Incubic also lists him as a Board of Visitors member for Temple University’s College of Science and Technology and an Alumni Fellow of Temple University.

• Incubic says it invests, mentors, and coaches as “value-added angels,” putting company success ahead of investor self-interest.
• The firm prefers getting involved in early stages but also invests and works with companies in later rounds.
• Incubic’s stated business view is that “a business must create value with capital efficiently.”
• Incubic looks for entrepreneurs who can explain why they can succeed and provide a non-proprietary description of the idea before a discussion.
• Colella’s strongest fit appears to be technically complex companies, given his operating background in semiconductors, advanced packaging/product miniaturization, energy storage, communications, defense technology, robotics, IP strategy, and biomedical/diagnostics companies.
• Incubic’s entrepreneurship view favors starting from a niche grounded in professional expertise and real industry need, rather than chasing a broad “hot idea.”