Robert Lippmann

Robert M. Lippmann is listed as Vice President of IMS Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm that provides financing and hands-on support to entrepreneurial enterprises. IMS Ventures describes its role as helping early-stage entrepreneurs validate product and business concepts and prepare for future growth and expansion, with offices in Florida and Virginia and portfolio companies both domestic and international.

Lippmann is also profiled on the Columbus Ventures website as Vice President. In that role, he is responsible for assisting portfolio companies with information technology, including hands-on product-development support. Columbus Ventures says he has more than 30 years of IT experience across internet advertising, interactive audio and video, financial services, biotechnology, construction, and mortgage banking, with experience spanning strategy, systems analysis, custom application development, deployment, and operations.

Earlier in his career, Lippmann served as director of technology and chief architect at Intelligent Interactions Corporation. He also held technical positions at Oracle Corporation, including senior developer work on Oracle Interactive’s Application Objects client/server toolkit, and previously worked as an applications developer, system administrator, and database analyst for Empbanque Capital Corporation.

He holds a B.S. in Management Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, with concentrations in Accounting and Management Systems and a minor in Computer Science, and an M.S. in Industrial Engineering from Northwestern University. Columbus Ventures also lists him as co-inventor of U.S. Patent No. 5,826,085, “Object-Oriented Computer Interface Supporting Interactive Network Applications.”

• IMS Ventures focuses on early-stage companies and says it fills a gap in venture capital by taking an active role in portfolio companies, helping entrepreneurs validate product and business concepts and prepare for growth.
• Columbus Ventures, where Lippmann is also listed as Vice President, says it invests in only a few select companies each year so entrepreneurs can access the firm’s professionals and receive hands-on support.
• Reported Columbus Ventures criteria: at least two full-time executives, founder capital invested, a demonstrable alpha product/service that can be marketed in 6-9 months, and a business model that can reasonably show profitability in 2-4 years.
• Reported check size: $100,000-$250,000 from Massinvestor and Foundersuite; Ask For Funding lists Columbus Ventures’ investment range as $100,000-$500,000.
• Sector emphasis is strongest around information technology and web/app businesses, with portfolio evidence in web publishing, biotech, therapeutics, and vaccine/biologics delivery.