Mark H. Allen

About Mark H. Allen

Mark has over 40 years of experience in business and legal roles, including over 20 years serving as president and/or EVP in public and private companies, including two technology focused public companies with software products (TV Guide and OpenTV). His responsibilities have included domestic and international business development, product roadmap and pricing, sales and marketing, legal, intellectual property and/or technology licensing. Mark has been on the founding team of seven start-up companies and advised others. He has extensive experience in the VC and PE industries as an owner, raising money, originating and closing deals and setting and executing strategies. Mark has also spent about an equal number of years in the full-time practice of law, with several other years spent in business while practicing law part-time.

Experience

1. Founder and President

   Allen Ventures, Llc

   May 2006 — Present · Tulsa, OK, US

   Allen Ventures provides private equity and venture capital investments and consulting services, with an emphasis on early stage companies with compelling products, technologies and/or intellectual property. We routinely advise early phase and more mature companies on a wide variety of business matters, including preparing for sale, planning to raise funds, establishing fund raising terms, preparation of investor and customer presentations, development of product roadmaps, identification of sales channels and strategies, development of accretive pricing models for products and intellectual property, development of value propositions, financial modelling and budgeting, uses of funds, etc. Our core skills and experience also include: mergers & acquisitions, creating investment vehicles, domestic and international business development, strategic partnerships and alliances, business legal issues including the development, negotiation and execution of a wide variety of agreements, intellectual property strategy and exploitation, software as a service and enterprise solution agreements, technology licensing agreements and privacy law.Among other areas, we have extensive experience on the business side of: artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data and their uses as business solutions; SAAS and enterprise solutions software; and nanoscience.We are also active as board members and/or advisors to our portfolio companies and clients, often by bringing senior level experience and skills in a wide variety of areas that often fills gaps, augments and/or complements the background, experience and skills of the existing management team. For example, we may bring extensive experience in areas that are outside of the experience of the existing management team.

Education

• J.D., Southern Methodist University, 1982; Order of the Coif

  J.D., Concentration in tax and business courses. Awarded Outstanding Future Tax Practitioner.

  1979 — 1982