Neal was Founding Investor in Starbucks - just one of many great decisions he made based upon an intuitive sense of which entrepreneurs have the right DNA for success.

Now Senior Partner at Bay, Neal is responsible for 9 board seats and driving the company’s investment towards liquidity, together with his partners.  Through cycles of change, Neal’s investment approach has remained constant – the best investment is the entrepreneur with passion and perseverance and who understands the art of listening.  His company has invested in industry-changing companies like Brocade, Exodus, and Informatica. 
 
With 17 IPOs in 20 years and 10 M&A deals, Neal and his team have generated significant results by working with companies that altered the way the technology industry works, such as Red Brick Software, a first in data warehousing, Exodus, which delivered the first web hosting services, Brocade, which defined the storage market, and Informatica on of the first data mart technologies.  Neal is comfortable not only advising a company at the initial stage, but also getting involved during trying times to help re-direct and find a profitable path to liquidity.  This ability to drive successful portfolios has made Bay's 2006 vintage fund currently one of the Industry's best performing funds.

Before joining Bay Partners, Neal served as the CEO of Qubix Graphics, which he took through an initial public offering.  His experiences as a CEO molded his skills as a VC and mentor.
 
Neal volunteers his time as an advisor to non-profit organizations.  He created the Dempsey Foundation to focus on his three areas of interest:  higher education, children and the environment. Through his foundation and volunteer time, he has served organizations for children such as Families First.  His commitment to higher education led him to establish the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program at the University of Washington Business School. The foundation also funds scholarships for students, athletes, and junior faculty.