Clayton Besch III Director, Small Business Technology Investment Fund Empire State Development
Clayton Besch III is Director of the Small Business Technology Investment Fund (SBTIF) at Empire State Development. The New York State Foundation for Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR) formerly oversaw the SBTIF before it merged with Empire State Development earlier this year. The SBTIF provides early stage high-tech companies throughout New York with a potential source of venture capital to promote new job creation and economic growth.
Prior to joining NYSTAR, Mr. Besch worked at the New York State (NYS) Department of Economic Development, where he ran the Asian Office, introducing NYS companies to sales opportunities in Japan and Korea and introducing Japanese companies to strategic opportunities in NYS.
Before NYSTAR, he spent a number of years at SOFTBANK INC. as development advisor, working with SOFTBANK’s worldwide VC network, including GrandBanks Capital, Mobius Ventures and SOFTBANK Capital Partners.
Mr. Besch is currently an observer on the boards of e2e Materials and Float Tech Inc. Mr. Besch holds a BS from Hamilton College in NYS, an MS from Nagasaki University and a PhD from Tokyo University.
About Empire State Development
Empire State Development is the umbrella organization for New York’s two principal economic development financing entities: the New York State Urban Development Corporation and the Job Development Authority.
In 1995, these agencies, which had previously functioned independently, were consolidated in order to increase efficiency, reduce overhead and enhance the delivery of the State’s economic development initiatives. Reorganized as Empire State Development, the combined agencies now function as a streamlined economic development organization whose primary mission is the facilitation of business growth and job creation across New York State.
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