Innovation In the Mobility Ecosystem

Venture Capitalist Glenn Lurie’s Role at Stormbreaker

In 2021, after a successful career in the tech and telecoms industries, former president and CEO of AT&T Mobility and Synchronoss, Glenn Lurie, joined Stormbreaker Ventures as a General Partner. Stormbreaker Ventures is an early-stage venture fund focused on start-ups in the Mobility ecosystem.

Lurie’s appointment to the Stormbreaker management team helps the firm further focus its investment strategy in mobility. His 30+ years of leadership experience and his track record of building, scaling and managing multi-billion-dollar businesses have proved essential to the firm.

Stormbreaker: Venture Capital in the Mobility Ecosystem

Stormbreaker Ventures partners with high-conviction, high-velocity, capital-efficient companies in the mobility ecosystem. The Stormbreaker team shares more than 150 years of experience across roles within the venture world – from angel investor to LP to operator –  with multiple positive exits.

Stormbreaker takes a unique approach to venture capital. The company doesn’t rely on financial resources and executive-level recruits to address challenges. Instead, Stormbreaker offers concrete tools and a trusted Founder Success™ Platform to support its portfolio companies.

The Stormbreaker Evaluation and Founder Success™ Platform

Stormbreaker has a six-step process to evaluate a company and ensure its founders’ long-term success:

1. INTRODUCTION: Stormbreaker gets to know the founders, their company, and their vision.
2. DILIGENCE: Stormbreaker introduces founders to the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) and the Stormbreaker Partnership. This due diligence phase also covers standard materials like data rooms.
3. DECISION: Approximately 30 days after the second step, Stormbreaker will make an investment decision.The company finalizes all terms, executes documents, wires funds, and works with founders to make investment announcements.
4. ORIENTATION: Stormbreaker introduces its network and resources to new founders and gets to work.
5. FOUNDER EXPERIENCE: The founder experience includes three main elements: quarterly check-ins, the annual Stormbreaker summit, and the EOS platform. EOS is a complete system with easy-to-follow, tangible tools that help founders clarify their vision, improve traction, and foster organizational health. As a result of EOS, founders experience improved capital efficiency and a platform for scale and growth.
6. ALUMNI EXPERIENCE: Finally, Stormbreaker founders receive lifetime access to the company’s ecosystem of resources, including an invitation to become a limited partner in future funds. Founders can also participate in summits and other events.

Glenn Lurie: Maintaining a Disciplined Business Approach

Mobility Insight From Glenn Lurie, Synchronoss and AT&T’s Former CEO

Lurie is an accomplished business leader with a wealth of insight into the mobility ecosystem. Before his CEO position at Synchronoss Technologies, he was the president and CEO of AT&T’s Mobility and Consumer Operations.

During this time, he successfully grew AT&T into the nation’s leading wireless and consumer business. Lurie also built three businesses from scratch for AT&T:

• Digital Life, AT&T’s home security and automation business
• Aio Wireless, now Cricket Wireless, AT&T’s prepaid flanker brand
• AT&T’s Internet of Things (IoT) business, formerly the Emerging Devices Organization. The IoT business brought wireless connectivity to consumer electronics, tablets, and cars

With the extensive experience and networks of Stormbreaker’s team members, the company already had a significant competitive advantage in the mobility ecosystem. By adding Lurie to its roster of partners, Stormbreaker has signaled its continued focus on the mobility space, which encompasses:

• IoT, including consumer and industrial sensors and devices
• Transport including automotive, transport, etc.
• Cybersecurity
• Computing in the cloud and at the edge
• Artificial intelligence/Machine learning
• Networking wireless, fiber, 5G
• Cloud both public/private and edge

Stormbreaker believes that, for their sector, they have a competitive advantage in Lurie. His background, track record and reputation attract top flight mobility opportunities to Stormbreaker in a way that isn’t otherwise possible at other firms; top founders in the space are looking to work with Lurie specifically, bringing unparalleled sourcing to Stormbreaker.

Glenn Lurie Synchronoss Technologies and AT&T Mobility Former CEO: Innovation and Leadership

Besides contributing to his mobility expertise, Lurie’s time at AT&T honed his skill for developing ground-breaking businesses within larger organizations. As a result, he is adept at propelling businesses and teams to their next phase of growth.

Along with his firsthand experience as a public company CEO, Lurie consistently applies a forward-looking mindset to his work and inspires his colleagues to build for the future.

According to Stormbreaker’s Founder and Managing Director, Said Mia, this is “a perspective that is paramount to the Stormbreaker portfolio and one that will make the firm’s partnership that much stronger.”

In addition, Lurie’s enthusiasm for helping others and putting people first aligns with Stombreaker’s mission to offer founders thorough, supportive, and hands-on guidance. Mia has called Lurie down to earth, highlighting his strong values and open approach to collaboration.

“When I think about the mark we are looking to make on venture capital and the type of partner we want to be to our founders, I can’t think of someone more in lockstep with our mission than Glenn,” Mia said.

Lurie’s passion for innovation in the mobility sector, combined with his strong leadership skills and business network, make the former CEO a perfect match for the pioneering venture capital firm.

“Glenn is a world-class executive who brings deep expertise in putting ideas into action and scaling businesses. He brings an incredible network to our Stormbreaker founders,” Mia said. “We are thrilled to officially welcome Glenn to Stormbreaker.”

About Glenn Lurie

Glenn Lurie is a seasoned start-up advisor and business leader. His career in the telecommunications and technology sectors spans more than 30 years. He has appeared on many prestigious industry lists, including Russell Reynolds Associates’ 10 “MobileGameChangers” and the Global Telecom Business “Power 100.”

Before joining Stormbreaker, Lurie was the president, CEO, and member of the board of directors of Synchronoss Technologies.

Previously, Lurie worked at AT&T for two decades, spearheading transformation within the organization and in the wider digital world. In the early 2000s, Lurie helped usher in the modern smartphone era by leading AT&T’s negotiations with Apple to introduce the first iPhone and iPad.

A passionate advocate for a more connected, digital way of life, Lurie has lived through and led some of the most transformative revolutions in the technology, media, and telecom (TMT) space.

Lurie is also a board member of:

• Teal Communications
• Blue Link Wireless
• Avis Budget Group
• Pivotal Commware

Lurie earned a bachelor’s degree in Business & Marketing from Seattle Pacific University (‘87). Before his career in TMT, Lurie was a professional soccer player for teams in Atlanta, Portland, Milwaukee, and Cleveland.

Connect with Glenn Lurie, Synchronoss’ former CEO, on LinkedIn.