Our mission is to enable growth in our partner’s businesses and ultimately in our investor’s returns. In the pursuit of growth, we expect to create jobs and opportunities that will have positive and meaningful impact in the lives of people we touch and in the society we serve. The companies that we invest in and partner with will improve the human condition while satisfying the economic conditions that will support a continuous cycle of innovation, entrepreneurship, investment, and global growth.

The Arthur Ventures Growth Fund is a relatively new opportunity; however, the Arthur Ventures story actually goes back 100 years to a family business that still thrives in the small town in which it was founded with – quite literally – seed money. The Burgum family has a long history in North Dakota, especially with the soil of North Dakota. Homesteading, farming, and serving the needs of area farmers has been the core activity of this successful enterprise over the past century.

This model of service to other businesses was applied directly to the business model of Great Plains Software. In fact, it lay at the heart of its success. However, before that, an even simpler model drove the early entrepreneurial success of the family enterprise – stewardship – of the land and its bounty.

With the success of Great Plains Software, the Burgum family is again looking to continue in the tradition of stewardship of the resources provided by this successful enterprise. With thoughtful intent, this ongoing stewardship can and will make an impact in the companies we partner with as well as for the individual investors who participate in our funds.

Douglas J. Burgum is the co-founder and Chairman of the Arthur Ventures Growth Fund. Doug’s career spans the world of business from entrepreneurship in a small startup to global corporate executive at Microsoft.  His influence in the development of the business applications software industry for mid-market companies is globally recognized in part by his philosophy and leadership style that has touched many throughout his career. Doug is the former Sr. Vice President of Microsoft Business Solutions Group. Before joining Microsoft, Doug was chairman and CEO of Great Plains Software Inc., a midmarket software company that Microsoft acquired for over $1 billion in April 2001. In July 2002, Doug led Microsoft’s $2 billion dollar acquisition of Navision a/s, a Denmark-based midmarket software company. The two companies combined to create Microsoft Business Solutions. A North Dakota native, Doug earned his bachelor of university studies degree from North Dakota State University (NDSU) in 1978 and his MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business in 1980. Before joining the then-startup company Great Plains in 1983, Doug was a consultant at McKinsey & Co. He received honorary doctorate degrees from NDSU and the University of Mary in 2000 and 2006 respectively. Since retirement from Microsoft Doug has actively participated in community and business activities. He currently serves as a member of the advisory council for the Stanford Graduate School of Business and is on the board of directors of Arthur Companies Inc., Success Factors, Inc., and Intelligent InSites Inc. Doug was also an early-stage investor in Take Care Health Systems that was sold to Walgreens in 2007. Doug is active in the community through his personal Doug Burgum Family Foundation that focuses on youth and education and in the Kilbourne Group, a real-estate development firm focused on carrying forward the history of Fargo through the development and renovation of historic buildings and sites.

James B. Burgum is a co-founder of the Arthur Ventures Growth Fund and Managing Director of Arthur Ventures LLC. Prior to co-founding Arthur Ventures James was President of Advenio Partners LLC, a small private equity firm that invested in turnaround projects as well as regional seed and early-stage investments. Advenio Partners also held an international division that worked with regional companies on accessing new markets and customers in China and other East Asian countries. Previously, James worked at the North Dakota Trade Office (NDTO), a public-private partnership that assists companies of North Dakota in finding international business partners and customers. In the course of this work and personal travel James has visited over 25 countries in the last 6 years resulting in millions of dollars in direct export sales for ND firms. The last year of James’ work with the NDTO team North Dakota’s annual exports rose 225 percent to more than $2 billion, the fastest export growth among all 50 states for 2007. Prior to his work at the North Dakota Trade Office James spent three years working for Governor John Hoeven advising the Governor and the Legislature on youth policy and international trade. Programs James was involved in such as Operation: Intern and the North Dakota Trade Office are now key initiatives of Governor Hoeven’s administration. Before joining the Governor’s office James served as Student Body President at North Dakota State University (NDSU) for a year where he and his team participated in driving major changes on campus including a re-classification of the University to Division I athletics and over $20M worth of student funded construction projects. Prior to his work at NDSU, James also worked in marketing and business development roles at Great Plains Software/Microsoft for over two years while attending North Dakota State University. James holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from NDSU. James currently serves on the board of directors at Arthur Companies Inc., a diversified agri-business, AltraVax Inc., and as a board observer on Intelligent InSites Inc. and Workface Inc.

Tadd received a Doctorate of Jurisprudence from Texas Tech University School of Law in May 2008.  His Doctorate followed an MBA in Finance and Accounting from the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University as well as a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from North Dakota State University.Similar to his colleagues Doug and James, Tadd served as Student Body President of North Dakota State University.As Student Body President, he had a $20m campus impact through various student lead projects and initiatives. Tadd’s professional career encompasses the worlds of both technology and capital.During his time at Accenture he worked on the delivery of a $2m internet portal for an $11b health insurance company.  Further, he managed business process design activities for a $70m advanced patient management system for a $3.2b medical device company, and in the process, saved the client $500k by identifying and resolving a major design flaw. While clerking at a Texan law firm, he facilitated a $10m and a $400k acquisition agreement, and as a Distinguished Kauffman Foundation Intern, he managed due diligence and provided investment recommendations for early-stage, high-tech ventures totaling $5.1m. Tadd has also worked internationally.During his recent time in London at the merchant bank Restoration Partners, he provided strategy and capital advice to technology companies ranging in value from $10m to $2.4b.In the former Soviet Union, he managed a $25m business development initiative for Atlantic Agro Holdings, a Danish holding company operating three Ukrainian companies.  In London Tadd spearheaded a European strategic plan integrating his client’s general ledger systems and capturing $1.5b in revenue for Marsh & McLennan. Tadd’s commitment to pro bono work was recognized when President George W. Bush bestowed on him the prestigious President’s Call to Service Award for volunteering.

Kathy Laney serves as Arthur Ventures Operations Director. Kathy has 22 years of experience in the business solutions industry as an accounting manager.  In the last 4 years Kathy has served the needs of numerous small businesses in various industries including a non-profit, a restaurant/hotel operation, an architecture firm, and most recently with several small manufacturing companies. Kathy began her professional career 26 years ago at Great Plains Software, a start-up accounting software company that ultimately grew into a publicly traded corporation of over 2000 worldwide team-members serving thousands of partners and customers around the globe.  Kathy guided the operations and accounting for this enterprise in numerous roles over her successful career, managing annual audits by Big Four accounting firms over the 17 years as an independent company without any material adjustments by the auditors.  During her tenure at Great Plains Software she was able to manage accounting teams with flat headcount during years of triple digit growth by continually optimizing and maximizing the use of technology in the company’s accounting processes.  Kathy served as a key figure on the integration team following Microsoft’s acquisition of Great Plains Software in 2001 and was a key player in the project teams for all integration of accounting systems both domestically as well as with international subsidiaries.  She was the recipient of numerous awards at Great Plains Software including the prestigious Pioneer Award, an award of honor given by peers of the company. The pioneering spirit in Kathy is still strong as she actively works with companies that the Arthur Ventures fund invests in sharing her knowledge of accounting, operations, and cash management as well as keeping the Arthur Ventures internal operations and reporting processes in order. Kathy is a graduate of Moorhead State University.

Andrew Christensen serves as an Analyst for Arthur Ventures.  Prior to Arthur Ventures, Andrew served as a fund manager for the Dakota Venture Group, a student run venture capital fund located at the Center for Innovation in Grand Forks, North Dakota.   Andrew has a passion for private equity along with an entrepreneurial spirit.  Andrew holds a Bachelor’s degree in Entrepreneurship from the University of North Dakota.