Darren Niemann

Co-founder and principal of Focal Point Ventures, Darren Niemann is a serial entrepreneur with interests around the globe. Mr. Niemann maintains leadership positions in several investments, including a real estate company in the Midwestern US, an international commodities company in Amman, Jordan, an ice cream and dairy franchise store in St. Charles, Illinois, and two professional basketball teams in the CIBACOPA Mexican league. Yet, the company that holds the majority of his attention is Focal Point Ventures. As part of the executive team, Mr. Niemann is involved in the search for investment opportunities in the information and clean technologies sectors. He has a particular interest in companies with development programs for semiconductors, bio-fuels, energy, and software. Once such business, Bloom Energy in Sunnyvale, California, focuses on the development of solid oxide regenerative fuel cell technology. Bloom Energy produces clean, reliable, and affordable energy from a wide range of fuels, and it is utilized in on-site power generation systems. Another promising investment that Darren Niemann is working with is a fabless semiconductor company in Santa Clara, California. eASIC provides a good illustration of the narrow criteria Focal Point Ventures seeks. eASIC possesses zero mask-charge ASIC chips that are designed to reduce the overall cost and time-to-production of customized semiconductor devices. This type of advancement in the field can be considered a “game changer.” Prior to the launch of Focal Point Ventures, Darren Niemann displayed entrepreneurial talent in numerous endeavors. He established and managed an array of businesses, including an investment company, restaurant chains, a micro-loan finance business, and an insurance firm.