Months after closing a $400 million fund, BA Venture Partners has hired former Advanced Micro Devices Inc. executive Rob Herb as a managing director.

Herb will focus on semiconductors and components, primarily for consumer electronics and enterprise systems. Jim Jones, managing director, pointed to Herb's broad view of technology, as well as marketing strategies, for consumer electronics, networking and enterprise applications. A strong understanding of the end markets and how to reach those end markets is a huge factor in a start-up's success, Jones noted.

"How companies succeed or fail is often based on their product strategy, sales and marketing strategy and partnering strategy," he said. "These things have more to do with a company's success than the technology itself."

Jones also sees growing changes in consumer electronics and a strong resurgence in enterprise networking. These sectors, he said, have "very challenging go-to-market strategies," which is where Herb's background can come into play.

Herb spent more than 20 years with Advanced Micro Devices in a number of sales, marketing and general management positions. He most recently was executive vice president and chief marketing officer at Advanced Micro Devices, where he led the worldwide sales and marketing team and directed the chip maker's go-to-market strategy across all product lines. He also serves on the board of MIPS Technologies Inc., a publicly traded developer of embedded processors.

With the addition of Herb, BA Venture Partners now has seven managing directors, including Lou Bock, Mark Brooks, Jim Jones, Kate Mitchell, Rory O'Driscoll and Sharon Wienbar.

Jones pointed to the increasing importance of Asia to the semiconductor business, and Herb was tapped "to help with developing contacts and contracts with manufacturing partners like the device manufacturers in Taiwan and China."

"He has lengthy Rolodex with contacts" in Asia, said Jones. BA Venture Partners came to know Herb from his work as an advisor to Ageia Technologies Inc., a portfolio company that makes a chip to enable more realistic videogame graphics.

In February, the firm closed BAVP Fund VII, a $400 million fund targeted at development-stage investments in various sectors including semiconductors and hardware. "We wanted to add another partner to focus on hardware," Jones said. "We are very bullish on the opportunities in this area." The appointment of Herb "brings on more horsepower to help find those investments."

Herb will be taking on some board seats at existing portfolio companies, but the firm is still "figuring that out," Jones said. Herb joins the firm's hardware team that includes Jones, Eric Sigler, a director, and Andy Vitus, an associate.

BA Venture Partners invests in companies in semiconductors, networking and consumer electronics; Internet and wireless services and software-as-service applications; therapeutics for oncology, inflammation, neurology and dermatology; and medical devices addressing orthopedic, cardiovascular and neurological markets.

Founded in 1995, the Foster City, Calif.-based firm has $1.3 billion in capital under management. Bank of America Corp. is the firm's sole limited partner.