Robert Blow was a man who surely knows well the value of entrepreneurship. He got his start in the world of radio, but in the 1980’s he saw a good thing and began to concentrate on telecommunications—in particular, the budding wireless and paging industries. During this period, Mr. Blow commenced an association with Mark Warner, which would lead to the launching of Columbia Capital, through which he became a leading consultant to cellular license holders and eventually brokered over $3 billion in transactions.

By 1988, Mr. Blow’s entrepreneurial spirit led him and three partners to incorporate Columbia Cellular. He was instrumental in the success of the firm’s principal telecommunications investment business, which achieved an internal rate of return of nearly 200% during the ten-year period ending in 1998. He also played an integral role in taking three companies public. Furthermore, as a founder and general partner of Columbia Capital, he was instrumental in 1998 in raising approximately $400 million for Columbia’s second venture capital fund. Columbia Capital currently manages over $1.4 billion of private investment capital devoted to funding communications and information technology companies on a global basis.

In 1999, Mr. Blow co-founded Paradigm Capital Partners, LLC, headquartered in Memphis, to capitalize on the need for early-stage investment and advisory opportunities throughout the Southeast. His investment instincts also led him to play a big part in the development of the Memphis Angels—a group of Memphis investors who evaluate and fund high potential, market-innovating companies with ties to the Southeast region.

Mr. Blow’s civic contributions are as numerous as are his professional. He served as a director of Memphis Incubator Systems, as a member of the board of trustees of The Hutchison School, and as a member of the Board of Visitors at The University of Memphis. He also was chairman of a family funded charitable foundation that makes significant contributions to our community.