Former Google Exec Launches VC Fund

David Hirsch, one of Google's earliest New York area employees and the first manager of its business-to-business vertical markets team, is now officially in the venture capital business. Hirsch and a partner have launched Metamorphic Ventures, a New York investment firm for startups in digital media, mobility, and financial technology.Hirsch joined Google in 2000 from games portal Snowball.com and left Google seven months ago. At the time, he signaled plans to get into VC investing. I got an e-mail from David earlier this week that Metamorphic Ventures has opened its doors.

In April, Hirsch talked to me about his experiences at Google and his plans for Metamorphic Ventures. You can see the interview here.

Hirsch's business partner, Lewis Gersh, has been a venture investor since 2002 and his predecessor fund, Gersh Venture Partners, apparently was behind some of the companies in Metamorphic Ventures' eclectic portfolio of more than a dozen companies. They include FetchBack (ad retargeting) and Recognia (chart pattern recognition for financial sites).

Hirsch already was an investor in Amie Street, a music site for independent artists. At Metamorphic Ventures, he says he plans to be an active, hands-on investor.