T. Rowe Price Veteran Joins Eclipse VC Firm as Head of Growth

Eclipse, a venture capital firm, has hired Joe Fath, a former T. Rowe Price Group investor, as partner and head of growth. Fath has over 20 years of experience and made early bets on companies like Amazon, Meta, and Alphabet. He also backed Rivian and Tesla, and will help Eclipse scale next-generation industrial companies in sectors like manufacturing, energy, and defense.

Eclipse Venture Capital, a firm focused on scaling next-generation industrial companies, has announced the hiring of Joe Fath as a partner and head of growth. Fath brings over two decades of experience in venture capital, having spent the majority of his career at T. Rowe Price Group Inc. [1].

Fath began his tenure at T. Rowe Price in 2002, initially covering sectors like airlines and shipping. He later managed the US Growth Stock Fund, which he grew from $57 billion to over $150 billion in assets. During his time at T. Rowe, Fath made early bets on companies such as Amazon.com Inc., Meta Platforms Inc., and Alphabet Inc. He also invested in Rivian Automotive Inc. and Tesla Inc., making T. Rowe one of Rivian’s largest shareholders ahead of its 2021 IPO [1].

Fath’s extensive experience in the electric vehicle space includes early due diligence on Tesla, whose facilities he first visited in 2011. He also worked closely with Rivian executives Charly Mwangi and Jiten Behl, who are now partners at Eclipse. In a blog post, Fath highlighted Eclipse’s focus on scaling next-generation industrial companies and the opportunity to build durable platform companies across US manufacturing, energy, and defense sectors [1].

Eclipse’s decision to hire Fath underscores its commitment to leveraging his expertise in growth and industrial sectors to drive its strategic initiatives. As head of growth, Fath will be instrumental in identifying and nurturing promising startups in these critical sectors.

References:
[1] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-08-05/vc-eclipse-hires-t-rowe-veteran-fath-after-tesla-rivian-bets