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Ramu Potarazu, Avail-TVN
Ramu currently serves as CEO of Avail-TVN. Ramu brings more than 20 years of telecommunications and general management experience to Avail-TVN, including extensive involvement in sales and marketing, engineering and operations, business development and strategy formulation in the global telecommunications industry. Prior to joining Avail-TVN, Ramu was President and Chief Operating Officer of Intelsat, Ltd., a $1.2 billion global company that provides telecommunications products and services to customers in the Media & Entertainment, Network Services, and Government Services sectors. During his tenure at Intelsat from 2002 to 2006, Ramu built a worldwide presence in more than 220 countries by restructuring the company's commercial organizations. In addition, he led Intelsat through several acquisitions and integrations of companies, ranging from $6 billion to $100 million. And, he created a new business line that generated $125 million in revenue in a four-year period. Ramu has served on the boards of WildBlue, the John's Hopkins Advisory Board, and the American Red Cross National Capital Area. He was selected as among the Top 20 CIO's in 1998 by CIO Magazine.
Ramu received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from Oklahoma Christian University and a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering from Johns Hopkins University. He is a postgraduate Ph.D. candidate in Computer Science at George Washington University, and he completed the Stanford Executive Program.
Ramu currently serves as CEO of Avail-TVN. Ramu brings more than 20 years of telecommunications and general management experience to Avail-TVN, including extensive involvement in sales and marketing, engineering and operations, business development and strategy formulation in the global telecommunications industry. Prior to joining Avail-TVN, Ramu was President and Chief Operating Officer of Intelsat, Ltd., a $1.2 billion global company that provides telecommunications products and services to customers in the Media & Entertainment, Network Services, and Government Services sectors. During his tenure at Intelsat from 2002 to 2006, Ramu built a worldwide presence in more than 220 countries by restructuring the company's commercial organizations. In addition, he led Intelsat through several acquisitions and integrations of companies, ranging from $6 billion to $100 million. And, he created a new business line that generated $125 million in revenue in a four-year period. Ramu has served on the boards of WildBlue, the John's Hopkins Advisory Board, and the American Red Cross National Capital Area. He was selected as among the Top 20 CIO's in 1998 by CIO Magazine.
Ramu received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from Oklahoma Christian University and a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering from Johns Hopkins University. He is a postgraduate Ph.D. candidate in Computer Science at George Washington University, and he completed the Stanford Executive Program.
Mollie Spilman, BDMetrics
Mollie Spilman serves as president and ceo of BDMetrics, bringing with her 17 years of experience in the media business. Most recently, Mollie was chief executive officer for TidalTV, Inc. As the company's second employee, she was the driving force behind the development of the company's broadband television platform and overall business model. Prior to TidalTV, Mollie served as chief sales and marketing officer of Advertising.com, a subsidiary of AOL.
Mollie is a recognized industry leader and advocate, having been named “Best Marketing Executive” by the American Business Awards and one of the Baltimore Business Journal’s “Top 40 under 40.” She has also served on many industry councils, including the Interactive Advertising Board of the Direct Marketing Association and the CMO Council of the Interactive Advertising Bureau.
Mollie Spilman serves as president and ceo of BDMetrics, bringing with her 17 years of experience in the media business. Most recently, Mollie was chief executive officer for TidalTV, Inc. As the company's second employee, she was the driving force behind the development of the company's broadband television platform and overall business model. Prior to TidalTV, Mollie served as chief sales and marketing officer of Advertising.com, a subsidiary of AOL.
Mollie is a recognized industry leader and advocate, having been named “Best Marketing Executive” by the American Business Awards and one of the Baltimore Business Journal’s “Top 40 under 40.” She has also served on many industry councils, including the Interactive Advertising Board of the Direct Marketing Association and the CMO Council of the Interactive Advertising Bureau.
Chris Neal, Bluestripe Software
Before founding BlueStripe, Mr. Neal was VP of Field Operations for the Americas for Wily Technology, the Magic Quadrant Leader for Java EE Application Management. During his seven year tenure there Mr. Neal grew revenues from $0 to $75M, culminating in acquisition by CA for $390M. Throughout his career Mr. Neal has excelled at building talented teams that are highly focused on producing value for customers, partners, and investors. Mr. Neal brings to BlueStripe over 15 years of enterprise infrastructure software sales leadership experience, including Oracle & NetDynamics, a leader in the Java Application Server market which was acquired by Sun Microsystems. Mr. Neal holds a BS in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Before founding BlueStripe, Mr. Neal was VP of Field Operations for the Americas for Wily Technology, the Magic Quadrant Leader for Java EE Application Management. During his seven year tenure there Mr. Neal grew revenues from $0 to $75M, culminating in acquisition by CA for $390M. Throughout his career Mr. Neal has excelled at building talented teams that are highly focused on producing value for customers, partners, and investors. Mr. Neal brings to BlueStripe over 15 years of enterprise infrastructure software sales leadership experience, including Oracle & NetDynamics, a leader in the Java Application Server market which was acquired by Sun Microsystems. Mr. Neal holds a BS in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Ed Boyajian, EnterpriseDB
Before joining EnterpriseDB, Ed spent six years at Red Hat, Inc., the world's leading open source solutions provider, most recently serving as vice president and general manager of North America. Before that, he was vice president of Red Hat's global OEM business, responsible for all partnerships, including HP, IBM, and Dell. During his time at Red Hat, Ed was instrumental in developing the foundational methods for selling open source software into the enterprise.
Prior to Red Hat, Ed held executive sales and marketing positions at ArsDigita, an early leader in open source software for building database-backed community websites (acquired by Red Hat) and ServiceSoft (now Kana). Ed is a former U.S. Army Captain, and earned his MBA from Harvard Business School and his undergraduate degree from Boston University.
Before joining EnterpriseDB, Ed spent six years at Red Hat, Inc., the world's leading open source solutions provider, most recently serving as vice president and general manager of North America. Before that, he was vice president of Red Hat's global OEM business, responsible for all partnerships, including HP, IBM, and Dell. During his time at Red Hat, Ed was instrumental in developing the foundational methods for selling open source software into the enterprise.
Prior to Red Hat, Ed held executive sales and marketing positions at ArsDigita, an early leader in open source software for building database-backed community websites (acquired by Red Hat) and ServiceSoft (now Kana). Ed is a former U.S. Army Captain, and earned his MBA from Harvard Business School and his undergraduate degree from Boston University.
Jack McDonnell, ExaDigm
John J. (Jack) McDonnell, Jr. currently serves as ExaDigm’s CEO and as a member of the company’s Board of Directors. Prior to joining ExaDigm, Jack was CEO of PayLinx, a highly successful payment software company which was later sold to CyberSource. In 1990 he founded TNS, Inc. (NYSE:TNS), a worldwide provider of data communications services for the financial and telecommunications industries which he took public. He served as Chairman and CEO of the company from 2001 to 2006. In addition, Jack is a director of DealerTrack (NASDAQ:TRAK), a leading provider of sales and finance on-demand software for the automotive retail industry; and CyberSource (NASDAQ:CYBS), a leading provider of electronic payment and risk management solutions. Jack joined the CyberSource board in 2000 following his successful negotiation of the acquisition of PayLinx by CyberSource.
Jack is a founder of the Electronic Funds Transfer Association (EFTA) and recipient of KPMG Peat Marwick LLP's 1997 High Tech Entrepreneur Award and the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 2002 Entrepreneur of the Year Award. He holds a Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from Manhattan College.
John J. (Jack) McDonnell, Jr. currently serves as ExaDigm’s CEO and as a member of the company’s Board of Directors. Prior to joining ExaDigm, Jack was CEO of PayLinx, a highly successful payment software company which was later sold to CyberSource. In 1990 he founded TNS, Inc. (NYSE:TNS), a worldwide provider of data communications services for the financial and telecommunications industries which he took public. He served as Chairman and CEO of the company from 2001 to 2006. In addition, Jack is a director of DealerTrack (NASDAQ:TRAK), a leading provider of sales and finance on-demand software for the automotive retail industry; and CyberSource (NASDAQ:CYBS), a leading provider of electronic payment and risk management solutions. Jack joined the CyberSource board in 2000 following his successful negotiation of the acquisition of PayLinx by CyberSource.
Jack is a founder of the Electronic Funds Transfer Association (EFTA) and recipient of KPMG Peat Marwick LLP's 1997 High Tech Entrepreneur Award and the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 2002 Entrepreneur of the Year Award. He holds a Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from Manhattan College.
Alan Grant, Exchange Solutions
Alan is the originator of the “value exchange” business performance improvement model. Alan first described the opportunity to directly optimize customer-company “exchange economics” in a lead article published in the Harvard Business Review in October of 1995.
Alan founded ESI to be the category creating and leading provider of technology-enabled value exchange optimization solutions. ESI exchange solutions enable consumers and businesses to collaboratively identify “win-win” exchanges of value when they engage in web, call center or in-person interactions.
In addition to his responsibilities as Chairman and CEO of ESI, Alan remains an ESI thought leader in the value exchange optimization methodologies and processes that are the foundation of the firm’s collaborative exchange optimization (CEO) technology solution.
After graduating from Harvard Business School, Alan spent nine years at Bain & Company where he specialized in defining and implementing strategies for increasing customer franchise value and profitability for Fortune 500 companies.
Alan is the originator of the “value exchange” business performance improvement model. Alan first described the opportunity to directly optimize customer-company “exchange economics” in a lead article published in the Harvard Business Review in October of 1995.
Alan founded ESI to be the category creating and leading provider of technology-enabled value exchange optimization solutions. ESI exchange solutions enable consumers and businesses to collaboratively identify “win-win” exchanges of value when they engage in web, call center or in-person interactions.
In addition to his responsibilities as Chairman and CEO of ESI, Alan remains an ESI thought leader in the value exchange optimization methodologies and processes that are the foundation of the firm’s collaborative exchange optimization (CEO) technology solution.
After graduating from Harvard Business School, Alan spent nine years at Bain & Company where he specialized in defining and implementing strategies for increasing customer franchise value and profitability for Fortune 500 companies.
Scott Shaw, Fishbowl Marketing
Prior to founding Fishbowl, Scott Shaw spent 17 years with three start-up foodservice companies. He was co-founder and President of Amy's Ice Creams, based in Austin, Texas; Partner & Chief Operating Officer of CAFÉ TU TU TANGO, a Nation's Restaurant News "Hot Concepts" award-winner; and Chief Operating Officer of the Austin Grill, an award-winning seven-unit chain, based in Washington, DC. Scott has been a guest speaker at numerous industry events, including the Restaurant Finance Monitor's annual conference, the National Restaurant Association annual conference, the Multi-Unit Restaurant Technology Conference, the Restaurant and Bar Show, the Neighborhood Marketing War College, the NRA's Marketing Executive Group conference, and M&C Reports UK Restaurants 2006 Conference. Scott received a B.A. from Yale University with a major in Latin American Studies.
Prior to founding Fishbowl, Scott Shaw spent 17 years with three start-up foodservice companies. He was co-founder and President of Amy's Ice Creams, based in Austin, Texas; Partner & Chief Operating Officer of CAFÉ TU TU TANGO, a Nation's Restaurant News "Hot Concepts" award-winner; and Chief Operating Officer of the Austin Grill, an award-winning seven-unit chain, based in Washington, DC. Scott has been a guest speaker at numerous industry events, including the Restaurant Finance Monitor's annual conference, the National Restaurant Association annual conference, the Multi-Unit Restaurant Technology Conference, the Restaurant and Bar Show, the Neighborhood Marketing War College, the NRA's Marketing Executive Group conference, and M&C Reports UK Restaurants 2006 Conference. Scott received a B.A. from Yale University with a major in Latin American Studies.
Jeff Shelstad, Flat World Knowledge
Jeff’s main passion in life, besides his beautiful family, is golf. Starting a new venture has not been kind to his game. Or so he maintains…
Jeff brings a 20 year successful record in higher education business publishing to the venture. He’s held positions of increasing responsibility in sales, marketing, editorial, and senior management. Jeff has personally acquired some of the most successful business textbook authors in print today. Most recently, Jeff served as Editorial Director at Prentice Hall Business Publishing, a division with annual sales in the hundreds of millions. He had full P&L responsibility for the division, and managed a team of over sixty Acquisitions Editors, Development Editors, Media Editors, and Project Managers. Jeff received his Executive MBA from Duke University in 2004.
Jeff’s main passion in life, besides his beautiful family, is golf. Starting a new venture has not been kind to his game. Or so he maintains…
Jeff brings a 20 year successful record in higher education business publishing to the venture. He’s held positions of increasing responsibility in sales, marketing, editorial, and senior management. Jeff has personally acquired some of the most successful business textbook authors in print today. Most recently, Jeff served as Editorial Director at Prentice Hall Business Publishing, a division with annual sales in the hundreds of millions. He had full P&L responsibility for the division, and managed a team of over sixty Acquisitions Editors, Development Editors, Media Editors, and Project Managers. Jeff received his Executive MBA from Duke University in 2004.
Michael O'Neil, GetWellNetwork
Michael O’Neil was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma at the age of 28 in April of 1999. After stomach surgery to remove the tumor and four cycles of chemotherapy at Johns Hopkins Hospital, he immediately began building GetWellNetwork®.
Previously, O’Neil spent six years working at New York and Boston advertising agencies, developing brand strategies and managing multi-million dollar marketing campaigns. O’Neil gained recognition in strategic positioning and brand launches, and Deutsch, Inc. named him the youngest account supervisor in 1995.
While in graduate school, O’Neil consulted with Lost Wax Media in London, England on the market positioning, financing and launch of a B2B exchange in 1998. He also conducted an extensive e-commerce study of the top 50 retail Web sites in 1999 for iXL, Inc. in Atlanta.
Currently, O’Neil is an adjunct professor in the MBA program at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. He is a member of Mindshare, a forum of CEOs from leading early-stage technology and life sciences companies in the Greater Washington Metropolitan region. O’Neil also serves on the steering committee of Northern Virginia Healthcare Workforce Alliance, an organization of business, healthcare and education leaders seeking innovative solutions to address the workforce shortage.
O’Neil received a B.A. with honors from the University of Notre Dame and a JD/MBA from Georgetown University. O’Neil lives in Chevy Chase, MD with his wife Wendy and their daughters Calla and Ava.
Michael O’Neil was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma at the age of 28 in April of 1999. After stomach surgery to remove the tumor and four cycles of chemotherapy at Johns Hopkins Hospital, he immediately began building GetWellNetwork®.
Previously, O’Neil spent six years working at New York and Boston advertising agencies, developing brand strategies and managing multi-million dollar marketing campaigns. O’Neil gained recognition in strategic positioning and brand launches, and Deutsch, Inc. named him the youngest account supervisor in 1995.
While in graduate school, O’Neil consulted with Lost Wax Media in London, England on the market positioning, financing and launch of a B2B exchange in 1998. He also conducted an extensive e-commerce study of the top 50 retail Web sites in 1999 for iXL, Inc. in Atlanta.
Currently, O’Neil is an adjunct professor in the MBA program at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. He is a member of Mindshare, a forum of CEOs from leading early-stage technology and life sciences companies in the Greater Washington Metropolitan region. O’Neil also serves on the steering committee of Northern Virginia Healthcare Workforce Alliance, an organization of business, healthcare and education leaders seeking innovative solutions to address the workforce shortage.
O’Neil received a B.A. with honors from the University of Notre Dame and a JD/MBA from Georgetown University. O’Neil lives in Chevy Chase, MD with his wife Wendy and their daughters Calla and Ava.
Dan Olschwang, JumpTap
Prior to JumpTap, Dan was General Manager of the Comverse Fun division. Under Dan's leadership, Comverse became the leader in the global ringback market, reaching over 200 million end-users across mobile operators worldwide. Prior to Comverse, Dan served as the Head of Products and Services for Orange in Israel. Under his leadership Orange launched many pioneering products and was ranked by industry analysts as one of the top five most innovative global mobile operators. Prior to Orange, Dan was a management consultant developing market and technical strategies for Israeli telecommunication firms.
Prior to JumpTap, Dan was General Manager of the Comverse Fun division. Under Dan's leadership, Comverse became the leader in the global ringback market, reaching over 200 million end-users across mobile operators worldwide. Prior to Comverse, Dan served as the Head of Products and Services for Orange in Israel. Under his leadership Orange launched many pioneering products and was ranked by industry analysts as one of the top five most innovative global mobile operators. Prior to Orange, Dan was a management consultant developing market and technical strategies for Israeli telecommunication firms.
Wes Cruver, KZO Innovations
Wes Cruver, President and CEO, founded KZO Innovations in 2007 as a software development and R&D company to market innovative streaming video technologies to the commercial sector. KZO’s initial product is an interactive communications platform that seamlessly integrates video, audio, presentations and multilingual text within a proprietary Web 2.0 architecture.
Before founding KZO Innovations, Wes co-founded Kidz Online, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, when he was 11 years old. Kidz Online is a leading provider of comprehensive online communications and training solutions and services for global youth. It was at Kidz Online that he developed a unique leadership style and domain-expertise in video technologies.
In addition to his leadership role, Wes is the chief software architect for the KZO platform and the inventor-of-record for all current KZO patent applications. Wes has extensive programming experience and was instrumental designing and implementing KZO’s 8 Gbit/s optical network.
Wes Cruver, President and CEO, founded KZO Innovations in 2007 as a software development and R&D company to market innovative streaming video technologies to the commercial sector. KZO’s initial product is an interactive communications platform that seamlessly integrates video, audio, presentations and multilingual text within a proprietary Web 2.0 architecture.
Before founding KZO Innovations, Wes co-founded Kidz Online, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, when he was 11 years old. Kidz Online is a leading provider of comprehensive online communications and training solutions and services for global youth. It was at Kidz Online that he developed a unique leadership style and domain-expertise in video technologies.
In addition to his leadership role, Wes is the chief software architect for the KZO platform and the inventor-of-record for all current KZO patent applications. Wes has extensive programming experience and was instrumental designing and implementing KZO’s 8 Gbit/s optical network.
Bill Chambers, LeftHand Networks
Bill Chambers has more than 20 years experience in high technology companies, specializing in new product introductions and market creation and development. During his career, Bill has held key management positions in a number of high technology start-ups and Fortune 500 companies. As Founder, President, and CEO of LeftHand Networks, Bill has led the company through successful venture financings, development of the storage industry's first IP-based Storage Area Network (IP SAN) solution, successful and active partnerships with Fortune 100 and emerging growth companies, and widespread acknowledgement of the company as the industry leader in the rapidly growing IP SAN market. Prior to LeftHand Networks, Bill was President and CEO of GE Fanuc Asia Pacific, a joint venture between General Electric, Inc., and Fanuc, Ltd., of Japan. He started his career with Texas Instruments in sales and sales management roles. Bill holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and a certificate of completion from the Stanford University Executive Management Program.
Bill Chambers has more than 20 years experience in high technology companies, specializing in new product introductions and market creation and development. During his career, Bill has held key management positions in a number of high technology start-ups and Fortune 500 companies. As Founder, President, and CEO of LeftHand Networks, Bill has led the company through successful venture financings, development of the storage industry's first IP-based Storage Area Network (IP SAN) solution, successful and active partnerships with Fortune 100 and emerging growth companies, and widespread acknowledgement of the company as the industry leader in the rapidly growing IP SAN market. Prior to LeftHand Networks, Bill was President and CEO of GE Fanuc Asia Pacific, a joint venture between General Electric, Inc., and Fanuc, Ltd., of Japan. He started his career with Texas Instruments in sales and sales management roles. Bill holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and a certificate of completion from the Stanford University Executive Management Program.
Ariel Porath, Local Labs
Ariel Porath is Founder and CEO of Local Labs, Inc., an early-stage semantic and social platform focused on improving local applications for users and small businesses. Prior to Local Labs, he was in charge of strategy and business development for semantic web start-up, Metaweb Technologies in San Francisco. Metaweb, a spin-out of Applied Minds, Inc. raised financing from Benchmark Capital, Goldman Sachs, Millennium Technology Ventures, and Omidyar Network. Prior to Metaweb, Ariel was a Senior Associate at BV Capital-Bertelsmann Ventures, a venture capital fund focusing on early stage investments within the consumer Internet and mobile markets in the U.S. and Europe.
Ariel earned a BS (Finance) at the University of Maryland and was awarded the Lamone Scholarship for outstanding entrepreneurial achievement.
Ariel Porath is Founder and CEO of Local Labs, Inc., an early-stage semantic and social platform focused on improving local applications for users and small businesses. Prior to Local Labs, he was in charge of strategy and business development for semantic web start-up, Metaweb Technologies in San Francisco. Metaweb, a spin-out of Applied Minds, Inc. raised financing from Benchmark Capital, Goldman Sachs, Millennium Technology Ventures, and Omidyar Network. Prior to Metaweb, Ariel was a Senior Associate at BV Capital-Bertelsmann Ventures, a venture capital fund focusing on early stage investments within the consumer Internet and mobile markets in the U.S. and Europe.
Ariel earned a BS (Finance) at the University of Maryland and was awarded the Lamone Scholarship for outstanding entrepreneurial achievement.
Jim Zierick, Nirvanix
Jim Zierick comes to Nirvanix from Aspyra Inc., a leading provider of clinical and diagnostic information solutions for the healthcare industry, where he was CEO and continues to serve as a member of the company's Board of Directors. He previously served as CEO of LogicalApps, a provider of embedded controls software for enterprise applications. Prior to joining LogicalApps, Zierick was Executive Vice President of Worldwide Field Operations for Peregrine Systems, where he led a 350 person sales, alliance, customer support and professional services organization, and was responsible for generating $200 million of new license, support and service revenue. Before working with Peregrine, Zierick was a partner with McKinsey & Company, where he helped lead the company’s Southern California technology and operational effectiveness practices, leveraging his wide-ranging experience with major technology companies. Zierick holds an M.B.A. from the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and a B.E. and an A.B. from Dartmouth College and Thayer School of Engineering.
Jim Zierick comes to Nirvanix from Aspyra Inc., a leading provider of clinical and diagnostic information solutions for the healthcare industry, where he was CEO and continues to serve as a member of the company's Board of Directors. He previously served as CEO of LogicalApps, a provider of embedded controls software for enterprise applications. Prior to joining LogicalApps, Zierick was Executive Vice President of Worldwide Field Operations for Peregrine Systems, where he led a 350 person sales, alliance, customer support and professional services organization, and was responsible for generating $200 million of new license, support and service revenue. Before working with Peregrine, Zierick was a partner with McKinsey & Company, where he helped lead the company’s Southern California technology and operational effectiveness practices, leveraging his wide-ranging experience with major technology companies. Zierick holds an M.B.A. from the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and a B.E. and an A.B. from Dartmouth College and Thayer School of Engineering.
Tim Davenport, Parature
Tim Davenport, a seasoned software veteran with over 25 years of high-tech industry experience leads Parature's growth and innovation strategies. Prior to Parature, Tim served as president of Revolution Health Network, a leading online health information company. Preceding his position at Revolution Health Network, he was the CEO of Vastera which sold to JP Morgan Chase in 2005. Prior to that, he served as CEO of Best Software, where he oversaw the company's IPO in 1997, as well as its purchase by the Sage Group plc in 2000. Tim has also served as an executive with a number of public and private technology companies, including Lotus Development and McGraw Hill. He has also held board positions in a number of successful technology companies including Axent Technologies, Softrax, Serena Software and CorasWorks Corporation.
Tim holds a B.A. in Economics from Harvard University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Tim Davenport, a seasoned software veteran with over 25 years of high-tech industry experience leads Parature's growth and innovation strategies. Prior to Parature, Tim served as president of Revolution Health Network, a leading online health information company. Preceding his position at Revolution Health Network, he was the CEO of Vastera which sold to JP Morgan Chase in 2005. Prior to that, he served as CEO of Best Software, where he oversaw the company's IPO in 1997, as well as its purchase by the Sage Group plc in 2000. Tim has also served as an executive with a number of public and private technology companies, including Lotus Development and McGraw Hill. He has also held board positions in a number of successful technology companies including Axent Technologies, Softrax, Serena Software and CorasWorks Corporation.
Tim holds a B.A. in Economics from Harvard University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Joe Loughry, Persystent
Joe has over 30 years of successful hands-on experience creating shareholder value in public and privately held software companies. Most recently, he served as President and CEO of HTE, Inc. a software company that provides integrated application solutions to local and state governments throughout the US. Joe also served as President and CEO of QuestPoint Holdings, Inc., a financial services business, and as CEO of Nationwide Remittance Centers, Inc., a venture-funded lock-box services business acquired by CoreStates Bank. Joe’s background includes almost a decade at General Electric Information Services and major systems management software companies such as Uccel Corporation, Computer Associates, and Legent Corporation in a variety of executive roles. Joe graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in Business Administration.
Joe has over 30 years of successful hands-on experience creating shareholder value in public and privately held software companies. Most recently, he served as President and CEO of HTE, Inc. a software company that provides integrated application solutions to local and state governments throughout the US. Joe also served as President and CEO of QuestPoint Holdings, Inc., a financial services business, and as CEO of Nationwide Remittance Centers, Inc., a venture-funded lock-box services business acquired by CoreStates Bank. Joe’s background includes almost a decade at General Electric Information Services and major systems management software companies such as Uccel Corporation, Computer Associates, and Legent Corporation in a variety of executive roles. Joe graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in Business Administration.
Sean McDermott, RealOps
As President, CEO and Founder of RealOps, Inc., Sean sets the direction and vision for the company and has overall responsibility for the strategy, profitability and market success of the company. He also manages the daily operations and business development activities for the company.
Prior to founding RealOps, Sean founded Windward Consulting Group, a national consultancy specializing in operational management solutions for Fortune 500 companies, service providers and the federal government.
Prior to founding Windward, Sean was Director of Technical Services for Predictive Systems, a publicly traded systems integrator, and prior still was a Sr. Consultant with Booz, Allen & Hamilton, a worldwide management and technology-consulting firm. Sean began his career at the Department of Justice designing and building large networks.
Sean has a Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering from Villanova University and a Masters in Engineering Management from the Catholic University of America.
As President, CEO and Founder of RealOps, Inc., Sean sets the direction and vision for the company and has overall responsibility for the strategy, profitability and market success of the company. He also manages the daily operations and business development activities for the company.
Prior to founding RealOps, Sean founded Windward Consulting Group, a national consultancy specializing in operational management solutions for Fortune 500 companies, service providers and the federal government.
Prior to founding Windward, Sean was Director of Technical Services for Predictive Systems, a publicly traded systems integrator, and prior still was a Sr. Consultant with Booz, Allen & Hamilton, a worldwide management and technology-consulting firm. Sean began his career at the Department of Justice designing and building large networks.
Sean has a Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering from Villanova University and a Masters in Engineering Management from the Catholic University of America.
Larry Kutscher, Register.com
Larry Kutscher joined Register.com as Chief Executive Officer on November 1, 2006 with a history of building and growing Internet-enabled businesses and supporting small businesses. Before joining Register.com as CEO, Larry served as Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Small Business Group at Dun & Bradstreet. During his tenure at Dun & Bradstreet, Larry was instrumental in helping the company expanding its digital offerings, including the acquisition and development of Hoover’s. He was a member of Dun & Bradstreet’s Global Leadership Team since joining in 2001.
Larry also served as Managing Director of Wealth Management at Goldman Sachs & Co., and spent twelve years at American Express where his last position was as Senior Vice President of Interactive Enterprise Development. Larry holds a political science degree from Brown University and an MBA from Columbia Business School.
Larry Kutscher joined Register.com as Chief Executive Officer on November 1, 2006 with a history of building and growing Internet-enabled businesses and supporting small businesses. Before joining Register.com as CEO, Larry served as Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Small Business Group at Dun & Bradstreet. During his tenure at Dun & Bradstreet, Larry was instrumental in helping the company expanding its digital offerings, including the acquisition and development of Hoover’s. He was a member of Dun & Bradstreet’s Global Leadership Team since joining in 2001.
Larry also served as Managing Director of Wealth Management at Goldman Sachs & Co., and spent twelve years at American Express where his last position was as Senior Vice President of Interactive Enterprise Development. Larry holds a political science degree from Brown University and an MBA from Columbia Business School.
Mark Logan, Rivermine
Mark has over 20 years of extensive sales and management experience and a proven track record of building successful companies in the enterprise software industry. Prior to joining Rivermine, he served as the Vice-President and General Manager for PeopleSoft's CRM Business Unit, helping to establish PeopleSoft as a leading CRM software provider.
Mark joined PeopleSoft from its acquisition of JD Edwards, where as a Vice-President and General Manager, he led the company's aggressive entry into the CRM market. As a senior executive of YOUcentric Inc., a start-up software application firm, he successfully grew the company's CRM sales operations ultimately resulting in a favorable acquisition by JD Edwards in 2001.
Mark holds a B.S. in Systems Engineering from Providence College.
Mark has over 20 years of extensive sales and management experience and a proven track record of building successful companies in the enterprise software industry. Prior to joining Rivermine, he served as the Vice-President and General Manager for PeopleSoft's CRM Business Unit, helping to establish PeopleSoft as a leading CRM software provider.
Mark joined PeopleSoft from its acquisition of JD Edwards, where as a Vice-President and General Manager, he led the company's aggressive entry into the CRM market. As a senior executive of YOUcentric Inc., a start-up software application firm, he successfully grew the company's CRM sales operations ultimately resulting in a favorable acquisition by JD Edwards in 2001.
Mark holds a B.S. in Systems Engineering from Providence College.
Mark Floyd, SafeNet
Mark Floyd was named Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SafeNet in July of 2009.
Previously, Mr. Floyd served as CEO of Entrisphere, a communications equipment provider, which was successfully sold to Ericsson in 2007. Prior to that, Mr. Floyd was the founder and CEO of Efficient Networks, a leading telecommunications equipment company specializing in Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL), which he took public and later sold to Siemens for $1.7 billion. Most recently, Mr. Floyd was a Partner with El Dorado Ventures. He currently serves as the Chairman of Tekelec (Nasdaq: TKLC) and is also on the Board of Riverbed Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: RVBD) and Cyan Optics, Inc.
Mr. Floyd held several executive positions with Crosspoint Ventures Partners, Networth Inc, Interphase Corporation, Scott Instruments and Texas Instrument Inc. He currently serves on the Boards of Tekelec (Nasdaq: TKLC), as chairman, Riverbed Technology Inc.(Nasdaq: RVBD), and Cyan Optics Inc. He was also a senior consultant to Ericsson. Prior to SafeNet, Mr. Floyd was a Venture Partner with El Dorado Ventures, which invests across a broad range of technology sectors.
Mr. Floyd holds a B.B.A. in finance from the University of Texas at Austin. He has received several recognitions including the 2001 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for the Southwest region.
Mark Floyd was named Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SafeNet in July of 2009.
Previously, Mr. Floyd served as CEO of Entrisphere, a communications equipment provider, which was successfully sold to Ericsson in 2007. Prior to that, Mr. Floyd was the founder and CEO of Efficient Networks, a leading telecommunications equipment company specializing in Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL), which he took public and later sold to Siemens for $1.7 billion. Most recently, Mr. Floyd was a Partner with El Dorado Ventures. He currently serves as the Chairman of Tekelec (Nasdaq: TKLC) and is also on the Board of Riverbed Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: RVBD) and Cyan Optics, Inc.
Mr. Floyd held several executive positions with Crosspoint Ventures Partners, Networth Inc, Interphase Corporation, Scott Instruments and Texas Instrument Inc. He currently serves on the Boards of Tekelec (Nasdaq: TKLC), as chairman, Riverbed Technology Inc.(Nasdaq: RVBD), and Cyan Optics Inc. He was also a senior consultant to Ericsson. Prior to SafeNet, Mr. Floyd was a Venture Partner with El Dorado Ventures, which invests across a broad range of technology sectors.
Mr. Floyd holds a B.B.A. in finance from the University of Texas at Austin. He has received several recognitions including the 2001 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for the Southwest region.
Mike Worhach, Sepaton
As president and CEO, Mike Worhach is responsible for management, execution and strategic direction of the company. Mike has 30 years of experience in the computer and storage industry with various senior management roles in sales, marketing and executive management. Mike joined SEPATON in September of 2003 as president and chief executive officer. Before joining SEPATON, Mike had been president of Auspex Systems, Inc., the original developer of network-attached storage devices. Previously, he served as a division vice president at Data General and then EMC, where he was responsible for Americas sales and services and the worldwide healthcare division. Prior to 1993, Mike worked at Unisys for 17 years and held a variety of senior management positions in sales and marketing as division president, VP of marketing operations and executive assistant vice chairman.
Mike holds an MBA from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a BS from Kings College, Pennsylvania
As president and CEO, Mike Worhach is responsible for management, execution and strategic direction of the company. Mike has 30 years of experience in the computer and storage industry with various senior management roles in sales, marketing and executive management. Mike joined SEPATON in September of 2003 as president and chief executive officer. Before joining SEPATON, Mike had been president of Auspex Systems, Inc., the original developer of network-attached storage devices. Previously, he served as a division vice president at Data General and then EMC, where he was responsible for Americas sales and services and the worldwide healthcare division. Prior to 1993, Mike worked at Unisys for 17 years and held a variety of senior management positions in sales and marketing as division president, VP of marketing operations and executive assistant vice chairman.
Mike holds an MBA from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a BS from Kings College, Pennsylvania
Mike Dering, ServiceBench
Mike led ServiceBench through its sale to industry partner N.E.W. (for which the company received one of the Northern Virginia Technology Council's Hot Ticket awards, taking first place in the category "Hottest Exit"). Prior to ServiceBench, Mike was Chief Executive Officer of CrossAccess Corporation, a venture-backed software infrastructure company that focuses on integrating corporate business functions with new e-business applications. Prior to CrossAccess, he worked as President and Chief Executive Officer of two Bell & Howell companies, and had a 20-year tenure at TAB Products Company, a $170 million publicly traded manufacturer of information storage and retrieval solutions for office environments.
Mike led ServiceBench through its sale to industry partner N.E.W. (for which the company received one of the Northern Virginia Technology Council's Hot Ticket awards, taking first place in the category "Hottest Exit"). Prior to ServiceBench, Mike was Chief Executive Officer of CrossAccess Corporation, a venture-backed software infrastructure company that focuses on integrating corporate business functions with new e-business applications. Prior to CrossAccess, he worked as President and Chief Executive Officer of two Bell & Howell companies, and had a 20-year tenure at TAB Products Company, a $170 million publicly traded manufacturer of information storage and retrieval solutions for office environments.
Scott Ferber, TidalTV
Prior to founding TidalTV, Scott served as chairman and chief executive officer of online advertising network Advertising.com – a company he co-founded in 1998 with his brother John. Advertising.com’s significant year-over-year growth, strong management team and constant innovation led to its sale to Time Warner in 2004 for nearly half a billion dollars.
Prior to Advertising.com, Scott held roles at Fortune 500 companies such as Procter & Gamble – where he developed computer systems and mathematical models to create business practices for plant production and raw material procurement, and Capital One Financial Corporation – where he leveraged statistical approaches to marketing and financial risk management to develop new businesses outside of the credit card industry.
Due to his outstanding accomplishments, Scott was named Ernst & Young’s "Entrepreneur of the Year" in 2000, "CEO of the Year" in 2004 by Blue Chip Venture Company, "Best Executive" in 2005 by the American Business Awards, and the "Outstanding Young Engineering Graduate" by the University of Virginia in 2006.
Prior to founding TidalTV, Scott served as chairman and chief executive officer of online advertising network Advertising.com – a company he co-founded in 1998 with his brother John. Advertising.com’s significant year-over-year growth, strong management team and constant innovation led to its sale to Time Warner in 2004 for nearly half a billion dollars.
Prior to Advertising.com, Scott held roles at Fortune 500 companies such as Procter & Gamble – where he developed computer systems and mathematical models to create business practices for plant production and raw material procurement, and Capital One Financial Corporation – where he leveraged statistical approaches to marketing and financial risk management to develop new businesses outside of the credit card industry.
Due to his outstanding accomplishments, Scott was named Ernst & Young’s "Entrepreneur of the Year" in 2000, "CEO of the Year" in 2004 by Blue Chip Venture Company, "Best Executive" in 2005 by the American Business Awards, and the "Outstanding Young Engineering Graduate" by the University of Virginia in 2006.
Joe Ruef, Verical
For over fourteen years, Joe has been involved in the business of electronic component distribution and has established himself as a thought leader in the secondary marketplace for electronic components and an innovator in anti-counterfeiting best practices. His deep expertise in component trading, evaluation and quality assurance grants the Company guidance and insight to the nuances and complexities of the secondary marketplace. Prior to Verical, Joe was a member of the start-up executive team at Velocity Electronics, where he oversaw brand development, sales and quality control, and grew net sales 7x the comparable industry growth rate during an industry downturn. He has extensive experience serving customers worldwide, and served as a consultant to Trading Hubs, (later known as eHitex), the electronics industry’s first generation HP-led B2B marketplace. Joe holds his BA in English from the University of California at Berkeley.
For over fourteen years, Joe has been involved in the business of electronic component distribution and has established himself as a thought leader in the secondary marketplace for electronic components and an innovator in anti-counterfeiting best practices. His deep expertise in component trading, evaluation and quality assurance grants the Company guidance and insight to the nuances and complexities of the secondary marketplace. Prior to Verical, Joe was a member of the start-up executive team at Velocity Electronics, where he oversaw brand development, sales and quality control, and grew net sales 7x the comparable industry growth rate during an industry downturn. He has extensive experience serving customers worldwide, and served as a consultant to Trading Hubs, (later known as eHitex), the electronics industry’s first generation HP-led B2B marketplace. Joe holds his BA in English from the University of California at Berkeley.
Jeff Anderson, Quick Hit
Jeff Anderson started Quick Hit in 2008 with the simple idea of bringing fun, fast-action, high-quality sports games to the Internet. Serving as its President and CEO, he brings a strong background in game design, product management, and business development to the company. Prior to starting Quick Hit, Jeff was the president and CEO of Turbine, Inc. where he rebuilt that company into a global publisher of MMORPG’s with hits like Dungeons & Dragons Online and The Lord of the Rings Online. Before Turbine, he served as the vice president and executive in charge of production at Origin/ Electronic Arts, where he managed the Ultima Online franchise. Prior to that, Jeff was executive director for the consumer products division of Viacom, Inc., managing Paramount Pictures' world-wide interactive licensing, merchandising and business development. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Illinois with a Bachelor’s degree in economics and received his J.D. from University of Chicago Law School where he served on its Law Review.
Jeff Anderson started Quick Hit in 2008 with the simple idea of bringing fun, fast-action, high-quality sports games to the Internet. Serving as its President and CEO, he brings a strong background in game design, product management, and business development to the company. Prior to starting Quick Hit, Jeff was the president and CEO of Turbine, Inc. where he rebuilt that company into a global publisher of MMORPG’s with hits like Dungeons & Dragons Online and The Lord of the Rings Online. Before Turbine, he served as the vice president and executive in charge of production at Origin/ Electronic Arts, where he managed the Ultima Online franchise. Prior to that, Jeff was executive director for the consumer products division of Viacom, Inc., managing Paramount Pictures' world-wide interactive licensing, merchandising and business development. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Illinois with a Bachelor’s degree in economics and received his J.D. from University of Chicago Law School where he served on its Law Review.
Alex Grossman, Active Storage
Alex Grossman is a 20 year veteran of the storage industry and a former Senior Director at Apple where he was responsible for driving the development of Apple's server and storage products. Prior to joining Apple, Grossman was Sr. Vice President of Sales, Marketing, and New Product Development at MicroNet Technology, Inc., a developer and manufacturer of hardware storage solutions for creative professionals and IT managers. Grossman has contributed to several patents associated with storage technology and led the team that developed the first FireWire-based Storage Area Network.
Alex Grossman is a 20 year veteran of the storage industry and a former Senior Director at Apple where he was responsible for driving the development of Apple's server and storage products. Prior to joining Apple, Grossman was Sr. Vice President of Sales, Marketing, and New Product Development at MicroNet Technology, Inc., a developer and manufacturer of hardware storage solutions for creative professionals and IT managers. Grossman has contributed to several patents associated with storage technology and led the team that developed the first FireWire-based Storage Area Network.
Jeff Noce, WellAWARE Systems
Prior to joining the Company, Jeff served as vice president of new business ventures for Sunrise Senior Living, Inc., one of the largest senior housing providers in the world. He also served as area vice president of operations for Sunrise, and he previously was a founding executive in several startup information technology (IT) consulting and systems integration firms.
Prior to joining the Company, Jeff served as vice president of new business ventures for Sunrise Senior Living, Inc., one of the largest senior housing providers in the world. He also served as area vice president of operations for Sunrise, and he previously was a founding executive in several startup information technology (IT) consulting and systems integration firms.
Dave Wright, SolidFire
Dave Wright is the founder and CEO of SolidFire, a next-generation storage solution for cloud computing providers. Prior to starting SolidFire, Dave founded Jungle Disk, a cloud storage service, which was acquired by Rackspace in 2008. While at Rackspace, Dave helped build a cloud platform that supports tens of thousands of customers.
Prior to Jungle Disk, Dave helped start GameSpy Industries in 1998 and led the engineering team at the company through its merger with IGN Entertainment and eventual acquisition by News Corp in 2005. While at News Corp, Dave worked with several divisions including MySpace to solve large scale storage and content distribution challenges.
Dave Wright is the founder and CEO of SolidFire, a next-generation storage solution for cloud computing providers. Prior to starting SolidFire, Dave founded Jungle Disk, a cloud storage service, which was acquired by Rackspace in 2008. While at Rackspace, Dave helped build a cloud platform that supports tens of thousands of customers.
Prior to Jungle Disk, Dave helped start GameSpy Industries in 1998 and led the engineering team at the company through its merger with IGN Entertainment and eventual acquisition by News Corp in 2005. While at News Corp, Dave worked with several divisions including MySpace to solve large scale storage and content distribution challenges.
Robbie Allen, StatSheet
Robbie Allen is the CEO and Founder of StatSheet, Inc. Before starting StatSheet, Robbie was a Distinguished Engineer, IT at Cisco where he worked for 13 years in IT, Customer Service, and Engineering. Robbie is the author or co-author of 12 technical books on topics ranging from Directory Services and Networking to DNS and Security. Robbie has Masters degrees in Engineering Management and Civil Engineering from MIT and graduated magna cum laude from East Carolina University with a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and a minor in Math.
Robbie Allen is the CEO and Founder of StatSheet, Inc. Before starting StatSheet, Robbie was a Distinguished Engineer, IT at Cisco where he worked for 13 years in IT, Customer Service, and Engineering. Robbie is the author or co-author of 12 technical books on topics ranging from Directory Services and Networking to DNS and Security. Robbie has Masters degrees in Engineering Management and Civil Engineering from MIT and graduated magna cum laude from East Carolina University with a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and a minor in Math.
Other CEOs in the spotlight
Alex Grossman, Active Storage
Ramu Potarazu, Avail-TVN
Chris Neal, Bluestripe Software
Ed Boyajian, EnterpriseDB
Jack McDonnell, ExaDigm
Alan Grant, Exchange Solutions
Scott Shaw, Fishbowl Marketing
Jeff Shelstad, Flat World Knowledge
Michael O'Neil, GetWellNetwork
Dan Olschwang, JumpTap
Wes Cruver, KZO Innovations
Bill Chambers, LeftHand Networks
Ariel Porath, Local Labs
Jim Zierick, Nirvanix
Tim Davenport, Parature
Joe Loughry, Persystent
Jeff Anderson, Quick Hit
Sean McDermott, RealOps
Larry Kutscher, Register.com
Mark Logan, Rivermine
Mark Floyd, SafeNet
Mike Worhach, Sepaton
Mike Dering, ServiceBench
Dave Wright, SolidFire
Robbie Allen, StatSheet
Mollie Spilman, Three Stage Media
Scott Ferber, TidalTV
Joe Ruef, Verical
Jeff Noce, WellAWARE Systems
Ramu Potarazu, Avail-TVN
Chris Neal, Bluestripe Software
Ed Boyajian, EnterpriseDB
Jack McDonnell, ExaDigm
Alan Grant, Exchange Solutions
Scott Shaw, Fishbowl Marketing
Jeff Shelstad, Flat World Knowledge
Michael O'Neil, GetWellNetwork
Dan Olschwang, JumpTap
Wes Cruver, KZO Innovations
Bill Chambers, LeftHand Networks
Ariel Porath, Local Labs
Jim Zierick, Nirvanix
Tim Davenport, Parature
Joe Loughry, Persystent
Jeff Anderson, Quick Hit
Sean McDermott, RealOps
Larry Kutscher, Register.com
Mark Logan, Rivermine
Mark Floyd, SafeNet
Mike Worhach, Sepaton
Mike Dering, ServiceBench
Dave Wright, SolidFire
Robbie Allen, StatSheet
Mollie Spilman, Three Stage Media
Scott Ferber, TidalTV
Joe Ruef, Verical
Jeff Noce, WellAWARE Systems