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Steve Adelman is the founder and Managing Director of Nexus Partners. He is an expert in marketing strategy, strategic planning, and partnerships & alliances. Steve has a proven capability to excel in consulting, corporate and academic settings and has lived and worked on four continents. Over the last decade with Nexus Partners Steve has worked with clients including Palm, Hitachi, the US Secret Service and numerous startups. Steve was a Senior Managing Partner at Gartner Consulting and was also at Booz & Co. and the MAC Group/Gemini Consulting. Prior to founding Nexus Partners, Steve was VP of Corporate Development at Novell, responsible for investments, acquisitions and strategic partnerships. His career includes AT&T Bell Labs; COO of Trademark Research Corporation; EVP at Reuters NewMedia, where he managed investments and partnerships with companies including Yahoo!, Verisign, Wired, Digimarc, Intertrust and Infoseek; and President of GTS/Broadware (acquired by Cisco). Steve holds a BS in computer science from Columbia University (with honors), and an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania (with honors); he is currently an Adjunct Professor at Hult International Business School and The Wharton School, and was an Adjunct Professor at USF’s Graduate School of Business. Steve served as a paratrooper in the Israel Defense Forces.
Passionate RAINMAKER and business builder. Thrives in role of leading Sales or Business Development effort for fast growth Web/software or services companies in emerging markets that are expanding rapidly. No Fluff closer that can also build and lead a team.
Experienced – three (3) IPOs, two (2) profitable exits and adviser to over 30 emerging growth Internet companies on growth strategy and execution and completed over thirty (30+) sell side transactions on behalf of founders, CEOs and Boards. Will leverage experience and leadership/management skills to add value to an entrepreneurial team within the Web Services and Software sectors.
No Fluff – ability to close strategic partnerships that accelerates the valuation of a company with complimentary relationship management abilities.
Passion is LEADERSHIP – mentoring, managing and developing team members.
Specialties
Has played a significant role in developing businesses during the growth of the Internet from its early days through the present. He is a strategic deal maker that thrives in an entrepreneurial environment.
Areas of Expertise:
Driving Revenue Growth
Sales Management/Leadership
New Business Development
M & A ; Sell and Buy Side,
International Expansion – Asia, Europe
C Level Sales Capability
Strategic Investment / Deal Maker
Solution / Consultative Sales Expertise
Hervé Auch-Roy has directed for thirty years successful activities within renowned companies such as IBM Corporation, Thomson MultiMedia, SGS-Thomson, Oki Semiconductor, Ikanos Communications and RGB Spectrum, as well as in smaller companies, both in North America and in France. Hervé has built his valuable experience and skill set in successive leadership positions in system and ASIC design, product management, product marketing and application engineering management, on both sides of the Atlantic.
Hervé holds an MSEE from the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (CNAM – Montpellier, France), an MBA from the American Management and Business Administration Institute (AMBAI – Cambridge, MA, USA), a Product Marketing Management certificate from the Association of International Product Marketing and Product Managers (AIPMM – Palo Cedro, CA, USA), and a business certificate from the American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE – Washington, DC).
Jon Baer is a senior executive who brings a unique perspective to the world of startups. He has been both a venture capitalist as well as the founder and CEO of two venture backed companies, eBoomerang, an enterprise software company which was sold in 2006 and Artificial Muscle, Inc., a spinout from Stanford Research Institute (SRI). As a principal and founder of Threshold Ventures, Jon works with companies around the world, serving as an advisor/mentor, working on specific projects (such as creating venture backed companies from emerging new technologies and helping international companies develop and execute plans for entering the U.S. market) and when appropriate, taking on interim operating roles.
He has worked with a wide range of software, telephony, hardware and services businesses. Earlier in his career Jon was a General Partner at Oscco Ventures, a Sand Hill Road early-stage venture capital firm which was one of the pioneering firms in Silicon Valley. He has invested in a range of companies including Landec, Peerless Systems, and Coinstar.
Jon started his career at Exxon Enterprises where he was responsible for creating and managing new businesses for the corporation. He has also worked at Gartner Group and Prudential Securities, where he managed a portion of a $240 million fund. He has a BA in Biology and a BS in Engineering Science from Tufts University and as an MBA from Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business. Jon has been an active angel investor and a startup adviser to Software Development Forum, where he is a frequent panelist and mentor to tech based companies in the U.S. and abroad.
Companies hire Jon to sharpen the focus of their business, identify market opportunities and determine the best way to address those needs, develop fundable business plans and investor presentations, act as interim executive and help build the management team.
Suzan Briganti is the President and founder of Totem, a strategic marketing consultancy in Palo Alto, California. Raised in Silicon Valley drinking the innovation “Kool-Aid,” Suzan spent 25 years in leadership positions on such clients as Bank of America, Procter & Gamble and Kellogg’s, helping to create and build global blockbuster brands, enter new markets and launch many new products.
She started Totem when she was on sabbatical and former clients “stalked her” at home. Today, Totem offers strategic counsel to clients facing defining opportunities, across B2C, B2B and non-profit sectors, from high tech to financial services, from packaged goods to social innovation. With impressive senior consultants from Cisco, Intel and Garage.com, Totem is increasingly helping early stage European companies entering the US market. Suzan is a frequent speaker and instructor on strategic marketing.
Gary Bruder has over 20 years experience in high technology marketing, market research, corporate communications, and industry analyst relations. His executive experience includes being Vice President of Gartner Group, the premier information and technology research and advisory firm with over 10,000 clients and recognized as the leader in high technology advisory services. At Gartner he led a consulting group and headed up the Telecommunications Practice. He has also been Director of Analyst Relations for Network Equipment Technologies (NET), Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for Stanford Software, and Vice President of Silicon Valley News (an online high technology newspaper published in three languages).
During the late 1980′s he was Director of Dataquest’s Strategic Executive Service, a research and market strategy service dedicated to the specialized needs of senior management of telecommunications, software, and semiconductor companies around the world. He also was Manager of Asia Pacific for Dataquest’s research services. After leaving Dataquest he started a consulting group to provide industry analyst relations services and market entry strategies to companies in the Asia Pacific region. Manufacturing clients included Samsung, TSMC, Gold Star, and other major high technology providers. He has also assisted government agencies in Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, and the People’s Republic of china in areas of technology market development. Mr. Bruder has been a guest speaker/ lecturer and / or panelist at leading educational institutions such as Berkeley, Stanford University, and San Francisco State University on the subjects of Asia high technology business, market entry strategy, marketing research, and analyst relations. Mr. Bruder has a BS in Chemical Engineering from the Syracuse University and an MSIA International Relations from the California State University, Sacramento.
Chris Burry was a member of the founding team of Avanade, a joint venture between Microsoft and Andersen Consulting. Founded in 2000, Avanade has grown to 9,500 global employees and annual revenues of over $850 million, with offices in 22 countries and projects in 30.
Prior to Avanade, Chris was a senior executive at Andersen Consulting and a senior technology consultant at EDS. In these roles, he oversaw numerous large-scale projects for clients in the energy, financial services, healthcare and government sectors. He has experience working in the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Australia.
Chris was also a columnist on operating systems and infrastructure for ComputerWorld magazine and an adviser to the research division of IDC (publisher of a number of technology magazines) on cloud computing and the future of technology. He was also a regular speaker at industry conferences for Microsoft and IDC.
Chris has an undergraduate degree from Swarthmore College in Political Science (with honors). He lives in Emerald Hills, California.
Ken Calhoon is a global business executive with deep experience as a management consultant and a general manager. He is the Managing Partner of Calhoon Global Management Consulting (www.CalhoonGlobal.com), a firm dedicated to “Helping Companies Grow, Manage and Produce Results Around the World.” His firm focuses on market entry strategy and competitive differentiation, implementation tactics and planning, organization development, and executive coaching. He has extensive international management experience based abroad and in the US including: Bain & Company (San Francisco & London), Mitsubishi Electric (London and Paris) and eBay (VP of International based in San Jose, CA). He earned his MBA at Harvard Business School.
eBay. Ken was a VP with eBay for 7 years working in the international business. He initially led the International Headquarters team focused on M&A, acquisition integration, product launch, and project management support. He played instrumental roles in the highly successful purchases and integrations of two $100M+ acquisitions in Europe and Korea. Ken subsequently built out and managed eBay’s International Trust and Safety function, charged with protecting the integrity of transactions. This program spanned 30 countries and operated in multiple languages, improving the user experience for over 100 million customers. He grew the team to 35+ team members, based in 13 countries.
Mitsubishi Electric Company. Based in London, Ken pioneered a new Strategic Planning function, reporting to the President of the $1.5B enterprise operating across multiple business lines in 10 countries. He then went to Paris, where he led the turnaround of Mitsubishi Electric’s Air Conditioning Business Unit by expanding revenues through changing product line strategy and investing in the distribution network. Over 4 years, sales quadrupled and market share tripled.
JBain & Company. Based in San Francisco and London, Ken developed implementable solutions for clients in strategy, operations and organizational design. Some examples include: a pan-European medical products strategy and organization for Baxter, a post-merger product line and manufacturing rationalization strategy for Genstar Roofing, a product line forecasting and production optimization strategy for Cilco and a portfolio management and mergers/divestiture strategy for a UK conglomerate Hawker Siddley.
Ken Calhoon earned his MBA at Harvard Business School, with his BA in Economics at Pomona College. He has served on the Board of Save the Bay (San Francisco) and provided strategy consulting for The Nature Conservancy and The Golden Gate National Park Conservancy. For more information please visit www.CalhoonGlobal.com.
Dr. Karla Callahan has 20 years of experience in the high technology, semiconductor, medical device and computer industries. Dr. Callahan is a high-energy executive with a proven track record of product development, rapid growth and creative problem solving. She is an inspirational leader of technology teams, both domestic and international, from new product conception, through development, manufacturing and commercialization to achieve fast growth and profitability.
Dr. Callahan brings strength in all aspects of technology business management including technical and engineering development, financial strategy, team project planning, manufacturing & operations decisions, IP protection, and customer/vendor relationship management. A creative and articulate strategist, she is skilled in making complex challenges clear, compelling, and achievable.
Dr. Callahan is the founder, President & CEO of Vizyontech Imaging, Inc. bringing 3D 21st-century technology to the medical ultrasound industry. She has held technical and business executive positions in successful start-up companies as well as in large corporations, including Texas Instruments, Cypress Semiconductor, and American Microsystems, with profit & loss responsibilities up to $100M and 2,000+ employees. Dr. Callahan was the CEO of United Silicon Structures, a semi-custom integrated circuit (ASIC) start-up company that won chip design placement in Boeing’s 767 and 777 electronic controls. With this win and others, she grew the company from a loss position to $10M revenue in 2.5 years and sold to a European company. Organizations that have reported to her resided in Korea, Singapore, Philippines, France, and the United States.
Dr. Callahan holds her Ph.D. (2004), Technology Mergers & Acquisitions, an MS in Engineering Management from the University of Missouri and a BS Chemistry from the SD School of Mines and Technology. Contact her at 408-351-3583 or callahan@vizyont8.com.
Christopher Chambers is a lifelong gamer with extensive project and people management experience in a wide range of companies from small startup publishers to large scale development houses, both in the US and in Asia.
He loves video games and has dedicated his career to advancing games as a medium for exploration, expression, fun, and learning. His goal, quite simply, is to help people make better games.
His earned his undergraduate degree from the University of California at Irvine in East Asian Studies and his MBA from Santa Clara University in Silicon Valley. He has lived and worked in China and speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese.
LouAnn founded SagaciousThink, which assists small and medium sized companies in addressing their operational challenges and opportunities. Recent examples of work include enterprise wide process improvement and change management, risk analysis, capacity building through implementing a PMO, and acting as interim COO. Other projects involved turning around operations and strategy. SagaciousThink focuses on companies seeking superior performance as they expand globally. Prior to SagaciousThink, LouAnn held leadership positions at Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Booz Allen Hamilton, Metromedia Fiber and Honeywell – Technical Services, and clients included DARPA and NASA.
She is an adjunct instructor at Golden Gate University Ageno School of Business where she teaches International Business and Strategy, and Managerial Analysis and Team Building. She has also lectured on Project Management, Blue Ocean Strategy, and Entrepreneurism at University of San Francisco School of Business.
LouAnn holds a Master’s of Business Administration in International Business from The Johns Hopkins University, Carey School of Business. She also holds a certification as a Project Management Professional (PMP) from the Project Management Institute (PMI), and a Masters in Business Process Management (BPMM) from the Association of Information and Image Management (AIIM). She earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Civil Engineering from Iowa State University.
She is also active with Astia, a non-profit that helps women-led start-ups, where she co-chairs the clean tech committee and is on their advisory board for Silicon Valley. She is also on the Dean’s Advisory Board of her alma mater, The Johns Hopkins, Carey School of Business, and is the founder of the Bay Area chapter of Carey Alumni.
Ben Connors provides consulting to guide emerging technology companies in developing strategy, finding appropriate financial and human resources, and executing for success. Mr. Connors has a proven track record of creating shareowner value in companies he has founded and built, as well as for those he advises. He is a Venture Partner with Mirador Capital, was a co-founder of Viador (NASDAQ: VIAD, an enterprise software firm), and currently serves as a member of the board of directors of several high-technology companies. He has 20 years of experience in business development, sales and marketing, international, and general management of advanced information technology businesses. Mr. Connors has authored numerous articles, white papers, and is a contributing author to TiE’s textbook, “Essentials of Entrepreneurship” (John Wiley & Sons, 2003).
Mr. Connors served for 5 years with Viador from inception to post-IPO, achieving a company market capitalization of over $1 billion. His roles included vice president of Business Development, vice president of International, vice president of Sales & Marketing, and Chief Operating Officer for Viador. Previously he was vice president of Sales, Marketing, and Business Development for The RightSizing Group, a software and services company focused on Internet, business intelligence, and large database applications. He was also a marketing director for Oracle, and has held senior level and consulting positions with companies such as Hewlett-Packard, Ascent Advisors, Optimization Solutions, Inc., and The Ask Group. Mr. Connors holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University.
Mr. Creque is a consultant specializing in marketing and lead generation. He has extensive experience marketing technology products and services to corporate clients at the executive and officer level. In his career positions at FindtheDOT (now IntelliDOT), IKON Office Solutions, and Teknekron, Mr. Creque demonstrated success at winning multimillion-dollar accounts and creating new markets.
Mr. Creque holds a MBA in Marketing from Heriot-Watt University’s Edinburgh School of Business. His undergraduate studies were in Electrical Engineering/Computer Science at U.C. Berkeley’s College of Engineering. He is a persuasive communicator with strong selling skills, and a nationally recognized writer of technology and business articles (publications include The Wall Street Journal, National Review and the San Francisco Examiner).
Peter Darling has over twenty years of experience in all facets of marketing and business development. His engagements incorporate a broad range of professional expertise, including that of an entrepreneur, strategist, consultant, attorney and marketer. By bringing all these disciplines to bear on behalf of his clients, Peter provides effective, proprietary solutions to one of the working professionals most critical problems: how to bring in new business.
Peter began his career as an advertising copywriter under the legendary Peter Arnell (www.arnellgroup.com) at Arnell’s first agency, Arnell/Bickford Associates. At A/B, Peter worked on numerous high-profile accounts, including Donna Karan, DKNY, Lifetime Television, and others. While working at A/B, Peter also took first place in the prestigious J. Walter Thompson copywriting competition, and studied at the School of Visual Arts in New York (www.schoolofvisualarts.edu).
Following A/B, Peter attended law school at the Law School of the University of Pennsylvania (www.law.upenn.edu). At Penn, Peter was an editor of the Journal of International Business Law, and also studied at the Wharton School (www.wharton.upenn.edu). He received his J.D. in 1993, and was a practicing attorney in Philadelphia for four years, specializing in commercial litigation.
In 1997, Peter helped found Flycast Communications, one of the world’s first online advertising networks. Flycast grew to over 350 employees, was successfully taken public, and reached $47 million in revenues by 2001, when it was sold to CMGI (www.cmgi.com) for $2.5 billion. At Flycast, and CMGI, Peter specialized in business development and strategic services.
Peter founded his consulting practice in 2001, with the objective of providing business development advisory services to professional services firms, including law firms, technology companies, consultancies and advertising agencies.
Peter has an undergraduate degree from Swarthmore College (www.swarthmore.edu) in English Literature (with honors). He lives in San Carlos, California.
Dr. Richard Dasher has been Director of the US-Asia Technology Management Center since 1994 and Executive Director of the Center for Integrated Systems since 1998. Both are education and research centers in the Stanford University School of Engineering. In addition, as Consulting Professor at Stanford University, Dr. Dasher teaches courses and seminars on technology management and Japanese business, and he advises several Stanford student groups which focus on entrepreneurship and Asia business. Dr. Dasher maintains an active private consulting practice and is currently advisor to two business incubators and several start-up companies in Silicon Valley. Dr. Dasher was the first non-Japanese person ever invited to participate in the senior management of a Japanese national university, serving a one-year term on the Board of Directors of Tohoku University from April 2004. He continues to serve as a member of the Management Steering Council of Tohoku University and as special advisor to its president.
Previously, Dr. Dasher was a salaried board director of two Japanese companies in Tokyo from 1990 – 93. From 1986-90, he was Director of the U.S. State Department’s Foreign Service Institute training centers in Japan and Korea for U.S. and British Commonwealth diplomats studying full-time advanced Japanese and Korean language and area studies. He received the Ph.D. in Linguistics from Stanford and is co-author with Professor Elizabeth Traugott of the book, Regularity in Semantic Change (Cambridge University Press, 2002).
Saman Dias truly embodies the American entrepreneurial spirit. Upon exposure to the nascent, fragmented San Francisco Bay Area computer training industry in the late 1980s, Saman realized the opportunity for potential growth. In 1992, Saman founded AIM Computer Training, focusing on the lucrative large-scale business training market segment. Through determination, hard work and the successful implementation of a unique business plan, AIM Computer Training became one of the most respected and leading training companies in the Bay Area.
Along the way, Saman pioneered numerous innovative business practices, fostered a healthy work environment for her employees and created the AIM Computer Training Global Strategic Alliance to expand AIM Computer Training’s operations around the globe. Her multimillion dollar global training company, which serviced the needs for Fortune 1000 companies, was acquired in 2004.
In 2006, Saman joined NorthPoint Financial Group as Executive Vice President. She built and managed the company’s business development program and its corporate training program. In 2008 she aided in forming a successful e-business concept for delivering analytics and investment ratings for residential real estate. A year later, Venture funded company was spun off as SmartZip Inc. Saman’s experience also includes successfully leading fundraising, recruiting, public relations and social media efforts.
Today, Saman leads Entrepreneurs and Small Businesses Coalition for Carly for California. And also an Advisor for Astia, an innovative global not-for-profit organization whose mission is to foster the full participation of women in entrepreneurship and as accelerators of high-growth companies fueling innovation and driving economic growth.
She received her Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Saman received Working Woman Magazine’s Entrepreneurial Excellence Award for General Excellence and Innovative Solutions in 2000 and it’s Entrepreneurial Excellence Award for Customer Service in 2001. The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award chose Saman as a nominee and finalist in 1998. She also received the 1998 National Association of Women Business Owners Adopt–A–Business award and was honored for East Bay Business Times Women Distinction Award for General Excellence.
Saman was featured by San Francisco Business Times, Contra Costa Times and USA Today. Her company AIM Computer Training was named as San Francisco Business Times Top 100 Women-Owned Company (six consecutive years) San Francisco Business Times Fastest Growing Privately Held Company (three consecutive years).
Rafiq Dossani is a Senior Research Scholar at The Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, Stanford University. His research and consulting areas include development, education, finance, international relations, outsourcing and telecommunications. Prior to joining Stanford University, he was the CEO of Jardine Fleming India, an investment bank. He has also served as Deputy Editor, Business India Magazine.
Teaching:
Development Issues in South Asia. View course outline here.
Financial Management. Download course outline here.
Outreach: Rafiq Dossani is the Director of the Center for South Asia at Stanford University for AY 2009-2010. He is on the advisory board of the Silicon Valley Indian Professionals Association, a member of the India Community Center Speakers Forum and a member of the Education Advisory Council of the American India Foundation
A senior executive with a record of success both domestically and internationally, Antonio is known for excellence in business acumen, strategic thinking, execution and management of tactical operations. Antonio’s business expertise includes sales, business development, operations and marketing. Specific expertise includes clean tech, enterprise database, development tools, high speed messaging & network infrastructure, Social Network mobile applications, internet and security software, either as Chief Executive Officer, Vice President or Managing Director of a division for both private and public firms. Antonio has served on company boards and continues to actively engage as an advisor and board member to several mobile software startups.
As an independent consultant in DSP and wireless communications, Randall Fahey provides business development, technical and strategic product marketing services to public and private technology companies. He also serves as a contributing editor and analyst with the leading DSP market research firm Forward Concepts. A seasoned technology executive, his experience spans design, development, marketing and sales of communications ICs and signal processing solutions. Randall honed his international management skills in Europe while working in Switzerland, France, Germany, Finland and the United Kingdom, and he has extensive business experience in Japan and Asia. He now resides in Silicon Valley.
Randall has held executive positions with multiple companies, including Stream Processors, where he was also a co-founder, Morphics Technology and ZSP Corporation, where he helped develop the first commercial superscaler DSP architecture. Prior to ZSP, he was responsible for the $200+ million wireless semiconductor products business for GSM handsets and infrastructure at AT&T Microelectronics/Lucent Technologies. He also served in strategic marketing and applications management roles for the company’s mobile communications signal processors group.
Mr. Fahey has worked as an integrated circuits specialist for Nokia Mobile Phones in the UK, an ASIC design manager for AT&T Microelectronics in Munich, Germany, and Paris, France, as a senior design engineer with Motorola’s European semiconductor division in Geneva, Switzerland. He was also a member of the technical staff at AT&T Bell Laboratories. Randall began his technical career in IC design as an associate engineer with IBM in Burlington, Vermont.
Randall earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Cornell University, a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and he participated in the executive MBA program at the AT&T School of Business. He holds dual citizenship in the United States and Switzerland.
Athol Foden has over 20 years of senior level experience in sales and marketing, as well as strategic business planning and branding, all of which is based on a solid technical background. From hardware, software, and peripherals to services and even consumer products, Mr. Foden has covered the spectrum as his interests in positioning distribution channels and integrated marketing have evolved.
His international management background in strategic planning and launching new businesses, with experience on both the client and agency side of marketing, all contribute to a practical and unique approach to marketing. An accomplished writer and teacher, Mr. Foden has two computer science degrees and has worked for major international conglomerates as well as many startups. For more details please see www.svmarketeer.com and www.brighternaming.com.
Doug Felder is a Senior Consultant of the US Market Access Center and President of Business Development Inc. Mr. Felder has over 30 years experience in high technology sales, marketing, and operations management.
A partial list of positions held would include: Chief Operating Officer, Vice President World Wide Sales, Vice President Business Development, and Vice President of Strategic Alliances.
His sales, marketing, and executive management skills have been developed working for large companies, such as Hewlett Packard, National Semiconductor, and Seagate Software. He also founded and managed his own manufacture’s rep and distribution business and has served on the executive staffs of four high tech startups. Two of these private companies were sold to public companies allowing the shareholders to convert private equity into publicly traded stock.
His executive positions required his direct involvement in major opportunities or problems including: company funding, company sale and acquisition, change in strategic direction, reorganizations, new product development, joint development agreements, strategic alliances, and IP licensing.
Mr. Felder’s entrepreneurial experience has given him a broad understanding of the challenges faced by small, under funded businesses and the solutions to their problems.
John Foggiato has over 25 years of experience in semiconductor, solar and battery technology, including recently 10 years in business development and marketing. Recent mentoring activities encompass startups in clean technology and several student groups in the development of products for commercialization. His business background involved several startups in semiconductor manufacturing equipment and business development and marketing in larger companies. With a PhD in Electrical Engineering from Stanford, his technical knowledge covers many aspects of product development needs such as materials, design and fabrication, testing and marketing launch documentation. Having published over 30 papers, he also has 15 patents. He has also been involved in mergers and acquisitions, developing business plans, connecting startups and entrepreneurs with local companies and assessing technology based products.
With a long time interest in innovation and startups, John can provide assistance in multiple areas, covering product and technology definition, market assessment, product development all the way to launch. His knowledge and connections throughout Silicon Valley provide avenues of assistance to startups in clean technology, semiconductor and solar technology and some biotechnology.
Emily Garbe is an expert in business strategy, venture development, mergers and acquisition, and engineering. Over the past decades Emily has worked with companies in fund raising, business plan development, product marketing and business process optimization. She has also been an interim CEO or CFO for several startups. Previously, as a partner at McKenna Consulting she led the teams that launched DirecTV Japan and developed the business plan for IBM’s Global Network business unit. As Director of Corporate Development at MCI, she led the deal team for several alliance deals including the $4 billion acquisition of a minority stake of MCI by British Telecom and the $1 billion joint venture between MCI and British Telecom. She was a consultant at Booz, Allen & Hamilton and was involved in creating several new financial services products for companies including American Express and Travelers Insurance. Emily was a Member of the Technical Staff at AT&T Bell Labs where she was a network architect for a global data network. She holds a BS in computer science and applied math from the University of Rhode Island, an MEng in computer science from Cornell University, an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and a PhD from Northcentral University. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and has served as a finance commissioner for her local municipality.
Dr. Abe Ghanbari is president and CEO of Folium Technology; a company dedicated to providing the most comprehensive semiconductor, LED, and solar energy consulting in the Industry. He is currently an Executive in Residence at Plug & Play in Sunnyvale California where he is spearheading Clean Technology Initiative. He is working with entrepreneurs and venture capital firms to promote clean technologies.
He is also serving on the BOD of Sustainability Method Institute. He is a senior high-tech executive with over 24 years of hands-on leadership experience in managing and growing both startups and large size companies. His business and technical experience span over several industries: semiconductor, electronics, optics/photonics, flat panel display, LED, and Solar.
Dr. Ghanbari has a successful track record managing domestic and global teams of engineering/R&D, operations, customer service, marketing, finance, and sales. Business experience includes $200M P&L responsibility and teams in excess of 1000 members. He has developed and market launched 12 capital extensive products in the above industries. He has developed and executed go-to-market programs designed to build awareness, drive demand, and influence sales for both domestic and international markets.
Dr. Ghanbari has extensive experience in providing leadership in formulating policy, strategy, budgeting, and product life cycle initiatives. Special skills also includes: Engineering & Operations Management (lean manufacturing), Supply chain management, Project Management, Product Development, Quality Management (six sigma and SPC), and Market/Business Development.
Dr. Ghanbari’s prior experience includes senior corporate engineering/R&D management, product development and general management roles in Varian, Veeco, Sony, Applied Materials, and Xyratex corporations. He also founded Plasma Aided Reactor Systems (PARS), Inc and developed equipment for semiconductor, hard disk drive, and flat panel display applications.
Dr. Ghanbari is widely published and has been granted more than 8 patents. He has lectured extensively worldwide, including an invitation under the National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council. He served as an advisor to the National Science Foundation for the Engineering Centers. Also as a consultant to the industry, he was responsible for several technology evaluations including business and market directions for merger and acquisitions of high-tech companies.
Dr. Ghanbari is an adjunct professor at business schools at Saint Mary’s college and the University of Tampa where he teaches Quantitative Analysis, Forecasting, Operations Management, Marketing, and Capstone courses to MBA students. He is also a regular AVS short course instructor teaching “The Technology and Economics of Solar Energy,” “Plasma and Ion beam Technology,” and “Plasma and Charged Particle Beam Diagnostics.”
Dr. Ghanbari received a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering, Master of Science degree in Plasma Engineering from University of Illinois, and a doctoral degree in Applied and Engineering Physics (Plasma/Atomic) from Cornell University. He also holds an MBA from Saint Mary’s college with emphasis in operations and marketing management. He is also a certified public speaker.
Art Gould consults on Search Engine Optimization, Social Media Networking and Marketing Strategy. Art has over 25 years of high technology experience in a wide variety of roles, including hands-on development, development management, software product management and marketing, and developer program management. He has also been taught computer science and co-founded a startup.
His accomplishments in a wide variety of settings include:
Dr. Karin Hollerbach is a Senior Consultant at the US Market Access Center. Dr. Karin Hollerbach serves as CEO of Taku Group. Taku Group helps global wellness companies accelerate growth and capitalize on market opportunities. Taku Group’s clients move to their next level of growth – by raising growth capital, entering new markets, or expanding via strategic alliances. Dr. Hollerbach has served as CEO, President, Executive Vice President, VP of Technology, VP of Products, and other management roles. She has served in interdisciplinary roles at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, the Whitehead Institute, SRI, and Draper Laboratory.
Dr. Hollerbach holds undergraduate degrees in Molecular Biology and in EECS from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an MSEE from UC Berkeley, and a PhD in Biomedical Engineering awarded by UC Berkeley and UCSF. She serves as President and Director of the M.I.T. Club of Northern California, serving over 8,600 M.I.T. alumni and alumnae, and as Trustee of St. Mary’s Medical Center in San Francisco, where she chairs the Board Development Committee. Dr. Hollerbach is an active alumna of Leadership America. She is fluent in multiple languages.
Peter Holoyda is a Senior Consultant at the US Market Access Center. He brings over 16 years of high technology engineering and sales management experience to the organization. Mr. Holoyda has experience in semiconductor, medical imaging, embedded systems, and electro-optics. He is uniquely experienced in business development, sales, and channel development and as a lead technical engineer.
His professional experience includes General Electric, Motorola, Fairchild Semiconductor, Silicon Graphics, and Hewlett Packard. Mr. Holoyda has a BSEE and BSCE from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Marketing Degree from UC-Santa Cruz.
Focused on helping companies achieve market winning, differentiated and profitable positions for their products and services Alastair Hood has consulted with companies in the UK, Ireland and the USA. His international business and technical development experience grants you access to a broad range of business, technical, social and cultural skills and knowledge invaluable in the global economy.
At Marquis Advisory Group, Alastair utilizes his unique skills of in-depth technical knowledge and international business experience to work directly with company executives, their management and their technical development teams to successfully identify and focus on the immediate business requirements, develop strategic roadmaps and produce tactical implementation plans in alignment with the business requirements and the global marketplace.
Alastair is passionate about clean technology companies and their use of nanotechnology to produce more efficient and cost effective solutions for a cleaner future.
Stu Jeffery is a wireless telecommunications consultant with over 25 years experience in both commercial and defense fixed and wireless communications systems. His career has included managing the Electronic Warfare group of GTE Government Systems, Business Development at Synacom Corporation, developer of GSM/CDMA networking products, and Product Management at Sensitron, developer of wireless applications for medical facilities.
Current projects include assisting municipalities and community colleges in developing and implementing wireless networks. He is an adviser and on the board of directors of several companies, including the Wireless Communication Alliance, www.wca.org, Silicon Valley’s premier wireless professional organization. He has a degree in Physics from Ohio State University and an MBA from Northeastern University.
FiratKahraman is a senior consultant at US Market Access Center. Mr. Kahraman is currently Vice President of Vizyontech Imaging, Inc a medical device company, which builds next generation diagnostic imaging systems. He has played critical roles in product design, system architecture definition and identification of market business opportunities within technology start-up companies.
Mr. Kahraman’s knowledge and experience are unique in its span of engineering, product technology, and manufacturing combined with the vital start-up elements of strategic thinking and business growth considerations. Mr. Kahraman’s past responsibilities included analyzing existing medical electronics equipment and wireless communications to design and develop new applications.
Paul Kallmes has extensive experience in numerous and diverse fields. Most recently he was the intellectual property strategist and general manager of the custom solutions business unit of the Lighting Science Group. Prior to that he worked in licensing in the private sector, for a large government-sponsored lab, and in various start-up settings. He has run manufacturing businesses, done extensive consulting work, started and managed ambitious international projects, worked in electrical design engineering, environmental consulting, business development for non-profits, and even as a mountain guide. He is enthusiastic about sharing his wide range of expertise with other people who are trying to create new and valuable ventures.
Yuko Katsube-Mather (勝部メイサー優子) is a Senior Consultant of the US Market Access Center as well as Founding Partner of Mather & Associates. She specializes in the Asia-Pacific Business Development with an emphasis on the US-Japan joint ventures. A former investment banker who has worked in Tokyo, New York, and London, she has an in-depth knowledge of corporate finance and related legal issues. Also as an early Internet adopter, she has founded or initiated a number of Internet ventures since 1996. As one of the founders of Asia-Net Japan, an online job information services company, she has spearheaded a broad range of business development initiatives, and grew the company from a 4-person operation to over 100+ employees with offices in Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and the United States in 2 1/2 years. The company was acquired by a private equity firm in 2001. She has authored print and online articles and spoken at technology and business conferences in Japan and the U.S.
A proven entrepreneur with business experiences in both sides of the Pacific, she is familiar with both American and Asian business cultures and practices and is capable of viewing the issues from both perspectives to find ways to bridge the gap.
Ms. Katsube-Mather’s areas of expertise are: Internet, software, finance, business-to-consumer products and services. She consults in market research, product development, strategic planning, partnership/joint venture negotiation, assistance with funding, market-entry/office-setup.
A native of Yokohama Japan and honors graduate of University of California, Berkeley, she is fully bilingual in English and Japanese.
As Senior Director of Asian Business Development in Globespan’s Palo Alto office, Mike Kayamori helps the portfolio companies to expand their businesses into Asia. Mike brings a powerful combination of business development, operating and cultural experience to the job.
Prior to Globespan, Mike was instrumental in groundbreaking projects at Mitsubishi Corporation. As Project Manager at the corporations New Business Initiative Group, he led a cross-border business development project that established the largest retail joint-venture company in Mitsubishi history. During his tenure at the joint-venture, he led operations, store development, logistics, IT, and import handling, helping to expand the new company into a successful retail business.
Mike was a core team member at one of Mitsubishi’s largest buyouts, a Japanese convenience store with 7,500 outlets. As one of the buyout’s key strategic projects, he developed and rolled out a new retail prototype store that now has more than 40 outlets in Tokyo. Mike also served as Area Coordinator of Mitsubishi’s Development and Coordination Department. In this role, he assisted the corporation’s China branch with inland trading and researched China’s business policy and foreign affairs.
In addition to his operating roles at Mitsubishi, Mike has investment banking and private equity experience with firms in Japan.
He found his way to Globespan through a oase study in an international entrepreneurial finance class at business school. Andy Goldfarb, Globespan co-founder and Executive Managing Director, was a protagonist in
the case, and “I knew then that I wanted to work there.”
The best part of Mike’s job is “working directly with our entrepreneurs. They are the ones closest to innovation, and it is exciting to work with them.” He has worked with the teams at Nominum, Luidia, lngrian and Copan in developing marketing strategies and establishing business alliances throughout Asia.
Mike earned a Bachelor of Laws degree at the University of Tokyo and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Rochelle Kopp is an authority on Japanese culture and business. As a consultant specializing in cross-cultural communications, she has extensive experience working with Japanese organizations and their non-Japanese suppliers and partners. A veteran facilitator experienced in delivering training and consulting to both Japanese and non-Japanese, Rochelle has a particular specialty in facilitating cross-cultural teambuildings and other programs for executives.
Rochelle has extensive experience helping Japanese firms be successful in their U.S. operations, offering assistance in various areas related to management and human resources, including performance management, compensation, job descriptions, and effective management practices. She has deep expertise in helping executives from other countries increase their effectiveness in the U.S. environment.
Rochelle gained firsthand experience of Japanese corporate culture when she lived in Japan and worked at the Tokyo headquarters of a major Japanese financial institution. She speaks, reads, and writes Japanese fluently, and has passed Level 1 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test and Level A of the JETRO Test of Business Japanese.
Rochelle is the author of The Rice-Paper Ceiling: Breaking Through Japanese Corporate Culture and over a dozen books in Japanese. Rochelle also writes articles for various Japanese and American publications, including regular columns for the Nikkei Weekly. She is a frequent speaker, and has also taught courses in Organization Behavior and Entrepreneurship at Northwestern University and Cross-Cultural Management at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University.
Prior to establishing Japan Intercultural Consulting, Rochelle worked at two U.S.-based international consulting firms. She holds a B.A. summa cum laude in History from Yale University and an M.B.A. with honors from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.
Natasha has over 15 years of successful leadership roles in domestic and international business development, marketing strategy and communication, outreach and program management, working for global companies and start-ups.
Natasha’s industry experience spans consumer products (Martin Lawrence Galleries, Creative Strategies), financial services (The Private Bank of the Peninsula), streaming media web applications (Chaincast Networks), telecommunication (AirTouch, Globalstar). During the course of her career she has been responsible for building clients’ portfolios, evaluating market demand and opportunities, lead generation, revenue forecasts, establishing strategic alliances and joint ventures. She has extensive experience in management, operations, product marketing and finance, working in multinational and cross – functional teams.
Throughout all of Natasha’s career positions, her main focus has been to directly interact with end-users and understand market demand.
A graduate of Moscow State University’s School of Journalism, Natasha wrote for a number of Russian national magazines and newspapers, reporting on art, culture and politics. She came to the United States in 1990 to participate in the John Knight Fellowship program for journalists at Stanford University. She subsequently earned an MBA from UC Berkeley with the emphasis on strategic marketing and sales. Following that, she started to work in high tech companies in Silicon Valley.
Natasha has for many years been actively involved with local non-profit art and music organizations, and currently serves on the board of the Palo Alto Art Center Foundation. In addition to English, Natasha speaks and writes in Russian and French.
Back in the U.S. after 10-years based in Germany, Melissa Lamson is a pioneer in the Global Diversity and Intercultural Management field. She has run projects in over 30 countries including; Central Eastern Europe, China, India, and South Africa. Melissa works with governments, non-profits, SMEs, large multinationals, foreign investors, and C-level executives across all industries.
Her clients include; 3M, Blackberry, MTV, Volkswagen, SAP and Siemens and her work consists of Intercultural Training, Diversity Consulting, Expatriate Relocation Programs and Leadership Development. Her recent ventures have been to advise foreign investors who want to set-up or expand operations in the Silicon Valley on candidate selection and preparation.
Additionally, Melissa has consulted expatriate managers from over 30 countries on working and living abroad. Her expertise is in Germany, the US, Mexico, France and South Africa, She has been interviewed by prestigious European-based newspapers in the same league as the Wall Street Journal and New York Times. Melissa is published in the field of Intercultural Relations.
She was nominated in 2008 as one of 25 top female entrepreneurs in Europe and served on the advisory boards of elite business associations across in Europe. Melissa teaches regularly in executive MBA programs and consulted the Harvard Medical School on setting up their center for cultural learning. She was among the first female-owned businesses to receive an award from the German Ministry of Cultural Affairs for her work in Diversity.
She has published extensively in the field of Organizational Development, Talent Management, Diversity and Intercultural Communication. Melissa is currently working on a book on 10 Principles for Working Successfully with German Business Partners.
Oliver Landreth is a multilingual brand strategist and global employee communications consultant with extensive experience in brand strategy development and implementation, training development and facilitation, employee communications, and organizational development for clients across diverse industries – generating millions of dollars in profitable growth.
Successful designing and executing highly complex global branding strategies, employee communications plans, and executive learning programs to achieve aggressive business goals.Highly effective leveraging key stakeholder relationships and project management skills to reposition company brands for market dominance. Excel at leading cross-functional, multi-cultural teams in developing cost-effective, sustainable solutions to overcome challenges and facilitate organizational change. Passionate educator with proven ability to mentor, train, and motivate diverse teams to peak performance. Fluent in French, Portuguese, Italian, working knowledge of Spanish, and conversant in Dutch and German. Oliver obtained a BA in International Relations and an MBA from INSEAD.
Specialties:
Organizational Development P&L / Budget Accountability Project Management Team Building & Leadership Change Management Corporate Training & Communications Executive education Employee engagement
Contact
US Market Access Center 10 South Third Street, 3rd Floor San José, CA 95113 Main reception: +1-408-351-3300 Main fax: +1-408-351-3332