Best Startup
At Best Startup US we track over 1,000,000 US startups and over 3 million people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top California based VP’ operating in the Consumer space. If you think a VP’ is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on editor@beststartup.us.
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Jared Wall
VP of Business Development and Global Sales of Black Clover
Jared Wall serves as VP of business development and global sales at Black Cover, an American lifestyle apparel brand.
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About Black Clover, We Are Nations: Black Clover is a lifestyle apparel company, creating casual apparel, hats, and accessories.
Pio Schunker
EVP, Global Head Brand Marketing of Samsung Electronics
Pio Schunker is a global integrated brand marketing expert, with a proven track record of unparalleled capability and craft. Schunker, known for his expertise in brand marketing and advertising, has won several distinguished international awards over the course of his career, of which have included two Cannes Marketer of the Year awards (for Coca Cola and Samsung) as well as an Emmy Award for best commercial.
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About Samsung Electronics: Samsung Electronics is an electronics company engaged in consumer electronics, IT and mobile communications, and device solutions.
Sang Ahn
Vice President and General Manager, Samsung Pay of Samsung Electronics
Sang Ahn is the VP & General Manager of Samsung Pay, Inc., responsible for driving the business and operations of Samsung’s mobile wallet in the U.S. Sang Ahn has been involved in Samsung Pay from day one by leading the investment and then strategic acquisition of a proprietary technology that became the basis for Samsung Pay’s Magnetic Secure Transmission (MST). Today he leads teams in Silicon Valley, Boston, and New York City working closely with Samsung divisions in the U.S. and Korea. Sang Ahn also leads the commercialization of select Samsung services in the identity management, artificial intelligence, mobile commerce, and mobile browser spaces for the U.S. market. He reports to the Global SVP of Services at Samsung Electronics. Previously Sang Ahn was the Managing Director and Head of East Coast Investments for Samsung’s Global Innovation Center (GIC). GIC builds, buys, invests, and partners with innovative startups that can make a strategic impact for Samsung. At Samsung he invested in LoopPay (payments, acquired by Samsung), Automated Insights (language processing, acquired by Vista Equity) and Wevr (software and content for virtual reality). Prior to Samsung, Sang Ahn was a Principal at Dawntreader Ventures (a $300mm venture fund based in New York) where he served as a lead investor and Board Director of companies that have been acquired by leading technology companies such as Google, EMC, VeriSign, and IAC. As an entrepreneur, Sang Ahn was the founder and President of Glenkirk Advisors (technology advisory) and Founder & CEO of AhnWalker Therapeutics (novel drug development). Sang Ahn is a current Board Director of MarketFactory, an emerging financial technology company. Sang Ahn is a husband and father of two daughters and resides in Palo Alto, CA.
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About Samsung Electronics: Samsung Electronics is an electronics company engaged in consumer electronics, IT and mobile communications, and device solutions.
Alan Robles
Vice President Retail Design & Development of Samsung Electronics
Over 24 years exploring the relationship between users and their surroundings, Alan’s been creating experience environments for clients and projects of every scale around the world. In his role at Gensler he explores the opportunities found at the fringes of the design practice, searching for the edges of the play space of each design opportunity. As Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and digital media have become a more significant part of the engagement and development of “place”, he’s focused his work on exploring the interplay between content and context. Developing the tools for creating stories in places with special attention to the value those stories help communicate within the experience environment.
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About Samsung Electronics: Samsung Electronics is an electronics company engaged in consumer electronics, IT and mobile communications, and device solutions.
Stefan Heuser
Vice President, Operations and Innovation – Strategy and Innovation Center (SSIC) of Samsung Electronics
CEO at Siemens Technology-to-Business
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About Samsung Electronics: Samsung Electronics is an electronics company engaged in consumer electronics, IT and mobile communications, and device solutions.
Steve Liu
VP, R&D; Chief-Scientist; Co-Director of Samsung Electronics
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About ACM, IEEE, IEEE, IEEE, McGill University, Mila – Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute, Samsung Electronics, TandemLaunch: Samsung Electronics is an electronics company engaged in consumer electronics, IT and mobile communications, and device solutions.
Jack Ahn
Vice President of Samsung Electronics
Samsung DeX is another notable accomplishment of the dedicated technical minds at Samsung. They’ve tirelessly pursued creating new possibilities for technologies to help users break preconceived notions of what they can and cannot do or how they are “supposed” to use their devices. Jack truly appreciates being part of Samsung DeX. Prior to joining Samsung, Jack focused on delivering mobile and mobility solutions to enterprise customers. At Samsung, Jack is responsible for Knox and Knox related services along with Samsung DeX, Email, Samsung Focus, and Smart Key services. Jack enjoys problem solving with engineers from all walks of life.
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About Samsung Electronics: Samsung Electronics is an electronics company engaged in consumer electronics, IT and mobile communications, and device solutions.
Shiro Kambe
Executive Vice President of Sony
Sachi Kambe is the Senior VP at Sony Pictures Entertainment
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About Sony, Sony Pictures Entertainment: Sony develops and manufactures audio, video, communications, and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets.
Hiroshi Kawano
SVP of Sony
Hiroshi Kawano is the SVP at Sony.
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About Sony, Sony Computer Entertainment (SCEI): Sony develops and manufactures audio, video, communications, and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets.
Paul Kohli
Vice President of Investment Operations of Mayfield Fund
Paul Kohli is responsible for deal structuring and execution for Mayfield Fund’s global investment activities. Paul has over a decade of investment and operational experience in the venture capital industry. Paul joined Mayfield Fund in 2004 as an analyst and was promoted to director of investment operations in 2007. He works closely with the firm’s investment professionals in the U.S. and India and serves as a valuable resource to the firm’s portfolio companies. Prior to joining Mayfield Fund, Paul worked for Selby Venture Partners for four years where he managed the investment activities, fund operations (including fund structuring, administration and investor relations), and worked closely with several portfolio companies. Paul holds a BA in history from Santa Clara University.
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About Mayfield Fund: Mayfield is a global VC firm focusing on inception and early-stage investing in enterprise, consumer, and engineering biology companies.
Mark Broduer
Vice President Global Head, Digital Marketing Innovation of Nestlé
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About Nestlé: Nestlé manufactures and sells food and beverage for several countries.
Neeraj Sahejpal
Senior Vice President of Marketing & Strategy of Energous Corporation
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About Energous Corporation: Energous Corporation is the creator of WattUp, charging technology for electronic devices.
Tab Ratan
Vice President, Business Development & Head of Marketplace of Hollar
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About Hollar: Hollar is an online dollar store that features toys, apparel, electronics, beauty, accessories, party supplies, to home essentials.
Kyrylo Ledovskoy
VP Data Services of Hollar
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About Hollar: Hollar is an online dollar store that features toys, apparel, electronics, beauty, accessories, party supplies, to home essentials.
Khudor Annous
SVP, Influencer Client Development of Branded Entertainment Network
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About Branded Entertainment Network, Entrepreneur.com, Twitch: Branded Entertainment Network is a marketing and advertising company providing entertainment content creating services.
Baoqiu Cui
VP & Chairman of Technical Committee of Xiaomi
In June 2012, he joined Xiaomi and built up the Xiaomi Artificial Intelligence and Cloud Platform team. He has led Xiaomi’s “Cloud Computing-Big Data-Artificial Intelligence” technology development route。He is the chairman of the Group technical committee . Dr. CUI, Baoqiu graduated from the Department of Computer Science of Wuhan University and received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Prior to joining Xiaomi, he worked in IBM Silicon Valley Lab, Yahoo! and LinkedIn, working on technology development and management in database, search engine, machine learning, big data, social networking and more.
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About Xiaomi: Xiaomi is an electronics and software company that focuses on mobile devices and technology.
John Taylor
Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications of LG Electronics
John I. Taylor is Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications for LG Electronics USA, Inc. Active in ATSC activities for decades, Taylor currently serves as ATSC Communications Chairman in addition to his role as a member of the ATSC Board of Directors. He represents LG Electronics on the Video Division Board of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). He is Chairman of the CEA Communications Committee and co-Chair of the CEA 4K Ultra HD Working Group, and he serves on the CEA Foundation Board of Trustees. Taylor also is a member of the boards of directors of the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, The Media Institute and the Library of American Broadcasting. His industry experience included serving as Chairman of the Digital HDTV Grand Alliance public affairs group, past Chairman of the CEA Video Division and former Chairman of the CEA HDTV Promotion Committee.He co-founded the Digital TV Transition Coalition and Plasma Display Coalition and previously served on the boards of the ATSC Forum and the Museum of Broadcast Communications. Active in digital television since 1988, Taylor is a charter member of the Academy of Digital Television Pioneers, and recipient of its highest honor, the Industry Leadership Award. Among other industry honors, Taylor received the 2014 AHAM Distinguished Service Award and was inducted into the Dealerscope Hall of Fame in 2015, largely for his work related to digital television.Since 2000, he has served as LG’s senior U.S. industry relations and government affairs executive. Taylor represents the company before the U.S. government and in industry organizations. He also is chief media spokesman and public relations strategist for LG Electronics in the United States. Taylor joined Zenith in 1981 and was named the company’s senior public affairs executive in 1987 and a corporate officer in 1993. (Zenith merged with LG Electronics in 1999.)A former newspaper reporter, he earned an M.S. degree from the Medill Graduate School of Journalism, Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill., and a B.A. from DePauw University, Greencastle, Ind.
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About LG Electronics: LG Electronics is a multinational company which includes LG Electronics.
Samuel Chang
SVP LG electronics US / Corporate Vice President LG HQ of LG Electronics
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About LG Electronics: LG Electronics is a multinational company which includes LG Electronics.
Mohak Shah
VP & AI and Machine Learning of LG Electronics
Mohak Shah is an analytics leader and research scientist with significant experience in organization formation, strategy, and end-to-end data science engagements. He has participated in functional and strategic capacity in developing high-performing organizations in the analytics space. As a scientist, Mohak has developed novel machine learning and statistical algorithms, with high impact application in industrial domains, healthcare, bioinformatics and neurosciences. He is co-author of “Evaluating Learning Algorithms: A Classification Perspective” (Cambridge), and has authored more than 35 articles in top conferences and journals in the analytics space. He currently leads Data Science at Bosch.
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About Bosch, H1, LG Electronics: LG Electronics is a multinational company which includes LG Electronics.
Henry Chung
Vice President and Corporate Venture Capital of LG Electronics
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About LG Electronics: LG Electronics is a multinational company which includes LG Electronics.
Dave Garr
Co-Founder, SVP of Customer Experience of UserTesting
Specialties:A/B testing, conversion rate optimization, interactive marketing, market research, multivariate testing, product marketing, social networking, usability
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About UserTesting: UserTesting is an on-demand human insight platform designed to improve customer insights.
Andy Iseli
Vice President and General Manager, CCL Tube of CCL Industries
Andy Iseli is a Vice President and General Manager, CCL Tube at CCL Industries.
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About CCL Industries: CCL is the largest label company in the world and provides innovative solutions.
Nathaniel Hancock
Executive Vice President of Sales of Podium
Nathaniel Hancock joined Podium.com as Executive Vice President of Sales in 2018.
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About Podium, Zinch: Podium is a customer communication platform for businesses who interact with customers on a local level.
Hema Sundarraj
VP, Corporate Controller of Dividend Finance
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About Cepheid, Dividend Finance: Dividend Finance is a Technology-enabled finance platform supporting the energy transition with lending and other financial solutions.
Jordan Savage
Co-Founder & VP, Creative of Grove Collaborative
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About Grove Collaborative: Grove creates and curates high-performing, planet-first home and personal care products and is the leader in zero-plastic CPG.
Brian Levin
Co-Founder and VP of Global Sales of Swyft
Brian Levin is the Co-Founder and VP of Global Sales at Swyft
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About Swyft: Swyft sells great products from leading brands in strategic high profile locations, serving customers.
Brian McGee
EVP, COO & CFO of GoPro
Brian McGee is the senior vice president and chief financial officer of [GoPro](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/gopro#/entity), a brand of high-definition personal cameras used in extreme action video photography. Previously, he was the vice president for finance at the same company. He has also served as the vice president for business operations at [Qualcomm](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/qualcomm#/entity). McGee holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from [California Polytechnic State University](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/california-polytechnic-state-university-san-luis-obispo#/entity). He lives in Los Gatos, California, United States.
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About GoPro: GoPro is a brand of personal cameras used in extreme action video photography.
Rick Loughery
Vice President Global Product Communications of GoPro
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About GoPro, GoPro: GoPro is a brand of personal cameras used in extreme action video photography.
Michael Shabun
Vice President, Business Development & Marketing of Insta360
Michael Shabun is Marketing Director of Insta360 and leads North American marketing strategy, partnership and communication efforts. Michael joined the team from DJI where he was instrumental in moving the company into the public spotlight through a series of strategic alliances within emerging consumer and industrial verticals. Prior to his work at DJI, Michael held business development positions at various global marketing agencies where he helped large scale technology manufacturers expand their North American partner portfolios. Michael holds a Bachelor’s degree in Rhetoric and Philosophy from the University of California, Berkeley.
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About Insta360: Insta360 is a professional intelligent technology company that offers cameras that empowers people to freely share experiences.
Luca Rigazio
VP of Artificial Intelligence of Koko
Luca Rigazio’s work focuses on Intelligent Software, based on AI & Machine-Learning, which is taking over the world. Autonomous systems such as agents, autonomous vehicles, robots and drones are just around the corner. Luca’s goal is to give these machines a human touch while giving humans access to these machines without the hurdles of talking their language. His focus is on real user-driven problems, looking for solutions that leverage machine-learning, hardware and sensors to achieve a high degree of autonomy and usability. Luca’s specialties include: AI, Machine-learning, Deep-Learning, Computer-Vision, Speech-Recognition, Signal-Processing, Autonomous Systems, Robotics, Autonomous Vehicles, UX/Product design and Ideation/Management.
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About Koko: Koko makes a device to monitor the health and safety of older adults in a completely passive way–with no wearables required.
Jamie Nessel
Vice President of Buying & Merchandising of Good Eggs
Schooled by the pioneers of the organics movement at Good Earth Natural Foods, Jamie moved on to join Whole Foods Market and take on roles of ever increasing oversight and responsibility. At the end of her 12 years at Whole Foods, Jamie owned purchasing and operations for Dairy, Frozen, Bulk and Grocery at 44 stores in Northern California, a $600 million business unit. She came to Good Eggs in January 2017 to build and scale a thriving purchasing program in order to yield a complete yet curated marketplace of absurdly fresh and rigorously sourced products. She now leads a team of 40 across Production, Merchandising, Engineering and Category Management and is proud to be living her values every day.
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About Good Eggs: Good Eggs is an online grocer and meal kit delivery service with a mission to reinvent the food system, for good.
Betty Fletcher
VP, People of Good Eggs
Betty Fletcher is the Vice President of People and Culture at Good Eggs.
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About Good Eggs: Good Eggs is an online grocer and meal kit delivery service with a mission to reinvent the food system, for good.
Robert Normile
Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer & Secretary of Mattel
Robert Normile has been Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary since February 2011. From March 1999 to February 2011, he was Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary. He served as Vice President, Associate General Counsel and Secretary from August 1994 to March 1999. From June 1992 to August 1994, he served as Assistant General Counsel. Prior to that, he was associated with the law firms of Latham & Watkins LLP and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP.
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About Mattel: Mattel is the worldwide leader in the design, manufacture, and marketing of toys and family products.
Sven Gerjets
EVP, Chief Technology Officer of Mattel
Sven Gerjets has been Chief Technology Officer of Mattel since July 2017. From January 2017 to July 2017, he served as Chief Product Officer of n.io Innovation. Mr. Gerjets was the Chief Information Officer of Time Warner Cable, Inc., from October 2015 to June 2016. Before joining Time Warner Cable, Inc., he was the Chief Technology Officer of Pearson from July 2014 to October 2015.
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About Mattel: Mattel is the worldwide leader in the design, manufacture, and marketing of toys and family products.
Shailaja Shankar
Senior Vice President of Engineering, Enterprise Core, EPP, EDR & Data Center Security of McAfee
Shailaja K. Shankar is the Senior Vice President of Engineering, Enterprise Core, EPP, EDR & Data Center Security at McAfee.
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About McAfee: McAfee is an online security company that provides virus alerts and analysis on malware, network security threats, and web vulnerabilities.
Ashutosh Kulkarni
EVP and CPO Enterprise of McAfee
Ashutosh (Ash) Kulkarni is executive vice president and chief product officer of the enterprise business group at McAfee. He is responsible for product strategy and execution and for delivering leading-edge cybersecurity offerings that protect McAfee customers from threats to their applications, networks, data, devices, and other critical assets. Kulkarni is a passionate advocate of customer-centric design and of the use of data and analytics to create compelling offerings that thrill customers. Most recently, he was the senior vice president and general manager of the web security and web performance businesses at Akamai Technologies. During his tenure at Akamai, he led the teams that delivered the leading web application firewall, bot management, and DDoS mitigation solutions in the industry.
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About McAfee: McAfee is an online security company that provides virus alerts and analysis on malware, network security threats, and web vulnerabilities.
Vincent Weafer
Vice President of Engineering, McAfee Labs of McAfee
Vincent Weafer is the Senior Vice President & Cyber Engineering at Capital One.
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About Capital One, McAfee, TriagingX: McAfee is an online security company that provides virus alerts and analysis on malware, network security threats, and web vulnerabilities.
Robert McCulley
Vice President of Sales of EcoSense Lighting
Robert McCulley is the Vice President of Sales at Ecosense Lighting.
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About EcoSense Lighting: EcoSense Lighting designs and develops lighting solutions for commercial and residential applications.
Sam Nam
VP Growth & Marketing of Imperfect Foods
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About 50x Digital, Imperfect Foods: Imperfect Foods delivers groceries with a mission to eliminate food waste and build a better food system for everyone.
Patrick O’Malley
Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer of Seagate Technology
Patrick O’Malley assumed the role of EVP & CFO effective August 25, 2008. In his previous role of SVP Finance & Treasurer, he was responsible for Corp. Accounting, Reporting, Treasury, Credit & Collections and Risk Management along with Corporate Financial Planning & Analysis and support for our Business Unit GMs, Sales & other functions. In October 2005, he returned to Finance from the Sales Organization where he coordinated the Company’s activities surrounding the Consumer Electronics market as the SVP, Consumer Electronics Business Development from January 2004. O’Malley joined Seagate in 1988 & has held various management roles within the Finance organization including Manager of Consolidation & Cost Accounting, Director of Finance – Corporate FP&A, Sr. Director of Finance for Oklahoma City Operations, Sr. Director of Finance for Desktop Design, VP of Finance for Recording Media Operations & SVP of Finance for Manufacturing Operations. Prior to joining Seagate, he spent four years as a Sr. Staff Accountant for Arthur Young & Co. O’Malley holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Notre Dame (Class of 1984).
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About Seagate Technology, Seagate Technology: Seagate offers consumers and businesses with data storage solutions to create, share, and preserve digital content.
B.S. Teh
Senior Vice President of Sales & Sales Operations of Seagate Technology
B.S. Teh is senior vice president of global sales and sales operations. He is responsible for Seagate’s worldwide sales and field marketing, with a focus on driving scale and breadth in customer and market coverage. Teh joined Seagate in 1989 as a field customer engineer. He has served in a variety of leadership roles with the company across multiple functions in California, Singapore and Shanghai, including sales, marketing, business operations and field technical support. Most recently, he was senior vice president of Asia-Pacific sales and marketing, based in Singapore. Teh holds an MBA from the University of South Australia and an EE degree from the National University of Singapore.
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About Seagate Technology: Seagate offers consumers and businesses with data storage solutions to create, share, and preserve digital content.
Joy Nyberg
Senior Vice President of Human Resources & Internal Communications of Seagate Technology
Joy Nyberg is responsible for leading Seagate’s global human resources efforts, including: compensation and benefits, leadership and learning, staffing and on-boarding, HR central transaction centers, HR compliance, internal communications and community engagement. Prior to joining Seagate in 2007, Nyberg was vice president of Compensation and Benefits at Maxtor Corporation. She has also held senior HR positions at KLA-Tencor and ESL/TRW. Nyberg holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from San Jose State University.
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About Seagate Technology: Seagate offers consumers and businesses with data storage solutions to create, share, and preserve digital content.
Douglas Young
Executive Vice President of Lennox International
Douglas L. Young became a Director in October 2014. Mr. Young is Executive Vice President of Lennox International, Inc. (NYSE: LII), a global leader in the climate control industry. Mr. Young joined Lennox in 1999 and since 2006 has served as the President and Chief Operating Officer of Lennox’s Residential Heating and Cooling Segment. Mr. Young had previously served as Vice President & General Manager of North American Residential Products since 2003 and as Vice President & General Manager of Lennox North American Residential Sales, Marketing, & Distribution from 1999-2003. Prior to his career with LII, Mr. Young was employed in the Appliances division of GE, where he held various management positions before serving as General Manager of Marketing for GE Appliance division’s retail group from 1997-1999 & as General Manager of Strategic Initiatives in 1999. He holds a BSBA from Creighton University and an MS in Management from Purdue University.
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About Lennox International: Lennox International is a provider of climate control solutions for the heating, air conditioning and refrigeration markets.
Asish Xavier
Vice President, Venture Investments of Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation
Asish Xavier is the Vice President of Venture Investments at joined Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc. (JJDC) in 2004. Asish is based in Silicon Valley, California. Asish previously worked in business development at BioRexis Pharmaceutical, Inc., which was acquired by Pfizer in 2007. While at BioRexis, Asish assisted the company in raising a $30 million second round of financing. Asish has worked in business development at Structural GenomiX, Inc., acquired by Eli Lilly in 2008, and was a project leader at Message Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Asish received a Ph.D. from the University of Houston and a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated with honors. Asish received a Bachelor of Technology in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, India. Asish was also a postdoctoral research Fellow in the Department of Chemistry at Johns Hopkins University.
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About Cue, ESCAPE Bio, Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation, Legend Biotech, Paige, ViaCyte, XWPharma: Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation, a venture capital subsidiary, finances technology companies focused on patient health.
Stacy Feld
Vice President, Consumer Venture Investments of Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation
Stacy received a B.A. in sociology, graduating magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania and earned her J.D. from Vanderbilt Law School.
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About Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation, Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation: Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation, a venture capital subsidiary, finances technology companies focused on patient health.
Claudia Ceniceros
VP, Chief Communications Officer of PCH International
Before joining PCH, Claudia was senior director of strategic partnerships at One Kings Lane, an eCommerce site. Earlier, she held numerous positions at Cisco from 2000-2011, including senior director of strategic partnerships and business development, and senior director/head of corporate communications. Earlier she was VP of strategic communications at ABC Television Network, and VP at Robinson Lerer Montgomery. She holds a BA in philosophy and political science from the University of Illinois, Chicago.
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About PCH International: PCH provides a unique, intelligent, end-to-end product development and supply chain orchestration platform for the world’s best brands.
Gaurav Hardikar
Vice President of Product of Brilliant
Product Management Leader with experience at multiple stages of company growth – early stage (Brilliant), mid-size (Shopkick), large (Trulia, Zillow Group). Values full-stack product management – taking the product from strategic planning all the way to the actual Go-To-Market, through effective collaboration and emotional intelligence when working with teams. Having worked across a variety of different software and hardware products, he has significant experience in product analytics, UX design and research, and team management. Gaurav is always looking for a challenge and finding solutions to problems that have a tangible impact on people’s daily lives.
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About Brilliant: We make the Brilliant Control, a smart home control system that replaces an existing light switch.
Scott Wharton
VP & General Manager, Video Collaboration Group of Logitech
Scott Wharton is the VP & General Manager, Video Collaboration Group at Logitech .
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About Bulldog Innovation Group LLC, Logitech: Logitech designs and manufactures personal peripherals for the needs of personal computer and laptop users.
Rick Kelly
Vice President Products & Research of Fuel Cycle
Rick Kelly is Vice President of Products & Research at Fuel Cycle. Rick Kelly has spent most of his career in the market research industry, working closely with clients and operations teams to ensure client needs are met. He has published articles on market research methods and delivered presentations at the MRA, PAPOR, and AAPOR, among others. His research interests center around using new technology to capture data. In addition to his research background, Rick is a Technology Advisory Board member to the CX@Rutgers program, was a key team member at a Silicon Valley digital health startup and taught political science at the university level. Rick has an MS in political science from Utah State University and has an MBA from The University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill.
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About Fuel Cycle: Fuel Cycle’s Market Research Cloud integrates human insight with critical business data for actionable intelligence.
Jonathan Marshall
Vice President of VMG Partners
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About VMG Partners: VMG Partners is a private equity firm that specializes in buyouts and growth capital investments.
Namrata Ganatra
VP of Engineering of Thrasio
Namrata grew up in India and has a computer science engineering degree from University of Mumbai and certifications from Stanford. Namrata joined Stockpile from Facebook, where she was head of engineering for payments. Before Facebook, she was at Zong and PayPal, where she led the carrier billing and mobile products division. Namrata joined Stockpile because of her own financial struggles and lack of investment knowledge growing up, and to fulfill her personal mission to help people around the world invest for their future.
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About Storepath, Thrasio: Thrasio is a next-generation consumer goods company reimagining how the world’s most-loved products become accessible to everyone.
Joseph Audette
VP, Product of RepairPal
“If everything seems under control, you’re not going fast enough.” – Mario Andretti
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About RepairPal: RepairPal helps car owners find peace-of-mind with free, custom repair estimates, cars overviews, and recommendations to local, fair shops.
Kathleen Long
Vice President / General Manager, Networks (Biz Dev, Marketing, Relationships, Success & Operations) of RepairPal
For the last 16 years, Kathleen Long has provided thousands of practical business, payroll, and accounting solutions to small and medium sized businesses. She delights in helping entrepreneurs and accountants grow their businesses and achieve success, by helping them to streamline, automate and reduce manual work and paper. Kathleen joined Bill.com in July of 2010. Prior to that, Kathleen worked at Intuit and PayCycle, helping to grow and develop what ultimately became the largest online payroll service in the US! In each case, Kathleen built and developed world class, award-winning customer support teams and strategies. Kathleen has also been up close and personal with small businesses and their accountants, working as a business advisor to push her customers’ businesses to the second stage of growth and help them acquire business financing and lines of credit. This work has helped her really develop and absorb the mindset of the businesses she serves. Kathleen has a degree in General Studies and Philosophy from the University of Nevada Reno. She delights in music, theater, movies, reading, writing, laughing (too loud), talking (a lot) and being a kid all over again with her teenage son.
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About RepairPal: RepairPal helps car owners find peace-of-mind with free, custom repair estimates, cars overviews, and recommendations to local, fair shops.
Celina Mikolajczak
Vice President, Battery Technology, Panasonic Energy of North America of Panasonic
Celina Mikolajczak is the vice president of battery technology for Panasonic Energy of North America. In this role, Celina leads a team of more than 200 passionate engineers, analysts and other technical staff who work to continuously improve lithium-ion cell manufacturing and to bring the latest cell technologies to mass production for Tesla Motors, Inc. at the Gigafactory facility in Sparks, Nevada. Prior to joining Panasonic in 2019, she served as director of engineering focused on battery development for rideshare vehicles at Uber Technologies. There, she worked to develop battery packs for bicycles, scooters and aircraft. Before that, Celina worked at Tesla Motors as the senior manager for cell quality and materials engineering, helping to develop the battery cells and packs for Tesla’s Model S, Model X, Model 3, and Roadster Refresh. From 1999 to 2012 Celina developed a technical consulting practice at Exponent focusing on lithium-ion cell and battery safety and quality. She helped develop many safety and quality concepts that were initially applicable to consumer electronics battery packs but are now standard considerations for electric vehicle battery packs. Celina continues to be an active participant in development of fire codes and standards related to EVs, ESS, and battery production facilities. With more than 20 years of experience, Celina is a recognized leader in the lithium-ion industry. Her technological expertise, engineering background and leadership skills have been instrumental in ushering in milestones in battery technology production and efficiency. Celina is a member of the National Fire Protection Association and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
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About Panasonic, Panasonic, Uber: Panasonic Corporation is one of the largest electronic product manufacturers in the world, comprised of over 634 companies.
Darren Hudgins
Vice President, Software Engineering of Breathometer
Darren Hudgins is the Vice President, Research & Development of Hillrom.
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About Breathometer, Hill-Rom: Breathometer develops a breath analysis technology that helps people make smarter decisions and improve their lives.
Brian Sellstrom
Executive Vice President & Treasurer of Active Interest Media
Brian Sellstrom joined Active Interest Media as Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer in August, 2005, bringing with him 35 years of experience in the publishing industry. Sellstrom is directly responsible for the company’s financial/accounting, treasury, banking/finance, human resources, and information technology functions. In addition, Sellstrom is also responsible for the coordination of the Company’s Strategic Planning and Budgeting processes. Prior to joining Active Interest Media, Sellstrom was CEO of DC Shoes, a $170 million skateboard shoe company. He guided the sale of the company to Quiksilver. Sellstrom has also served in several management capacities for the Times Mirror Company; as CEO of AchieveGlobal, a $200 million global training company, and as CEO of The Skiing Company and TransWorld Media, the leading media companies in the winter sports and action sports industries. Sellstrom joined the company when he and his partners sold TransWorld Media to Times Mirror Company.
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About Active Interest Media: Active Interest Media (AIM) was formed in October 2003 by Wind Point Partners and Efrem Skip Zimbalist III.
Peter Su
Vice President and Chief IP Officer of Moley Robotics
Peter Su is patent strategy and legal director . He is also a partner at Dentons US LLP. Peter is an IP strategist. He advised numerous Silicon Valley companies.
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About FIBREE, Moley Robotics: Moley Robotics develops robotic kitchen with oven, hob, sink, and two dexterous robotic arms that allow it to cook.
Sonita Lontoh
SVP and Global Head of Marketing, 3D Print & Digital Manufacturing of HP
Public Company Board Director, Fortune 100 Executive, Advisor, Investor, Entrepreneur
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About HP, SVA Technology: HP is a manufacturer and seller of personal computers, printers, computer hardwares, and business solutions.
Catherine Lesjak
Executive Vice President & CFO of HP
Catherine Lesjak has served as executive vice president and chief financial officer of Hewlett Packard Company (“HP”) since January 1, 2007 and was interim chief executive officer of HP from August 2010 through October 2010. As a 27-year veteran of the company, Lesjak has held a broad range of financial leadership roles across HP. Before being named CFO, she held the position of senior vice president and treasurer, responsible for managing HP’s worldwide cash, debt, foreign exchange, capital structure, risk management and benefits plan administration. Earlier in her career at HP, Lesjak managed financial operations for Enterprise Marketing and Solutions and the Software Global Business Unit. Prior to that, she was group controller for HP’s Software Solutions Organization and managed HP’s global channel credit risk as controller and credit manager for the Commercial Customer Organization. Lesjak earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Stanford University and a master of business degree in finance from the University of California, Berkeley.
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About HP: HP is a manufacturer and seller of personal computers, printers, computer hardwares, and business solutions.
Moe Khosravy
VP of SW/FW, 2D and 3D Print Platforms of HP
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About HP, RMS: HP is a manufacturer and seller of personal computers, printers, computer hardwares, and business solutions.
Mirjana Spasojevic
VP, Head of Immersive Experiences of HP
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About HP, Pivot Point Innovation: HP is a manufacturer and seller of personal computers, printers, computer hardwares, and business solutions.
Josh Brenkel
SVP WW of HP
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About HP: HP is a manufacturer and seller of personal computers, printers, computer hardwares, and business solutions.
Mark Talarico
Global Vice President – Endurance Sports / International of OGIO International
Mark Talarico is the Global Vice President – Endurance Sports / International at OGIO International.
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About OGIO International: OGIO International, Inc. designs and manufactures bags, backpacks, and travel luggage.
Daren Leith
SVP of Design & Product of Ember Technologies
Daren is a design thinker, do-er, innovator and creative leader with over 20 years, international, design industry experience. With industrial design being his passion, he has spanned a broad spectrum of roles including, designer, senior designer, design principle, senior design manager, senior creative product manager and, more recently, VP of product development and design. He has also led and managed a broad and diverse range of consumer electronics design projects across multidisciplinary teams, cultures and market segments, holds multiple patents, awards and, has spent several years in the future innovation and exploration space. Between 2005 and 2011 Daren successfully built, managed and directed design teams in both LA and Beijing, wining an iF and IDSA Finalist award and producing many compelling and high selling products for the USA, China and APAC markets. He is an accomplished, independently talented, industrial designer with a highly successful track record of new product development, design management, future thinking and creative leadership. He brings a wealth of diverse and relevant design experience, and a very transferable and adaptable skill set.
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About Ember Technologies: Ember Technologies is a design-led temperature control brand that produces a patented temperature adjustable dishware and drinkware.
Noelle Delory
Vice President of Marketing of Lulus
Noelle is the VP of Marketing at Lulus (www.lulus.com), a fast-growing online women’s fashion retailer, where she oversees marketing, creative and PR. She has over 15 years of experience in advertising, online and offline content development and production, strategy, PR, and digital marketing and outreach. Prior to Lulus, Noelle held roles at MAC Cosmetics, Havas Media, Rockstar Games, and Miramax Films in New York, Paris, and Barcelona.
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About Lulus: Lulu’s fashion lounge is an online store for women’s dresses,shoes, accessories, and clothing.
Nils Erdmann
Vice President, Investor Relations of Oportun
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About Battery East, Oportun: Oportun is a fintech company that provides financial services from personal loans to financial resources.
Janet Hector
Sr. Vice President of Sales of Drunk Elephant
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About Drunk Elephant: Drunk Elephant is a non-toxic skin care brand.
Gabe Brown
VP of Design of Loto Labs
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About Loto Labs: The makers of the world’s first induction vaporizer
Michael Brill
Co-founder and VP of Products of Magia.ai
Michael Brill is Co-founder and serves as a VP of Products at magia.ai.
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About Magia.ai: Magia.ai is an AI start-up aimed at re-defining selling in the omni-channel retail era.
Phil Edge
Vice President, Growth Strategy of SquareTrade
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About SquareTrade: SquareTrade is an independent warranty provider for consumer electronics and appliances.
John Whelan
Vice President of Customer Experience of SquareTrade
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About SquareTrade: SquareTrade is an independent warranty provider for consumer electronics and appliances.
Josephine Chan
Vice President of People of SquareTrade
Josephine is responsible for all things related to people at SquareTrade. That includes building and motivating a team of top talent, as well as nurturing the company’s unique culture. Prior to SquareTrade, she served as director of human resources at Nextag.com, the leading online comparison-shopping site with nearly half a billion visitors per year. In that role, she was responsible for driving global initiatives such as talent acquisition, employee engagement, and talent development. Josephine earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of California, Davis.
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About SquareTrade: SquareTrade is an independent warranty provider for consumer electronics and appliances.
Michael Costanza
Vice President of Business Development of SquareTrade
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About SquareTrade: SquareTrade is an independent warranty provider for consumer electronics and appliances.
Jason Siciliano
Vice President & Creative Director of SquareTrade
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About SquareTrade: SquareTrade is an independent warranty provider for consumer electronics and appliances.
James Kairos
Co-founder, EVP & CRO of Jyve
I drive innovation in the CPG/Grocery industry. Currently, I’m providing cross-functional leadership and heading up business development, strategy, and alliances for Jyve, a mobile marketplace for in-store talent that’s enabling brands and retailers to respond more quickly and more intentionally to in-store consumer behavior (without breaking their budgets).
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About Jyve: Jyve is a tech platform that matches brands’ in-store execution needs with the right skilled labor, at the right time.
Raman Suri
Senior Vice President of Lending Club
Raman Suri is Head of the Retail Investor Group at Lending Club and President of Lending Club Advisors, LLC. At Lending Club, Raman is responsible for driving the company’s retail investor channel, focusing on self-directed retail, registered investment advisors, brokerage distribution strategies, and product development. He brings more than 15 years of experience in investment management, as well as product and business development. Prior to Lending Club, Raman held a variety of senior roles at BlackRock iShares and its predecessor Barclays Global Investors (BGI), including Head of RIA and Institutional Segments, and Head of Product for US iShares. At BlackRock, he was responsible for expanding the iShares product line to over 200 products across asset classes, leading to a democratizing of investment choices for retail investors. At Barclays, Raman developed a sales channel that became one of the biggest ETF users with over 100 different firms and over $75B in assets. He most recently served as Managing Director, Head of Insurance ETFs at BlackRock, where he oversaw the entry of iShares into the $5 trillion insurance market.
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About Lending Club: Lending Club is an online financial community that brings together creditworthy borrowers and savvy investors.
Mark Dentinger
Vice President & Chief Financial Officer of InvenSense
Mark Dentinger joined us in 2014 as our Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining us, Mr. Dentinger served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of KLA-Tencor Corporation from September 2008 to August 2013. Prior to joining KLA-Tencor, from February 2005 to April 2008, Mr. Dentinger served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for BEA Systems, Inc., until the company was acquired by Oracle Corporation. Mr. Dentinger was with BEA Systems for a total of nine years, during which he held various senior financial and managerial roles within the company. Prior to joining BEA Systems, Mr. Dentinger served in various financial management positions at Compaq Computer Corporation (now Hewlett-Packard) for six years, culminating in his appointment as Director of Finance, High Performance Systems Manufacturing in 1996. Mr. Dentinger received his bachelor’s degree in economics from St. Mary’s College of California and his M.B.A. in finance from the University of California at Berkeley.
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About InvenSense, Veritas Technologies: InvenSense provides motion-tracking devices for consumer electronic products such as smartphones, tablets, game controllers, and others.
Al Heshmati
Vice President of Systems & Software of InvenSense
Al Heshmati joined InvenSense in Dec 2012 and serves as Vice President of Systems & Software. Al has extensive commercial experience in development of location technology, motion sensing solutions, wireless, and SOC design. Prior to InvenSense, he was Vice President of Software at CSR (previously SIRF), and before that he held several engineering leadership roles at Qualcomm, SnapTrack, and Trimble Navigation. Al received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Computer Science from Cal State University, Fullerton. He has 20 US patents issued or pending.
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About InvenSense: InvenSense provides motion-tracking devices for consumer electronic products such as smartphones, tablets, game controllers, and others.
Simon Waters
Senior VP, Global Brand Licensing & Publishing of Hasbro
Simon Waters joined Hasbro in their LA offices in May 2010 as Senior Vice President of Global Licensing & Publishing, where he leads a first class licensing team committed to a strategy of re-inventing Hasbro Franchises as lifestyle brands. Through partnerships with innovative companies, his team has built industry leading programs & experiences for a diverse range of categories, sectors and consumers worldwide. Simon has a proven track record of strategic leadership, delivering results and fostering creativity in the entertainment space, built through senior level experience in marketing, retail and sales. Prior to joining Hasbro, Simon served as vice president of global franchise development and strategic marketing at The Walt Disney Company, leading two of Disney’s largest consumer products franchises, Mickey Mouse & Winnie The Pooh, and also establishing and leading a new business unit called Disney Infant, catering to the product needs of new Moms. Simon also held executive positions in the UK music industry at Universal Music Group and Bertelsmann Music Group earlier in his career, as well as roles in retail operations and buying with HMV Music Retail. As a native of the UK, he arrived in LA with his family in 2004 and has been based on the west coast since. Simon is an avid runner, triathlete, Board Member of the Boys & Girls Club of Pasadena and a musician who’s work was featured in a commercial spot for Scion Cars, a writer and contributor to an on-line career magazine, and has also performed on stage as a member of the Los Angeles Theatre Sports Improvisation group.
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About Hasbro, Suitcase Entertainment: Hasbro is engaged in providing children’s and family leisure time products with brands and entertainment properties.
Dan J. Poritzky
Vice President – Real Estate Development of LeEco
Dan Poritzky is Vice President of Real Estate Development, Head of Real Estate and Facilities, LeEco North America. Responsible for land development, leasing and workplace services, Dan leads the development for the 3.1 million-square-foot Santa Clara property acquired from Yahoo! for the company’s upcoming EcoCity campus. Dan is no stranger to Silicon Valley real estate, having worked in the Bay Area for more than 17 years for some of the most dynamic players in the region’s real estate market. Prior to joining LeEco, Dan served as managing director with MWest Properties, a joint venture between DivcoWest and TPG Real Estate. His experience also includes 7 years at Hines, the majority of which was spent on leasing and marketing deals in the Silicon Valley region, as well as tenures at Prologis and Eastdil. During the course of his career, Dan has worked with several of the largest tech companies in Silicon Valley. With extensive experience on the Landlord/Developer side, he has acquired, managed, leased, and sold over $10 billion in assets, with the vast majority located in Northern California. One of Dan’s primary priorities at LeEco is the development of its EcoCity campus. Last July, the company purchased 3.1 million square feet of entitled land from Yahoo! to build the future home of LeEco’s global headquarters. The space was previously approved for 13 buildings, enough to accommodate approximately 12,000 employees. EcoCity’s mission is to support and inspire staff members to innovate, while offering the public a communal gathering place to enjoy live music, play sports and collaborate with LeEco to build the next generation of products. Dan is responsible for ensuring this open EcoCity has a strong foundation to bring it to life.
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About LeEco: LeEco is a global internet company that offers video streaming services and technology devices.
Nick Chavez
SVP Sales and Marketing of Nintendo
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About KFC, Nintendo: Nintendo is a Japanese multinational consumer electronics company that develops game consoles.
Zeev Collin
Founder/VP Engineering of Semitech
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About Semitech: Semitech is an electronics company that provides a device for a semiconductor that converts the electricity grid into a smart grid.
Colin Bowman
VP Product Management of Credible
Colin leads all things product and design at Credible. Prior to Credible he led product for the Yahoo Homepage globally, and spent five years building personalized web experiences for hundreds of millions of users. In his earlier days, he worked at Bain & Company consulting across a range of industries, including financial services, and then attended Stanford Business School where he focused on technology and entrepreneurship (while accumulating considerable student debt worthy of refinancing). Colin is (unapologetically) Canadian and loves to travel to places that most others avoid (59 countries and counting).
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About Credible: Credible is a multi-lender marketplace that allows borrowers to receive competitive loan offers from its vetted lenders.
Jim Ryan
Vice President, Business Development of eSurface
PCB industry veteran with more than 30 years in technology and electronics. At Sanmina Corp., in addition to serving as Director, Jim was V.P. of Business Dev. and VP/General Manager of PCB facilities in the U.S. and Asia. Recently, Jim served as V.P. of Business Dev. At Integrated Technology/Insulectro.
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About eSurface, Sanmina Corporation: EarthOne Circuit Technologies Corporation “dba eSurface ” was established in August, 2010.
Jim Ryan
Vice President, Business Development of eSurface
PCB industry veteran with more than 30 years in technology and electronics. At Sanmina Corp., in addition to serving as Director, Jim was V.P. of Business Dev. and VP/General Manager of PCB facilities in the U.S. and Asia. Recently, Jim served as V.P. of Business Dev. At Integrated Technology/Insulectro.
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About eSurface, Sanmina Corporation: EarthOne Circuit Technologies Corporation “dba eSurface ” was established in August, 2010.
Mircea Irimie Buzgar-Nazare
Senior Vice President of Automotive Lamps of Philips Lumileds
Mr. Buzgar-Nazare is Sr. VP of Automotive Lamps at Lumileds. He brings more than 30 years of experience in the Automotive and Lighting Industries. Prior to his current role, Mr. Buzgar-Nazare served as General Manager of Automotive Lamps within Philips Automotive Lighting – a business group of Royal Philips dedicated to providing best in-class lighting solutions in the Automotive Aftermarket and Original Equipment Manufacturer and Supplier markets (OEM, OES). Previously, Mr. Buzgar-Nazare was the Head of Operations for HID, a global business unit of Philips Lighting. He was located in Shanghai, China. He joined Royal Philips in 1995. In earlier roles, Mr. Buzgar-Nazare served as General Manager of Philips Automotive Playback Modules Europe, a Philips company that designed and manufactured Navigation systems for the Car Industry. He also held the position of General Manager Tubular Lighting, a Philips company that designs and manufactures fluorescent lighting solutions. Throughout his career, Mr. Buzgar-Nazare worked and lived in South Africa, Asia, Europe, and in the USA. His professional career covered the areas of Product Development, Head of Large Global Operations and General Management. A South African and Romanian citizen, Mr. Buzgar-Nazare holds a MSc in Electrical Engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of Timisoara Romania.
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About Philips Lumileds: Lumileds Lighting was formed in November 1999 as a joint venture between Philips Lighting and Agilent Technologies.
Aaron Liao
Vice President, Developer Experience of Dolby Laboratories
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About Dolby Laboratories: Dolby creates surround sound, imaging, and voice technologies for cinemas, home theaters, PCs, mobile devices, games, and more.
Giles Baker
Senior Vice President and Consumer Entertainment of Dolby Laboratories
As Senior Vice President, Consumer Entertainment, Giles Baker leads Dolby’s business in the consumer entertainment industry, delivering technology and innovations that continue to raise the standard of entertainment experiences across the world. Giles leads a global team that builds complete industry solutions—from content production to distribution and playback—to bring immersive entertainment experiences to consumer devices, including TVs, game consoles, PCs, digital media adapters, mobile phones, and tablets. Under Giles’s leadership, Dolby audio solutions have been integrated into national standards and adopted by operators and manufacturers that are addressing the transition to digital broadcast, from Northern Europe to the Middle East and Asia. Dolby has also unveiled innovations in the visual experience, including Dolby Vision™, which transforms the TV experience with dramatic imaging—incredible brightness, contrast, and color that bring entertainment to life. Before joining Dolby in 2010, Giles spent nearly 10 years in business leadership roles at Adobe Systems, where he was responsible for professional video software. Previously, he was responsible for the professional DVD authoring business at Sonic Solutions. Giles holds an undergraduate degree in music and sound recording from the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom and an MBA degree from the Wharton School.
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About Dolby Laboratories: Dolby creates surround sound, imaging, and voice technologies for cinemas, home theaters, PCs, mobile devices, games, and more.
Andrew Border
General Manager & Vice President, Communications Business Group of Dolby Laboratories
Andrew Border As Vice President of the Dolby Communications Business Group, Andrew Border is responsible for the expansion of Dolby technology into the communications market. He leads a global team responsible for delivering innovations and experiences that improve collaboration and productivity. Andrew joined Dolby in November 2010, spearheading the development and worldwide launch of Dolby Voice® and the Dolby Conference Phone, both of which have redefined audio conferencing. He oversees strategy and the creation and delivery of communications solutions for the market. In his previous role as Director of Product Management for Unified Communications at Cisco, he defined the company’s strategy for presence and instant messaging, led its video strategy for unified communications, and managed Cisco’s relationship with Microsoft for unified communications. Andrew holds a BA degree in history and political science from the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
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About Dolby Laboratories: Dolby creates surround sound, imaging, and voice technologies for cinemas, home theaters, PCs, mobile devices, games, and more.
Andy Sherman
EVP and General Counsel & Corporate Secretary of Dolby Laboratories
As Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Andy Sherman oversees Dolby’s patent licensing businesses and government relations, and Dolby’s worldwide legal affairs, including all corporate, regulatory, intellectual property, litigation, and licensing activities. Prior to joining Dolby, Andy served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel at CBS Interactive, where he led the legal group advising CBS’s online entertainment, mobile, technology, sports, news, games, lifestyle, and international business units. Andy joined CBS Interactive following CBS’s acquisition of CNET Networks, where he was Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, responsible for global legal and regulatory matters. In senior legal positions at Sybase, PeopleSoft, and Epiphany, Andy oversaw legal aspects of US and international mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic transactions, and other matters. Earlier in his career, Andy worked in private practice with Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich (now DLA Piper), specializing in the representation of emerging technology companies in intellectual property and technology-related legal matters. Andy holds a JD from the University of the Pacific, as well as a BS degree in business administration from the University of Southern California.
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About Dolby Laboratories: Dolby creates surround sound, imaging, and voice technologies for cinemas, home theaters, PCs, mobile devices, games, and more.
Rob Rokoff
Senior Vice President of Jornaya
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About Jornaya, Verisk: Jornaya is a consumer journey insight platform that provides companies with the highest-resolution view of the consumer buying journey.
Thomas Dollente
Vice President of Product Management of RealWear
Thomas Dollente is the Vice President of Product Management for RealWear, a manufacturer of wearable ruggedized computers. He has spent the majority of his career providing technology solutions to operations teams across multiple industries including construction, utilities, transportation, manufacturing, and energy. Thomas was a Product Manager with Trimble Navigation from the inception of their Utilities Division. There he managed both ruggedized hardware and enterprise software solutions for field services organizations. Part of his Trimble career involved deploying the hardware and software systems at customer work locations, integrating Trimble’s solutions with customers’ legacy systems and other new technologies. These two roles – product manager and systems implementer – were major parts of Thomas’s responsibilities at Spacient Technologies, a company he co-founded and which was subsequently acquired by Trimble.
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About RealWear: RealWear develops a small screen tablet to be worn with an industrial helmet for workers in the field, factory, or warehouse.
Matthew Brian Buchenroth
VP, Marketing of Outstanding Foods
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About Outstanding Foods: Oustanding Foods is a manufacturer of plant-based food products and a Better-For-You Snack Brand.
Jason McDowall
VP Product and Head of Visual Experience of Ostendo Technologies
Jason is the creator and host of the #1 podcast focused on augmented reality, The AR Show. He’s also the VP/ Head of Visual Experience Software and AR Evangelist at Ostendo, which is focused on addressing a fundamental challenge of AR smartglasses: the underlying visual engine. Jason invests in early stage companies at Method Ventures. Previously Jason was a serial entrepreneur – first in mobile, later in AI-assisted CRM. He also spent several years at Salesforce.com and served as an officer in the US Air Force.
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About Ostendo Technologies: Ostendo Technologies develops solid-state lighting based display technologies and products for commercial, consumer, and government markets.
Ty Takayanagi
VP of Marketing and Biz Dev of Triple W Japan
Ty Takayanagi has an extensive background in the consumer tech and health device industries. Triple W is an innovator of connected health devices and developer of DFree®, the first health wearable device for urinary incontinence. Prior to Triple W, Takayanagi headed product marketing for industry leader, Sony, including the tablet, home audio and home theater, and handheld computer divisions. His Sony background, coupled with his personal experience with the challenges of caregiving, helped him to launch DFree to the U.S. market. He wants to help others who may be managing incontinence themselves or as caregivers to a loved one. Takayanagi graduated from the University of California, San Diego, with a B.A. in Economics. He also received an M.B.A. in Marketing from the University of Chicago Booth School in Business.
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About Triple W Japan: Triple W Japan makes the world’s first toilet timing predicting device.
Ara Nazarian
Executive VP of Engineering of Rockley Photonics
Ara Nazarian, Executive VP of Engineering is responsible for the design and development of Transceivers, OptoASIC, Sensors, and 3D imaging/Lidar components and systems. Prior to joining Rockley, Ara held executive engineering positions at Broadcom, Marvell Semiconductor, and Western Digital. He also co-founded two start-up companies, Versifi and Peripheral Technologies. Ara is an innovative leader who has been recognized for growing and leading top talent engineering teams, and successfully developing and delivering high volume production for mobile cellular Systems on Chips (SoCs), set-top box SoCs, modems, SSDs, HDDs, power management devices and software products. Ara has authored a technical leadership book titled “Technical Minds,” and holds more than 20 U.S. patents. He holds BSEE and MSEE degrees from California State University, Los Angeles.
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About Rockley Photonics: Rockley Photonics manufactures photonics chips and custom integrated packaged products.
Neeraj Purandare
SVP, Head of Product Management of HCL Technologies
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About HCL Technologies: HCL Technologies is a global IT services company, working with clients in the areas that impact and redefine the core of their businesses.
Shimona Chadha
Associate Vice President Marketing of HCL Technologies
Shimona Chadha serves as am associate VP of marketing at HCL Technologies.
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About HCL Technologies: HCL Technologies is a global IT services company, working with clients in the areas that impact and redefine the core of their businesses.
Shimona Chadha
Associate Vice President Marketing of HCL Technologies
Shimona Chadha serves as am associate VP of marketing at HCL Technologies.
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About HCL Technologies: HCL Technologies is a global IT services company, working with clients in the areas that impact and redefine the core of their businesses.
Kevin Strom
Vice President of Customer Experience of Intellivision
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About GlobeChat, Intellivision, WeWorld: Intellivision is bringing human connection back to the living room by offering a simple, affordable, family-friendly entertainment platform.
Andy Efron
VP Client Solutions of SymphonyRM
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About SymphonyRM: SymphonyRM is a healthcare software platform designed for health CRM and AI for healthcare organizations.
