FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CommNexus Elects 5 New Technology Industry Leaders to Join the CommNexus Board of Directors from ARM, Silicon Valley Bank, Qualcomm, ecoATM/Outerwall and Irvine Company
San Diego – August, 20, 2012 – CommNexus, San Diego’s non-profit technology association and technology incubator (EvoNexus), announces the election of five new technology industry leaders to the Board of Directors committed to assisting the organization in providing programs and services that will continue to help propel the high tech industry and our region forward.
“The CommNexus board is the bedrock of the organization,” said Rory Moore, CEO of CommNexus. “Their unwavering support, both financially and through their personal involvement in our programs, have enabled CommNexus to provide unprecedented ROI for the San Diego region. On August 15th, the organization welcomed new directors to serve alongside those who continue to guide the organization. It is my great pleasure to welcome Adam Gould, Eric Otterson, Larry Paulson, Maria Stipp and John Turner.”
New board directors include:
Adam Gould (Vice President, Growth Partnerships, ARM)
Adam Gould is Vice President of Growth Partnerships at ARM, and has more than 25 years of wireless experience. Before its acquisition by ARM, Adam was CEO of Sensinode, a leading provider of software for the Internet of Things. Previously, Adam joined NextWave in 2005 as GM of the consumer products business unit and SVP for semiconductor Sales and Marketing. Before NextWave, Adam was CTO of Nokia CDMA, where he worked for 13 years. Early in his career, Adam developed the DSP software for the first GSM phone, at Motorola. Adam has degrees in EE from Drexel and MIT.
Eric Otterson (Managing Director, Silicon Valley Bank)
Eric is the current managing director at Silicon Valley Bank. He was responsible for managing the operations of the office and leads its technology banking team. This included a variety of lending, investment and global treasury management solutions tailored to private, venture-backed firms as well as small cap, publicly traded firms. Eric has 15 years experience in marketing and business development working with high growth technology and life science companies. He was formerly the VP of Business Development at the law firm of Cooley Godward Kronish, LLP, where he managed the national business practice groups, and locally built relationships between San Diego entrepreneurs and the firm’s capital provider clients. Prior to Cooley, Eric led the sales closure and implementation of a CRM suite at clients like Fiserv, Countrywide, AT&T, and British Telecom. Eric is an active board member of the CONNECT foundation, Taco del Mar, and a trustee at the San Diego French-American School. He has also been an active real estate developer successfully building ten San Diego beach homes. Eric holds B.A. in Environmental Design from UC Berkeley and an M.B.A. from The Anderson School at UCLA.
Larry Paulson (VP of Product Management, QRD, Qualcomm)
Mr. Larry M. Paulson is the Vice President of Product Management at Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. In this role Paulson is responsible for product management efforts across the Qualcomm Reference Design (QRD) program, where he manages the business’ global reach and expansive portfolio. Previously, he was the Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President at Brightpoint Inc., since January 1, 2011. Mr. Paulson was responsible for providing direction and coordination in the areas of strategic development, portfolio expansion through new products and services, establishing and managing relationships with key vendors and customers and executing on the global marketing plan. He also facilitated and drove Brightpoint’s strategic commercial initiatives around the world. Mr. Paulson serves as a Director of CommNexus San Diego and AetherPal Inc. He has been involved in the wireless industry for over 28 years.
Maria Stipp (President, ecoATM/ OuterWall)
Maria is the President of ecoATM, as of March 2014. Maria is also the Chief New Venture Officer for Outerwall, the company behind popular consumer kiosks like Coinstar and redbox. Her role at outerwall finds her responsible for finding, developing and growing new businesses that will become a part of the Outerwall family of companies. One such recent acquisition is ecoATM, automated ecycling stations that enable consumers to exchange used consumer electronics for cash. The New Venture role is responsible for more than $1B in revenues and has ownership over all aspects of the P&L, including brand marketing, manufacturing, engineering, legal, HR, finance, sales strategy and field operations. Prior to this role Maria was the Chief Customer Officer for Coinstar-redbox, responsible for overall go-to-market strategy and more than $2.2B in annual sales. Maria holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa in Business Administration, and has completed executive coursework at the Kellogg School of Management in Chicago, the Center for Creative Leadership, and Cornell University.
John Turner (Regional Vice President, San Diego, Irvine Company)
John Turner is Regional Vice President, San Diego for Irvine Company Office Properties – a division of the Irvine Company – a privately held real estate planning, development and investment company based in Newport Beach, California. Involved in San Diego’s 7.4 million-square foot portfolio, John is responsible for all aspects of the region’s commercial leasing, operations, development and acquisitions. John earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Finance from University of Pacific. He and his wife Kim, along with their four children, live in Newport Beach, California.
In addition to the announcement of 5 new directors, the pro-bono incubator, EvoNexus announced the opening of applications for Round 15. This round also includes applications being accepted for the inaugural class in its new Irvine location. Applications will be accepted now until August 31st. This round also includes the opportunity for investment from our strategic funding partners.
About CommNexus:
CommNexus is San Diego’s non-profit technology industry association that works to accelerate the formation, growth, and success of the technology industry in the region. We deliver value to the technology industry through content-driven programs that provide access to capital, talent and business development. For more information, visit www.commnexus.org
About EvoNexus:
EvoNexus is the business incubator of CommNexus and San Diego’s only community-supported, fully pro-bono technology incubator. EvoNexus provides full services – furnished office space, domain experts and mentors, and the opportunity to leverage our wide network of business and VC contacts – to start-up companies striving to achieve sustainability. For more information, visit www.commnexus.org/incubator/
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Media Contact:
Michele Yoshioka
Director of Programs & Operations
CommNexus/EvoNexus
858-886-6277
myoshioka@commnexus.org
