Board of Directors

EvoNexus CEO & Co-Founder / Founder, Peregrine Semiconductor Corp. & Silicon Wave, Inc.

Rory Moore was the seed round investor, co-founder of Peregrine Semiconductor Corp. (NASDAQ: PSMI), now a Murata Company, one of the world’s leading providers of radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs) for the wireless communications and aerospace markets. Rory was also the seed round investor and founding CEO of Silicon Wave, Inc., now owned by Qualcomm. Silicon Wave produced the world’s first Bluetooth chips. In 2009 Rory founded a technology incubator called EvoNexus with Vice Admiral Walter Davis, a board member of EvoNexus. A University of Michigan graduate, Rory continues to make angel investments in technology firms throughout the region. His other passions include Unlimited Aerobatic Competition flying, scuba diving and surfing.

EvoNexus Co-Founder & VP Organizational Dev. / Fmr. Navy N6, Dir. Space Systems, Information Warfare Systems, Command and Control Systems

Vice Admiral Walter J. Davis, USN (Ret) was Navy N6, Director Space systems, Information Warfare systems, Command and Control Systems, and Modeling and Simulation where he directed Navy’s $3.5B IT budget. He is former VP for Business Development at GDE Systems (BAE). He was a Navy fighter pilot, Aircraft Carrier CO, and Battle Group Commander. He served in numerous Navy engineering positions including Navy Engineer for the F-14 and Naval Warfare IT Architect (SPAWAR), He was a co-founder of E-fire. He is an Ohio State University Electrical Engineering graduate. 

EvoNexus Chairman / Director, ViaSat

Richard Baldridge has been a director of Viasat since 2016. Mr. Baldridge joined Viasat in 1999, serving as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer from 2000, as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer from 2002, and as President and Chief Operating Officer from 2003. Mr. Baldridge served as President and Chief Executive Officer from November 2020 through July 2022, and served as Vice Chairman from July 2022 until his retirement in June 2023. In addition, Mr. Baldridge serves as a director of Ducommun Incorporated (NYSE: DCO), a provider of engineering and manufacturing services to the aerospace and defense industries, and EvoNexus, a San Diego based non-profit technology incubator.

Mr. Baldridge came to ViaSat from Raytheon Corporation where he was vice president and general manager of its Raytheon Training Systems division. With over 4,000 employees in the division, his responsibilities included day-to-day management including marketing, legal, finance, and overall management. Other experience includes roles as chief operating officer, CFO, and VP of finance and administration for Hughes Information Systems and Hughes Training Inc., before the divisions were acquired by Raytheon in 1997. Mr. Baldridge also held various senior management roles within General Dynamics Corporation.

Mr. Baldridge graduated with a B.S. degree in business administration, and an emphasis in information systems from New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, where he is a member of the NMSU School of Business Hall of Fame. He serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of EvoNexus.

EvoNexus Officer / EVP, Chief Risk & Transformation Officer, Franklin Templeton Investments (BEN)

Joe Boerio is the Executive Vice President, Chief Risk & Transformation Officer for Franklin Templeton Investments. As CTO, he has the responsibility for setting and executing the firm’s strategic technology direction for Investment Management, Data Science and Cyber Security. These areas include, investment management DevOps & applications development, data science & analytics, market & alternative data services, FT’s internal FinTech venture, cyber security, enterprise vendor management, rapid development and incubation. Mr. Boerio is a strong visionary global leader passionate about business value and innovative transformations with 30+ years of proven execution results in enterprise information technology, operational excellence and global business enablement. Mr. Boerio is also the Chair of the Investment Company Institute Technology Committee based out of Washington DC and serves on the Board of the FinTech Sandbox in Boston.

Prior to joining Franklin Templeton Investments, Mr. Boerio worked for Mariners Systems, a software development firm that specialized in developing software applications and communication systems focused on infrastructure delivery for worldwide transportation customers.

Mr. Boerio earned his bachelor’s degree in information systems management from the University of San Francisco.

EvoNexus Vice-Chairman / President & COO, ResMed Inc.

Rob Douglas, President and Chief Operating Officer of ResMed Inc., in San Diego, California has over 25 years experience in operations and marketing for high-tech medical device and E-commerce solution sector leaders. ResMed Inc. is a global medical device company in the treatment of Sleep Disorder Breathing listed on the NYSE and the Australian Stock Exchange, with a market cap of ≈ U.S. $10B. Earlier, he was Chief Operating Officer for Asia Pacific & Global Supply Chain leading Asia Pacific sales and sales operations in Japan, Australia, China, India, Middle East, North Africa and ASEAN countries. Mr. Douglas joined ResMed Inc. as Vice President of Corporate Marketing becoming Vice President of Operations and Chief Operating Officer Sydney.

Previously, he was General Manager of Strategy and New Business and a member of the Executive Management Team at Keycorp Ltd., an electronic commerce company developing and marketing a range of products for secure electronic financial transactions, based in Sydney, Australia. Mr. Douglas began his career with Telectronics Pty. Ltd. an Australian medical electronics company that designed, manufactured, and globally marketed implantable cardiac pacemakers and implantable defibrillators based in Sydney.

Formerly, Mr. Douglas was a member of the Board of Directors of Continence Control Systems International and its predecessor company Colocare Ltd. Currently, he serves as Vice Chairman on the Board of Directors of EvoNexus. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation and is a member of its Executive Committee. He is a past Director of the Australian Science Media Center and former member of the Business Council of Australia.

Mr. Douglas earned an MBA from Macquarie University, and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering with first-class honors and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Sciences from the University of New South Wales in Sydney.

EvoNexus Treasurer / Partner, Ernst & Young

Tim Holl is currently a Partner in the San Diego office of Ernst & Young after transferring from the San Francisco office. Tim is focused on serving companies in the semiconductor, software and tele- communication industries. Tim is a leader in Ernst & Young’s education and audit methodology efforts as well. He is a Certified Public Accountant licensed to practice in California and a member of the AICPA. He graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara, with a B.S. in business economics.

EvoNexus Chairman Emeritus / Fmr. Chairman, Broadcom

John Major is the Founder and President of MTSG, a strategic consulting business specializing in emerging opportunities. Previously, he was Chairman and CEO of Apacheta, a wireless applications company, and he was Chairman and CEO of Novatel Wireless, a provider of wireless data access solutions for PDA’s and laptops, where he led the company’s successful IPO in the fall of 2000. Before Novatel Wireless, Mr. Major was Chairman and CEO of Wireless Knowledge, a joint venture of QUALCOMM Incorporated and Microsoft Corporation, and held various positions at Motorola, Inc. including Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer. At Motorola, his team launched iDEN, the first technology to offer dispatch on cellular and the protocol used by Nextel Communications. Mr. Major currently serves as a director of three public companies: Orbcomm, Lennox International, Inc. and Littelfuse. He Chairs the La Jolla Institute and the University of Illinois Chicago Engineering School Advisory Board. He is Chairman of Pulse Electronics. He was formerly Chairman and Lead Director at Broadcom. Major received a B.S. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from the University of Rochester, an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois, an M.B.A. from Northwestern University and a J.D. from Loyola University. He has twelve US patents.

EvoNexus Secretary / Managing Partner, Morrison Foerster

Mr. Rowles has over 20 years experience as corporate counsel to public and private companies and the venture funds that invest in those companies. Mr. Rowles has extensive industry experience in both the technology and life sciences arenas. Mr. Rowles’ practice includes venture capital financings, venture fund formation, public securities offerings and corporate governance counseling, mergers and acquisitions, and licensing and corporate partnering transactions. He has served as lead counsel on myriad mergers and acquisitions and securities transactions, including public offerings aggregating in excess of $1 billion dollars in proceeds and over 100 acquisition transactions.

Co-Founder, President & COO, XCOM / Fmr. President, Qualcomm

Derek K. Aberle is co-founder, president and chief operating officer of XCOM, oversees XCOM’s strategy, business development, investment activity and operations.. XCOM is inventing and investing in wireless technologies to propel the next mobile revolution.

Aberle was formerly the president of Qualcomm Incorporated and was responsible for the oversight for all business divisions across the organization, as well as the company’s global market development and marketing groups. Aberle was also responsible for formulating and driving key strategies for diversifying and growing the company in both Qualcomm’s core businesses, as well as new business opportunities such as data center and mobile healthcare solutions. He served as a member of Qualcomm’s executive committee since 2008, helping to drive Qualcomm’s overall global strategy. In recent years Aberle also has been instrumental to evolving and expanding Qualcomm’s business in China, including leading negotiations with the Chinese Government and establishing important new business ventures in China.

Prior to his role as President, Aberle served as executive vice president of Qualcomm Incorporated, and group president, as well as president of Qualcomm Technology Licensing (QTL). He was responsible for overseeing Qualcomm’s technology and IP licensing business as well as Qualcomm’s earlier stage businesses such as its mobile health, platform, display and wireless charging businesses.

Starting in 2008, Aberle led the QTL division and held several roles within this division, including executive vice president and president, and senior vice president and general manager. He has been instrumental to the success and growth of this division, and, under his leadership, QTL has significantly grown both revenues and profits and established its 4G licensing program. For well over a decade, he has played a leading role in structuring and negotiating key license agreements with Qualcomm’s licensees. He has also contributed heavily to the creation and implementation of the legal and business strategies that led to the resolution of several of the company’s licensing-related disputes.

Aberle joined Qualcomm in 2000 after representing the company as outside counsel for several years at the law firms of Pillsbury Madison & Sutro and Heller Ehrman. Aberle holds a bachelor’s degree in business economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He also holds a Juris Doctor from the University of San Diego School of Law, where he graduated magna cum laude.

Senior Vice President, Product Management - Snapdragon Technologies & Roadmap, Qualcomm

Ziad Asghar is senior vice president of product management at Qualcomm Technologies Inc. (QTI). He leads Snapdragon roadmap planning and application processor technologies, covering all smartphone platform products. Ziad drives the definition of products, ensuring that our products lead in technology and enable best-in-class user experiences while making tradeoffs between features, power, performance and cost. He leads application processor technologies including artificial intelligence, camera, graphics, CPU, audio, video and security. He has more than 20 years of experience in the wireless semiconductor industry where he has held a broad set of leadership positions from R&D to product management. Ziad holds an MBA from UCSD and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from Purdue University and Southern Methodist University

VP & GM Geospatial Intelligence & ISR, BAE Systems

Jordan Becker is Vice President and General Manager for the Geospatial Intelligence and ISR business area within the Intelligence and Security Sector at BAE Systems, Inc. This business supports solutions for US Government customers within the intelligence and defense communities. GeoINT-ISR is a leader in the development of geospatial intelligence storage and management, and systems for geo-positioning that employ photogrammetry, data analytics and meta-data management for full motion video geo-registration, human geography, airborne vehicle routing, and targeting.

Prior to joining BAE Systems, Inc., Jordan Becker was Senior Vice President at Science Applications International (SAIC) and the Chief Technical Officer for SAIC’s Information Technology and Network Services business. Mr. Becker was responsible for strategic planning, and research & development. Mr. Becker’s Group supported SAIC’s commercial, federal and civil government markets. Mr. Becker was also a senior advisor to BP Corp. Mr. Becker joined SAIC in January 2000 reporting to the CEO and Chairman.Prior to joining SAIC in March 2000, Mr. Becker was Vice President with UUNET Technologies, a global Internet company. Mr. Becker joined UUNET as part of the acquisition of ANS Communications Inc. in 1998. At UUNET, Mr. Becker had responsibility for a 500 person business unit that generated ~$1.2B representing 30% of UUNET revenues at the time. In addition to running the AOL business for UUNET, Mr. Becker managed supplier relationships, Internet technology development, engineering, operations, and planning for services for AOL.

Prior to UUNET, Mr. Becker was one of the founding executives at ANS Communications Inc. in 1990 where he helped grow the company prior to the sale of the company to America Online in February 1995. At ANS Mr. Becker was responsible for service development, engineering, operations, market support, and strategic planning. Mr. Becker assisted AOL with the sale of ANS (a wholly owned subsidiary of AOL) to UUNET Technologies in February 1998. Following the sale of ANS to UUNET, Mr. Becker was the acting ANS CEO overseeing the integration of the company within UUNET.

Prior to the formation of ANS in 1990, Mr. Becker was an Internet pioneer and technologist at IBM Research from 1982-1990 where he received several technology awards and held numerous management positions. Mr. Becker’s responsibilities at IBM Research included engineering and project management for the National Science Foundation Internet backbone (NSFNET), supercomputing systems development, and other information technology projects.

Mr. Becker holds a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University, and is a member of the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), a Director of CommNexus San Diego, and a pioneer member of the Internet Society. Mr. Becker is married with 3 children, and lives in San Diego California.

Senior Vice President, AMD

Ivo Bolsens is now the Senior Vice President of AMD, which acquired Xilinx in 2022. Prior to the acquisition, he held the title of Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer (CTO), with responsibility for advanced technology development, Xilinx research laboratories (XRL) and Xilinx university program (XUP).

Bolsens came to Xilinx in June 2001 from the Belgium-based research center IMEC, where he was vice president of information and communication systems. His research included the development of knowledge-based verification for VLSI circuits, design of digital signal processing applications, and wireless communication terminals. He also headed the research on design technology for high-level synthesis of DSP hardware, HW/SW co-design and system-on-chip design.

Bolsens holds a PhD in applied science and an MSEE from the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium.

Chief Disrupter and Global Head of Tech Ventures and Incubation, HP, Inc. 

 Andrew Bolwell is Chief Disrupter and Global Head of Tech Ventures and Incubation at HP where he drives new business creation for HP's Strategy and Incubation Office, and is Managing Partner of HP Tech Ventures, the corporate VC arm of Silicon Valley’s original startup.  In this role Andrew and his team drive new business creation activities for HP to identify and launch new market segments, products and business models that will help shape HP’s future growth.

As Managing Partner for HP Tech Ventures, Andrew is responsible for HP’s partnership and investment activities with start-ups.  With teams in Palo Alto and Israel, HP Tech Ventures makes early-stage investments in the world’s leading start-ups in industry shifting technology areas including Artificial Intelligence, Advanced Manufacturing, Security, Digital Health, VR/AR, Gaming & eSports, and 3D Printing.

As one of HP’s lead futurists, Andrew is also responsible for HP thought leadership and industry evangelism. In this role Andrew is a sought-after keynote speaker, recognized futurist, blogger and HP spokesperson for global megatrends, new business creation, innovation, emerging technology trends and new, disruptive technologies.  He has been widely quoted in the New York Times, USA Today, The Financial Times, The Economist, Reuters, CNET, Information Week and Le Monde, among others. He has also appeared as a spokesperson and industry expert on ABC News with Charles Gibson and ABC News Now, and featured on BBC’s Tech Tent.

Prior to this role, Andrew was General Manager of a number of successful HP businesses, including co-founder and CEO of MagCloud, an online self-publishing service that Andrew helped incubate and grow from concept to a high-growth, multimillion-dollar business.

Andrew is a graduate of the Venture Capital Executive Program at the University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business, and the Accelerated Leadership Executive Program at Harvard Business School. He graduated magna cum laude from Monash University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science with first class honors. A native Australian, Andrew has lived and worked in the US, Australia, and Japan. He currently resides in Santa Cruz, California with his wife and two daughters.

Worldwide Vice President, Strategy, and Business Development of Medication Management Solutions (MMS), BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company)

 Henry is Worldwide Vice President, Strategy and Business Development of Medication Management Solutions (MMS), a global leader in medication management with market-leading product lines such as BD Pyxis^TM, BD Rowa^TM, BD Alaris^TM Infusion Solutions, and the BD HealthSight^TM platform for enterprise medication management.

He is responsible for driving thought leadership around strategic innovation, strategy development, business development and strategic execution. He is a global business executive who leads with inspiration and energizes teams through critical periods of growth. Most recently, his team successful led the acquisitions and integrations of MedBank, GSL, MedKeeper, and Parata Systems, deploying roughly $1.8B of investment capital.

Prior to BD, Henry was Vice President of Strategy and Business Development at 3M Company where he was responsible for the creation and leadership of 3M Connect, 3M’s venture capital and innovation hub that closed 15 venture deals and enhanced 3M’s digital footprint. Additionally, Henry directed 3M’s Integration Management Office, leading 3M’s largest and 3rd largest acquisitions. He also VP Strategy and Business Development for 3M Healthcare. Prior to joining 3M, he worked in private equity, investment banking and consulting as well as held operational roles in the consumer products and technology industries.

Henry holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Northwestern University and an MBA from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management. He served as Vice Chairman and board member of Children’s Minnesota Hospitals & Foundation.

Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing, Data & Digital Officer, City National Bank

Linda Duncombe is Executive Vice President of Marketing and Product Strategy, and leads a team that is responsible for advancing the company’s brand, articulating its value proposition and supporting business development. She oversees marketing, client experience, advertising and communications as well as digital channels, product development, credit cards and multicultural outreach.

Ms. Duncombe is a member of the company’s Executive Committee and reports to Chief Executive Officer Kelly Coffey.

Prior to joining City National, she was the global head of design for Citibank’s Global Consumer Bank and the chief marketing officer and head of growth for Citi FinTech. In this capacity, she managed the Global Consumer Bank’s digital and mobile transformation, and the marketing and communication strategy for Citi FinTech.

Ms. Duncombe was born in Australia. She began her career with National Australia Bank and held a variety of roles in business banking, private banking and consumer banking. She went on to serve as the head of customer franchise with Citi in Australia, where she led digital banking, customer experience and marketing.

Ms. Duncombe earned her bachelor’s degree from Western Sydney University. She also graduated from Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program and completed Citi’s Women’s Leadership Development Program at the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Active in community and civic affairs, Ms. Duncombe serves on the board of the Global Retail Management Association, a forum for executives from the world’s leading brands.

About City National Bank

Partner, Business/Technology Team at Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP

William Eigner has been called “the go-to guy for M&A and emerging companies” and has often been recognized as a Top Attorney in San Diego.  A partner at Procopio, San Diego’s largest law firm, with offices in Menlo Park, Austin and clients around the world, Eigner’s practice emphasizes venture capital, angel financing, seed capital and the financing, governing, operating, buying, selling and merging of growing and established technology and other businesses. Eigner serves as a director of San Diego Venture Group and of FHOOSH, Inc., an award winning cybersecurity company that protects and powers data for business, government and consumers. He also serves on the board of advisers of Encore Semi, NewBlue Inc. and other companies.  A former U.S. Supreme Court Judicial Intern, Eigner graduated from Stanford and the University of Virginia School of Law.

About Procopio

More about William Eigner

CEO & Board Member, Corporate EVP, LG Technology Ventures

Dong-Su Kim is the CEO and board member of LG Technology Ventures. He has over twenty-five years of investment, strategy, planning, and technology experience. As the founding CEO, Dong-Su established the fund structure, hired key people, and initiated investment operations. Under his guidance, LG Technology Ventures manages over $400 million of fund assets and invests in early-stage information technology, automotive, manufacturing, life-sciences, energy, and advanced materials companies. Portfolio companies include AmazeVR, Lygos, May Mobility, and Ridecell. Dong-Su Kim was also recently promoted to corporate Executive Vice President.

Previously, Dong-Su was Vice President and GM of Samsung Ventures America where he managed offices in Menlo Park, Boston, London, and Tel Aviv. He has led the investment of over thirty companies in diverse sectors including semiconductors (Soft Machines, Verisilicon, Wave Computing), equipment (DCG Systems, IMS, Reno Subsystems), materials (Nanosys, NexPlanar, Voltaix), and storage systems (Pure Storage).

Prior to joining Samsung Ventures, he was a Director at Asia Evolution, an investment bank in Korea covering mid-market financing, private placement, and M&As.

Before that, he was a Director at the Technology Strategy Office of Samsung Electronics. As the CTO’s staff, he was responsible for strategic venture investments and technology alliances. He also worked in technology planning for Samsung’s Telecom R&D center, responsible for discovering new research topics. Dong-Su started his professional career as a Technical Leader at Samsung Fiber Optics Business Unit in development of fiber optic components.

His past Board Director appointments include Datera, Digital Specialty Chemicals, Femtometrix, Inpria, Reno Subsystems, SBA Materials, SVXR, D2S, DCG Systems (acquired by FEI), NexPlanar (acquired by Cabot), Voltaix (acquired by Air Liquide), Panasas, and Pixtronix (acquired by Qualcomm). Dong-Su also served on the Investment Advisory Committee for Sierra Ventures.

Dong-Su has earned an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Princeton University, and a B.S. with Honors in Applied Physics from California Institute of Technology.

VP Engineering & Chief Architect, Consumer Group, Intuit

Bridget is VP Engineering, Fellow, and Chief Architect at Intuit’s Consumer Group, focusing on products for personal tax and finance management. Previous to Intuit, she was at Comcast and served as President of a joint venture developing next generation conditional access and security products for the cable industry. She has also held senior engineering roles at Motorola, Copper Mountain Networks, General Instrument and Hughes Space and Communications Group.

She has received numerous industry awards and recognition, including 2016 CableFax Most Powerful Women in Cable (Technology Award) in 2016, and has a strong commitment to mentoring the next generation of women in technology. She also has served on the United Way’s Women’s Leadership Council, was a past mentor for Athena, and volunteered as a troop leader and mentor for the Girl Scouts of America.

Bridget has an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from University of Southern California (USC) and a B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from California State Polytechnic University. She has also completed the Executive Program for Scientists and Engineers (EPSE) at the University of California, San Diego, and an executive leadership program through the Center for Creative Leadership. She holds 5 US patents.

Vice President, Corporate Business Development, Bio-Rad Laboratories

Richard Kurtz, Ph.D. is the Vice President of Corporate Business Development for Bio-Rad Laboratories, a life science research and clinical diagnostics company that has been serving customers worldwide since 1952. In his current role, Richard reports to the company’s Chief Strategy officer and executes corporate strategies to deliver long-term company growth, focusing on acquisitions, partnerships and technology licensing in both Life Science and Clinical Diagnostics. Richard also coordinates Bio-Rad Corporate Venture Fund investments in start-up companies with innovative products and technologies focusing on research, diagnostics and health care.

Richard has 15 years of industry experience. Previously, Richard was the Marketing Director for the Life Science Gene Expression Division, a role in which he managed long-term product-line strategies, product development and global commercialization activities for one of Bio-Rad’s largest Life Science product portfolios. He has extensive experience in strategic business planning, technology assessment, product development and commercialization. Richard received his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from Northwestern University prior to transitioning into industry.

BIO : (NYSE) Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. develops, manufactures, and markets a broad range of products for the life science research and clinical diagnostics markets.

SVP & Global Head, Qualcomm Ventures

Quinn oversees Qualcomm’s $1B global venture investment portfolio of 150+ companies across seven global regions. Quinn and his team invest in key areas such as 5G, AI, Automotive, IoT and Networking to help expand Qualcomm’s ecosystem of customers and partners. He currently serves as a board member or observer in Airspan, ClearMotion, Cohesity, Innovium, Pensando and RetailNext. Quinn has led over a dozen investments with successful exits in A123 Systems, Eero, InvenSense, Powercloud Systems and Zoom.

Quinn started his career as an engineer working on 3G wireless technology and standards development at Lucent Technologies. Prior to joining Qualcomm Ventures, he worked in product management and business development in IBM Systems and Technology Group. Earlier, he worked on wireless technology development at Broadcom.

Quinn received his MBA from Cornell University, and his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis.

Co-Founder & Senior EVP, Hughes Marino

David Marino is a principal and senior executive vice president of Hughes Marino, the largest tenant representation company in San Diego. David specializes in high-value, time-critical and complex transactions for technology, life science and business service companies. He is an expert in the strategic planning, market assessment, financial analysis, business terms structuring and negotiations aspects of commercial real estate. David is a licensed California Real Estate Broker and has been exclusively representing tenants since 1991, completing over 11,000,000 square feet, comprised of over 1,000 transactions. Between 1989 and 1991, David worked at Trammell Crow Company, then the largest commercial real estate owner in the U.S. where he learned the business from the landlord side of the table. David has a broad business background as an early stage angel investor in over twenty companies and is a LP in venture capital funds including Mission Ventures, Windward Ventures, Hamilton Bioventures and Avalon Ventures.

Partner, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Zach Myers is a partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati where he specializes in corporate and securities law, including mergers and acquisitions, venture capital financings, and general corporate representation. He represents private and public companies in the technology and life sciences sectors—especially biotechnology and medical device companies—in complex, high-value transactions.  He has represented a number of leading companies in venture capital financings, helping them raise millions of dollars needed to fund, grow, and expand their businesses. He has also assisted numerous clients that have gone public, listing on the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ markets.

VP Corporate Planning & Development, pSemi

Rodd Novak is the VP of Corporate Planning and Development for pSemi Corporation with more than 20 years of executive-level experience.  A well-rounded corporate strategist, he has successfully built and led international business divisions from inception to profitability.  Rodd originally joined pSemi in 2002 and held multiple positions including Chief Marketing Officer, VP of Marketing, Sales and Business Development.  Under his leadership, pSemi increased revenue at a 30% CAGR for 10yrs, created three business units and expanded its global sales network. Before that, Rodd held positions with CTS Corporation, Northrop Grumman/Xetron and interned at Comsat Laboratories. Rodd received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Cincinnati and his MBA from Xavier University.

VP of Innovation & Solution Acceleration, Royal Bank of Canada

 Eddy, the Vice President of Solution Acceleration & Innovation at RBC, is responsible for driving disruptive digital innovation. With labs in Toronto, San Francisco, London, Luxembourg, New York & Orlando, RBC is partnering with a diverse set of players, including startups & academia, to access & drive emerging trends.

For almost 20 years, Eddy has been key in leading RBC’s digital strategy, including the launch of the first mobile banking application, the invention & patent of Secure Cloud technology, and maintains uniquely strong relationships with Silicon Valley.

CEO & President, Perma Pure/Maxtec

As a global business leader, Kathy Ouellette's area of expertise is delivering differentiation and value through strategy, process, and product innovation.

Her career consists of commercial and operational roles at Thermo Fisher Scientific, Illumina, and several startups. She previously served as General Manager for a global Thermo Fisher business unit.

Wide-ranging leadership of “blank slate” and turnaround initiatives has been a constant theme of her career. Kathy's experience includes marketing, sales, R&D, manufacturing, and distribution functions, including leading global cross-functional teams. From strategy to execution, she has operations experience in North and South America, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific countries.

Engaging teams to perform their best work is another strength. Kathy thrives in corporate cultures where innovation and integrity are valued, and she represents those values in her customer and company relationships.

EVP, Chief Technology Officer, Interdigital

 Rajesh Pankaj is InterDigital’s EVP, Chief Technology Officer. In this role, he is responsible for leading the company’s technology vision and strategy and advancing the company’s technology roadmaps. Dr. Pankaj works closely with other executives to partner with internal R&I efforts, external investments and corporate development in executing the company’s technology vision.

Dr. Rajesh Pankaj is an inventor and a technology executive with deep expertise in wireless research in 3G, 4G and 5G and in emerging areas like deep learning. He joined InterDigital in July 2022 from Qualcomm where he oversaw research in 5G, 4G LTE, augmented reality and other technologies, contributing to an industry-leading wireless and mobile computing patent portfolio. During his 25-year tenure, Dr. Pankaj most recently served as Senior Vice President of Engineering and Head of Corporate R&D, managing a global team of engineers focused on Artificial Intelligence, Edge Computing and new technologies.

A prolific innovator, Dr. Pankaj is an inventor or co-inventor on 230 patents worldwide.

Dr. Pankaj holds a Ph.D. and a master’s degree in electrical engineering and computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s degree of technology in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology.

VP, Channel Sales & Business Development, TriNet

Eric serves as the VP, Channel Sales overseeing the national channel strategy for TriNet. In this capacity, Eric works to develop key partnerships and alliances that enable top line growth through the partner ecosystem.

Prior to this role, Eric served as the VP, Sales Enablement where he designed and stood up a high-performing, nationwide Sales Development organization to drive top of funnel lead generation. Eric also oversaw curriculum, content curation and delivery of all L&D programs for sellers and sales leaders.

Further, Eric drives his teams to empower and enable entrepreneurs of small and medium-sized businesses to do their ‘why’.

As a collaborative and innovative senior leader, Eric has extensive experience driving business growth, transformation, and sustainability for high-profile Technology organizations.

Before TriNet, Eric spent almost 20 years at Verizon and held multiple senior leadership roles within the organization.

Prior to leaving Verizon, Eric was the Consumer Vice President where he led consumer distribution and operations for the West Region.

Eric received a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from Biola University.

Partner, Cooley LLP

Mr. Rollins has a general corporate transactional practice, representing emerging and late stage private companies and public companies in a wide range of corporate and securities matters, including private financings, public offerings, mergers and acquisitions, tender offers, strategic collaborations, commercial agreements, corporate governance matters, and employment and compensation arrangements. He also advises venture capital firms in connection with financings and other transactions.

Mr. Rollins is counsel to companies in diverse industries, including information technology, biotechnology, medical device, retail, semiconductor, software and cleantech. His clients range from start-ups to public companies with hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenues.

Partner, Kilpatrick Townsend

Chris Schaffer focuses his practice on IP counseling, patent prosecution, infringement and validity analyses, technology licensing and due diligence with an emphasis in the areas of telecommunications, power electronics, semiconductors, electronics packaging, advanced materials, thermal management, mechanics, and software. Mr. Schaffer also does significant pro bono work. Mr. Schaffer is a Panel Attorney for the California Lawyers for the Arts program which assists financially under-resourced independent inventors and small businesses. Mr. Schaffer also works with the San Diego Volunteer Lawyers Program to secure guardianship for minors and children who do not have an able parent.

Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Schaffer was a practicing scientist who obtained 10 patents, authored numerous technical articles and served on the technical committee for several conferences.

From 2005 to 2012, Mr. Schaffer was the Director of Engineering at Pulse Electronics in San Diego where he led a worldwide engineering team in the research and development of LAN (Local Area Network) and Telecommunications components for the electronics industry. Products consisted of Ethernet transformers, RF filters, high-speed connectors and central office splitters.

From 2000 to 2005, Mr. Schaffer was a Design Center Manager at International Rectifier in Los Angeles where he led a multi-disciplinary engineering team in the development of advanced multi-chip power conversion modules for consumer, telecom and industrial applications. The modules included customized state-of-the-art MOSFETs, ASICs and integrated passives.

From 1993 to 2000, Mr. Schaffer was a Research Engineer at Boeing where he led the research and development of advanced materials such as chemically vapor deposited diamond and carbon-carbon composites for use in spacecraft electronics. He also designed and tested RF electronics subassemblies for military spacecraft programs.

Mr. Schaffer was recognized as a San Diego “Rising Star” in 2022 and 2023 for Intellectual Property by Super Lawyers magazine.

Futurist, Paramount Pictures

Ted spends his time in a unique role in the motion picture entertainment industry. As the Futurist at Paramount pictures, Ted works with studio leadership and the technology teams at Paramount / Viacom, exploring forms of new and emerging technologies, with an emphasis on Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality. Prior to joining Paramount, Ted was the Futurist at 20th Century Fox, where he worked on the evolving art, science, and technology of advanced interactive visual storytelling. He was part of the creation team for the Martian VR and Wild VR experiences, which premiered at CES and Sundance as groundbreaking projects that pushed the envelope of Virtual Reality storytelling. Ted was an integral part of the product development team at RED Digital Cinema as a founding member and the company’s first employee. The Red One and Epic cameras have made a significant impact on the Motion Picture Industry, with many of the world’s biggest movies now being shot with these ultra-high-resolution digital movie cameras. Ted is one of the founders and creators of the G-Tech product line of advanced hard drive storage products.

PARAMOUNT PICTURESParamount Pictures Corporation (also known simply as Paramount) is an American film studio that is a subsidiary of ViacomCBS. It is the fifth oldest surviving film studio in the world, the second oldest in the United States, and the sole member of the “Big Five” film studios still located in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Hollywood.

Vice President of Corporate Technology & Innovation, MuRata Americas

Mehul is focused on leveraging the innovation continuum to drive Murata’s growth in North America. From ideation to implementation, this includes new business creation, incubation, investment opportunities, and strategic partnerships. His market areas of expertise intersect numerous industries: healthcare, energy, mobility, connectivity, and wireless.

Mehul has 25 years of Semiconductor, Wireless, Sales, Technical Marketing and Business Development experience. He has a proven track record for cultivating business in new segments, launching new product strategies, creating successful business partnerships, and growing revenue.

He received his BS in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland and MS from Johns Hopkins University.