Investing in Hard Tech Solutions Companies.

Dr. Prasad Akella is an engineer and serial entrepreneur who has founded deep tech & AI companies and created billion-dollar markets: cobots in robotics, business social networks, and video analytics. Drishti, his most recent company exit, was acquired by Apple. As an executive, he has held senior roles in corporations large (GM, SAP, TR) and small and served on company boards (Optessa, Drishti).

Dr. Akella holds a Stanford PhD (Meakin Fellow), Michigan MBA (Highest Honors), and IIT BS (HAL Prize). He is a Fellow of the ASME and SME. And holds 10 US patents. Prasad has been recognized with awards for his work including by the World Economic Forum, International Federation of Robotics, IEEE, ASME, General Motors, NSF, Stanford, and IIT. His work continues to shape the future of technology and AI, empowering people and transforming the way we work.

John Dodd is a Senior Asset Management Sales and Marketing executive with over 30 years’ experience in institutional investment management. John has been an Asset Management Sales Leader at multiple firms, including Victory Capital, Levin Capital Strategies, Goldman Sachs, Security Global Investors, The Boston Company Asset Management, Spouting Rock Asset Management and US Trust Asset Management.

He has raised over $30 billion in assets during his career from over 800 clients, while he was with boutique and mid-sized investment managers. John maintains a large investor network of key senior decision-making contacts (CIO's, PM's, Sr Investment Officers, Director of Investments, and others) across all institutional and family office channels.

He has marketed private market funds, private real estate, private credit, PE, venture capital and other alternative investment strategies (hedge funds, absolute return and income strategies, L/S equity, Event Driven, Short Fund, quantitative equities, credit funds, and liquid alternatives), domestic/international/global equities (all capitalizations), emerging markets, ESG/Impact strategies, RE and REIT's Commercial MBS, MBS, Utilities/Infrastructure, credit, and fixed income. He has positioned these investments with institutional clients, family offices, and allocators across the globe. Significant clients have included endowments, corporate pensions and healthcare, foundations, public funds, OCIO's, sub-advisors, insurance, family offices, allocators, HNWI and LP's, domestically and overseas.

John Received his AB from Dartmouth College and his MBA in Finance from Columbia University Graduate School of Business.

David Bernardi is a Canadian technology executive with 40 years of experience in product development, project management, venture capital, and technology company governance. He has headed up large software development teams in Montreal and India in a multi-site, multi-schedule environment before it was commonplace to do so. On the hardware side, in the late 90s, he provided technical and program governance for the world’s then only civilian data satellite constellation (Orbcomm). As a consultant, he helped major telecommunications carriers re-engineer their operations in order to respond to technological change and to gain speed and efficiency. His experience also includes teaching, negotiating complex international joint-venture agreements, project fundraising, providing technical, HR, and commercial guidance to start-ups, and investing in/exiting from technology companies.

In 2022, after 20 years in the role, David retired from his position as CTO of Telesystem, a family holding company that has a history of building technology companies from the ground up.  Joining his first board in 2002, David has since been a director of nearly 20 technology companies including one NASDAQ-listed public company where he was chair of the governance committee (BSFT - sold to Cisco) and an SEC reporting issuer (Telesat).  In terms of technology, David was involved with companies in the areas of telecommunications, machine learning, SaaS, automated testing, satellite infrastructure and services, digital signage, speech processing, nano materials, and semiconductor materials.  He currently is an advisor to companies, governments, and investors. He is also chairman of the board for Centech (independently rated in the top 10 university incubators in the world).

David holds Master’s and Bachelor’s (Honours) Degrees in Electrical Engineering from McGill, a Diplôme ès Arts (History) from Université de Montréal, as well as the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors of Canada.

Kurt Buseck is the Managing Partner at Re^X Capital and has over 35 years’ experience investing in private companies. Kurt has worked on Wall Street with several leading private equity firms, most recently as head of the New York office for Onex Corporation, the largest PE firm based in Canada currently with over $40 Billion in assets. He then formed Full Circle Investments to focus on acquiring and building small to mid-sized industrial businesses. Over 8 years, FCI acquired 14 companies and repositioned them to successful exits.

Kurt has spent several years in civic activities including as chairman of a college, lead director of his city’s Art Museum, and founding director of a regional growth partnership in Pennsylvania. Recognizing that clusters of technology companies are the root of most growing economies, Kurt worked to nurture and build several early-stage companies in his community. Since then, he has invested in 11 early-stage technology companies across the United States and England, assuming board or chairman roles in each.

Over his career, Kurt has directed or overseen the investment of $125 million which has produced over $600 million in returns.

In recent years Kurt’s focus has been toward the repositioning, recapitalization and revitalization of early-stage technology companies. He has so far done this with 7 companies, including ones in terahertz-based test & measurement, CAD-CAM systems, advanced machining, nanomaterials, and wearable robotics, several of which were formed with technologies developed at SRI International (Stanford Research Institute). With the encouragement of SRI leadership, Kurt is now primarily focused on the repositioning and rejuvenating of Deep Tech and Hard Tech early-stage companies.

Kurt received a BA from Boston College and an MBA from The Tuck School at Dartmouth College.

Scott Hartz is CEO of the Hartz Group with over 40 years of strategy, technology consulting and senior leadership management experience. 

Former Global CEO of PwC Consulting, consulting arm of PricewaterhouseCoopers, where Mr. Hartz led business growth from a revenue base of $900M to over $6.7B operating in 70 countries with 33,000 employees. Current and former board member at Erie Indemnity Company, Alien Technology, Satmetrix, Nexant and Siebel Systems. Previously member of the Wharton Graduate Executive Board and Lehigh University Business Advisory Board.

Scott is a CPA, receiving a BSc from Lehigh University and MBA from the Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania.

Ashok Kanagal is a semiconductor executive with over 3 decades of experience. His background covers many aspects of semiconductors including manufacturing, supply-chain management, quality, business process optimization, product development, marketing and business strategy. A larger part of his career was spent at Intel, where Ashok led and grew multiple businesses in the areas of storage, networking, mobile client products, and software and services. Ashok also led the acquisition and integration of multiple companies into Intel, as well as the spinoff and sale of a few of them.

Ashok was on an extended assignment from Intel to a semiconductor consortium (SEMATECH) that was formed to address the competitive challenges to the US based suppliers from overseas competitors. This venture, jointly funded by DARPA and semiconductor manufacturers, was instrumental in keeping the US companies competitive. Ashok led several efforts in the areas of equipment improvement and supplier development, which were crucial to SEMATECH’s charter, and was recognized for his efforts by industry bodies.

Ashok has also led a small startup in the digital video networking area, during the early stages of the emergence of that technology.

Ashok is a certified leadership and executive coach and has helped multiple executives and senior managers achieve more of their potential and grow in their careers and lives. He graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology (Madras) and received an MBA from Arizona State University.

Ravi Karra has extensive experience as an investor managing large institutional funds. He has served as an investment advisor and Chief Investment Officer for a number of endowments, foundations, family groups and pension funds while at Cambridge Associates, a leading investment firm. During his 26 years at the firm, he helped establish the firm’s presence on the west coast and marketed the firm’s services across the western United States leading to significant growth.

Ravi was responsible for some of Cambridge Associates’ largest comprehensive relationships, initiating and instituting sophisticated investment programs and navigating some of the most volatile markets on record. He has extensive experience in matters of governance, policy setting, strategic review, risk control, and investment oversight. He has led and executed all aspects of investment strategy and evaluated hundreds of investment teams spanning all asset classes.

Prior to his time at Cambridge, Ravi spent nearly 6 years at Cornerstone Research, a firm that provides specialized advice in business litigation matters. At Cornerstone, Ravi led and executed several high-profile assignments covering antitrust, intellectual property, securities and general business litigation. Before Cornerstone, Ravi worked for nearly 3 years at Tata Motors, then India’s largest automobile company, as an accountant in its Pune plant, where he rotated through a number of departments.

Ravi graduated in electronics engineering from Bangalore University following which he attended the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad where he received a diploma in management. In the U.S., Ravi earned a master’s degree in accounting science from the Gies College of Business, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and spent four years at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business where he was a PhD candidate and received an MBA. 

Ravi currently serves on the board of the Zellerbach Family Foundation in San Francisco and on the advisory board of Bay Capital Partners Ltd., Mauritius. Previously he served as treasurer and trustee of Channing House in Palo Alto, and as trustee of the Gunn Foundation, also in Palo Alto.

Douglas L. Maine is a Senior Advisor to Brown Brothers Harriman & Co, a 200-year-old, privately held, Wall Street financial services firm. Maine is a Director for public company Veea (Edge Computing). Maine is also a Director of four private companies: Olympusat (Cable Content and Distribution), Seismic (robotic clothing), Quest Technology Management (IT services) and Paladin Artists (music talent agency). He has previously served on the Board of four public and ten private companies. Maine joined IBM as Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President in 1998. In that role, he was responsible for all financial, treasury, tax, business development, internal audit, and real estate activities, as well as IBM Global Financing Corporation. He later was General Manager of two operating units and retired in 2005.

Before joining IBM, Maine was Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of MCI (now part of Verizon) from 1991-1998 and prior to that, he held a variety of sales, operating, and financial leadership roles during his 20-year career. Maine is a former two-term member of the Standing Advisory Group of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board which is the Federal Regulator of the Auditing profession. 

Doug has a BS from Temple University and an MBA from Hofstra University where he is Chairman of the Dean's Advisory Council.   Maine is also a Columbia Business School Executive in Residence with his areas of interest: entrepreneurship, private equity, international business, corporate governance and strategy, and family-owned businesses.

Peter Marcotullio is a seasoned executive with over two decades of experience at SRI International, where he currently serves as Senior Vice President of Commercialization. In this role, he leads a global team focused on business development for Global 2000 corporations, driving strategic partnerships and commercial growth.

Beyond SRI, Peter contributes his expertise as a board member at Seismic, a company focused on wearable robotics solutions, and previously at Passio Inc., an AI software company. His venture advisory roles span several notable startups, including Drishti, where he helped align market strategies and product development efforts, as well as LeoLabs, Abundant Robotics, and Grabit Inc.  He also advised Redwood Robotics, which was later acquired by Google.

Before joining SRI, Peter honed his leadership skills in corporate venture capital at Thermo Electron  (now Thermo Fisher Scientific), where he managed technology assessments, financial modeling, and took on interim CEO roles for startups within the portfolio. His earlier experience includes senior roles at General Dynamics and Olin Corporation, where he worked in corporate development, product management, and research and development, contributing to the defense and aerospace industries.

Peter’s academic credentials include executive management training from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business and a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Lehigh University. He also completed independent studies abroad at Sapienza Università di Roma and attended the Defense Systems Management College at the Defense Acquisition University.

Dr. Robert Mehalso has over 25 years experience in academia and industry in research, engineering, manufacturing, and marketing with emphasis on materials/fabrication process development and commercialization of microsystems. Dr. Mehalso has served as President at MicroTech Associates, Inc. Dr. Mehalso previously served as the Chief Technology Officer at Ardesta, LLC. He is currently Chairman at TeraView Ltd.

His many roles through the years have included the Vice President of Technology and Business Development, and the Chief Technical Officer at DT Industries, an Executive Vice President and General Manager for AMTX, a General Manager of Advanced Microtechnology for Xerox, and an Engineering Manager at RCA Sarnoff Research Center and Consumer Electronics Divisions. He was also the Vice President at Kionix. Dr. Mehalso is widely respected throughout the world for his pioneering and innovative approaches to the micro manufacturing of small precision parts and assemblies.

He is an active participant in academic planning and industrial support projects at the Pennsylvania State University and is a Staff Member at the Center for Automation Technology at Rensselaer and has academic appointment at Rochester Institute of Technology. Dr. Mehalso holds five patents and has received numerous honors and awards. Besides his professional endeavors, he serves on the Boards of several academic and financial institutions.

Dr. Mehalso received a Ph.D. in Materials Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and holds a B.S. in Ceramic Science from the Pennsylvania State University. He is currently a Fellow of both these institutions.

Jamie O'Brion is an experienced administrative and accounting professional with a diverse background in business management, construction, and industrial services. She has been an Accounting and Administrative Assistant at Full Circle Investment, Inc. and Lakeview Insulation, LLC in Erie, PA, where she handles a broad range of accounting and administrative duties while working directly with business owners.

With over two decades of experience, Jamie has worked in various industries, including construction, architecture, and equipment sales.  Jamie has a strong foundation in office management and accounting, having previously worked as an Office Manager and Accounting Coordinator at various privately held firms. Her roles have involved handling all aspects of accounting, vendor and client relations, and administrative tasks. 

Jamie attended Gannon University and holds an Associate degree in Business Administration with a specialization in accounting from Erie Business Center.

Anuradha Parthasarathy (Anu) is the chief executive officer and founder of AnuPartha, a retained executive search firm exclusively focused on transformational leadership searches across multiple geographies, including the US, Europe, and Asia. Over the last 30+ years, Anu has built an extensive network and robust expertise spanning geographies, industries, and a broad range of functional roles.

The past decade has seen AnuPartha at the forefront of the ever-evolving talent search landscape as the world transitioned to a global economy. Anu brings a systematic approach to the executive search process, working closely with her clients on their transformational journeys—whether they are startups or large corporations, from board searches to co-founders. Central to AnuPartha’s success is Anu’s philosophy, which emphasizes building partnerships over mere transactions with clients. Today, amidst the massive workforce shifts triggered by the Covid-19 crisis, Anu continues to pioneer in the executive search domain.

Anu began her career in sales and marketing at Wipro when it was still a startup. She also spent a significant six years as a venture capitalist in the Silicon Valley during the 90s, gaining firsthand experience of the challenges associated with building and scaling high-growth startups. In a world flush with capital and brimming with innovative ideas, the true need is for leaders who can deliver on these promises. Anu has made it her lifelong mission to match the right individuals to the perfect roles for hyper-growth companies. She is an alumnus of Birla Institute of Technology and Science (Pilani), a leading tech school in India.

Sagar Pushpala is a highly accomplished leader in the semiconductor and technology industries with a career spanning over three decades. He currently serves as board advisor and investor for several innovative companies, including Destination 2D, where he helps drive breakthroughs in nanotechnology by integrating graphene into mainstream CMOS, and Rune Energy, which focuses on transforming clean energy into valuable computation through its world-first DC data centers. 

Previously, Sagar Pushpala has held significant leadership roles, including his long-term position as a Board Member at Orca Systems, a company known for its low-power digital RF transceiver technology for Satellite & IoT markets, and as an investor and advisor for Ather Energy, an electric vehicle manufacturer revolutionizing urban mobility. He also serves on the advisory board of ATREG, a company specializing in the disposal of advanced technology manufacturing assets.

Sagar’s career includes notable roles in high-performance analog and logic silicon product companies, particularly during his time at Nuvia, which was later acquired by Qualcomm, and his leadership as Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for Specialty Technologies at TSMC North America. His strategic expertise extends into investment, where he was an Operating Partner at Khosla Ventures, contributing to its efforts in venture capital for technology startups.

He holds a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering from The University of Kansas and a B.Tech from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, solidifying his strong technical foundation. With his vast industry experience, Sagar continues to contribute significantly to the advancement of semiconductor technologies, medical devices and clean energy solutions.

John Rodney Esq. is a seasoned attorney with over four decades of experience in law. He has been a Partner at Clark Hill PLC since 2000, where he has played a pivotal role in providing legal counsel and guidance across a range of practice areas. Prior to joining Clark Hill, John spent 20 years as a Partner at Kirkpatrick & Lockhart, honing his expertise in business law, litigation, and tax-related matters.

John earned his Juris Doctor from Penn State Dickinson Law in 1979, where he served as the Law Review Editor and graduated with honors in Tax Law. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Duke University, where he was a varsity golfer.

With his extensive experience and academic background, John continues to offer strategic legal insight and representation to his clients, delivering results that reflect his deep understanding of complex legal issues.

Parminder Singh is a General Partner at Re^X Capital.  with over 30 years of technical, operational, and international business management experience, gained through working with both public and private corporations. He is an active investor who has personally invested in or managed investments for more than 30 pre-Series B stage companies. His extensive background includes hands-on industry experience in satellite design, robotics, software development, cybersecurity, AI, wearables, intellectual property, innovation sourcing, video gaming, and medical devices. Parminder brings more than 15 years of experience in Venture Capital, Private Equity, and Corporate Venture to the table, specializing in helping companies of various sizes grow and create value by transforming select technologies into commercially viable products and services and taking them to market through strategic global partnerships.

Before his role at Re^X Capital, Parminder held key positions such as President of Intellectual Ventures Canada ($6B PE Fund), Managing Director of the Microsoft Canada Development Center (MCDC), and the General Manager of Microsoft Xbox Japan. He also served as Head of Satellite Design at Teledesic and as a Program Manager at Motorola-Iridium (Space Group). 

 Parminder is deeply passionate about supporting innovations and technologies that have the potential to significantly disrupt existing solutions. He currently serves as a technology and business advisor to numerous pre-Series A companies and sits on the boards of 4 to 6 companies at any given time. His career encompasses a range of senior management roles in organizations of different sizes, spanning from under-capitalized start-ups to Fortune 50 multinational corporations. Parminder is a sought-after speaker on technology and innovation and its intersection with sustained business growth.    

In addition to his impressive career, Parminder has founded several successful startup companies, including Evenio Media, EquineX, SportsShare, and ProofKeep (as of late). He has also held executive positions and operating roles at numerous Fortune 500 companies, including Motorola, Microsoft, American Express, Flextronics, AT&T, Boeing, Flextronics, AON Space, Hughes Aircraft Company, Space Systems Loral, and the Government of Canada. Parminder is an active investor in disruptive technologies and serves as an advisor to young entrepreneurs with ambitious ideas.

He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering with a specialization in computational systems and optimal control from the Technical University of Nova Scotia (now Dalhousie University). Outside of his professional life, Parminder enjoys participating in team sports and resides in beautiful British Columbia, Canada, where he lives with his wife and three children.

1. Craig Vachon is a seasoned executive with extensive leadership experience in start-ups and high-tech companies worldwide. He has raised $1.6 billion in venture capital for 36 companies across eight countries and has expertise in P&L management, product development, corporate strategy, M&A, and marketing. As a founder and investor, he has backed multiple unicorns and companies with scalable, human-impacting technologies. Vachon is also a TEDx speaker and had the most popular TED Talk in 2012.

As CEO of AI Redefined (AIR), Vachon led efforts in developing human-AI collaboration technology through dynamic orchestration platforms. AIR's Cogment platform enables continuous learning and trust between humans and AI, setting AIR apart in the AI industry. AIR is now owned by Bentley Systems. Additionally, he formerly headed US operations for NextStage AM, a €9.9 B PE firm based in Paris, overseeing investments and strategy, while chairing Yseop, an AI-driven natural language generation company for the Pharmaceutical industry. 

Vachon founded Chowdahead Growth Fund, which invests in start-ups aiming to positively impact over a billion people. His fund has supported companies like AnchorFree/Aura, Proteus Digital Health, and SupplyShift/Sphera. He also played a key role in scaling AnchorFree’s Hotspot Shield app, driving user growth to over 700 million installs and raising significant funding from Goldman Sachs.

His career includes senior leadership roles at Immersion Corporation, where he achieved profitability for the first time, and strategic positions at companies like McCaw Cellular, Sirenic and Varatouch.

Vachon holds an MA in Business Communications and a BS in Communication Studies from Emerson College.

Mark P.  Zukowski, CPA, is a hands-on senior leader in finance and accounting management functions. He has been an executive, as well as consultant, with 33 years of experience. He has had operational roles and has provided strategic, financial and tax planning advice for privately held companies ranging from start-up organizations through $250 million+ companies. He has helped companies in biotechnology, manufacturing, construction, transportation, health care, and service industries.

He has served as a fractional Chief Financial Officer and/or controller for multiple businesses. He has directed preparation of due diligence private debt offerings, asset purchase and sale agreements, and establishing lines of credit with financial institutions.

On behalf of his clients, he researched, applied for, and received $50 million+ in grants from various U.S. government programs. Recently he helped clients deal with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic by managing cash flow and maximizing funding from government grant and loan programs.

Mark has demonstrated a strong ability to improve efficiencies and drive growth through optimization of existing facilities, strategic acquisitions, and development and implementation of financial controls.  Mark is proud of his ability to establish rapport with all levels in an organization, from staff to management and owners.

Mark graduated from The Pennsylvania State University with a B.S. in Accounting with Distinction. He is a member of Pennsylvania Institute of CPAs and American Institute of CPAs. Mark is Kidney Transplant Champion.

Shantanu Rane most recently managed the Cyber-Physical Systems research area at SRI International’s (formerly Stanford Research Institute) Future Concepts Division. His research background is in applied cryptography, statistics, and signal processing. He works on fundamental and applied problems in security, privacy, machine learning and dynamical systems.

Shantanu earned a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Stanford University, and a Masters in electrical engineering from The University of Minnesota. 

He has served as an associate editor for the IEEE Transactions on Information Forensics and Security, the IEEE Signal Processing Magazine and the IEEE Signal Processing Letters. He has also participated in standardization activity for ITU-T/MPEG H.264/AVC video compression standard, and the ISO/IEC JTC1 SC37 Subcommittee on Biometrics.