Meet Our Business Plan Consulting Team
Cayenne Consulting's expert business plan writers are second to none. We are experienced entrepreneurs and understand what you are going through. We have deep and broad experience in creating and executing upon business models of all kinds. We have a keen sense of what works in the marketplace and what doesn't. Many of us have MBAs or PhDs from schools like Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Wharton, CalTech, Cornell, Columbia, and Chicago. We also have experts in market research, FDA/regulatory issues, financial modeling, and other fields.
Akira Hirai - Founder & CEO
Orange County, CA
With over 20 years of experience in entrepreneurship, management, business planning, financial analysis, software engineering, operations, and decision analysis, Akira has the breadth and depth of experience needed to quickly understand entrepreneurs' businesses and craft the most suitable solutions.
Before founding Cayenne Consulting in early 2001, Akira started two Internet companies in Silicon Valley. Previously, Akira held various management positions in New York at Salomon Brothers, most recently as Vice President in Fixed Income Derivatives Trading, focusing on new business development and risk management. He has also worked as a senior financial risk management consultant to the financial services industry; software engineer; advertising sales manager for the popular Let's Go travel guide series; general manager of an advertising and graphic design agency; and engineering intern at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center.
Akira is a regular guest speaker on the topics of business planning, financial forecasting, and capital formation at the Phoenix chapter of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation's FastTrac entrepreneur training program and at various programs affiliated with Arizona State University (ASU). He also mentors companies preparing to present before the Arizona Angels and the Arizona Venture Capital Conference (AVCC). Akira has also served on the Board of Directors for ITASA (Information Technology Association of Southern Arizona). He was named Entrepreneur of the Week in October 2000 by vCapital.com.
Akira earned his BA in Engineering Sciences from Harvard University.
Roger Anderson, Ph.D. - Principal Consultant
Orange County, CA
Roger brings over 20 years of experience in research, sales, marketing, product development, programming, and management to his consultant role. His training as a scientist increased his analytical skills and ability to break a problem down to the fundamental elements for analysis and presentation. His industry expertise includes internet/e-commerce, database development, logistics, supply chain, immunology, medical device, In Vitro Diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, and detection systems. He has been an executive in and fund-raiser for several start-up companies, and has worked with over 50 established and start-up businesses to develop business and revenue models, prepare business plans and investment memorandums, conduct valuations, discover new products, create strategic alliances, carry out due diligence, and raise private equity financing.
Roger has conducted negotiations and business deals across the US as well as in Europe, Japan, and China. He has dealt with the largest pharmaceutical companies, high valued pre-IPO technology companies, and the smallest of start-ups. His pioneering work to create the first online purchasing system for lab supplies created connections he continues to use to discover new products and business opportunities. He has received standing ovations and awards for his presentations on entrepreneurship and is the author of “Maps for Modern Magellans: Charts for Captains of Commerce,” the first in a series aimed at technical entrepreneurs from the sciences and engineering.
Roger earned his BA in Biochemistry and Cell Biology from UC San Diego and his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the California Institute of Technology. He is fluent in SQL and Italian.
Devin Berger, MBA - Principal Consultant
Boston, MA
Devin has over 18 years of experience in marketing and senior management of emerging growth companies, startups, and global consumer products companies, and has advised companies in numerous industries including high tech, biotech, internet/social networking, telecommunications, footwear/apparel, media & entertainment, and consumer products and services.
Earlier, she was the President of Apollo Eye Gear (performance sunglasses endorsed by Ken Griffey Jr.), CEO of Le Coq Sportif in Paris, France (athletic footwear and apparel), and President of a startup apparel company. She was also the VP of Marketing and Sales for a telecommunications company that provided wireless phone services for low income families in Tanzania, Africa. Previously, she was the Director of International Marketing for Converse, where she managed the $200 million basketball category and doubled the sales and profits of the worldwide business. Earlier, Devin was the Director of Marketing and Communications for a billion-dollar commercial real estate development project and a Senior Tax Policy Consultant for Price Waterhouse.
Devin earned her MBA from Harvard University and her BA in Economics from George Washington University.
Brian Bohr, MBA - Principal Consultant
Los Angeles, CA
Brian possesses over fourteen years of experience in investment banking, corporate development, corporate finance, merger and acquisition advisory, financial planning and analysis, and venture investing. Brian has evaluated and written numerous business plans and financial models for both clients and internal stakeholders, with a particular emphasis on media companies. Brian consults with William and Henry Associates a boutique investment bank, specializing in sell side advisory and capital raising for small and mid-sized companies. Brian also worked as an investment banker with Transpac Media, a boutique financial advisory firm with an international client base of middle-market media and entertainment companies. During his time at Transpac Media, Brian advised clients with regards to capital raising, mergers and acquisitions, optimal capital structuring and strategic advisory services.
Brian was previously employed by News Corporation in various financial positions. While with the company’s corporate finance and development group, he participated in numerous corporate financings, acquisitions and divestitures including the initial public offering of the Fox Entertainment Group, the acquisition of DIRECTV and the sale of TV Guide. Brian also worked for News Digital Ventures, a News Corporation subsidiary that made strategic venture investments in new media companies.
Brian began his career with Public Financial Management, the country’s leading consulting firm to municipal debt issuers, where he structured over $3 billion of new bond issues and refinancing for clients such as the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, the Piedmont Municipal Power Agency and the Turlock Irrigation District.
Brian holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from the UCLA Anderson School of Management. Brian is a passionate supporter of Philadelphia sports teams and the study of fine wines and has passed the Introductory Sommelier Course administered by the Guild of Master Sommeliers.
Ryan Chester - Principal Consultant
Phoenix, AZ
Ryan has served as a Principal Consultant for Cayenne Consulting since 2005. He has over 15 years of strategic, financial, and growth experience in a wide variety of businesses. His multinational client list spans diverse industries including green tech, recycling, municipal waste, and mining; broadband; media and entertainment; software, Internet and eCommerce; ambulance and private fire protection services; regenerative and apnea medical devices; and manufacturing and fulfillment to name a few.
In his work for Synaptix Impulse, he played a key role in the development of business tactics that led to the formation and growth of new strategic divisions for U.S. West Communication's broadband and digital subscriber line (DSL) services. Most recently, he worked with a team engaged in a recycling operation turnaround.
Jeff Conrad - Principal Consultant
New York, NY & Upstate New York
Jeff has a strong background in assisting entrepreneurs to plan, fund, and launch successful companies. His expertise includes development of comprehensive business plans focused on raising venture, private, and angel investment. Jeff excels in developing complex financial models, performing market research, setting investment strategy, and navigating the complexities of the startup process. Jeff's clients in industries such as cleantech, renewable energy, healthcare, and branded products/services have successfully secured over $35MM in capital.
Jeff began his career at a Fidelity National Financial, a Fortune 500 company, contributing to the establishment and expansion of a startup business unit. Additionally, Jeff has worked with management and the board of directors at some of the nation's most prominent companies, providing tools to assist the directors to excel in the boardroom. As an entrepreneur, Jeff lead Greenwise Solutions to become one of Southern California's leaders in energy efficiency and solar power. Jeff has also served as a mentor to new entrepreneurs at IDEA, a venture accelerator.
Jeff holds a BA from Northeastern University's Entrepreneurship and Business Management program, which Forbes and Entrepreneurship Magazine rank as one of the top programs in the nation.
Bill Davenport, MBA - Principal Consultant
Austin, TX | Newport Beach, CA
Bill is an entrepreneurial executive with over 10 years of experience building businesses. He possesses a strong financial background geared specifically towards meeting the capital requirements of growing companies.
Bill is an expert in financial modeling, corporate finance, and has created countless business plans and funding proposals that have raised millions in capital. He has served as CFO/COO of Sabertec, LLC. a leading manufacturer of non-catalytic diesel filtration equipment, and as the CFO of RVCA Corporation, a fast growing action sports apparel company. During the ".com" era, Bill was a securities broker at Roth Capital Partners where he co-managed $130MM in equity and cash. Bill has extensive international business experience and has managed manufacturing relationships, fundings, and IP portfolios throughout the world. He has also served on the boards of both private and public companies.
Bill holds an MBA with a specialization in finance from Thunderbird, The American Graduate School of International Management, and a Bachelors of Arts in Economics and Latin American Studies from The American University in Washington, D.C.
Tom Dykstra, MBA, CFPIM - Principal Consultant
Tampa, FL
Tom has over thirty years of experience in business planning, finance, strategy development, software design, engineering management, sales, marketing, channel creation, consulting, business modeling, decision analysis, capital acquisition, and new venture creation.
He is the co-founder of two ERP software companies: Effective Management Systems (ERP for discrete manufacturers) and EMS Solutions (ERP for automatic merchandising companies). Effective Management Systems appeared on the Inc 500 twice (28 and 37), acquired venture funding, and was taken public.
Before founding Effective Management Systems, he was with the Data Systems Division of AO Smith Corporation, a Fortune 500 diversified manufacturer. He was responsible for all financial and HR systems used by the corporation and the service bureau customers. He also founded the firm's small business computer line of business and the IT consulting practice.
He currently serves on the board of directors of Synergex International, a software firm.
As an adjunct faculty member at Grand Canyon University and Arizona State University, he has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in strategy, supply chain / operations management, project management, information systems, statistics, business modeling, and decision analysis.
Tom has an MBA from the University of Chicago and a BA in Mathematics from Hope College. He is also a Certified Fellow of the American Production and Inventory Control Society.
Julie Fletcher, MBA - Principal Consultant
Phoenix, AZ | Los Angeles, CA
Julie offers over 20 years of experience in business management and training. Her specialties include new business formation, business planning, business development, small business management, organizational development, operations planning, human resources, and insurance.
Prior to joining Cayenne, Julie founded Lanick Corporation, a small business consulting and coaching company. Previously, she co-founded and operated a successful small business development firm for eight years. This company expanded into the Arizona market quickly and within the first five years in business opened six offices statewide. During these years, Julie was recognized as a market leader in the construction licensing and surety bond industry, taught business law seminars, trained and led her team to reach their objectives year after year, consulted and coached hundreds of small business owners one-on-one, and assisted in setting up over 4,000 new Arizona businesses.
As an entrepreneur, Julie understands your reason for doing what you do. Her philosophy to success is simple: "you must be willing to learn and commit to follow-through! So many people dream, so few act." Through training and assistance, she guides you through a transformational process that opens doors to new opportunities and allows you to not only see your success, but actually experience it.
Julie earned her MBA with a concentration in Human Resources from the Keller Graduate School of Management, and holds a BS in business operations from DeVry University.
Jenifer Grant, MBA - Principal Consultant
New York, NY
Jenifer has been involved with finance, strategy, and marketing in a wide variety of roles and industries for over 15 years. In addition to third-party clients, she developed plans and implemented strategies for internal new businesses within IT and investment banking during the corporate phase of her career. Jenifer's clients range from start-up through high middle market companies in fields including IT, software, green tech / renewable energy, telecom services, wireless, financial services, Internet/e-commerce, media/entertainment, healthcare products and wellness, consumer and industrial products, retail, mining and commodities, energy and tourism.
Prior to working as an independent consultant, Jenifer structured and managed transactions in global merchant banking and derivatives, and held strategic planning and management positions within investment banking and IT functions at Bankers Trust Company. Earlier, she worked in credit corporate finance at Manufacturers Hanover and portfolio strategy, equity and fixed income research at Kidder Peabody.
Jenifer has an MBA in Finance from Wharton and a BA in Economics from Columbia.
Richard Hasenpflug, MBA - Principal Consultant
Phoenix, AZ
Richard has been bringing Fortune 100 expertise to startups and small to mid-sized businesses since 1985. He is both a consultant and serial entrepreneur and has participated in several startup teams either as CEO or CFO. After an extensive career in Silicon Valley, he relocated to Arizona in 2008.
Richard has worked with clients spanning a variety of industries, both domestically and overseas, including healthcare, high-tech market research, international trade, multinational operations & marketing, offshoring, publishing, semiconductor equipment, supply-chain management, and telecommunications.
Richard's focus internationally has been on building strong multi-national teams and bringing the lessons learned in Silicon Valley to other industries and countries. He was active in Russia during the 1990s, working with privatized state-owned companies and supporting local startups and multinational joint ventures. He also led the creation of a worldwide trading network focused primarily in Europe.
Prior to 1985, Richard held a variety of management, development, finance and marketing positions in international and high-tech companies. Based in Singapore, he was Director of Finance and Corporate Credit for Monsanto Corporation's Asian operations for several years, establishing corporate risk levels throughout the region and actively working with and supporting customers. Richard has served as an officer and/or director of several industry associations and non-profit organizations. He was named Los Altan of the Year in 2002 for his many years of work in support of local education, worldwide AIDS education, and international understanding.
Richard earned an MBA in International Management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management, a BA in History from The Ohio State University, and graduated from the Marketing Management Executive Program at Columbia University's Graduate School of Business.
Rod Hillman, MBA, MS - Principal Consultant
Baltimore, MD
Rod Hillman has more than twenty-five years of experience in various disciplines including business planning, financial modeling, equity and bank financing, and operations management. Rod’s recent engagements have included establishment of an organizational plan, financial model, and operations plan for a public company within the automated traffic enforcement industry as well as a privately owned resort restaurant expanding to two new locations.
Rod’s corporate experience includes serving as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer for Game Trading Technologies, Inc. (GTTI), a public company in the video game industry. Rod was a co-founder of this company in 2003 and helped to take it public in 2010 with peak revenues of $32 million. Prior to GTTI, Rod served as Vice President of Product Development for InterAct Accessories, Inc. from 1998 to 2003. Rod also has 12 years prior experience in various management positions, primarily in finance and strategy, with Constellation Energy Group, a multinational energy services firm. Rod received a B.S. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from The Johns Hopkins University, an M.S. degree in Finance from Loyola College in Baltimore, Maryland, and an M.B.A. degree from the University of Baltimore.
Shyam Jha, MBA - Principal Consultant
Tucson, AZ
Shyam leverages three decades of international corporate, entrepreneurial, and executive education experience to help entrepreneurs and enterprise clients develop compelling business models and plans. He focuses on mobile apps, e-commerce, enterprise software, consumer electronics, and other high-technology venture areas.
Shyam gained international business experience at Fortune 100 companies such as Schlumberger, Hewlett-Packard, and Nortel. Starting as Field Sales Engineer at Schlumberger, he rose progressively in marketing and business development area to lead business development and strategic planning activity at Nortel’s $5 billion Carrier Packet Solutions Business Unit. Later, he was the first Vice President of Marketing at Corvis, an optical networking startup funded by Kleiner-Perkins, New Enterprise Associates and Cisco, where he played a key role in its $1.1 billion IPO.
Shyam gained his first experience in "intrapreneurship" at HP, where he created a ruggedized version of HP Vectra PCs for use in offshore drilling platforms. He led the product marketing team at HP for development of the world’s first Palmtop PC – the HP 95 LX – that combined Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet with personal organizer functions. Later, as director of product management at Bay Networks (acquired by Nortel), he led the development of industry’s first high-capacity edge routers sold to ISPs such as AOL and Earthlink.
Shyam has worked as a Venture Partner at Mercator Capital, an early stage fund based in Virginia. He is also a limited partner in a technology-focused venture fund in Silicon Valley. He has mentored many entrepreneurs as an angel investor and board member over the past decade.
Shyam has taught executive MBA courses on innovation and corporate strategy, as well as undergraduate courses in operations and engineering management at the University of Arizona's Eller College of Management and College of Engineering. He has three “Professor of the Year” awards. He was an Entrepreneurship Scholar at the McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Arizona, where he mentored student entrepreneurs.
Shyam is a frequent speaker on innovation and strategy. He has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post, and has made television appearances in France. He has written an online text on operations management for McGraw-Hill Connect Series, and has published an Amazon Kindle book on Strategic Planning.
Shyam earned his MBA from Oregon State University, and holds a Bachelor of Technology degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.
David Kaplan, JD - Principal Consultant
Boston, MA
David has written investment grade business plans, consulted in strategic planning and facilitated management strategy meetings for operating companies since 1994. He has advised scores of scientists, researchers, inventors and business innovators in turning nascent ideas into concrete, executable business plans. Client engagements have included biotechnology and early stage drug development, consumer products and services, software, healthcare, medical devices, Internet, high tech, fish farming, automotive products and services, elder care, publishing and others.
Earlier, David founded several successful startups. His first was DSK Cars in Marblehead Mass, where he manufactured sports/racing cars of his own design by hand from raw materials. He also founded PoleStar LLC, a consultancy to entrepreneurs; Your Auto Expert, an alternative Internet based car retailer and; Purgatory Cove Press, the publisher of four fishing guide books he wrote about Middlesex County Massachusetts. David served as an affiliate at the Boston University Healthcare Entrepreneurship Program and taught Entrepreneurial Management at B.U.
David consulted to the world-wide auto industry at Temple, Barker and Sloan; served as General Counsel and Director of Marketing at Callaway Engineering; and litigated on behalf of Native Americans in state and federal courts.
David earned a Phi Beta Kappa and BA Magna cum Laude at Amherst College and a JD with honors from Harvard Law School.
Charlie Kickham, MBA - Principal Consultant
New York, NY
Charlie brings 17 years of experience in finance, strategic partnership development, organizational restructuring, real estate development, and business development to Cayenne Consulting. Charlie's experience extends from Wall Street to start-ups, delivering large-company fiscal and operational discipline to emerging companies whose structures are most fragile in their early years. Operating both in the trenches as an entrepreneur and on the outside as an investor/advisor, Charlie understands the needs and demands of both. Such experience lends well to start-ups, not only in their quest for capital but also in their need for sound judgment in getting their business off the ground. This includes organizational management, operational strategies, process and technology roadmaps, revenue and cash flow projections, financial models and forecasts, legal and capital structures, advisory board and ramp-up strategies, technology development, and team building.
Charlie's core financial strength blends operational efficiency with a mandate to always improve existing structures and best practices. Such strengths were evident at TD Waterhouse where Charlie helped develop the firm’s global treasury operations and then rose to provide leadership for one of its most profitable and critical business units, directing strategic/operational planning, financial forecasting, budgeting, securities lending, firm funding, cash management, and risk management initiatives, with ultimate responsibility over the firm's cash maximization. Charlie employs such tactics in the start-up environment where the early years of launching are some of the most critical.
Charlie has been, and continues to be, a founding member of multiple internet start-ups in all fields, and operates as managing partner at Avos Holdings focusing on opportunistic investments in real estate and corporate finance.
Charlie holds MBA degrees from both New York University's Stern School of Business and the London School of Economics, and is a mentor both at NYU's Berkley School of Entrepreneurial Studies, and with entrepreneurial programs involving inner-city New York City high school students.
Jan Knight, MA - Market Research Specialist
Tucson, AZ
Jan delivers both marketing and advertising experience to her role as our market research specialist. Her focus is on providing customized business intelligence and secondary market research and her work helps to shape business plans, marketing strategies, and new business development for a diverse set of clients. She has research experience in fields such as medical devices, software, IT, healthcare, cleantech, publishing, beverages, and many others. Jan has access to professional subscriber-only databases that provide authoritative data, nationally and internationally, and help her to go far beyond what the Internet alone can offer.
Previously, Jan has spent over 15 years working as a client liaison for two successful Advertising/Marketing Agencies and as a Purchasing/Manufacturing Manager for an international educational publisher. She regularly speaks to business groups on the topic of advanced online search strategies and market research related topics. Most recently Jan has begun working with a number of start-up companies researching both government grant funding as well as research for the companies’ SBIR/STTR proposals.
She is also a reviewer of information and research products for Freepints Online Magazine and regularly reviews global databases and services.
Currently Jan is an active member of the Association of Independent Information Professionals and has been active in both committees and conferences since 2001. She has previously served as a Board Member for a local Chapter of National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), on committees for the American Marketing Association and is currently involved as a partner or mentor at a number of Arizona based business incubators.
Jan earned her M.A. in Information Resources & Library Science from the University of Arizona, and her B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley.
Van Lanier, MBA - Principal Consultant
Washington DC
Van is an accomplished business practitioner who helps entrepreneurs start, grow, and harvest their ventures. Van has prepared over 300 business plans, financial forecasts, and funding memorandums in industries ranging from data mining to water disinfection. He also has deep knowledge of government contracting, environmental technology, and financial analysis.
Van is a Certified Management Consultant whose professional career includes 35 years of corporate turnaround consulting, plus creating seven entrepreneurial ventures of his own. He enjoyed success with most, but took it in the gut from one. This combination of technical knowledge and hands-on start up experience has given Van a unique set of skills and know-how.
Van earned his MBA with highest honors before personal computers made the math easy. He is a long-time member of the Institute of Management Consultants and the Superior Business Firm Roundtable.
Van is a director and adviser to businesses, government agencies, and non-profit organizations. He writes and speaks on business issues for the International Finance Corporation, Small Business Development Centers, and other organizations.
Jimmy Lewin - Principal Consultant
Phoenix, AZ | Deer Valley, UT
Jimmy's background includes over 40 years in international, commercial and investment banking, and nearly a decade as the principal shareholder and CEO of a rapidly growing manufacturing and distribution business in California. Today, Jimmy spends his time advising and consulting with entrepreneurs on matters related to business planning, as well as capital markets and funding strategies. In addition, he serves in an advisory role to the National Science Foundation where he provides recommendations on the funding of SBIR/STTR grant proposals.
Jimmy serves on a number of Advisory Boards for emerging companies that have recently raised capital or are about to raise capital. In all of his work, he expresses a strong belief in the importance of customer acquisition, customer retention, and understanding the financial consequences of each and every business activity.
During his 20 years at Security Pacific Bank, Jimmy served in a number of senior management positions in the U.S. and internationally. Applicable assignments included responsibility for the funding of all of the institution's subsidiaries and affiliates domiciled outside of the U.S., general management of two overseas affiliates and general management of the bank's California staff departments.
For two years, he served as President, Director and CEO of Guardian Bancorporation, Los Angeles, California. Jimmy has extensive senior management and Board of Director experience. He is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati where he earned a B.A. in Political Science.
Malcolm McLelland, Ph.D. - Senior Advisor
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Malcolm has over 24 years' experience in financial modeling and econometric analysis gained in public accounting, commercial lending, and academic institutions. He has been engaged in such matters by firms in the manufacturing, processing, technology, real estate, and financial services industries, as well as by financial institutions and their regulatory agencies. His financial models have been used in financial planning and performance measurement, development of corporate governance and management control systems, merger and acquisition analysis and structuring, negotiating private debt and equity placements, capital (re)structuring and reorganization, business valuation, and commercial damages litigation consulting.
Malcolm's academic research focuses on how accounting information is used in equity markets, how managers make optimal financial reporting decisions, and how professional labor markets in accounting, finance, and information systems work. His research has been published in Review of Accounting & Finance and Managerial Finance, and he has written a number of monographs and articles included in professional publications and periodicals. Malcolm has taught a wide range of courses including financial accounting and analysis, managerial accounting and decision-making, corporate governance, asset pricing theory and business valuation at Michigan State University, University of Illinois at Chicago, Purdue University, and most recently at Indiana University.
Malcolm was graduated from Indiana University with a B.S. in 1981, and from Michigan State University with a Ph.D. in 1999.
Tom Miller - Principal Consultant
Phoenix, AZ
Over the past 30+ years, working independently as a serial entrepreneur as well as a serial intrapreneur within multi-national corporations, Tom has focused on recognizing outstanding new technology opportunities and successfully forming and leading new enterprises. His career has included leadership roles at both Fortune 1000 companies such as Texas Instruments, NCR, Fairchild Semiconductor, Fujitsu and DuPont, and entrepreneurial ventures such as Integrated CMOS Systems, VIA Technologies, Quantum3D, and Anadigm. Tom's extensive experience and expertise spans business development, sales and marketing, brand management, operations (general management), and manufacturing.
Tom's earliest successes were at Texas Instruments where he led business development efforts to develop electronic sound generators and controllers for integration into leading consumer electronic products for the toy and game industry. Parker Brothers, Coleco, Milton Bradley and many others introduced products incorporating the TI technology, resulting in revenue growth from zero to over $50 million annually within 3 years. Tom later led efforts to commercialize the first RISC microprocessors, initially at NCR and then at Fairchild, followed by his first entrepreneurial efforts with Integrated CMOS Systems (sold to Toshiba) and VIA Technologies (now a major international IC company in Taiwan). At Fujitsu Microelectronics from 1992 to 1996 Tom initiated efforts to restructure US semiconductor operations, reducing operating costs by more than $20 million while increasing sales from less than $190 million to over $600 million within 3 years.
Since 1998, Tom has advised or participated in the formation of more than 30 other high technology start-ups, most recently as President and general manager of DuPont Displays passive matrix polymer OLED displays business headquartered in Santa Barbara, CA, and as interim COO for Anadigm, a field programmable analog array company headquartered in Tempe, AZ. From 2007 to 2010, Tom served as Executive Director for the Society for Information Displays, a professional society dedicated to advancing the state of the art in electronic displays for every product class from televisions to cell phones. Additionally, Tom currently serves on the Board of Directors for Project InVision International and is a trusted advisor to numerous other public and private companies in the displays, semiconductor and software industries.
Tom began his career as a hardware and firmware designer for microprocessor systems and holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, NY.
Joan Morgen - Principal Consultant
Phoenix, AZ
Joan is committed to the belief that challenges can be turned into opportunities when companies recognize they should seek expert advice before they are at that pivotal juncture facing critical decisions.
Prior to moving to Arizona from New York, Joan’s professional background spans over two decades on Wall Street. Her extensive career includes forming and leading marketing and strategic/business planning departments for Merrill Lynch Futures. Subsequently, she worked for boutique firms as portfolio manager and then as a SVP, investment banker for Jesup & Lamont. She focuses on diverse industries and sectors within, including: technology, life sciences/medical devices, consumer electronics, communications, professional services and special situations. As an investment banker she successfully raised capital for multiple companies, preparing business plans and pitch decks, coaching CEO’s/CFO’s on how best to position themselves and present a compelling story and investment thesis to potential funding sources.
Joan has a hands-on, strategic and creative management style that produces collaboration between disciplines and functions, yielding better outcomes, to advance corporate growth and goals of start-ups/emerging businesses, small and mid-sized companies. She has been advising C-level management in the identification and pursuit of business building opportunities through a sound, disciplined business planning process and comprehensive strategic approach, resource optimization, and fostering team consensus and buy-in for effective implementation and execution. Joan’s reputation for being client-centric can be seen in her long term client relationships.
Since moving to the Valley, Joan, having been an entrepreneur herself, has been committed to advancing and supporting entrepreneurship and innovation in Arizona. She has worked on various industry association committees (AZ Tech Counsel, AeA, Connect AZ), as well as serving on the Dean’s Corporate Advisory Board (ASU’s Fulton School of Engineering) and currently as a mentor for the newly established Center of Entrepreneurial Innovation, one of Phoenix’s newest business incubators.
Joan has an MBA (marketing/finance) and a BA (sociology/psychology) from Hofstra University and advanced finance courses from NY Institute of Finance.
Tim O'Connor, MBA - Principal Consultant
Chicago, IL
Tim O'Connor is a tremendous asset to our Consumer Products practice area and brings the innovation and passion of a proven entrepreneur plus the enormous volume of results from his classic brand marketing experiences on some of the world’s best known brands including Betty Crocker®, Tropicana® Juice, Coors®, Star Wars® and many more.
With more than twenty years of experience in traditional consumer marketing, Tim is a hands-on leader in product development, strategic planning, sales management and operations issues. As an executive leader, Tim has built a reputation as a marketing & sales driven executive in corporate turnarounds and brings a level of analysis and urgency to strategic decisions facing large and small organizations. Tim has developed countless strategic plans and presentations in such areas as marketing strategy, business model innovation, consumer research, channel management, new product development, brand renewal and product launches to name a few.
Tim is also the Founder of Brightspot Brands, the company he created to focus on the emerging functional candy segment. His company created the world's first healthy candy brand known as gimme®. The brand featured great tasting, premium chocolate candy packed with nutrition like real dairy calcium, Omega3 from flaxseed and probiotics. The business was sold to a strategic investor in 2010.
Tim earned his undergraduate degree in Economics at the University of Minnesota and earned his MBA from the JL Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University with emphasis in Finance and Marketing.
Rick O'Hara, MBA - Principal Consultant
Austin, TX
With over twenty years of experience in management, management consulting, strategic and business planning, financial modeling and analysis, and launching new ventures, Rick has the broad-based experience to quickly comprehend the nuances of your business and create winning solutions that get results.
Rick served as CFO for several startups in multiple industries, including Paramount Digital Entertainment (a division of Paramount Television), Carter Aviation Technologies, and Trinity Thermal Systems. While Director of Business Planning at The Becker Group of Companies, he oversaw development of business plans and financial models for four technology startups, and participated in the merger and IPO of a software firm and hardware manufacturer. As Marketing Manager at Teledyne Analytical Instruments, he managed the launch of four new product lines.
As a management consultant, he has developed business plans, financial models, engineering models, proposals, and white papers used to successfully raise millions of dollars. While still a student at the University of Southern California's MBA program, where he majored in Entrepreneurial Studies, he founded a software firm that developed and published the first business graphics software for microcomputers. Rick received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University.
Patrick O'Hearn - Principal Consultant
Paso Robles, CA
Pat is a serial entrepreneur and has held senior executive positions in management, marketing, operations and engineering during over 35 years in the electronics industry. He began his career as a custom silicon chip designer at National Semiconductor and became manager of the Motorola European Design Center, developing embedded microprocessors. He transitioned to marketing, heading up International Marketing for Philips in the Netherlands then into General Management, managing Profit and Loss accounts of $200M+. He has been a senior executive in the communication and semiconductor industry in large multinational corporations such as Plessey, Philips, Fujitsu, Motorola and Cirrus Logic.
While holding an executive position at Philips, Pat helped to form Silicon Architects, an innovative ASIC design company. He arranged a Philips investment and helped to attract leading venture capitalists to form an independent start up. The company was sold 4 years later to Synopsis, earning a healthy return for the stakeholders. Pat served as the founding President and CEO of ATM Limited, a network switching company and raised over $20M in venture investment from leading Silicon Valley venture capitalists. Prior to its IPO the company was renamed Virata Corp. and subsequently merged with Globespan to become GlobespanVirata. Pat served as President and CEO of InTalk, a pioneer in Wireless LAN (WiFi). He negotiated the sale of the company to Nokia, earning a significant return for the stakeholders.
Prior to joining Cayenne Consulting, Pat was Founder and Managing Partner of Sapiential Prime, an executive mentoring company which provided hands-on support to early stage companies. Pat’s skills include creating compelling business plans, financial models and powerful marketing strategies and aligning management teams behind them. He has specialized skills in intellectual property management and creating long term partnerships and contracts. Over 70% of Sapiential Prime’s clients achieved significant success and either executed IPOs or were acquired.
George Papaioannou, CFA, MBA - Principal Consultant
Princeton, NJ (Serving Philadelphia and New York)
George Papaioannou has two decades of experience in developing, analyzing, evaluating and executing upon business models, from an investment as well as an operational perspective. He is one of Cayenne's resident experts on business and startup valuation.
George has spent the bulk of his career on Wall Street, valuing equity securities and positioning investment opportunities with institutional investors. As a research analyst for Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, he covered the media & entertainment sector. George played a central role in executing public offerings and M&A transactions while at DLJ. As product manager for Thomas Weisel Partners, George oversaw all aspects of the equity research department's daily output. He collaborated with the firm's research analysts to develop thematic investment ideas and position them with appropriate investors. George was a member of TWP's Research Review Committee, which reviewed and approved stock rating changes. As a management consultant for IBM Global Services, George specialized in the development and execution of Internet strategies for Global 2000 media & entertainment companies. At online music retailer CDNOW, he formulated a strategy and business model for selling digital downloads.
George holds a BA in History from Cornell University and an MBA in Finance and Media Management from Columbia Business School. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. George is a member of the New York Society of Securities Analysts (NYSSA) and the CFA Institute. He serves as a Mentor for the Eugene M. Lang Center for Entrepreneurship at Columbia University.
Dennis Pape, Ph.D. - Principal Consultant
Orlando, FL
Dennis brings over twenty nine years of experience with high technology companies, from research scientist to manager to start-up founder to entrepreneur, corporate, and investor advisor. His primary expertise is in advising and directing new venture business, technology, and product development. He has strong technical, communication, organizational, and business skills with technical expertise in optics, photonics, optical networks, acoustics, electronics, communications, and medical devices.
Dennis has authored or co-authored business plans and investor presentations that have resulted in over $200M in institutional venture capital funding. He has hands-on experience as both a CEO and CTO during a new venture's formative stage. He was a key player in a number of corporate technology spin-outs while he was at Milcom Technologies, a venture capital backed corporate spin-out firm.
Prior to joining Milcom, Dennis founded and was President of Photonic Systems Incorporated (PSI) in Melbourne, Florida. His firm specialized in the development of optical information processing technology products for both government and commercial customers. He secured seed venture capital funding for the firm and was responsible for the firm's technical leadership position in its field, which resulted in the award of over $7 Million of government R&D contracts, which he managed. Before founding PSI, Dennis worked as a Group Leader at Harris Corporation and as a Member of the Technical Staff at Texas Instruments. Dennis is an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the University of Central Florida Technology Incubator. He is a member of AUTM, IEEE, SPIE, and OSA. He is the coeditor of a book, the author of 3 book chapters and some 50 publications, and was the organizer of numerous national and international conferences in the field of optical information processing.
Dennis earned an AB in Physics from Cornell University and a Ph.D. in Physics from Duke University.
Scott Pollov - Principal Consultant
Phoenix, AZ
Scott brings nearly two decades of experience in planning, developing, financing, marketing, and managing entrepreneurial and real estate based ventures, both as a principal and as a consultant. He has managed several hundred strategic consulting engagements for companies in nearly every industry and stage of development. Before joining Cayenne, Scott was the co-founder and managing partner of BizPlanIt, a management consulting and capital advisory firm that assisted clients through the process of creating, financing, growing, and sustaining their business. Scott focused on pre-financing transaction preparation and positioning services, including market and competitive research, business planning services, strategic and growth planning, financial analysis and projections, investor presentation materials, recommendations on value enhancement, presentation coaching, advisory board membership, and the identification and development of strategic, marketing, and technology partners.
Scott has focused extensively on serving companies in the real estate development and finance industries, including master planned community, residential, and commercial developers; multifamily and commercial property investment companies; real estate private equity funds; and commercial and residential mortgage brokers/lenders. Scott has been active as a principal in a real estate investment firm, as well as in the funding of private money and commercial mortgage transactions.
Earlier, Scott worked at at McGladrey & Pullen, a national public accounting firm, where he specialized in financial statement audits for middle market manufacturing, distribution, and medical services companies. Scott holds a B.S. in Accounting and Entrepreneurship from the University of Arizona, and is an inductee in the University's Berger Entrepreneurship Program Hall of Fame for his role in developing BizPlanIt.
John Ricardi, MS - Principal Consultant
Los Angeles, CA
John has over 30 years of experience in P&L management, strategic planning, business planning, business development, corporate restructuring, product development, program management, entrepreneurship, market development and product commercialization. He has generated significant business and revenue growth for numerous companies in a variety of high technology industries — semiconductor, life sciences, biotechnology, automotive, aerospace, test and measurement and others.
John founded HiTech initiatives, a business and management consulting company, in 2007 and primarily works with start-ups and small to medium size businesses to help accelerate growth and profitability through business development and operational initiatives.
John has held several CEO, COO and VP positions in companies ranging in size from start-ups to fortune 500 companies. He grew an automotive business for Philips Electronics from 84% to $70M at 19% EBITDA in 3 years, restructured and grew an aerospace company 59% to $44M in one year and diversified a test & measurement company that resulted in a 33% increase in sales to $19M.
John also founded One Source Alliance (OSA) that is comprised of several companies aimed at providing a plethora of services such as accounting, IT, management consulting, advertising, PR, employee benefits, HR consulting and cash flow management for small to medium size businesses. The goal of the Alliance is to be the one stop shop for a company’s outsourcing needs. John and rest of the OSA team frequently give seminars to business professionals on topics that help them better manage their business.
John has a MS and BS in Electrical Engineering from Northeastern University.
Michael Robbins - Principal Consultant
Seattle, WA
Michael Robbins has over 25 years’ experience in financial services, and he has contributed to the capitalization of about 500 companies that raised hundreds of millions of dollars. As an investor relations account executive on Wall Street, Michael introduced dozens of public company CEOs to hundreds of brokers, analysts, and fund managers. He helped his clients refine their presentations while gaining insights to the scrutiny applied by some of the nation's leading financial analysts.
Michael launched and managed a hedge fund before departing New York for Sydney, Australia, where he traded the fund and started an investor relations agency. Although he has worked in an array of verticals, technology and socially responsible investing is his forte. While downunder, he initiated analyst earnings call webcasts for some of Australia and New Zealand's largest companies, supported by his colleagues in the States who started the industry that ultimately lead to Regulation FD.
Having programmed some of the world's first investor relations websites in 1995, and taught Wall Street's budding internet analysts about some of the finer points of cookies and encryption, it was inevitable that Michael would start an internet business, ZeroKlix, which eventually would stream about half the online radio in Australia. Returning to his strengths in critical analysis and identifying solutions to the issues discovered, he began writing strategic business plans, valuation reports, and PPMs full time in 2002.
Michael holds a BS in Economics from the University of Colorado, with substantial coursework in Journalism, complemented with accounting from New York University.
Adam T - Principal Consultant
Los Angeles, CA & Sao Paulo, Brazil
Adam has broad experience in new ventures and investor relations. His employment experience includes the positions of President/CFO at W2 Energy Development Corporation, CFO at Santa Cruz Guitar Company, and Senior Manager at The Charles Schwab Corporation, where he was responsible for project planning in the Schwab Technology Group. In addition to investor relations, Adam has developed expertise in joint ventures and licensing arrangements, both domestic and international.
Since 1999 Adam has worked as a professional writer, accepting assignments such as business plans, PPMs, economic reports, and other projects. Adam has prepared successful business plans and investment proposals for a long list of clients in industries such as renewable energy, real estate development, telecommunications, gaming, high technology, ports, music/film production, transportation, and investment services.
Adam graduated from Stanford University with degrees in English and Economics, and later received an MBA from U.C. Berkeley. He is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese.
Sarah Thompson, MBA - Principal Consultant
Amherst, MA
Sarah has over fifteen years of experience in financial modeling, corporate finance, operations and human resource management of small and medium sized businesses. She has worked in and with a variety of industries including food and beverage, consumer goods, wholesale, manufacturing of industrial products, electronics contract manufacturing, medical devices, family entertainment, and construction trades. She has first-hand experience having owned, financed and managed her own small business.
Prior to starting her business consulting company, Thompson Business Solutions, Sarah served as a Corporate Controller for Superior Cake, an equity-owned, rapidly growing industrial bakery. Prior to that she worked for Accellent, an equity-owned medical device manufacturer, where she managed the transition of the Cost Accounting functions for three manufacturing divisions to a Corporate Shared Services model. She has also worked as a Corporate Controller for a craft design and wholesale company and for an industrial composite manufacturer. Sarah also served as Business Unit Manager for New Products at Flextronics, NH, where she managed a cross functional team and completed multiple projects for market launches of customers.
Sarah has knowledge and experience in multiple aspects of business and can help your company get started on the right foot. Sarah has specific expertise in financial forecasting and planning, banking relationships, asset-based lending, international business which includes import/export and outsourcing, production planning, inventory management, ERP system implementation, and small business software programs.
Sarah earned her MBA from the University of Massachusetts and her BA in Political Science and International Affairs from the University of New Hampshire.
Rick Tifone, MBA, CExP - Principal Consultant
Pittsburgh, PA
Rick brings over 25 years of executive management, marketing, sales, consulting, and exit planning experience to Cayenne Consulting. He has hands-on experience running startup companies and working with CEOs on strategic planning, performance improvement, and process improvement. In addition to working on business plans, Rick works with the owners of B2B companies to help them increase the value of their business and plan for the single, most critically important financial event of their lives -- the transition out of their business. He has been working with companies involved with software development, IT services, real estate brokerage, commercial and residential real estate, executive recruiting, medical equipment, construction, manufacturing, and government sourcing.
As founder and CEO of Danet, Inc., a consulting and systems integration company providing solutions for the telecommunications industry, Rick managed the profitable growth of the company from one employee to over one hundred. He was recognized by the Pittsburgh Technology Council as the CEO of the fastest growing company in the $10M to $25M range. During his nine years at Danet, Rick guided the company through dramatic telecommunications market changes and a transition from a software company to a systems integration and consulting company. Rick conducted business throughout the U.S. and Canada, South America, Europe, and the Middle East.
Rick's previous public company experience includes positions at General Dynamics, Alcoa, Wang Laboratories, and Tandem Computers. Rick has also operated a residential real estate investment company. He brings a unique perspective from being both a professionally trained business coach and an experienced business leader who has started and grown successful businesses.
Rick's formal education includes a Bachelors Degree in Computer Science from the State University of New York at Potsdam and an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh’s Katz School of Business. Rick also holds a BEI Certified Exit Planner Designation.
Teresa Uthurralt - Principal Consultant
New York, NY
Teresa has over twenty years of business experience developing business strategy, financial forecasts and negotiating strategic partnerships. During the past 8 years she has worked closely with digital media entrepreneurs to evaluate new business opportunities, prepare business plans, develop business strategies and execute business development partnerships.
Prior to working as a strategy consultant, Teresa was the Senior Vice President of Corporate Development at Dice.com. During her tenure at Dice, she successfully completed 8 acquisitions and a strategic reorganization. These projects involved intensive evaluation of different businesses, due diligence and contract negotiation. Teresa developed her M&A, capital raising and analytical skills by working as for 8 years in investment banking when she was a Vice President in Merrill Lynch’s Investment Banking Group.
Teresa is a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College where she earned a BA in Social Studies.
Marty Zwilling - Chief Knowledge Officer
Phoenix, AZ
Marty Zwilling's passion is nurturing the development of entrepreneurs by providing first-hand mentoring, funding assistance, and business plan development.
He writes a daily blog for entrepreneurs, and dispenses advice on the subject of startups to a large online audience of over 235,000 Twitter followers. He is also a regular contributor to Forbes, Harvard Business Review, Business Insider, and the Huffington Post. He recently released his first book titled "Do You Have What It Takes To Be An Entrepreneur?"
He has a 30-year track record of demonstrated results as an executive in general management, computer software development, product management, and marketing, as well as in leading technical business transformations, conducting due diligence for investors, mentoring new technical executives, and overseeing business development, customer service, and outsourcing both onshore and offshore.
Marty began his career with IBM, holding an array of positions including executive roles in software development and professional services. Prior to launching on his professional path, Marty's education included the attainment of Bachelor of Science Degrees in Accounting and Computer Science from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana.
A resident of Fountain Hills, Arizona, Marty is a Board Member at Callaman Ventures, on the startup selection committee of the Arizona Angels Venture Group Inc., an advisor to the Arizona State University Technopolis program, Executive in Residence at the Thunderbird School of Global Management, and member of the Advisory Boards for several startups in the area.
Norton Greenfeld, Ph.D. - Senior Advisor
Boston, MA
Norton brings decades of experience in the information technology industry as an entrepreneur, as well as in the fields of product development, strategic market research, research and development, and management consulting. Norton has advised numerous startups as co-founder of a virtual incubator, where he assisted entrepreneurs in refining concepts and creating investment materials, evaluated deal flow, and provided technology perspective, including patent applications. He has also advised dozens of industry leaders including 3M, Amdahl, BankBoston, Cigna, DEC, Great Plains Software, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, NCR, Novell, NTT, Open Software Foundation, SAP, Sun, Sybase, Unisys, Xerox, and Ziff-Davis.
He has served as an industry analyst and columnist, contributing to PC Week, Computerworld, and Unix Review. Norton also holds several patents, and teaches management and entrepreneurship at Babson College in Wellesley, MA.
Norton earned his Ph.D. and MS in Engineering Science (Computer Science), and a BS in Mathematics, all from the California Institute of Technology.
Charles Krakoff, MBA - Senior Advisor
Boston, MA
Charles brings over 20 years of experience in financial and strategic consulting, private equity, investment banking, privatization, market research and investment and trade strategy. His industry expertise includes internet/e-commerce, media, telecommunications, agribusiness, security services, industrial parks and energy. He has been an executive in and fund-raiser for several start-up companies, and has worked with over 20 other established and start-up businesses to develop business and revenue models, prepare business plans and investment memorandums, conduct valuations, carry out due diligence, and raise debt and equity finance.
Much of his career has focused on emerging markets in Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Before joining Cayenne Consulting he worked for a $150-million Africa-focused private equity fund, managed a financial consulting and advisory unit for Standard Corporate & Merchant Bank in Johannesburg, and worked for six years as a senior associate with Abt Associates, a leading U.S. research and consulting firm. He has also worked for the World Bank as an advisor to national governments on business and investment climate issues, and has advised numerous U.S., European and South African corporations on cross-border investments and market entry and expansion strategies.
Charles earned his MBA in finance and international business from Columbia University and his BA in Anthropology from Reed College. He is fluent in French.
Principal Consultant
San Francisco, CA
Our San Francisco consultant has over twenty years of experience as a management consultant. He specializes in working with San Francisco Bay Area / Silicon Valley companies seeking venture capital. He is the author of numerous business plans leading to successful multi-million dollar investments. His plans have been used to raise capital, to solve critical business problems, and to persuade investors, boards, and senior management to take action. His plans are effective because they are based upon thorough qualitative and quantitative analysis, yet are able to communicate complex ideas in a simple straightforward manner.
He has client experience in high tech, green tech / alternative energy, commercial real estate, construction materials, financial services, biotech, aerospace, manufacturing, hospitality, and service industries.
He earned his MBA from Harvard University and his BA in Biochemistry from Brown University.
Mario Rosati, Esq. - Senior Advisor
Palo Alto, CA
Mario Rosati is a partner at the Silicon Valley law firm of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. He has represented Cayenne Consulting's founder in previous ventures, and continues to advise him and Cayenne Consulting's clients. He specializes in Corporate Law, especially as it relates to high-technology companies.
Mr. Rosati is a director of Aehr Test Systems, Genus, Sanmina Corporation, Symyx Technologies, The Management Network Group, and Vivus, all publicly traded companies, and a number of privately-held companies.
Mr. Rosati is an adjunct Professor, Haas School of Business, University of California at Berkeley, and serves on the Board of Advisors for the Lester Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. He earned his law degree at attended Boalt Hall, University of California, Berkeley.
Paul Sereiko, MBA - Senior Advisor
Boston, MA
Paul has over 25 years of experience in technology, marketing, business development, franchising and business planning across companies ranging in size from startups to global multi-nationals. He has personally raised nearly $20M for ventures that he has either founded or operated as the CEO, and has been associated with an additional $30M in funding for other enterprises including one NASDAQ public offering.
Paul has developed, launched, and marketed over 20 technology products in his including the world's first notebook computer, the NEC UltraLite. Over the last decade he has become an industry expert in the emerging standardized wireless sensor networking market … the so called Internet of things. Within this sector Paul has helped co-found one not-for-profit development consortium, and assumed leadership roles in organizations creating global standards for sensor networking.
Recently Paul completed an intense fellowship program in alternative energy and green technologies. His capstone project in this program was entitled: "Assessing Federal and State Financial Incentive Programs to Improve Solar Power Investment."
Paul graduated from the University of Illinois' Computer Engineering program and received his MBA at Northwestern University's Kellogg school with concentrations in marketing and investment finance.
Hal Siegel, Ph.D. - Senior Advisor
Phoenix, AZ
Dr Siegel has over 20 years experience across R&D and regulatory affairs, and supported multiple VC and public fundraising rounds, founding Siegel Consultancy LLC in 2001. For the past 8 years, Siegel served ImmuneRegen (as Senior VP, Product Development and Regulatory Affairs, and then VP and CSO), then Zila, Inc. (as VP, responsible for the company’s Phase 3 oncology program and device activities, as FDA liaison and establishing multiple research collaborations).
From 2000-2003, Siegel served in the FDA-regulated information technology space, in Sun Microsystems Life Sciences Group, and BioQ, integrating regulatory and scientific content into a SaaS product (a collaboration with IBM, Accenture and Autonomy).
Siegel spent 1993-1998 at Advanced Bioresearch Associates, a boutique CRO, providing regulatory, clinical and scientific support, including to a botanical drug startup acquired by Wyeth-Ayerst. He joined ABA following positions at Hybritech Inc. (an Eli Lilly company) and Iatric Corporation, where he was responsible for regulatory and compliance activities for biological products and a monoclonal antibody/drug product.
He obtained his B.S. Biology from RPI, his PhD in Biochemical Pharmacology from SUNY Buffalo and performed post-doctoral research at Los Alamos National Laboratory and at the Barrow Neurological Institute. He serves on the Phoenix Leadership group of AZBio, the Arizona life science industry trade group.
Vic Singh, MBA - Senior Advisor
New York, NY
Vic is a Principal Consultant at Cayenne and a Founding General Partner with ENIAC Ventures. He has over 12 years of experience as an entrepreneur, operator, and investor in software startups. Vic is currently Founder and CEO of Tracks Media, a stealth mode venture incubated mobile startup. Vic also Co-Founded NearVerse, a venture backed mobile technology startup building a rich media delivery platform for smartphones.
Previously, Vic was a venture capitalist with RRE Ventures, a VC firm with $850MM under management where he focused on investments in consumer internet and mobile. He led the firm's investment in Adaptive Blue (social network for entertainment) and helped close several deals including Flipswap (mobile resell), M-Via (mobile remittance), GoMobo (mobile payments), Payfone (mobile payments) and Tendril (mobile smart grid). Vic has advised numerous startups on product and marketing strategy including Hopstop, Exergen, Organic Motion, Remote Reality and Big Bang Entertainment.
Vic began his career as a technology consultant implementing software solutions for major corporations including Bose, MetLife, LG, Sara Lee and Unilever. Vic holds an MBA from Columbia Business School where he was a Robert Toigo Foundation Fellow, an InSITE Fellow and Co-President of the Venture Capital and Private Equity Club. He earned a BSE in Mechanical Engineering with minors in Economics and Mathematics from the University of Pennsylvania where he was awarded the National Science Foundation Fellowship.
Senior Advisor, MBA
Beverly Hills, CA
Arlene specializes in advising entertainment and technology companies exploring or already engaged in the convergence of media and technology. She has more than 25 years of experience in entertainment, new business models, market analysis and emerging technologies. She most recently managed film and television content alliances for Intel. Arlene also has deep expertise in cable TV, mobile delivery platforms, connected consumer electronics devices, and out of home networks.
With her experience in content production, business development, and technology enablement, she offers a unique and valuable perspective on video content exploitation via multiple platforms to multiple devices. Her consulting clients span the spectrum of media players, including production, distribution and financing entities: studios, cable channels, production and post-production companies, VCs, Internet ventures, advertising agencies, and consumer electronics companies. Arlene has helped senior executives develop strategies for entering new markets, craft long-term strategies and retool existing ones to respond to market shifts. She has written marketing plans, financial and investor-oriented business plans, and evaluated media-investment opportunities for VCs.
Before joining Cayenne, Arlene managed film and television content alliances for Intel. Previously, she was Vice President of Programming and Business Development at Columbia TriStar Interactive (now Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment) where she developed and executed the plan for the studio's entry into the online business, including advertiser-supported original content, online games based on studio properties, and promotional sites for the studio's shows, films and videos.
Arlene earned a BA from New York University, a MA from Yale University, and an MBA from Columbia University.
Roy Kosuge - Senior Advisor
Washington, DC
Roy has over 10 years of experience building businesses in the intersection of media and communication technology. He specializes in new business development and change management, with a pragmatic approach of identifying big ideas and translating them into tactical successes. His practice spans across strategy, business planning, M&A, partnerships, product management, and operations and finance support for start-up and corporate clients, ranging across cable, wireless, online, interactive, music and video industries.
Before becoming a consultant, Roy was Vice President of International Strategy and Operations for Faith Inc., a Japanese mobile services provider with subsidiaries located in the U.S., France, Brazil, and China. He was an advisor to the Founder and COO of Faith, leading critical strategic initiatives including M&A activities and new business development, including an assignment as COO of Voce Wireless, a subsidiary focused on premium wireless services. Prior to Faith Inc., he served as Director of Business Development at Universal Music Group, where he negotiated various content licensing and distribution deals across online and mobile platforms, as well evaluating the impact of new technologies and business models to the core business. Kosuge began his career as a strategy analyst at AT&T Broadband, where he supported product marketing and channel strategy efforts for High Speed Data.
Roy earned his B.A. in Psychology at Harvard University.
