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.

Ryan offers over twelve years of experience in management consulting, entrepreneurship, creating executable growth strategies, and financial analysis. He has hands-on experience in running start-up companies and in managing new strategic initiatives within established organizations.

Before joining Cayenne Consulting, he spent five years advising start-ups and early stage companies. He prepared dozens of business and financial plans, created and implemented new internal business channels, facilitated international negotiations, migrated operations offshore, and formed strategic partnerships. He began his career at Synaptix Impulse, a telecommunications/broadband industry consulting firm later acquired by Paladyne Corp., where he developed and grew xDSL channels for their largest client, U.S. West Communications.

Ryan has worked with clients across a range of industries including Internet and e-commerce, media and entertainment (music, film, and publishing), consumer products and services, industrial software, healthcare, medi-spas, fitness equipment, internet retail, web services (SaaS), modeling/promotion, IT management, manufacturing, medical devices, marketing services, real estate foreclosure assistance, travel and hospitality, rental property management software, and health food vending.

Ryan earned his BS in Business Marketing at University of Phoenix.

Tom has over thirty years of business experience in strategy development, software design, engineering management, sales, marketing, channel creation, consulting, business modeling, decision analysis, capital acquisition, and new venture start-ups.

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.

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.

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.

With 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.

Sara brings over ten years of experience in strategy and product development, management consulting, financial analysis, and accounting to Cayenne Consulting. She has worked with Fortune 500 and start-up companies domestically and internationally, and has extensive hands-on experience managing cross-functional teams comprised of marketing, business development, engineering, customer support, design, research, and third party vendors. Sara particularly enjoys assisting small businesses with anything that involves numbers, be it data analysis, financial modeling, or accounting. Her industry experience includes social networking, consumer services, food, manufacturing, wireless technology, and health care.

Prior to joining Cayenne Consulting, she managed six product launches for companies including Match.com and Classmates Online and advised numerous start-ups with their strategic plans, promotional efforts, and financial projections. Sara also has management consulting experience and was an investment banker, working on international billion dollar mergers as well as a medical device venture capital fund.

Sara has an MBA from the Wharton School and a BA in Mathematics from Columbia University.

George Papaioannou has 15 years of experience in developing, analyzing, evaluating and executing business models, from an investment as well as an operational perspective.

George worked on Wall Street for a total of eight years, analyzing investment opportunities and positioning them with institutional investors. As a research analyst for Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, he covered the media & entertainment sector. While at DLJ, George played a central role in more than two dozen public offerings and M&A transactions worth a total of over $3 billion. As product manager for Thomas Weisel Partners, George oversaw all aspects of the equity research department's daily product 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 companies. At online music retailer CDNOW, he formulated a strategy and business model for selling digital downloads. Most recently, George was director of business development for Clique Communications, a provider of Web-based video communication technologies. At Clique, he was responsible for developing commercial applications for the technologies, finding new business opportunities and forging strategic partnerships.

George serves as a Mentor for the Eugene M. Lang Center for Entrepreneurship at Columbia University. He earned his BA from Cornell University and his MBA from Columbia Business School.

Since 2004, Harry Phillips has worked closely with companies spanning the start-up through middle market stages in sectors including healthcare and medical devices, consumer products and services, high tech, financial services, energy, industrial products, telecommunications, retail, and automotive. With his assistance, his early stage clients have raised over $65 million in start-up and growth capital.

Before that, he developed business plans, financial models and investor presentations as a member of a team of leveraged buyout specialists at a $1.2 billion private equity firm. He played a key role in 20 transactions through which $9.5 billion in financing was raised to create a portfolio of companies whose aggregate annual sales exceeded $10 billion. He has worked closely with CEOs and CFOs of Fortune 500 companies, and played a significant role in managing a $4 billion a year, publicly traded auto parts manufacturer.

Previously, Harry was involved with investor relations, business development, marketing, finance and operations in a broad range of industries. His corporate management experience includes financial analysis, strategic planning, budgeting, marketing, and corporate communications.

Harry earned a B.A. from Harvard University and a J.D. from Pace University School of Law.

Eric is a small business and business plan consultant who has worked with a variety of clients, while specializing in service sectors. He endeavors to make sure clients ask the right questions first and then help them to dig deeper into their strategy. Eric’s clients include a skin care product, a water filtration provider, a cellular phone retailer, web software services, a language training center, social service organizations, consulting firms, and a theater company. Projects have included business plans, executive summaries, mission statements, strategy and operations consulting, and technology implementation. Eric developed over forty sample business plan templates for business plan consulting firm clients to help small businesses launch more easily.

He has written numerous articles on business planning, private placement memoranda, and entrepreneurship. Eric has served pro bono non-profit clients through the Net Impact Service Corps and volunteers for the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) as a mentor.

Prior to working as a consultant, Eric was Associate Director in charge of operations at Helen Mills Event Space in New York where he sold event rentals to corporate, non-profit and private clients and helped to grow a startup business. He was a founding editor of offoffonline.com and ran development and office management as Administrative Director for Target Margin Theater.

Eric holds an MBA in Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management from Baruch College and a BA from Williams College.

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.

Vic is a co-founder and VP of business development at a mobile software startup. He brings over ten years of experience in the software sector as a consultant, investor and manager. His areas of expertise include business development, product and project management, marketing, strategy, sales, financial planning and capital raising for technology startups.

Previously, Vic was a venture capitalist with RRE Ventures, an early stage venture firm with $850MM under management. At RRE, he focused on investments in cleantech, consumer internet, digital media and mobility. He led the firm's investment in Adaptive Blue, a semantic web startup and closed several deals including Clear, Flipswap, M-Via, Mobo, Payfone and Tendril.

Before RRE, Vic was a software consultant at Andersen and PwC and helped launch a business at Unisys that grew from a cost center to $70MM by selling and implementing ocean cargo tracking systems leveraging telecom infrastructure. He has implemented software solutions for major corporations including Bose, MetLife, LG, Sara Lee and Unilever and has provided guidance to several startups including Hopstop, Exergen, Organic Motion and Remote Reality. He also served as a product manager for Metiom, a venture backed provider of e-marketplaces.

Vic holds 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 and 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.