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KEY IP TEAM LEADERS


Lee Allen

Lee Allen has over 25 years of experience in strategic analysis relating to next-generation technologies, with focus on telecom and enterprise IT.

Mr. Allen's analyst reports on the business issues related to emerging technologies have been published worldwide by major analyst firms. Mr. Allen has also created new mobile wireless business models for NTT DoCoMo based on 4G technologies, resulting in five business-method patents. Mr. Allen recently served as Director of Competitive Analysis for ACCESS Systems Americas, Inc. a leading provider of embedded software for mobile and convergence devices. Previously, Mr. Allen served for 13 years in IT development and management at BellSouth Telecommunications.

Lee earned his Bachelor of Science degree from MIT and his Master of Science degree from the MIT Sloan School of Management, and is a member of IEEE, ACM and the Product Development & Management Association (PDMA).


Dr. Carol Barash

 Dr. Barash has over twenty years experience in identifying and remedying barriers to innovation adoption in health care. She has worked with private and public institutions around the world to optimize the integration of genomics into health care delivery for the past thirteen years. She has helped to establish Turkey's first private high throughput genetics testing laboratory, identified new markets and brokered deals, developed clinical genetics e-learning for health professionals and consumers, worked with companies to identify and remedy utilization barriers to medical informatics and clinical decision support tools. Carol has helped to grow several early stage genetic diagnostic companies, leading business planning, regulatory/ethics compliance, new product development and fund raising. She has worked with the American Medical Association, The March of Dimes, The Genetic Alliance, and biotech companies around the world. She is widely published and her work has been featured in public media. Carol has a Ph.D in philosophy from Boston College and a M.A. in philosophy from the University of Chicago.


Michael J. Bendit

Michael is a high technology strategy and marketing consultant with a 20 year track record advising a broad range of clients - from startups to Fortune 500, global enterprises. With depth of experience as both an advisor and senior executive, Michael brings a unique combination of strategic thinking and tactical execution capabilities to his assignments. Michael holds a MBA degree in Marketing, Finance and Accounting from Columbia Business School a BSEc in Finance from The Wharton School and a BAS in Computer Science from The University of Pennsylvania. His professional experience includes senior management and executive positions at Booz-Allen and Hamilton management Consultants, Lucent Technologies and Infocrossing Inc., a computer services outsourcing company.


Karen Buelow

Karen brings over 25 years of linking technology to business success with expertise in strategy development, innovative and "big picture" thinking, market savvy and passion for the details of execution that achieve results. She has national and international experience from large corporations to mid-size growth companies and start-ups in many industries including software, technology services, telecommunications, engineering/ manufacturing, product packaging and insurance. Besides numerous consulting roles, she has held leadership roles as Chief Information Officer, V.P./Director of Information Technology, Co-President, Interim CFO and many project-specific and coaching roles. Although Karen has experience across all business functions, she possesses strong expertise in strategic planning, market research and marketing, information technology/application software, business planning and financial analysis. She has a very keen mind that can make the link between a wide range of technologies and their market success possibilities.

Karen has consulted and/or worked for companies including AT&T, Ameritech, Leap Wireless, MCI, Nursat, Andersen Consulting, Microsoft, Maverix.net, Guinness, Coca-Cola, Skoda, Roscan (formerly a division of Siberian Aluminum), and others. With Karen's strategic guidance, leadership mentoring, creative thinking and proven methodologies, clients have moved strategies, goals and technologies out of the idea stage into actionable and financially sound plans focused on achieving timely results.


Bob Chiozzi

Since 1990 when Bob founded Growth Management, Incorporated, a business and technology consulting company, he has been assisting entrepreneurs with the issues and obstacles of starting and operating a growing business. Bob's focus has been on commercializing research and development, technical project planning and financial controls, grant preparation and accessing capital. The focus of Growth Management, Inc. has been on the biotechnology, IT, and advanced materials industries. Working with investment groups, Bob managed the technological milestones, financial progress and commercialization efforts of a portfolio of 23 projects from 20 separate technology companies (mostly start-up and small fast growth) covering four industrial sectors. Bob continues to assist start-up and expanding technology companies with focusing their technical effort, raising capital and commercializing their technologies. He is comfortable in either the scientific or business cultures, often using his technical skills and business acumen to translate IP into commercial value.


Paul Droar

Paul focuses on assisting clients grow their materials and alternative energy technology businesses. Many of Paul's assignments include developing marketing and technology strategies, B to B market segmentation, new product marketing & planning, technology transfer, technology valuation and acquisition and venture financing assistance. He brings problem solving skills, strategic development and implementation expertise gained from more than twenty years of management consulting and executive management positions in the U.S. and internationally in a wide variety of technology based industries and markets.

Preceding his consulting career, Paul held senior management and executive positions with International Paint Company in the U.S. and General Management positions with Bridon PLC as Chief Executive of several subsidiary companies in the Britain and the United States.


Paul holds BA & MA degrees in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge where he majored in Metallurgy and Material Science, and a MBA degree from the Manchester School. He is a US citizen.


Hal Etterman

Hal has over 25 years of extensive international and domestic experience in Finance, Operations, IT, Sales and Marketing including 10 years as a CFO and COO. Hal had worked earlier for Siemens, Philips, and Olivetti, totaling over 20 years, and has spent the last 10 years in Silicon Valley. As a consultant, he has supported early stage companies, including serving as interim CEO, for high technology startups by developing business strategies, capital fund raising and business development. He also helped grow several startups including an OEM PC board manufacturer, a video security integration software developer and helped turnaround a medical laser device manufacturer. Hal holds an MBA from the University of Hartford.


Alan Frederickson

Alan Frederickson's experience includes nearly 10 years as an engineer and project manager and over 20 years as an executive in the international corporate, industrial, and government markets, including consulting with entrepreneurs and small enterprises. Alan was the manager for the consulting team reporting to the CFO responsible for turning around a $60 million publicly traded company which had lost more than $20 million the year before. As a corporate executive, he managed five companies in Europe exporting American products. Alan formed his own company, won a $4 million US Government contract, and organized a world-class team of American, Russian, Ukrainian and Moldovan executives and enterprises that designed/produced collaborative, high-technology capital equipment that was placed in profitable plants in Estonia and Ukraine. He helped form an investment banking boutique specializing in the mortgage banking and technology industries and served for 2 years as an executive officer. Alan also consulted with two entrepreneurs to establish an E-Bay industrial marketing B2B new venture that raised more than $40 million venture capital and was sold within 2 years in a stock trade valued at nearly $1 billion. He has served on several nonprofit boards including past Chairman of MBAs4NYC, a volunteer MBA consulting service company helping small businesses in Manhattan recover from 9/11, The International Institute of New Jersey, an immigrant services organization, and Canticorum Virtuosi, Inc., a choral and concert choir organization. Alan earned his MBA from Harvard Business School, MS Mechanical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon, and BS Mechanical Engineering from Norwich University.


Dr. Allen Flores

Dr. Allen W. Flores holds a B.A. from Yale College, an MBA from the Yale School of Management, and a Ph.D. from the University of London. He was a professor of quantitative analysis at the Yale School of Management before embarking on a twenty-five year consulting career spanning five continents. His work has centered on applying quantitative, statistical, and probabilistic techniques to business process reengineering, supply chain streamlining, pricing theory, and distribution, warehouse, and inventory optimization.

Among Dr. Flores' notable clients include: General Electric, Smith, Kline & French, Goodyear Tire and Rubber, Dupont, Duracell Batteries, and Procter & Gamble. For AlliedSignal/Honeywell, he helped turn around fourteen acquired aerospace divisions with forecasting, inventory, and distribution problems;

In addition to his consulting work, Dr. Flores has been an Executive Committee Member of the Conference Board's Global Business Management Council, and an invited speaker at the British House of Lords and the United Nations. He has received recognition from the British Prime Minister for work with the National Health System and from the European Parliament for his work defining pan-European telecommunications standards, and he was the recipient of a 1987 Presidential Achievement Award by President Reagan, for his work streamlining the supply chain for the armed services.


Bobby Hill
Bobby Hill is a Co-Founder of MindForce. He has served as an outside Advisor to MBAGlobalNet since its founding in 1997, and has nearly 20 years of professional services and management consulting experience. Over the past 10 years, Bobby has advised a wide variety of organizations on market strategy, revenue generation, and new business design & implementation. His clients have included AIG, The Capital Group, Kemper Insurance, and Somerset Partners among others. In addition to his role with MindForce, Bobby currently serves as an external consultant to the Madison Consulting Group -- a strategy firm specializing in the financial services industry. He spent the majority of his professional career with Bankers Trust in New York and London; and earned his MBA from the University of Pittsburgh in 1985.



Dr. Robert Kenmore

Dr. Robert Kenmore has worked mainly in operational capacities inside several high and low technology industries across both the service and manufacturing sectors. He has also served as an external consultant through Ernst & Young's Management Performance Improvement practice.

Robert's career focuses predominantly on quality, its opposite (waste), intrapreneurship, and performance metrics. He currently teaches business principles and practices at the Keller Graduate School of DeVry University. His educational credentials include: GCE "O" & "A"-Levels in Economics, Math, and French; a bachelor's degree from Stanford University in Economics; an MBA in Quality Management & Statistics from the University of Chicago; and a doctorate, also from the University of Chicago.


Mark Koester

Mark possesses over 25 years of domestic and international marketing and marketing management experience in the diagnostics and life sciences research industries. He has performed marketing, business development and sales and marketing restructuring for technology driven IVD companies. His analytical approach to problem solving and dedication to market driven philosophies have helped him create successful products and services. Over the last 15 years, he managed the worldwide marketing effort for several high technology companies where he was successful in the significant growth of direct sales and in the development of sales channels through sales agents and distributors. Mark holds a Bachelor of Science degree in microbiology and immunology from the University of Washington and a Master of Business Administration degree from Santa Clara University.


Christopher J. Meyers (Chris)

Chris Meyers holds an M.S. in Science and Technology Commercialization from the IC2 Institute @ the University of Texas and has held numerous executive positions in Technology Transfer, Commercialization, New Venture Creation/Startups and has directed federal & state funded non-profit and private/for profit high-tech incubators. Working for the IC2 Institute/Univ. of TX, Chris was the Director of the Center for Technological Innovation, in Charleston, SC, funded by NOAA and the Medical University of SC to access innovative technologies for commercialization and launching new ventures in Charleston. As VP/Corporate Operations and University Relations with Select University Technologies in Costa Mesa, CA, partnered with over 30 major universities to identify breakthrough technologies that served as the foundation for startup ventures in a portfolio that included incubator services and a captive venture fund. In the past 10 years, Chris has helped raise over $30MM in angel and Series A/B rounds and has helped refine and author dozens of business plans and investor presentations while coachng/mentoring entrepreneurs. Meyers was most recently a senior executive for EchoStar Technologies where he lead U.S. and international sales, business development partnerships with Sirius Satellite, Sling Media and the launch of DISH Network TV on board airlines and EchoStar's Mobile TV and IPTV activities. He has also worked in the Oil/Gas/Minerals, Pulp and Paper and Wireless/Telcom industries over his career.


Lynette Mutter

Lynette Mutter is a corporate and business development consultant with a diverse background that spans the healthcare and technology sectors, as well as academia. A creative and results-driven strategic thinker and planner, she is known for her ability to build alliances and launch new initiatives. Lynette has a proven track-record of assisting scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs with forming government, academic and industry collaborations, securing resources for research and development and positioning innovations for commercial success.


Lynette has helped secure millions in private, public and federal funding for R&D companies, technology start-ups and the engineering schools at the University of Southern California and Virginia Tech, also her alma mater. Her knowledge and experience encompasses a broad range of civilian and military markets including: wireless communications, trauma/emergency medicine, neurotrauma, telemedicine/telehealth, biomedical and pre-hospital medical devices (advanced hemostatic agents, health/safety sensors and medical monitors), and information technology for patient education, wellness and health management.



Rogelio Nochebuena

Rogelio has more than twenty years of experience in high tech, being responsible for new product development and successful market introduction of different products that use novel technologies such as: Nanotechnology, RF MEMS, semiconductors and opto-electronics for telecommunications, industrial and consumer products and medical devices. Having worked in R&D, manufacturing, design, marketing and strategy, Rogelio brings very valuable insights regarding the interaction between technology and business. He has worked for such organizations as Agilent Technologies, Xerox PARC, Xerox Corp. Carl Zeiss and Perkin-Elmer.

Current and past projects focus on providing cost-effective solutions to engineering and business problems that entrepreneurs/small companies face such as improving processes, cost-reduction initiatives, deploying new technology, and ramp-up production. Using his strong business acumen, he is able to identify new markets and products capable of generating strong and sustainable revenue. He assists Angel Investors and VC's to assess companies from their technology viewpoint, as well as consults for public and private research organizations and tier-one universities in technology commercialization. His clients also include Mexican and European companies. He holds a BSEE and an MBA From the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University with all the course work for a MSEE completed from BYU


Steven Ryzner

Steve has 20 plus years of hands on manufacturing experience with a bottom line business focus. Combining a BS in Electrical Engineering (University of Illinois) and an MBA (Kellogg) with implementation experience from the shop floor to the boardroom, he excels at translating complex operational issues into a simple business framework.

Steve has taught and implemented statistical process control (SPC) and other six sigma / continuous improvement tools since the 1980s. In addition, his engineering and reliability centered maintenance skills have repeatedly resulted in systemic improvements in volume, cost, customer service, and asset reliability across different industries. His leading role helped his plant become the only facility in its industry to achieve ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 certifications on the first attempt. He directed the engineering team for a 180 MW multiple fuel co-generation power station, and was successfully optimizing large rotating equipment long before that became a "green" effort. He integrates alternative energy / green efforts cohesively into the existing energy infrastructure and business model of a plant.

Steve mentors emerging renewable and alternative energy companies, and assists them with their commercialization plans. His skills in moving from the prototype stage to permanent operations have been especially valuable to clients. He also provides M&A due diligence advisory services for private equity firms.


Stewart Sando

Stew has over thirty years of experience bringing new products and technologies to market for major semiconductor companies, high technology start ups and institutional clients. He has expertise in the areas of RISC processors, digital signal processors, multimedia devices and image processing, non-volatile memory devices, broadband DSL and cable devices, image sensors, fiber optic devices, solid state laser devices and RF power devices. In addition, he has worked with technologies ranging from silicon to gallium arsenide integrated circuits, III-V laser and RF power devices, MEMS devices, medical devices, and Nanotechnology.

Recent engagements have included consulting in the area of next generation plasma etching down to atomic dimensions and licensing of a MEMS RF Switch device patent from a major research institution into a high volume cell phone chip set application. During his earlier career in Silicon Valley he held senior positions in product line management, business development, and marketing management at major semiconductor companies, including Intel, Cypress Semiconductor and Hitachi Semiconductor, as well as, serving in business development and consulting roles for startups and research institutions. Stewart has a B.S. in Physics and an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.


Imre H Soos

Imre has over 20 years of experience in high technology endeavors, spanning operations, IT infrastructure, strategic planning and general management. His background includes leading rapidly growing companies from start-up through IPO, as well as providing management consulting expertise to Fortune 500 companies. He has held senior executive roles in several organizations, ranging from a fiber optic telecommunications services provider to one of the first companies to place wireless pen-based computers into the hands of physicians at the point of care. As founder and director of the worldwide wireless communications technology program at Andersen Consulting (now Accenture), Imre was the Firm's subject matter expert for strategy and systems integration activities related to wireless and mobile data. Imre began his career as a satellite communications systems engineer with the Hughes Aircraft Company Space and Communications Group. Recently, his interests have focused on the use of nanobiotechnology in targeted therapeutic, diagnostic and sensor applications. Imre received his BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan and an MS in Bioengineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago.


Todd Smith

Todd H. Smith has nearly 20 years of professional business experience and has worked as a manager and as an entrepreneurial consultant for eleven years with MindForce and Blue Horizon Venture Consulting, and in affiliation with firms such as Cayenne Consulting and Growthink. His business plans have a very high success ratio and they have helped clients raise well over 100 million dollars. He has served clients from pure startups to Fortune 500 companies.

Todd has worked in a variety of industries including alternative energy, nanotechnology, Web 2.0, manufacturing, real estate, life sciences, telecom, and sports/leisure. He has filled strategic management roles in a number of startups and has helped his clients achieve significant growth. He has also worked for large corporations such as IBM and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida in areas such as international accounting, finance, competitive intelligence, and mergers & acquisitions. He holds an MBA from the Anderson School at UCLA, a Masters in International Management from Thunderbird, the American Graduate School of International Management, and an undergraduate degree in financial management from Clemson University.



Steve Uthoff

Steve Uthoff has more than 25 years of experience as a senior executive to both private and publicly traded firms; and as a consultant in the professional services industry. He most recently completed a successful engagement as an on-staff Consultant for Resources Global Professionals, Inc. (NASDQ: "RECN"), a global firm providing multidisciplinary "teams" for engagements in Fortune 500 firms, wherein he served as Interim Controller for a $1.6 billion engineering and infrastructure division of a $7 billion global E&C firm. Prior to that he has served as an Interim Executive in the roles of Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer for several organizations. Steve also worked for Allied Waste Industries, Inc. (NYSE - "AW"), a Fortune 500 Company. During Steve's tenure with AW, he was instrumental in orchestrating the completion and integration of more than 150 corporate entity acquisitions, including the purchase of U.S and Canadian Laidlaw, Inc., a $1.5 billion transaction, which, at the time, was the largest single purchase to-date in the industry. These acquisitions drove revenues of this publicly traded, non-hazardous, solid waste company from $150 million to $840 million in three years. As a seasoned financial executive, Steve brings a solid, domestic and international background in diverse industries such as engineering, construction, environmental waste, commercial diving/salvage, hospitality and emerging technology.



John Verrochi

 John Verrochi is a strategy and marketing consultant. He applies strong strategic, analytic, and problem-solving skills to solve complex problems, develop new products and markets, and increase clients revenues and profits. His expertise is based on experience at leading firms in their fields.

  • Technology at Apple Computer, Hewlett-Packard, and Sun Microsystems
  • Finance and investments at Fidelity Investments and JP Morgan
  • Management consulting at Arthur D. Little and Verrochi Consulting

    • His consulting experience in recent years has concentrated in the technology and renewable energy sectors. He earned a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Yale School of Management.


    Martin Wolf

     Martin has over 20 years of experience in both the business and technology aspects of high tech product development. He has worked with a number of new technology driven startups in a number of fields including a waste to fuel conversion, biometrics, stationery, and gaming.

    Previously, Martin was the Vice President of Advanced Systems at PanAmSat (now merged with Intelsat), a leading satellite network operator where he oversaw the development of a satellite based broadband service, advised the CEO on numerous ventures, and had leading roles in satellite and rocket procurements worth over $1 billion. Additionally, he designed the payloads for six satellites in PanAmSat's current fleet, and created business and pricing models for direct-to-home television and data services. Martin has an MSE and BSE from Princeton and an MBA from Columbia.


    Michael Wu

     Michael Wu brings eight years of technology/product management experience in Communications/Mobile and ten years of experience in venture capital and venture development advisory focusing on Communications/Wireless IT, Digital/Mobile Media, and Clean Energy. Most recently, Michael was a Principal at Chart Venture Partners, a New York-based $100M early-stage venture fund focusing on dual-use technologies (with both commercial and defense applications) in the areas of Communications & Mobile, Software & Cyber Security, Advanced Materials, Energy and Clean Tech. Michael is also one of the Founding Board Members of Long Island Angel Network, an angel investor network focusing on early-stage technology companies based in Long Island. Prior to that from 2002-2006, Michael raised and managed a seed fund (Blue Angel Ventures) in Research Triangle Park, NC and partnered with first-time entrepreneurs in co-founding or turnaround management roles. Michael earned his MBA from Duke University-Fuqua School of Business, MS in Electrical Engineering and Management of Technology from Georgia Tech, and BS magna cum laude in Electrical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.


    Jim Zarian

     Jim has over 30 years of technical and managerial expertise and is currently consulting companies with polymers related to LEDs and OLEDs, nanotechnology polymers and polymer composites. Jim's emphasis is in intellectual property analysis; technology, investment, business and market analysis; and, product and process development. Jim was previously CTO and co-founder of Lumenyte International Corporation. In this capacity, Jim co-developed the polymer compositions, polymerization methods and processes for fiber optics. The technology resulted in over ten issued US and international patents that were licensed to 3M, Sumitomo and Rohm & Haas.

    Jim's experience include work in cross-linked polymer substrates for liquid crystal displays, specialty polymer compositions for electronics, polymer modulators, thin film polymer systems and polymer opto-electronics, solid-state backlighting systems, OLED evacuation system energized by renewable energy, self-sustaining OLED lighting and display systems , fire-retardant and/or self-extinguishing fiber optic systems, continuous large-diameter fluoropolymer extrusion processes. Jim has a Ph D in Polymer Science from the Pennsylvania State University and an MBA from University of Phoenix.