The VECKER
Institute
Our Mission is to provide CEOs and Entrepreneurs with methods and tools to help them build and run their businesses.
What is The VECKER Institute?
The VECKER Institute researches and designs methods and tools for CEOs and Entrepreneurs and their small-to-medium-sized businesses. We give the leaders of these businesses with the information and ideas they need to transform good companies into great companies and to carry out effective governance of their businesses.
Our approach and methodology were researched, designed, and tested by the VECKER Foundation Members, a team of CEOs, operating executives and functional experts.
Board of Directors of The VECKER Institute
Deirdre Silberstein, President
Deirdre Silberstein has over 30 years of experience in developing print and electronic publications and materials. She spent 15 years with a global professional services firm, first as a marketing manager and then as the developer and director of a comprehensive publications program. Earlier in her career, Ms. Silberstein worked in the publishing industry, developing both business-oriented college textbooks and lines of trade books. Ms. Silberstein received her BA (History) with honors from Stanford University and MBA (Marketing and Management) from Columbia Business School.
Thomas Cowan, Chairman
Mr. Cowan has worked in the technology industry for over 20 years for both large and small companies, public and private alike. He has built companies of all sizes – from OutlookSoft (approx. $100M), to Tivoli Systems ($100-500M), to the Communications, Media & Entertainment Sector of IBM (over $1B). Prior to VECKER, Mr. Cowan served as Chairman, CEO, and President of OutlookSoft Corporation, which he built into a significant competitor in the business performance management marketplace with revenue growth of 10 times during his three-year tenure. OutlookSoft was acquired by SAP in May 2007. Mr. Cowan has an extensive background in organizational strategy – from restructuring and building Vcommerce (a private technology company based in Arizona) to downsizing IBM’s development site in Southbury, Connecticut. When IBM acquired Tivoli Systems, he was the senior IBM executive responsible for the transition of Tivoli from an independent public company to a subsidiary. During the early phase of Lou Gerstner’s and Jerry York’s leadership of IBM, he led the design and implementation of a delegated model for pricing all of IBM’s hardware, software, and services worldwide. Mr. Cowan serves as Chairman of Tagetik North America (a private technology company in Italy), Chairman of The Stables (a private services company in Arizona), and Chairman of Vcommerce Corporation. He also serves on the boards of SMTC (a public technology manufacturer in Canada), Open Box Technologies (a private technology company in New York), and Cormont (an arts-related non-profit organization in New Hampshire). He has served as Chairman of the Board of Visitors of Wake Forest University’s Graduate School of Management and on the boards of OutlookSoft, Tivoli Systems, NHL.com and PGA.com. His academic and training credentials include a BA from Wake Forest University in Economics and Philosophy and an MBA from the University of South Carolina.
Bani Brandolini
Bani Brandolini is a senior international executive with over 20 years of in-depth international leadership and business experience. For twelve years he was Managing Director of Hyperion, responsible for setting up and running international operations worldwide. More recently Bani was President International of OutlookSoft. In addition, Bani spent seven years with Price Waterhouse, London and Milan offices and was a senior manager for the European Technology and Finance Group. At one point in his career, Bani moved to Houston Texas to serve as President and CEO of Dynasty Technologies Inc. a medical technology company. Bani is a graduate of The London School of Economics, where he received Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in economics and in finance. Bani lives near Milan Italy.
Ken Cowan
Kenneth Cowan has eight years of experience with VECKER, having worked summers and holidays since 2001 During 2007 through 2009, Kenny worked on location in Arizona at Vcommerce and The Stables. There he worked with both CEOs and top management teams on execution, strategy and team issues. In prior years, Kenny worked on location at RMS Corporation in Florida, OBT Corporation in New York and OutlookSoft Corporation in Connecticut. He is also active in the community. Kenny is a member of the Chappaqua Volunteer Ambulance Corps, where he has served since 2006. Kenny was involved in a special project working in the aftermath of the September 11th, 2001 events in New York City. For his work he received a citation and award from the Director of the U.S. Secret Service. He received two nominations to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis Maryland, one from Nita M. Lowey, Member of Congress, who serves on the Select Intelligence Oversight Panel and Committee on Homeland Security, and the second from Charles E. Schumer, Senior Senator from New York. Kenny graduated in June 2008 from Horace Greely High School in Chappaqua, New York. He is in his second year of study at Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
Erik Jansen
Erik Jansen brings more than fifteen years of venture capital investment success and operational experience to VECKER. Mr. Jansen founded RockRidge Capital, LLC after many successful years as General Partner with Pequot Ventures, the direct venture investment arm of Pequot Capital Management, with close to $2.0 billion under management across five technology funds, and one early stage healthcare fund. At Pequot Ventures, Mr. Jansen co-founded the firm's venture funds, was a member of the Operating/Investment Committee and focused primarily on making investments in the software and services sectors. He was involved in a variety of software and services companies such as Accruent Software, Asiademand, Authoria, Nitorum, Outerforce, OutlookSoft, Service Metrics, Syncra Software, Tian Software (subsequently merged into Outlooksoft), and Vcommerce. Prior to his tenure at Pequot, Mr. Jansen co-founded and managed Digital Media Capital, LLC, alongside Marco Arese (co-founder of Hyperion Solutions) and Art Samberg, the founder and CEO of Pequot Capital. As Managing Partner of Digital Media Capital, he invested in seed and early stage software and telecommunications companies including Critical Path (CPTH), Sandpiper Networks/Digital Island (CWP.N), Foundation Technologies (now Authoria), Globalcast Communications (sold to Talarian (TALR)), and Mediaplex (MPLX, now VCLK). Mr. Jansen is a native Dutchman with deep relationships in the U.S. and throughout Europe and Asia. Before his permanent move to the U.S. from the Netherlands, Mr. Jansen held sales and marketing positions with Procter & Gamble and Philips. Mr. Jansen received a B.B.A. from the Netherlands School of Business at Nijenrode, and a M.B.A. from the Edwin L. Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. While at SMU, Mr. Jansen received the distinction of being selected the Outstanding MBA by the Financial Executive Institute. Mr. Jansen has been a regular speaker at various Venture Conferences including Internet Outlook, TIE of New York, New York New Media, NY Angel Zone Conference, Connecticut Venture Group, IBF and several European based private equity conferences. Mr. Jansen serves on the Eli Whitney Investment Advisory Committee of Connecticut Innovations, Inc., the State of Connecticut venture fund and resides in Greenwich, Connecticut.
Members of The VECKER Institute
Bob Bedard
Bob Bedard has over 25 years experience building industry-leading Information Technology-based businesses, systems and products. Mr. Bedard is currently the President and CEO of Praixent, Inc., a technology consulting firm he co-founded in 1999. Prior to Praxinet he was Vice President at Covansys where his practice pioneered the use of internet technologies to build mission-critical applications for major corporations, banks and insurance companies. Previously, Bedard was a Director and founding member of IBM's Internet Division. While at IBM, Bedard managed IBM’s Internet’s Internet-based Banking and Payments Strategies, as well as participated in developing IBM’s overall E- Business Strategy. Mr. Bedard holds a patent on an internet-base payment system. Bedard was a founder of Prodigy Services in the 1980', responsible for the firm’s electronic commerce strategy and services. During this time he led the industry by pioneering approaches, business models and techniques for electronic commerce. Bedard co-authored the first industry standard communication protocol that supports the transmission of digital text and graphic objects via telephone and broadband, laying the groundwork for commercialization of on-line services. Bedard holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Master of Science in Business Management and Marketing from Columbia University.
Cameron Brain
Cameron is a truly serial entrepreneur. Prior to joining Vecker, Cameron founded Bicycle Parts Direct, Inc.: the first online mountain bike retail store to import high-quality, machine manufactured frames and components to the US. While running BPD, Cameron developed and implemented a unique business model and marketing campaign, and spearheaded the successful negotiation of exclusive online retail agreements with a number of major North American, European and Asian manufacturers. Cameron sold BPD to his business partner prior to entering college. Cameron is currently on a leave of absence from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he was pursuing undergraduate degrees in Economics and Electronic Arts.
Romney Brain
Romney Brain is a practicing attorney in Seattle at the firm Tousley Brain Stephens. Romney focuses his practice on business, corporate and real estate matters. For more than 20 years, he has represented business owners and their companies in business planning; formation and financing; tax issues; and acquisitions and sales, as well as business owners' personal needs such as tax and estate planning. Additionally, Romney has been active in the area of real estate matters, having represented and worked with several real estate management, brokerage and construction companies. Romney has negotiated and handled more than 50 multi-million dollar transactions in the areas of business acquisitions and sales, mergers, financing, and real estate transactions. Romney is highly experienced in handling a broad variety of complex legal transactions and has been actively involved in the formation and success of many Northwest businesses. Romney is a gratuate of the University of Washington, Willamette University and Boston University School of Law.
Les Brun
Les Brun is a Member of the Board of Fortune Management, Inc. (Frankfurt Stock Exchange:FM11), and is Chairman of the firm's Private Equity Management Group. He is also Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sarr Group, LLC ("SARR"), an investment holding company. Mr. Brun is the founder of Hamilton Lane, the world's leading Private Equity advisory and management firm with over $40 billion in assets under advisement and management, and, prior to SARR, was Chairman Emeritus of the Hamilton Lane board of directors, focusing on the firm's strategic initiatives and direction, as well as its investment decision-making through his participation on the firm's Investment Committee. Les was also a member of the board of directors of the Richcourt Group, a Hamilton Lane company specializing in hedge fund of funds management. Les has 26 years of investment banking, commercial banking and financial advisory experience. Mr. Brun received a B.S. from the State University of New York at Buffalo, where he has been recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus, and he is a Trustee of the University of Buffalo Foundation, Inc. In addition to serving on Fortune's Board, he is also a Trustee of The Episcopal Academy in Merion, PA. Les also serves on the boards of directors of Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (BR), and Philadelphia Media Holdings, LLC. In addition, Les is a Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and was Chairman of the U.S. Small Business Administration's S.B.I.C. Advisory Council, and a member of the Committee for the Reinvention of the S.B.A.
Wendy Burden
Wendy is an artist and author. Her book, Dead End Gene Pool, will be released April 1, 2010 by Penguin Group. She studied at Cornell University and is a graduate of Parsons The New School for Design in New York City.
Maria Camoletto
Maria Camoletto has over fifteen years of international marketing management experience. She has proven ability to successfully develop, manage, and transform strategic marketing plans into measurable, incremental brand and business value. Maria's career path combines corporate and consulting roles and includes working in the U.S.A and in Europe with Pansophic, Computer Associates, Hyperion, OutlookSoft and Tagetik. Maria most recently founded LTKY, a marketing consultant firm, to help other companies achieve profitable growth. Her marketing expertise, knowledge and experience help to improve corporate image, grow customer base, create partnership programs, accelerate market entry and new product line development to maximize marketing impact. Maria received a BA from Northwestern University and is APICS Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM). Maria lives near Milan Italy.
John Cingari
John Cingari has over 20 years of experience leading and growing both large and small companies in the information technology, management consulting, and consumer products industries. He was a member of the senior management teams of 2 high growth companies that were built into successful public companies through IPO’s. Mr. Cingari served as Vice President, Marketing for OutlookSoft Corporation. As a member of the executive management team, revenues grew ten times in 3 years, while he built the marketing team to support this growth. He served as Chief Operating Officer for SageMaker Corporation, building and leading a team of 150 people. He also served as Vice President of Application Marketing for Oracle Corporation during a high growth phase from $4-10B in revenue in 3 years. He led the integration of a $50M company into Oracle, and built the infrastructure to support their growth into a market leader in the application software industry. Mr. Cingari served as a Principal at Rath and Strong for 8 years, a management consulting and information technology firm. He led multi-disciplinary teams, improving operational performance at clients including Corning, Pfizer, and Bell Helicopter. He led and built the start-up of a software division, and performed a project management role for large ERP and supply chain management implementations. He began his career with Procter and Gamble as a management trainee and sales representative. Mr. Cingari received a BS in Chemistry from Boston College, and an MBA from the University of Dallas. John lives in Stamford Connecticut.
LeeAnne French - on leave to study for a masters degree in environmental science at the University of California Santa Barbara
LeeAnne French has over twenty years of international marketing and communications management experience. She has proven ability to develop strategic marketing plans and lead teams to deliver tangible results that directly supports business development efforts and the bottom line. Her career path combines corporate marketing and public relations agency roles and includes working in the U.S.A, Australia and Europe with large companies such as Oracle, SAP, Hewlett Packard; smaller firms like OutlookSoft, Red Brick Systems, Sequent Systems; as well as non-tech firms including Capita Finance and Victoria’s Secret. From 1995 to 2004, LeeAnne worked for Waggener Edstrom, a leading technology PR firm, in the role of executive vice president and board member, responsible for marketing, business development, geographic expansion, and executive recruiting. LeeAnne most recently took a break from the world of high tech and parlayed her business acumen and marketing skills to establish a highly successful private swim school in Connecticut. She received a BS in Business Administration from University of California, Berkeley, and is studying for a masters degree in environmental science from the University of California Santa Barbara. LeeAnne currently resides in California.
John Hagan
John Hagan joined Savage Partners as a Managing Director in 2008. Prior to joining Savage Partners, John was a Partner at Ramsey Beirne Associates, the leading retained executive search firm serving venture backed technology companies. While a Partner at Ramsey Beirne, John worked with some of the most innovative high tech startups, the best entrepreneurs, and the leading investors in the industry, including: KPCB, Benchmark Capital, General Atlantic Partners, Summit Partners, Oak Investment Partners, Sequoia Capital, and TPG. In addition to successfully executing over 100 searches, John co-managed Ramsey Beirne’s family of venture capital investment vehicles where he continues to serve as a Managing Member. In addition to his work within the executive search field, John was a co-founder of a financial services software firm and later served as the founding CEO of an NSF-backed software company. He currently sits on the boards of Artbox.com, an NSF-backed internet company, and Season Publications. He is an advisor to the Kauffman Foundation for Entrepreneurship's Innovation Network Initiative and is a Member of the Board of Overseers at The Bushnell Center of Performing Arts. John received a B.S. from Bryant University and currently resides in Avon, CT with his wife and four children.
Warren Hart
Warren Hart is a former IBM Vice President and General Manager. He is an experienced executive known for his ability to build strong teams, innovate, and drive disciplined execution to deliver client and shareholder value. He has demonstrated strengths in general management, strategy, sales, software and service product development, consulting, client support, and marketing in leadership roles with high technology, communications, and financial services companies at the local, national, and global levels. Warren graduated from Hamilton College with a BA in government.
Robert Ortega
Dr. Robert Ortega is CEO of Alta Vista Radiology and practices Radiology in Paradise Valley, AZ. Alta Vista is an after hours teleradiology firm, founded by Dr. Ortega, with practicing radiologists and hospital clients located throughout the United States. He is a a native of Chicago and a graduate of the University of Michigan Medical School.
Bob Raleigh
Robert Raleigh is CEO of Rockefeller Consulting Group. He has consulted within the media and entertainment marketplace to develop distribution and sales strategies tied to the demands of the evolving business climate. From 1999 through 2002, Robert was President of Carsey Werner Television. He oversaw the sales, marketing, research and distribution of Cosby, Roseanne, Third Rock From the Sun, and That 70's Show - some of the biggest programs in television history. In total, he was responsible for sales that totaled in excess of $1billion. At Carsey Werner, Raleigh executed the first multi-platform launch of a major syndicated show, That 70's Show, by establishing a sponsored Internet community around the show that linked the network and syndication episodes with promotional efforts on radio and cable television. The result was the 77th ranked network show debuting as the number 1 new show in syndication that year. Prior to Carsey Warner, Raleigh worked for the Sperry Company, the predecessor to Unisys, in the field of Artificial Intelligence. This provided a birds eye view into the potential and future of technology that has shaped much of his professional career. Upon graduating from Hobart College, Dr. Raleigh earned a PhD from Syracuse University. He worked as a psychologist in a variety of care giving environments, beginning as the Director of Psychological Services at Elmcrest Children's Center and later as a psychologist and eventually an Assistant to the Superintendent at Marcellus Central Schools.
V Eric Roach
In 1994, Eric Roach founded Lombard Brokerage, which pioneered online stock trading and invented many of the technologies used in banking, brokerage and insurance industries today. In 1997 Mr. Roach sold Lombard to Morgan Stanley and was asked by CEO Phil Purcell to serve on their Management Committee at their world headquarters in New York, where he worked in marketing, e-commerce and internal acquisitions. In early 2000, Eric was recruited by John Doerr of Kleiner Perkins (KPCB), and Ram Shriram of Sherpalo Ventures to be the CEO of Elance, a services marketplace on the web. At the end of 2001, he left Elance to form Roach Capital Partners. In 2006, Mr. Roach ran for Congress, in an effort to bring pragmatic leadership to our government.
Scott Simpson - on leave to serve in the United States Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps
Scott Simpson has eight years experience in private equity, with a focus on information technology investments. Mr. Simpson is currently on leave from VECKER to serve in the United States Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps. Mr. Simpson will return to VECKER upon completion of his military service. Most recently Mr. Simpson was Senior Associate at RockRidge Capital Partners, an early stage, technology-focused venture capital firm located in Stamford, CT. Prior to joining RockRidge, Mr. Simpson was Senior Associate at Battery Ventures, a venture capital firm with over $2.0 billion in capital under management across seven funds. At Battery, Mr. Simpson focused on investments in the telecommunications, software and infrastructure markets. Mr. Simpson graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College with a B.A. in history, and a J.D. in Law from The University of Connecticut. Scott lives in New Haven Connecticut.
Stew Smith
Stew Smith's primary role at VECKER is to help CEOs and their team develop mental and physical toughness and endurance while improving their overall health and fitness. He is a recognized expert in this field. Stew is a United States Naval Academy graduate and former Navy SEAL. He has worked professionally in the military fitness arena for over 15 years, with a specialty of helping people become Navy SEALs or members of any unit that requires a PFT (Personal Fitness Test). He has trained athletes at the college, Olympic and professional sports level. After eight years as an officer in the SEAL Teams and an instructor at the Naval Academy Physical Education Department, Stew resigned his commission in 1999 to start his own fitness and freelance writing business. Stew joined VECKER in 2001. Stew was recently featured on National Geographic Channel's Fight Science Special Ops television program in an episode dealing with mental and physical toughness. Fitness has been a part of Stew’s life from grade school through today. Currently he trains young men and women for any profession that requires a physical fitness test - from law enforcement to military special-forces. Stew has been labeled the “Personal Trainer to the Heroes of Tomorrow” and recently launched the website www.heroesoftomorrow.org. This site is a tribute to our fallen heroes and assists future heroes to train for any physical fitness test in military or law enforcement agencies. Mr. Smith is actively involved with the Naval Academy Admissions recruiting programs and performs a military-style workout with over 1,800 midshipmen candidates annually at the Naval Academy Summer Seminar program. As a writer, Stew has been published in Sports Illustrated and contributes a weekly fitness column to www.Military.com. His personal website www.StewSmith.com is a window into just about every type of training there is in physical fitness and has been replicated on several major internet sites including Military.com and NavySEALs.com. Stew lives near Annapolis Maryland.
Alan Stanzler
Mr. Stanzler is a practicing attorney in the Boston area. He has had extensive experience in the business area, advising companies in mergers and acquisitions, private placements, and public offerings. Mr. Stanzler practices as a corporate and securities lawyer, with a specialization in mergers and acquisitions, corporate organization and governance, corporate finance and venture capital, including equity financings, international business, transactions and public offerings. Mr. Stanzler has advised clients with respect to the implementation of the Sarbanes-Oxley legislation. Mr. Stanzler has also counseled non-profit organizations with respect to governance matters. He is a graduate of Brown University and Harvard Law School.
Bruce Turkel
As CEO of the successful brand management firm, TURKEL, Bruce has been creating and working with valuable brands for over 25 years. Born and raised in Miami, Bruce studied design at the University of Florida and rushed to NYC to start his career. Preferring the sun to the subway, he returned to Miami and opened his own advertising agency built on the belief that marketing should be well-designed, simple, and should make a client’s products and services more valuable. Using this straightforward checklist, Bruce has worked with hundreds of clients, written thousands of headlines, and designed even more print ads, television spots, websites, and campaigns. Besides all that, Bruce is a husband, father of two and author of three books—his most recent is Building Brand Value. Oh, and he is an avid harmonica player. Bruce tours extensively, spellbinding audiences with simple yet powerful brand building techniques.
Bob Tuttle
Bob has over 20 years of experience in developing high growth technology companies, and is an expert in technology and software solutions for the retail industry. Bob was most recently CEO of Vcommerce Corporation, a provider of on-line retail infrastructure services. Prior to Vcommerce, Mr. Tuttle was General Manager of Escalate Retail, where he was responsible for worldwide field operations. Prior to Escalate, Bob was VP Field Operations for Retek, a global provider of enterprise software for the retail industry. Bob has also worked with IBM, PeopleSoft, and Lawson Software. Mr. Tuttle graduated from the University of Minnesota, where he earned a B.A. in business administration.
For More Information About The VECKER Institute
Please contact Deirdre Silberstein at: dsilberstein@vecker.com
VECKER Institute
100 Congress Ave
Suite 2000
Austin, TX 78701
USA
Our Mission is to provide CEOs and Entrepreneurs with methods and tools to help them build and run their businesses.
What is The VECKER Institute?
The VECKER Institute researches and designs methods and tools for CEOs and Entrepreneurs and their small-to-medium-sized businesses. We give the leaders of these businesses with the information and ideas they need to transform good companies into great companies and to carry out effective governance of their businesses.
Our approach and methodology were researched, designed, and tested by the VECKER Foundation Members, a team of CEOs, operating executives and functional experts.
Board of Directors of The VECKER Institute
Deirdre Silberstein, President
Deirdre Silberstein has over 30 years of experience in developing print and electronic publications and materials. She spent 15 years with a global professional services firm, first as a marketing manager and then as the developer and director of a comprehensive publications program. Earlier in her career, Ms. Silberstein worked in the publishing industry, developing both business-oriented college textbooks and lines of trade books. Ms. Silberstein received her BA (History) with honors from Stanford University and MBA (Marketing and Management) from Columbia Business School.
Thomas Cowan, Chairman
Mr. Cowan has worked in the technology industry for over 20 years for both large and small companies, public and private alike. He has built companies of all sizes – from OutlookSoft (approx. $100M), to Tivoli Systems ($100-500M), to the Communications, Media & Entertainment Sector of IBM (over $1B). Prior to VECKER, Mr. Cowan served as Chairman, CEO, and President of OutlookSoft Corporation, which he built into a significant competitor in the business performance management marketplace with revenue growth of 10 times during his three-year tenure. OutlookSoft was acquired by SAP in May 2007. Mr. Cowan has an extensive background in organizational strategy – from restructuring and building Vcommerce (a private technology company based in Arizona) to downsizing IBM’s development site in Southbury, Connecticut. When IBM acquired Tivoli Systems, he was the senior IBM executive responsible for the transition of Tivoli from an independent public company to a subsidiary. During the early phase of Lou Gerstner’s and Jerry York’s leadership of IBM, he led the design and implementation of a delegated model for pricing all of IBM’s hardware, software, and services worldwide. Mr. Cowan serves as Chairman of Tagetik North America (a private technology company in Italy), Chairman of The Stables (a private services company in Arizona), and Chairman of Vcommerce Corporation. He also serves on the boards of SMTC (a public technology manufacturer in Canada), Open Box Technologies (a private technology company in New York), and Cormont (an arts-related non-profit organization in New Hampshire). He has served as Chairman of the Board of Visitors of Wake Forest University’s Graduate School of Management and on the boards of OutlookSoft, Tivoli Systems, NHL.com and PGA.com. His academic and training credentials include a BA from Wake Forest University in Economics and Philosophy and an MBA from the University of South Carolina.
Bani Brandolini
Bani Brandolini is a senior international executive with over 20 years of in-depth international leadership and business experience. For twelve years he was Managing Director of Hyperion, responsible for setting up and running international operations worldwide. More recently Bani was President International of OutlookSoft. In addition, Bani spent seven years with Price Waterhouse, London and Milan offices and was a senior manager for the European Technology and Finance Group. At one point in his career, Bani moved to Houston Texas to serve as President and CEO of Dynasty Technologies Inc. a medical technology company. Bani is a graduate of The London School of Economics, where he received Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in economics and in finance. Bani lives near Milan Italy.
Ken Cowan
Kenneth Cowan has eight years of experience with VECKER, having worked summers and holidays since 2001 During 2007 through 2009, Kenny worked on location in Arizona at Vcommerce and The Stables. There he worked with both CEOs and top management teams on execution, strategy and team issues. In prior years, Kenny worked on location at RMS Corporation in Florida, OBT Corporation in New York and OutlookSoft Corporation in Connecticut. He is also active in the community. Kenny is a member of the Chappaqua Volunteer Ambulance Corps, where he has served since 2006. Kenny was involved in a special project working in the aftermath of the September 11th, 2001 events in New York City. For his work he received a citation and award from the Director of the U.S. Secret Service. He received two nominations to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis Maryland, one from Nita M. Lowey, Member of Congress, who serves on the Select Intelligence Oversight Panel and Committee on Homeland Security, and the second from Charles E. Schumer, Senior Senator from New York. Kenny graduated in June 2008 from Horace Greely High School in Chappaqua, New York. He is in his second year of study at Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
Erik Jansen
Erik Jansen brings more than fifteen years of venture capital investment success and operational experience to VECKER. Mr. Jansen founded RockRidge Capital, LLC after many successful years as General Partner with Pequot Ventures, the direct venture investment arm of Pequot Capital Management, with close to $2.0 billion under management across five technology funds, and one early stage healthcare fund. At Pequot Ventures, Mr. Jansen co-founded the firm's venture funds, was a member of the Operating/Investment Committee and focused primarily on making investments in the software and services sectors. He was involved in a variety of software and services companies such as Accruent Software, Asiademand, Authoria, Nitorum, Outerforce, OutlookSoft, Service Metrics, Syncra Software, Tian Software (subsequently merged into Outlooksoft), and Vcommerce. Prior to his tenure at Pequot, Mr. Jansen co-founded and managed Digital Media Capital, LLC, alongside Marco Arese (co-founder of Hyperion Solutions) and Art Samberg, the founder and CEO of Pequot Capital. As Managing Partner of Digital Media Capital, he invested in seed and early stage software and telecommunications companies including Critical Path (CPTH), Sandpiper Networks/Digital Island (CWP.N), Foundation Technologies (now Authoria), Globalcast Communications (sold to Talarian (TALR)), and Mediaplex (MPLX, now VCLK). Mr. Jansen is a native Dutchman with deep relationships in the U.S. and throughout Europe and Asia. Before his permanent move to the U.S. from the Netherlands, Mr. Jansen held sales and marketing positions with Procter & Gamble and Philips. Mr. Jansen received a B.B.A. from the Netherlands School of Business at Nijenrode, and a M.B.A. from the Edwin L. Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. While at SMU, Mr. Jansen received the distinction of being selected the Outstanding MBA by the Financial Executive Institute. Mr. Jansen has been a regular speaker at various Venture Conferences including Internet Outlook, TIE of New York, New York New Media, NY Angel Zone Conference, Connecticut Venture Group, IBF and several European based private equity conferences. Mr. Jansen serves on the Eli Whitney Investment Advisory Committee of Connecticut Innovations, Inc., the State of Connecticut venture fund and resides in Greenwich, Connecticut.
Members of The VECKER Institute
Bob Bedard
Bob Bedard has over 25 years experience building industry-leading Information Technology-based businesses, systems and products. Mr. Bedard is currently the President and CEO of Praixent, Inc., a technology consulting firm he co-founded in 1999. Prior to Praxinet he was Vice President at Covansys where his practice pioneered the use of internet technologies to build mission-critical applications for major corporations, banks and insurance companies. Previously, Bedard was a Director and founding member of IBM's Internet Division. While at IBM, Bedard managed IBM’s Internet’s Internet-based Banking and Payments Strategies, as well as participated in developing IBM’s overall E- Business Strategy. Mr. Bedard holds a patent on an internet-base payment system. Bedard was a founder of Prodigy Services in the 1980', responsible for the firm’s electronic commerce strategy and services. During this time he led the industry by pioneering approaches, business models and techniques for electronic commerce. Bedard co-authored the first industry standard communication protocol that supports the transmission of digital text and graphic objects via telephone and broadband, laying the groundwork for commercialization of on-line services. Bedard holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Master of Science in Business Management and Marketing from Columbia University.
Cameron Brain
Cameron is a truly serial entrepreneur. Prior to joining Vecker, Cameron founded Bicycle Parts Direct, Inc.: the first online mountain bike retail store to import high-quality, machine manufactured frames and components to the US. While running BPD, Cameron developed and implemented a unique business model and marketing campaign, and spearheaded the successful negotiation of exclusive online retail agreements with a number of major North American, European and Asian manufacturers. Cameron sold BPD to his business partner prior to entering college. Cameron is currently on a leave of absence from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he was pursuing undergraduate degrees in Economics and Electronic Arts.
Romney Brain
Romney Brain is a practicing attorney in Seattle at the firm Tousley Brain Stephens. Romney focuses his practice on business, corporate and real estate matters. For more than 20 years, he has represented business owners and their companies in business planning; formation and financing; tax issues; and acquisitions and sales, as well as business owners' personal needs such as tax and estate planning. Additionally, Romney has been active in the area of real estate matters, having represented and worked with several real estate management, brokerage and construction companies. Romney has negotiated and handled more than 50 multi-million dollar transactions in the areas of business acquisitions and sales, mergers, financing, and real estate transactions. Romney is highly experienced in handling a broad variety of complex legal transactions and has been actively involved in the formation and success of many Northwest businesses. Romney is a gratuate of the University of Washington, Willamette University and Boston University School of Law.
Les Brun
Les Brun is a Member of the Board of Fortune Management, Inc. (Frankfurt Stock Exchange:FM11), and is Chairman of the firm's Private Equity Management Group. He is also Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sarr Group, LLC ("SARR"), an investment holding company. Mr. Brun is the founder of Hamilton Lane, the world's leading Private Equity advisory and management firm with over $40 billion in assets under advisement and management, and, prior to SARR, was Chairman Emeritus of the Hamilton Lane board of directors, focusing on the firm's strategic initiatives and direction, as well as its investment decision-making through his participation on the firm's Investment Committee. Les was also a member of the board of directors of the Richcourt Group, a Hamilton Lane company specializing in hedge fund of funds management. Les has 26 years of investment banking, commercial banking and financial advisory experience. Mr. Brun received a B.S. from the State University of New York at Buffalo, where he has been recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus, and he is a Trustee of the University of Buffalo Foundation, Inc. In addition to serving on Fortune's Board, he is also a Trustee of The Episcopal Academy in Merion, PA. Les also serves on the boards of directors of Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (BR), and Philadelphia Media Holdings, LLC. In addition, Les is a Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and was Chairman of the U.S. Small Business Administration's S.B.I.C. Advisory Council, and a member of the Committee for the Reinvention of the S.B.A.
Wendy Burden
Wendy is an artist and author. Her book, Dead End Gene Pool, will be released April 1, 2010 by Penguin Group. She studied at Cornell University and is a graduate of Parsons The New School for Design in New York City.
Maria Camoletto
Maria Camoletto has over fifteen years of international marketing management experience. She has proven ability to successfully develop, manage, and transform strategic marketing plans into measurable, incremental brand and business value. Maria's career path combines corporate and consulting roles and includes working in the U.S.A and in Europe with Pansophic, Computer Associates, Hyperion, OutlookSoft and Tagetik. Maria most recently founded LTKY, a marketing consultant firm, to help other companies achieve profitable growth. Her marketing expertise, knowledge and experience help to improve corporate image, grow customer base, create partnership programs, accelerate market entry and new product line development to maximize marketing impact. Maria received a BA from Northwestern University and is APICS Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM). Maria lives near Milan Italy.
John Cingari
John Cingari has over 20 years of experience leading and growing both large and small companies in the information technology, management consulting, and consumer products industries. He was a member of the senior management teams of 2 high growth companies that were built into successful public companies through IPO’s. Mr. Cingari served as Vice President, Marketing for OutlookSoft Corporation. As a member of the executive management team, revenues grew ten times in 3 years, while he built the marketing team to support this growth. He served as Chief Operating Officer for SageMaker Corporation, building and leading a team of 150 people. He also served as Vice President of Application Marketing for Oracle Corporation during a high growth phase from $4-10B in revenue in 3 years. He led the integration of a $50M company into Oracle, and built the infrastructure to support their growth into a market leader in the application software industry. Mr. Cingari served as a Principal at Rath and Strong for 8 years, a management consulting and information technology firm. He led multi-disciplinary teams, improving operational performance at clients including Corning, Pfizer, and Bell Helicopter. He led and built the start-up of a software division, and performed a project management role for large ERP and supply chain management implementations. He began his career with Procter and Gamble as a management trainee and sales representative. Mr. Cingari received a BS in Chemistry from Boston College, and an MBA from the University of Dallas. John lives in Stamford Connecticut.
LeeAnne French - on leave to study for a masters degree in environmental science at the University of California Santa Barbara
LeeAnne French has over twenty years of international marketing and communications management experience. She has proven ability to develop strategic marketing plans and lead teams to deliver tangible results that directly supports business development efforts and the bottom line. Her career path combines corporate marketing and public relations agency roles and includes working in the U.S.A, Australia and Europe with large companies such as Oracle, SAP, Hewlett Packard; smaller firms like OutlookSoft, Red Brick Systems, Sequent Systems; as well as non-tech firms including Capita Finance and Victoria’s Secret. From 1995 to 2004, LeeAnne worked for Waggener Edstrom, a leading technology PR firm, in the role of executive vice president and board member, responsible for marketing, business development, geographic expansion, and executive recruiting. LeeAnne most recently took a break from the world of high tech and parlayed her business acumen and marketing skills to establish a highly successful private swim school in Connecticut. She received a BS in Business Administration from University of California, Berkeley, and is studying for a masters degree in environmental science from the University of California Santa Barbara. LeeAnne currently resides in California.
John Hagan
John Hagan joined Savage Partners as a Managing Director in 2008. Prior to joining Savage Partners, John was a Partner at Ramsey Beirne Associates, the leading retained executive search firm serving venture backed technology companies. While a Partner at Ramsey Beirne, John worked with some of the most innovative high tech startups, the best entrepreneurs, and the leading investors in the industry, including: KPCB, Benchmark Capital, General Atlantic Partners, Summit Partners, Oak Investment Partners, Sequoia Capital, and TPG. In addition to successfully executing over 100 searches, John co-managed Ramsey Beirne’s family of venture capital investment vehicles where he continues to serve as a Managing Member. In addition to his work within the executive search field, John was a co-founder of a financial services software firm and later served as the founding CEO of an NSF-backed software company. He currently sits on the boards of Artbox.com, an NSF-backed internet company, and Season Publications. He is an advisor to the Kauffman Foundation for Entrepreneurship's Innovation Network Initiative and is a Member of the Board of Overseers at The Bushnell Center of Performing Arts. John received a B.S. from Bryant University and currently resides in Avon, CT with his wife and four children.
Warren Hart
Warren Hart is a former IBM Vice President and General Manager. He is an experienced executive known for his ability to build strong teams, innovate, and drive disciplined execution to deliver client and shareholder value. He has demonstrated strengths in general management, strategy, sales, software and service product development, consulting, client support, and marketing in leadership roles with high technology, communications, and financial services companies at the local, national, and global levels. Warren graduated from Hamilton College with a BA in government.
Robert Ortega
Dr. Robert Ortega is CEO of Alta Vista Radiology and practices Radiology in Paradise Valley, AZ. Alta Vista is an after hours teleradiology firm, founded by Dr. Ortega, with practicing radiologists and hospital clients located throughout the United States. He is a a native of Chicago and a graduate of the University of Michigan Medical School.
Bob Raleigh
Robert Raleigh is CEO of Rockefeller Consulting Group. He has consulted within the media and entertainment marketplace to develop distribution and sales strategies tied to the demands of the evolving business climate. From 1999 through 2002, Robert was President of Carsey Werner Television. He oversaw the sales, marketing, research and distribution of Cosby, Roseanne, Third Rock From the Sun, and That 70's Show - some of the biggest programs in television history. In total, he was responsible for sales that totaled in excess of $1billion. At Carsey Werner, Raleigh executed the first multi-platform launch of a major syndicated show, That 70's Show, by establishing a sponsored Internet community around the show that linked the network and syndication episodes with promotional efforts on radio and cable television. The result was the 77th ranked network show debuting as the number 1 new show in syndication that year. Prior to Carsey Warner, Raleigh worked for the Sperry Company, the predecessor to Unisys, in the field of Artificial Intelligence. This provided a birds eye view into the potential and future of technology that has shaped much of his professional career. Upon graduating from Hobart College, Dr. Raleigh earned a PhD from Syracuse University. He worked as a psychologist in a variety of care giving environments, beginning as the Director of Psychological Services at Elmcrest Children's Center and later as a psychologist and eventually an Assistant to the Superintendent at Marcellus Central Schools.
V Eric Roach
In 1994, Eric Roach founded Lombard Brokerage, which pioneered online stock trading and invented many of the technologies used in banking, brokerage and insurance industries today. In 1997 Mr. Roach sold Lombard to Morgan Stanley and was asked by CEO Phil Purcell to serve on their Management Committee at their world headquarters in New York, where he worked in marketing, e-commerce and internal acquisitions. In early 2000, Eric was recruited by John Doerr of Kleiner Perkins (KPCB), and Ram Shriram of Sherpalo Ventures to be the CEO of Elance, a services marketplace on the web. At the end of 2001, he left Elance to form Roach Capital Partners. In 2006, Mr. Roach ran for Congress, in an effort to bring pragmatic leadership to our government.
Scott Simpson - on leave to serve in the United States Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps
Scott Simpson has eight years experience in private equity, with a focus on information technology investments. Mr. Simpson is currently on leave from VECKER to serve in the United States Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps. Mr. Simpson will return to VECKER upon completion of his military service. Most recently Mr. Simpson was Senior Associate at RockRidge Capital Partners, an early stage, technology-focused venture capital firm located in Stamford, CT. Prior to joining RockRidge, Mr. Simpson was Senior Associate at Battery Ventures, a venture capital firm with over $2.0 billion in capital under management across seven funds. At Battery, Mr. Simpson focused on investments in the telecommunications, software and infrastructure markets. Mr. Simpson graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College with a B.A. in history, and a J.D. in Law from The University of Connecticut. Scott lives in New Haven Connecticut.
Stew Smith
Stew Smith's primary role at VECKER is to help CEOs and their team develop mental and physical toughness and endurance while improving their overall health and fitness. He is a recognized expert in this field. Stew is a United States Naval Academy graduate and former Navy SEAL. He has worked professionally in the military fitness arena for over 15 years, with a specialty of helping people become Navy SEALs or members of any unit that requires a PFT (Personal Fitness Test). He has trained athletes at the college, Olympic and professional sports level. After eight years as an officer in the SEAL Teams and an instructor at the Naval Academy Physical Education Department, Stew resigned his commission in 1999 to start his own fitness and freelance writing business. Stew joined VECKER in 2001. Stew was recently featured on National Geographic Channel's Fight Science Special Ops television program in an episode dealing with mental and physical toughness. Fitness has been a part of Stew’s life from grade school through today. Currently he trains young men and women for any profession that requires a physical fitness test - from law enforcement to military special-forces. Stew has been labeled the “Personal Trainer to the Heroes of Tomorrow” and recently launched the website www.heroesoftomorrow.org. This site is a tribute to our fallen heroes and assists future heroes to train for any physical fitness test in military or law enforcement agencies. Mr. Smith is actively involved with the Naval Academy Admissions recruiting programs and performs a military-style workout with over 1,800 midshipmen candidates annually at the Naval Academy Summer Seminar program. As a writer, Stew has been published in Sports Illustrated and contributes a weekly fitness column to www.Military.com. His personal website www.StewSmith.com is a window into just about every type of training there is in physical fitness and has been replicated on several major internet sites including Military.com and NavySEALs.com. Stew lives near Annapolis Maryland.
Alan Stanzler
Mr. Stanzler is a practicing attorney in the Boston area. He has had extensive experience in the business area, advising companies in mergers and acquisitions, private placements, and public offerings. Mr. Stanzler practices as a corporate and securities lawyer, with a specialization in mergers and acquisitions, corporate organization and governance, corporate finance and venture capital, including equity financings, international business, transactions and public offerings. Mr. Stanzler has advised clients with respect to the implementation of the Sarbanes-Oxley legislation. Mr. Stanzler has also counseled non-profit organizations with respect to governance matters. He is a graduate of Brown University and Harvard Law School.
Bruce Turkel
As CEO of the successful brand management firm, TURKEL, Bruce has been creating and working with valuable brands for over 25 years. Born and raised in Miami, Bruce studied design at the University of Florida and rushed to NYC to start his career. Preferring the sun to the subway, he returned to Miami and opened his own advertising agency built on the belief that marketing should be well-designed, simple, and should make a client’s products and services more valuable. Using this straightforward checklist, Bruce has worked with hundreds of clients, written thousands of headlines, and designed even more print ads, television spots, websites, and campaigns. Besides all that, Bruce is a husband, father of two and author of three books—his most recent is Building Brand Value. Oh, and he is an avid harmonica player. Bruce tours extensively, spellbinding audiences with simple yet powerful brand building techniques.
Bob Tuttle
Bob has over 20 years of experience in developing high growth technology companies, and is an expert in technology and software solutions for the retail industry. Bob was most recently CEO of Vcommerce Corporation, a provider of on-line retail infrastructure services. Prior to Vcommerce, Mr. Tuttle was General Manager of Escalate Retail, where he was responsible for worldwide field operations. Prior to Escalate, Bob was VP Field Operations for Retek, a global provider of enterprise software for the retail industry. Bob has also worked with IBM, PeopleSoft, and Lawson Software. Mr. Tuttle graduated from the University of Minnesota, where he earned a B.A. in business administration.
For More Information About The VECKER Institute
Please contact Deirdre Silberstein at: dsilberstein@vecker.com
VECKER Institute
100 Congress Ave
Suite 2000
Austin, TX 78701
USA