TechValidate was founded by enterprise IT experts with a track record of building companies from initial conception to profitability. The team brings a diversity of operating experience spanning both the enterprise IT and consumer Internet industries, including companies such as Apple, EMC, Microsoft, Oracle, PolyServe (acquired by HP), Storage Networks, and Stumbleupon.com (acquired by eBay).
CEO and Co-Founder
Brad brings over 15 years of experience in both enterprise and web consumer technologies to the leadership of TechValidate. Most recently, Brad was the founding angel investor for the groundbreaking web consumer discovery technology, Stumbleupon (acquired by eBay, $75 million).
Brad's prior senior management experience includes launching and running business development at PolyServe, an enterprise server and storage software company (acquired by HP, $205 million), and heading up Corporate Development at StorageNetworks, an enterprise storage service provider company that he helped launch and build to IPO as a member of the early management team, (Nasdaq: STOR, 2000).
Brad also worked as a widely referenced technology analyst in the data center IT sector with Taneja Group, where he consulted dozens of emerging technology companies and institutional investors regarding IT market strategy. Brad pursued his MBA from Babson College and his BA from Kalamazoo College. Brad is proficient in spoken and written Japanese.
President and Co-Founder
Steve brings a wealth of expertise in both enterprise marketing and software engineering to TechValidate. Prior to co-founding TechValidate, Steve was the Vice President of Product Marketing at PolyServe, a leading clustered server and storage company (acquired by HP, $205M). As an early employee, he launched the company, managed both product lines P&Ls, and served as a key member of the senior executive team leading up to the acquisition. Steve has also held senior management positions in both software engineering and product marketing at Oracle Corporation, CGI-AMS, and Microsoft Corporation.
In addition to his operating experience, Steve was a highly regarded technology analyst at Taneja Group, where he focused on shaping marketing strategy for emerging enterprise technology vendors. He holds a bachelor degree in Computer Science from Dartmouth College and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
VP of Sales and Operations
Mike brings over 10 years of operations and sales management to TechValidate. Previously, Mike served two tours as a United States Navy submarine officer in the Pacific theatre and most recently was the VP of Sales at Sungevity, a top nationwide residential solar installer.
After starting at Sungevity as a design manager and scaling that operation through 10x growth in 2010, he helped restructure and streamline the sales process the following year, resulting in his promotion to VP of Sales. During his tenure as the sales leader, Sungevity more than halved the cost of sale, improved conversion by over 30%, all of which resulted in the company raising $115M in project/corporate financing in late 2012. Mike's leadership style focuses on developing and empowering others around him combined with a design engineer's creativity to shape and scale organizations.
Mike holds a B.S. in Systems Engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis.
CFO
As Chief Financial Officer, Rick brings 25 years of financial management experience and expertise to TechValidate. In his role, Rick directs all financial aspects of the business, including accounting practices, budgeting, financial planning, and Human Resources (HR) management. Prior to TechValidate, Rick was Director of a group within KPMG catering to high net worth CFOs. He also has held finance positions with the Oakland Athletics and Paramount Great America.
Rick holds a BA in Accounting from San Jose State University.
Lead Designer
Jon leads all aspects of TechValidate product design, functionality, and user experience. He has designed products and web applications at a wide range of leading technology companies, including Apple, and holds several US patents relevant to user interface techniques.
Jon combines his design orientation with rigorous software engineering experience, allowing him to communicate effectively with both product and software development teams – he was once a commercial computer game programmer, and still writes code. Also an accomplished sculptor, Jon earned his twin B.A.s in Art and Mathematics/Computer Science from Lewis and Clark College, and his Master's of Fine Arts from New York Academy of Art.
Lead Architect
Jordan is responsible for leading the software engineering team at TechValidate. He is a recognized expert in Ruby on Rails and Linux system architecture. Jordan has contributed significantly to the open source community and is an avid proponent of agile methodologies.
Jordan's emphasis on simplicity and clarity keeps TechValidate running fast and enables the company to add new functionality at a rapid pace. Jordan earned his B.S. in Computer Science from Georgia Tech with specializations in Data Management Systems, Artificial Intelligence, and Networking.
Customer Success Manager
Lauren joined TechValidate in 2010 and has built the customer success team with a focus on delivering high-touch consultative support that emphasizes results. Drawing on a strong understanding of business-to-business marketing, Lauren's team regularly exceeds expectations and ensures that customers achieve their objectives with the TechValidate application.
Lauren has traveled extensively in China, India, Southeast Asia, and Latin America and is fluent in written and spoken Spanish. She graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Geography.
Brad's profile on LinkedIn
