Meredith Perry is the inventor of uBeam, a technology that uses ultrasound to transmit power over the air to charge electronic devices wirelessly. Using a patented system, uBeam is the only wireless power system that can safely charge multiple electronic devices wirelessly at a distance.
Meredith founded uBeam in 2011 while studying at the University of Pennsylvania. While at Penn, Meredith served as a student ambassador for NASA, where she worked on technology to detect life on Mars, experimented in zero gravity and researched and published papers in astrobiology and medicine. She graduated in 2011 with a degree in paleobiology.
Meredith has been included in Fortune’s “40 Under 40” Mobilizers, Forbes’ “30 Under 30” and Vanity Fair’s “The New Establishment.” She has also been recognized as one of Fast Company’s “Most Creative People” and is the recipient of Elle Magazine’s Genius Award.
Larry Pendergrass has been a leader in the high tech industry for over 30 years, with 20 years in management and nearly 15 years in science and engineering, working for world class companies including as Hewlett-Packard, Agilent Technologies, Keithley Instruments and Tektronix. He has spent much of his career in Research and Development, but has also worked many years in Manufacturing and Marketing. Larry has recently spent three years as an Executive Management Consultant for the San Francisco firm TechZecs, LLC, working on a variety of projects at the C-Level for high tech firms, improving R/D effectiveness, creating growth strategies, identifying acquisition targets, and developing processes for better project portfolio management.
Larry’s career has spanned a wide range of industries such as semiconductors and other discrete devices, materials research and development, test and measurement instruments, wireless devices, medical products, professional musician equipment and application software. His experience comprises a diverse set of technologies, from electronics to optics, acoustics and magnetics.
Larry’s work as a scientist and engineer included development of adaptive beamforming, optical signal processing, new-to-the-world devices (i.e surface acoustic wave devices, microwave optical modulators and other high speed devices), various materials research and development (acoustic, optical and electron spin resonance magnetic materials), and acoustic medical imaging.
His business specialties include NPI (New Product Introduction) processes and R/D effectiveness, fast cycle time development, talent acquisition and management, creating an innovation environment, management of cross-geographic development and manufacturing, corporate and product strategy, project portfolio management, and change management.
Larry has an M.S. in Physics from U.C. Davis (with a concentration in optics and solid state physics), Executive Business Training from Stanford Business School, and an Executive MBA from Case Western Reserve University.
Following undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral training at Notre Dame and Washington University in St. Louis, Dr. O’Donnell joined General Electric Corporate Research and Development Center in Schenectady, NY in 1980, where he worked on medical electronics, including MRI and ultrasound imaging systems. In 1990, he moved to University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI where he held appointments in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science and in Biomedical Engineering. In 1998, he was named the Jerry W. and Carol L. Levin Professor of Engineering. From 1999-2006 he also served as Chair of the Biomedical Engineering Department. In 2006 he moved to the University of Washington in Seattle, WA where he was the Frank and Julie Jungers Dean of Engineering from 2006-2012. He is now Frank and Julie Jungers Dean Emeritus and a Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Washington. His most recent research has explored new imaging modalities, including elasticity imaging, in vivo microscopy, optoacoustic arrays, photoacoustic contrast agents for molecular imaging and therapy, thermal strain imaging, and catheter-based devices. He has won numerous awards, including the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Notre Dame, the Achievement Award from the IEEE-UFFC Society and the William J. Morlock Award for Excellence in Biomedical Technology from the IEEE-EMBS Society. He is a fellow of the IEEE and AIMBE and is a member of the Washington State Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering.
Mark Suster is a Partner at Upfront Ventures. He joined the firm in 2007 after having previously worked with Upfront Ventures for nearly 8 years as a two-time entrepreneur. Before joining Upfront Mark was Vice President, Product Management at Salesforce.com following its acquisition of Koral, where Mark was Founder and CEO. Prior to Koral, Mark was Founder and CEO of BuildOnline, a European SaaS company that was acquired by SWORD Group. Earlier in his career, Mark spent nearly ten years working for Accenture in Europe, Japan and the U.S.
Mark looks to invest in passionate entrepreneurs in early-stage technology businesses. His interests include Digital Content and Distribution, AdTech, Consumer Internet, and SaaS businesses and he has deep operating experience having started and sold his last two companies.
Katie is tech industry veteran with entrepreneurial successes that include building and launching one of the most downloaded and engaged mobile apps of all time, Shazam. She currently serves as Vice President and General Manager at SoundHound Inc., which spent ten years developing the ground-breaking Speech-to-Meaning(TM) technology and the Houndify voice and natural language interface platform. Katie is known for her ability to bring to market and scale new technologies and globalize brands, and in 2002 was recognized as the first foreign woman to launch a tech company in Japan.
Larraine Segil is a seasoned Entrepreneurial Executive and public and private Corporate Board member, with general management experience. She applies her extensive strategic, management, conflict resolution and leadership expertise in a selective Executive Coaching practice for CEO’s and senior leaders.
Past Accomplishments:
Personal: Born in South Africa, Ms. Segil immigrated to the USA in 1974. She has three endowment funds for scholarships for women managers in strategic alliances – one at the JDMBA program at The Peter Drucker School of Management & Southwestern School of Law, another for Pepperdine Business School Presidential Key Executive MBA Program and the third at Kingsmead School for Girls, Johannesburg South Africa www.larrainesegilscholar.com
KENNETH HERTZ is a named Partner in the Los Angeles law firm of Hertz Lichtenstein & Young LLP. Ken and his partners specialize in representing talent and new media companies in the sports and entertainment industries. The firm’s clients include Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, No Doubt, Gwen Stefani, Idris Elba, The Black Eyed Peas, will.i.am, Sir Ken Robinson, Keith Richards, Herbie Hancock, Jason Mraz, David Blaine, Shaun White, Jamie Oliver, Calvin Harris, and Annie Leibovitz.
Ken is also a principal in memBrain – an entertainment marketing and strategy consulting firm. memBrain’s clients include UBS, Hasbro, McDonald’s, Intel, Logitech, and Boots/Walgreens. Ken is a frequent speaker and commentator on the subjects of entertainment, marketing and convergence; is often quoted in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Wall Street Journal; has appeared on CNBC’s monthly newsmagazine “Business Nation;” has been an instructor at UCLA’s Anderson Graduate School of Management, and an adjunct professor of law at USC.
Ken is also the host of TEDxHollywood.
Martine Rothblatt is Chairperson & Co-CEO of United Therapeutics (UTHR), and President & CEO of its Lung Biotechnology public benefit company. She previously created and led Sirius XM as its Chairman & CEO, after launching satellite navigation and international satellite television systems. She has JD and MBA degrees from UCLA, and a Ph.D. in Medical Ethics from the Royal London School of Medicine & Dentistry. Her patented inventions are in satellite communications, pharmaceuticals and cognitive software. Dr. Rothblatt’s recent books are on transplantable organs (Your Life or Mine, Ashgate) and cyber ethics (Virtually Human, St. Martin’s).
Dr. Rothblatt and her wife, Bina, live near their four grandchildren on the Space Coast of Florida, from where they enjoy watching rocket launches. They met at a disco dance in Hollywood in the late 1970s, and have been happily married (and dancing together) since shortly thereafter.
