The Embedded Systems Boutique
Wednesday, January 4, 2006, 3:30pm - 4:45pm
Are consumers going to get more solutions for specific applications? Is IP communication going to be part of specific solutions? What’s going to the impact to the consumer of voice being integrated into our day-to-day appliances?
James Bilefield, Vice President of Business Development, Skype
James is Vice President of Business Development for Skype, the leading provider of free internet telephony. In that role, he leads Skype's developing relationships with a wide range of partners around the world. Prior to joining Skype in November 2004, James was Managing Director of Yahoo!'s European Consumer & Network Services business. Under his leadership, Yahoo! successfully entered the European ISP market and grew the market share, revenue and profitability of Yahoo!'s communications and community products in the region. James joined Yahoo! in May 1999. He was previously Co-founder and Managing Director of www.upmystreet.com, an award-winning UK local information business. Prior to that, James was a Vice President in the Investment Banking Division of Chase Manhattan Bank (JP Morgan). James holds a first class degree in Modern Languages (French and German) from the University of Bristol.
Philippe Depallens, Director, Software & Operations, Video Services, Logitech
With more than a decade of experience in consumer software development and strategic relations management, Philippe Depallens is the director of software and operations for video services at Logitech. Depallens joined the company in 2002, with the acquisition of SpotLife, an Internet-enabled personal broadcasting company, where he was co-founder. He currently manages the development of all Logitech video services, including the technical software and engineering teams that develop Logitech QuickCam software, as well as software applications that extend video to platforms such as instant messaging and mobile phones. Prior to SpotLife, he was senior software manager at Logitech, where he instituted processes for fast cycle development, and usage of the Internet for user support. Depallens earned his BS in Computer Science from the Yverdon Engineering School.
Dr. Wen Ku, CEO and founder, MVOX
Dr. Wen Ku has over 26 years of experience in executive management and business development in the technology industry - spanning PCs, Telecommunication and venture capital investment. Wen also has extensive international operations experience in the USA, Europe, and Asia. Prior to leading the MVOX team, he was a venture capitalist investing in the IT industry. Over a span of 10 years with Acer Inc., Wen held various management positions, including president of Acer Advanced Labs in USA, VP of Product Management – Acer Europe and VP/GM of the Multimedia Communication Business Division – Acer Inc. Wen has also held various technical and management positions for companies including General Electric and AT&T Bell Labs. Dr. Ku received his Doctor of Engineering in Industrial Engineering from the University of Wisconsin in 1981 and MS degree in Operations Research from the Illinois Institute of Technology in 1977.
Monty Sharma, VP Product Management, VIvox
With extensive experience in hosted services, broadband, and networking e-business models and markets, Monty Sharma is uniquely qualified to serve as Vivox’s VP of Product Management and Marketing. Before joining Vivox, Monty was VP of Business Development at Jamcracker, Inc., and VP of Novell’s Service Provider Network at Novell, working to extend and improve the infrastructure that supports ASPs. Sharma also held management positions at Nova Scotia incumbent carrier MT&T where he served as chief technology officer of Mpowered PC deploying leading edge DSL and ASP solutions.
Jeffrey Stern, VP, Business Development, KoolSpan
Jeff Stern has led new business growth for multiple startups as well as the strategic imperatives for major public policy organizations. Most recently, as President of Urban HotSpots, he established WiFi hotspot location partnerships at New York City landmarks including Grand Central Terminal, Sony Plaza, and Penn Station, resulting in a high profile WiFi network with quarterly revenue growth in excess of 300%. At Air Media, Stern raised over $10M in funding, developed multiple partnerships, and signed over 25 major customer contracts with content providers and carriers including Nextel, Sprint PCS, and Verizon. As a strategic consultant, he developed NYC Health and Hospital Corporation's executive strategy for the effective and safe deployment of mobile and wireless technology.
