TEAM
Paul Brown
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Paul has diverse experience as an entrepreneur and venture capital investor. He was most recently Vice President of Capital Markets at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), where he managed the bulk of the State’s $2 billion 21st Century Jobs Fund, including the $150 million 21st Century Commercialization Competition, which invests directly in early-stage companies, and the $109 million 21st Century Investment Fund, which invests in venture capital and private equity firms. Paul was also co-founder of Front Door Insights, a mobile technology company that was acquired in May 2013 by Mobivity. Paul began his career practicing law as a clerk in Federal District Court then in the Manhattan office of the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. He is a member of the Univerisity of Michigan Board of Regents, has a BA History and an MBA from the University of Michigan and received his law degree from Wayne State University.
Doug Neal
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Doug Neal has over 20 years of technology industry experience including founding, operating, board, investing, venture accelerator management and entrepreneurial education. After 15 years in California in a variety of leadership positions at Hewlett Packard and Symantec, he co-founded Mobile Automation, a mobile software security company which was venture backed by Greylock and acquired by iPass Inc. in 2005. As CEO of Mobile Automation, Doug was responsible for both operational leadership and the strategic direction of the company including key technology decisions, sales and fundraising. Under Doug’s leadership Mobile Automation grew at 75% CAGR for 5 consecutive years before being acquired.
After completing the successful integration of Mobile Automation into iPass Doug relocated to his home state of Michigan in 2005 to raise his family and help grow the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Ann Arbor. During the next several years Doug was a member of the review board for the Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund, which evaluated numerous Michigan investment opportunities for matching funds from the State of Michigan. In 2009, Doug became Managing Director of the University of Michigan Center for Entrepreneurship, during which time he transformed the organization to include a world-class university startup accelerator (TechArb) which has since launched almost 100 student ventures, grew enrollment in entrepreneurial programs to more than 5,000 students per year and was instrumental in developing a process for teaching entrepreneurial programs to engineering and non-engineering students. Doug is a regular lecturer at the University in entrepreneurial studies as well as a frequent guest speaker and panelist in the Michigan entrepreneurial ecosystem. He has a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Central Michigan University.
Bob Stefanski
Palo Alto, California
Bob is an entrepreneur with deep operational and board experience in the software, mobile and Internet markets. He was on the founding management team of TIBCO Software, where he served as the Executive Vice President, Corporate Development, General Counsel and Secretary. As a member of TIBCO’s executive management team, Bob had broad responsibility for day to day business operations from its founding in 1997 to its emergence in the 2000s as one of the leading enterprise infrastructure software companies in the world. TIBCO remains a world leader today in enterprise infrastructure software, with annual revenue exceeding $1 billion. Bob left TIBCO in 2008 to more actively pursue his passion as an advisor and board member for Silicon Valley early stage startups.
He began his career as an attorney with Weil, Gotshal & Manges in New York City, where he represented technology, media and entertainment companies in a broad range of matters. He joined Reuters in 1996 as Director of Intellectual Property. He has also been involved with the UM Center for Entrepreneurship since its inception in 2007 and currently serves on its Board of Directors and has been a mentor at the student startup incubator, TechArb. Bob was also a partner with the international law firm Reed Smith in its Silicon Valley office from 2012 to 2016, where he served as the global chair of its Venture Capital and Emerging Company practice. Bob is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School and University of Michigan Graduate School of Engineering. He has an undergraduate degree in computer science/mathematics from Northern Michigan.
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