Simon Atkinson, Mirics, Director

Simon is a 24-year semiconductor industry veteran. He was a founder of RFIC specialist Mosaic Microsystems, successfully acquired by Analog Devices (ADI) in 1996 where he led work on 2G/3G radios. Simon was previously with LSI Logic, and started his career with Plessey (now Zarlink) – a leading supplier of broadcast RFICs.

Marcos Battisti, Intel Capital, Observer

Marcos is the Sector Director for Intel Capital’s Mobility sector in EMEA. Intel Capital is the Venture Capital arm of Intel Corporation. Marcos joined Intel Capital in 1998 and is one of the founding members of the European team. Marcos has worked on a substantial number of transactions for Intel Capital including companies like Azure Solutions, eTel, B2, and Mirics. Prior to joining Intel, Marcos worked for a Brazilian bank called BBA Creditanstalt. Marcos has a military background, having studied in a Military school and in 1986 he joined the Brazilian Naval Academy. Then, Marcos continued his professional career now working as a derivatives trader for the Brazilian investment bank BBA Creditanstalt. Marcos is a Marine Engineer graduated from the University of Sao Paulo/Brazil and holds an MBA from INSEAD. Marcos is a citizen of Brazil, France and Italy, being fluent in English, French, Italian and Portuguese.

Dr. John Forrest, Chairman and Non-executive Director

John was a pioneer in digital compression and a founder of the DVB alliance, which led to a worldwide standard for digital TV. His academic career spanned the universities of Cambridge and Oxford in the UK, and Stanford in California. It culminated with the post of Professor of Electronic Engineering at University College London, where he had a research group in microwaves and optics. In 1984 he joined Marconi Defence Systems as Technical Director and later became Director of Engineering at the UK’s Independent Broadcasting Authority. From this engineering team, he formed the communications company NTL, becoming its first Chief Executive and, later, Deputy Chairman.  A Fellow and Past Vice-President of both the Royal Television Society and Royal Academy of Engineering, he was awarded the CBE in H.M. the Queen's Jubilee Honours and the Chevalier de L'Ordre des Arts at des Lettres by the French Government.

Richard Irving, Pond Venture Partners, Director

Based in Silicon Valley, Richard co-founded Pond in 1997 and brings over 25 years' experience in venture capital, business management, marketing and engineering in technology companies including AT&T Bell Labs, AMD, Brooktree, and Irving International. Starting as a chip designer at Bell Labs, and strategic marketing manager at AMD, Richard later managed multiple business units at Brooktree with full P&L responsibility both prior to and following the company's initial public offering. He has a B.Sc. (1st Class Hons.) and an M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from Manchester University.

Christopher Smart, Acacia Capital Partners, Director

Christopher is a founder and General Partner of Acacia Capital Partners, a venture capital company which invests in technology companies across Europe. He has been active in venture investing for more than 15 years. In this time he has been actively involved with numerous companies including Cambridge Display Technology, Solarflare, Shazam, Mirics, Automsoft and Cambridge Positioning Systems.

Charlie Glavin, Director

Charlie is Managing Director at MP2 Capital.  Charlie has over 22 years of experience in the investment and technology industries focused primarily on the semiconductor, renewable energy, and wireless markets. Charlie's previous experience includes CSO for Shanghai-based Spreadtrum Communications, MD at Needham & Company, and senior global semiconductor analyst for Credit Suisse.