Advisory Board
Gary C. Cohn
Patent Attorney
Gary C. Cohn is a patent attorney with more than 20 years of experience in high technology and materials patenting. His firm, Gary C. Cohn PLLC, has handled the filing and issuance of the Particle ALDTM and Polymer ALDTM patents. His experience as the corporate secretary for Cargill Dow LLC allows him to bring more than just Intellectual Property experience to the advisory team. Previous to starting his own firm, Mr. Cohn was a corporate patent attorney for the Dow Chemical Company. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of Notre Dame and a JD with honors from Rutgers University School of Law – Camden.
Mark Lester
Managing Director, Forge Partners, LLC
Managing General Partner, Provenance Venture Partners, LLC
Mark has over 25 years of leadership, management, strategic business development and operations experience, including 17 years experience in entrepreneurial services and technology development and delivery in the technology and life sciences industries. Over the past 9 years, his venture investment-related responsibilities have evolved from that of senior executive for venture-backed start-ups to his current role as Managing General Partner of Provenance Venture Partners, a pre-seed to mezzanine stage venture investment firm. He currently serves on the board of SiGNa Chemistry, Passport Systems and Trophos Energy.
Mark received a B.S.E. in Naval architecture and Marine Engineering from the University of Michigan, a Masters in Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management, and was certified Chief Engineer of Navy Nuclear Propulsion Plants while serving as a U.S. Navy Nuclear Submarine Officer.
Robert Balke
Director, Industrial Technologies, Forge Partners, LLC
Bob has nearly 26 years of experience in leading global businesses that grow via Product and process innovation, acquisition, venturing, and marketing. Thus far he has been associated with launching 50+ new businesses, and 100’s of new products and services which produced over $1B in revenue.
During the 1980’s and 1990’s he worked for an early stage venture firm, Kewit Investors Corporation, Dow Chemical Company and The General Electric Company. During his 12-year tenure with General Electric, he was a General Manager of businesses with annual sales revenue ranging from $10MM to $2B and served at an executive level in a variety of functional areas including manufacturing, finance, technology, sales and marketing. From 2000 to 2005 he was an Executive Vice President at Smurfit-Stone and Eastman Chemical Co. in charge of corporate strategy, commercialization of new technology, venturing and marketing activities. Bob has also served as a Director on a variety of boards from the 16th largest credit union in the U.S. to a variety of early-stage companies including current portfolio companies, SiGNa Chemistry and Trophos Energy.
Bob earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin in Madison and a Master of Business Administration degree with an emphasis on international high-tech management from Northeastern University in Boston.
Kenneth Epstein
Investment Banking and Venture Management
Kenneth Epstein is a registered principal at NewCap Partners, Inc. (private investment banking firm). He has more than 15 years of investment banking and venture management experience in nanotech/material related businesses, including P&L responsibility for both major business units and startups. He is actively involved in finding domestic as well as international strategic equity investors and/or global strategic corporate partners and negotiating alliances, M&A, and JV opportunities.
Prior to joining NewCap, Mr. Epstein was a corporate venture manager with the Dow Chemical Company, where he spent the majority of his career investing in material related technologies and forming strategic alliances with global companies involved in semiconductor. telecommunication, high-performance engine production, precision tool equipment, and construction industries.
Mr. Epstein holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Rhode Island, and an Master of Business Administration degree in International Finance form the University of Michigan.
Lynne M. Galligan
Business Development
Lynne Galligan is the founder of Hilltop Innovation, a firm that helps growth-oriented companies improve their success rate in new product development. She has a long history as an executive in the technology sector. Prior to starting Hilltop, Ms. Galligan was Chief Technology Officer and Vice President, Business Development for Avery Denison Corporation, a Fortune 500 firm. She held the positions of Director of Chemistry and Environmental Sciences at Corporate Research and Development for General Electric, and General Manager of Dow Corning’s Methyl Fluids Business. Ms. Galligan holds a Masters of Business Administration degree from Central Michigan University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Western Washington University.
Newsfeed
ALD NanoSolutions, Inc. and Tyco Electronics Announce Collaboration Agreement
February 10, 2010 – Full press release.
ALD NanoSolutions, Inc. Receives Proprietary Patent Technology
January 5, 2010 - Full press release.
