| Sasha Pesic | Frank Canova | Marc Thomas |
Livescribe’s management team has significant consumer hardware and software experience and includes key executives from LeapFrog, Palm, Apple and IBM. Chief Executive Officer Jim Marggraff is an entrepreneur and inventor best known for creating the LeapPad and the LeapFrog FLY Pentop Computer. Livescribe is a privately held company with initial funding from VantagePoint Venture Partners.
Jim Marggraff
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
For more than 20 years, Jim Marggraff has dedicated his energy, vision and inventiveness to developing standards, tools, applications and services for companies committed to creating innovative technologies, improving communication, and advancing human thought. Prior to his current tenure with Livescribe, Jim held a number of executive positions at LeapFrog Enterprises. Under his leadership and vision, Jim helped propel the company from $31 million to $680 million annual sales in five years. As the inventor of the LeapFrog FLY Pentop computer and creator of the globally renowned LeapPad Learning System, Jim’s foresight into innovation and resounding dedication to learning and paper-based multi-media helped sell over $1 billion of LeapPads and educational content worldwide. Jim served as the company’s executive vice president of worldwide content and was the founding president of its Internet division. For many years, Jim focused his career on building companies from the ground up. He co-founded Explore Technologies (acquired by LeapFrog), StrataCom (acquired by Cisco), and now has founded Livescribe. Jim holds both a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in electrical engineering and computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 2004, he was recognized by the American Diabetes Association and Father’s Day Council of San Francisco as “Father of the Year.”
Ken Cucarola
Chief Financial Officer
Ken Cucarola’s finance experience spans more than 20 years in business planning, financial forecasting, corporate governance, accounting and financial system implementation. Over a 16 year tenure at Chevron, he developed an extensive finance and accounting background rotating through 11 different assignments including management reporting, accounting supervisory and systems implementation as well as the management of Chevron’s largest overseas operating company in Angola. As vice president at Horn Murdock Cole (HMC), a national accounting consulting firm, he managed a portfolio of more than 30 clients. While at HMC, Ken was also a consultant to 25 high-tech and life science companies and CFO/controller for 13 venture capital-backed startups. Ken began his career in public accounting and is a California-licensed CPA. Ken holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Colorado State University.
Dan Keller
Vice President of Software
Dan Keller has a 25-year track record for cultivating products and delivering results for some of today’s most successful technology companies. Most recently, Dan served as senior engineering director for WebLogic Workshop with BEA Systems. There he oversaw the company’s transition from proprietary software to eclipse-based tools and open source involvement. Prior to his tenure at BEA, Dan spent four years with Palm in roles ranging from vice president of European engineering and vice president of software engineering to director of product engineering. His knowledge and leadership enabled him to significantly expand engineering operations world-wide and deliver three new Palm operating system releases. Dan has also executed programs with companies including Taligent, Apple and Hewlett-Packard. During his 12-year career at Apple, Dan formed an elite design team and spearheaded the growth of a revolutionary integrated software development product. He is also credited for leading and expanding Apple’s engineering organization in Japan, co-developing the workhorse Macintosh software development tool set, and developing the desktop human interface for the LISA computer. Dan holds a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from the University of California, San Diego.
Andy Van Schaack, Ph.D.
Senior Science Advisor
Andy Van Schaack’s professional experience bridges the worlds of high technology and academia. Early in his professional career, Andy served as technical support engineer and sales manager for Apple Computer and Echelon Corporation in California and Tokyo, Japan. Andy was the founder of three start-up companies that each focused on the development and distribution of educational technologies, including Cerego Corporation of Tokyo, Japan, where he served as chief science officer and invented and patented several of the company’s core technologies. In addition Andy worked as a licensing associate in the Office of Technology Commercialization where he was responsible for the protection, development, and commercialization of faculty inventions and creative works while attending graduate school. He is presently a senior lecturer at Vanderbilt University, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate-level courses in research methods, instructional design, and the use of technology to support teaching and learning in the classroom. Andy holds a bachelor’s degree in instructional psychology and doctorate in instructional technology from Utah State University.
Byron Connell
Chief Marketing Officer
Byron Connell has spent the last 20 years helping consumer technology companies define, develop and launch new products and services. His experience as an executive with both high-tech startups and many of Silicon Valley’s most successful companies is a testament to his strategic thinking and dedication. Prior to his current role as Livescribe’s Chief Marketing Officer, Byron served as principal and chief marketing officer of 1st Gear Consulting. Prior to 1st Gear, he co-founded and served as the senior vice president of marketing of Tapwave. For four years, Byron was responsible for the worldwide definition, introduction and management of all branded handheld computers, communicators, accessories, peripherals and OEM products for Palm, Inc. While at Palm, Byron wore a number of hats including vice president of the consumer markets group and vice president of marketing. He scaled the product management organization from 7 employees to over 70, and introduced many highly acclaimed products that grew company revenue from $114 million to $1.5 billion. Byron has also previously held management positions with Hewlett-Packard and Apple Computer. He received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Southern California and a master’s degree in business administration from Northwestern University.
Sasha Pesic
Chief Operating Officer & General Counsel
Sasha Pesic has over 10 years of experience working with high-tech companies, concentrating on business strategy development, intellectual property and legal affairs. Prior to Livescribe, Sasha briefly served as the assistant general counsel of Lexar Media, where he participated in directing the company's legal and strategic licensing work, including intellectual property protection and enforcement, patent licensing, strategic licensing deals, sales and distribution deals, and litigation. Prior to Lexar, Sasha managed a legal team of four and an $8 million budget for LeapFrog Enterprises. He was responsible for managing intellectual property enforcement, litigation and global anti-piracy protection, code of ethics compliance, privacy, antitrust compliance, CPSC matters and supply chain controls, congressional lobbying and governmental affairs, and employment matters. Prior to LeapFrog, Sasha was assistant general counsel of CNET Networks, where he negotiated complex licensing, sales and advertising deals, and participated in acquisitions and joint ventures. Sasha was responsible for all intellectual property, privacy policy and litigation and worked closely on CNET’s global branding strategy. Sasha was also an attorney at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati and Latham & Watkins. Sasha holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and history from the University of California, Davis and received a law degree from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Frank Canova
Vice President of Hardware
Frank Canova brings 20 years of expertise as an innovator and manager at IBM, Cirrus Logic, Palm, Wheels of Zeus and Reactrix. At IBM, Frank managed mobile products including the award-winning ThinkPad laptop. For more than five years, Frank held key positions at Palm, including vice president of worldwide product engineering. Frank led hardware engineering for products including the PalmPilot and managed product development of hardware and software products for consumer and enterprise divisions, in addition to managing Palm Labs as its director of technology. Prior to Livescribe, Frank was vice president and CTO of Reactrix, where he was responsible for creating systems that make media interactive through unique displays and network infrastructure. Frank holds more than 30 patents in mobile consumer products as well as wireless communication and was dubbed Most Prolific Palm Inventor. Frank holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Florida Institute of Technology.
Marc Thomas
Vice President, Manufacturing & Operations
Marc Thomas is an innovative leader in manufacturing, engineering, operations and technical marketing and has been involved in white paper to warehouse product development in startups and Fortune 100 companies for over 25 years. Prior to his current role as vice president of manufacturing & operations, Marc founded The TECH Group, a consulting services firm offering product development and interim management support in engineering, manufacturing and tech marketing. In 1990, Marc co-founded Lectus and served as vice president of design and manufacturing engineering and CTO. The company was sold to Hillenbrand Industries in 1995. Prior to Lectus, Marc was team leader of technical marketing for GE Plastics where his success was highlighted by receiving GEP’s 1989 Global Marketing Master Award. Marc began his career at Ford, managing the manufacture of 700,000 Escort Instrument Panels. His efforts resulted in the lowest scrap rate in plant history. At Ford, Marc initiated the bidding and subsequent winning of the Dodge Dakota Panel Program. He currently holds 8 patents with another 14 pending. Marc received a bachelor’s degree in plastics engineering from the University of Lowell.
