Meet the Experts MENTORING
2018 UP/Start Finalists!
Kevin Barnes, CEO, Harbor Designs
For a decade, Kevin Barnes has been the President and Owner of Harbor Designs and Manufacturing, LLC, a design and production company with products ranging from sports equipment to advanced production bioreactors. Photo source: Baltimore Business Journal |
Greg Bowen '12, Producer, Human Being Productions
Greg Bowen works in video, photography, theatre, and music. He explores the intersection of reality and fantasy, and the way each grows out of the other. He has worked with the Baltimore Rock Opera Society (BROS) for the last 7 years, bringing him into contact with puppetry, performance, and music. These explorations combine with an older practice in video and photography to form an eclectic style of video, animation, live performance, and illustration. Bowen creates still and moving image work that plays with fantasy and illusion, pushing clients'—and his own concepts—into experimental visual realms. Bowen also co-operates a puppet vaudeville series known as The Mother Load, which plays with comedic tropes, theatrical music, and traditional character development to sneak difficult personal themes into an otherwise madcap environment. Photo source: StartupTree |
Leonardo Farias '13, Co-Founder, FanHero
In 2006, Leonardo Farias co-founded Concepta, Inc. He received his Master's degree from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in the Business of Art & Design. FanHero was founded in 2015. Photo source: Twitter |
Jason Hardebeck, Executive Director, The Foundery
Originally from small towns in Montana and Nevada, Jason earned his Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the US Naval Academy prior to receiving his Masters in Advanced Business Studies from Johns Hopkins University. Since the completion of his education, Jason has held a number of diverse roles in a wide variety of industries including manufacturing, technology, non-profit organizations, the military, and state and local government. The majority of this career has been focused on early-stage organizations and startup companies. Throughout his various career endeavors, Jason became qualified to operate a U.S. Navy nuclear power plant, served as Maryland’s first official Entrepreneur in Residence, was named Inventor on six U.S. patents, and founded a company which was then purchased by Facebook. Jason’s main expertise revolves around technology and entrepreneurship, making The Foundery the perfect place for him to excel. Photo source: Jason Hardebeck |
Adrian Harpool, Principal, Adrian Harpool Associates
Adrian Harpool previously founded and served as president of 21st Century Group Inc., a Baltimore advertising and public relations firm. With GKV Communications Inc. and Porter Novelli, 21st Century Group won a $14.5 million anti-tobacco advertising campaign from the state of Maryland. Photo source: Twitter |
Matt Kelley, CEO, Human Being Productions
Co- founder of Human Being Productions, Matt Kelley is a reporter, videographer and photographer. A graduate of the Sheffield institute for the recording arts. His passion for news, politics, art and human connection are the driving force behind his work. Photo source: Baltimore Tech |
Ken Malone, Principal, Early Charm Ventures, LLC.
Early Charm Ventures co-founds companies with entrepreneurial minded researchers at the earliest stages of commercialization. Ken has engaged in the commercialization of hundreds of new products in advanced materials and life sciences. He has co-founded or served as an officer for five life science and advanced materials companies. He has also served as Director of the Trent Lott National Center for Excellence in Economic Development and Entrepreneurship at The University of Southern Mississippi. He holds a Ph.D. in polymer science and a B.S. in biochemistry. Photo source: Early Charm Ventures |
Alex Riehm, Director, Social Innovation Lab, Johns Hopkins Technology Venture
Alex Riehm the Director of the Social Innovation Lab at Johns Hopkins and former Deputy Director of Development Innovation Ventures with experience supporting innovative social enterprises and nonprofits creating positive change in the world and preparing for scale. Photo source: Johns Hopkins University |
Murray Taylor, President, Digital Steamworks
Murray began his career in the games industry in 1987. He is highly regarded by his industry peers and has served in various roles, including President of MicroProse's Coin Operated division, Worldwide Art Director for Hasbro Interactive and Studio Head for Atari's Hunt Valley Studio. Photo source: YouTube |
Kristen Thomas, Marketing Liaison, Harbor Designs
Kristen Thomas is Marketing Liaison for Harbor Designs & Manufacturing, a product design, engineering and contract manufacturing firm in Baltimore that has a wealth of resources and experience working with startups to bring their products to market. Kristen has expertise in business development, strategic partnerships, and specializes in creative strategies, content writing, and the psychology of branding and marketing. Photo source: LinkedIn |
Tim Train, CEO, Big Huge Games
Tim is CEO of Big Huge Games 2.0, and was the Project Lead for hit mobile title DomiNations, which just surpassed 30m players and $100m in revenue. Tim’s career began in 1991, working on the original Civilization with Sid Meier at MicroProse Software. Since then, he’s held key product and leadership roles on landmark games such as Civilization II, Alpha Centauri, Rise of Nations, and FrontierVille. Prior to Big Huge Games 2.0, he was a founding member of the original Big Huge Games and General Manager for Zynga East. Photo source: Tim Train |
Young Vo, Animation Lead, Sparkypants Studios
Young is a traditionally trained animator, a graduate of CalArts’ Character Animation\Film program. With over 12 years of animation experience, he's worked on films like Stuart Little 2, and he's enjoyed a long career developing video games, including Midnight Club 3, Red Dead Redemption, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, Tomb Raider, and the Elder Scrolls Online. Young joins Sparkypants to help bridge the gap between game and player by bringing life to the characters. Photo source: Sparkypants Studios |