A Leap Forward in Networking

David F. Welch has over 40 years of experience in fiber optics and optical communications. A business leader from startups to a multi-billion-dollar public company, he co-founded Infinera in 2001, pioneering photonic integrated circuits that established the company as an industry leader and previously served as CTO and VP of Corporate Development at SDL, where he drove a differentiated technology strategy that led to its merger with JDS Uniphase. He holds 200+ patents, has authored 300+ publications, and has received numerous industry awards, including the OSA's Adolph Lomb Medal and the John Tyndall Award. A Fellow of OSA and IEEE, he is also a member of the National Academy of Engineering. Dr. Welch earned his B.S. from the University of Delaware and Ph.D. from Cornell.

Joy Laskar has been a successful professor and entrepreneur with several start-ups based on his pioneering research in radio frequency electronics. His first venture, RF Solutions, developed the primary power amplifier solution for Intel's Centrino platform. Subsequently, he founded companies that advanced CMOS power amplifier technology and low-power millimeter wave gigabit wireless circuits. His roles ranged from CTO to CEO, driving innovation in wireless connectivity and sensor products for various industries. Joy is an IEEE Fellow and one of the five most prolific worldwide RFIC authors. Dr. Laskar received his B.S. from Clemson University and Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Basil is an investor and board member at AttoTude. He currently serves as CEO and Chairman of Tarana Wireless, a fast-growing broadband access company that engineered a groundbreaking approach to high-speed wireless connectivity. Previously, he was President of IP/Optical Networks at Nokia following its acquisition of his IP routing startup, TiMetra Networks, where he was founder, President, and CEO. A recognized industry leader, Basil thrives on ambitious, market-disrupting “deep-tech” innovations. He began his career at Advanced Micro Devices after earning a bachelor’s in computer engineering from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana in 1984.

Peter is an investor and board member at Attotude. He is a founding partner of Wing Venture Capital and has led investments in dozens of early-stage companies, more than 30 of which have gone on to complete IPOs or successful acquisitions. Before founding Wing, Peter was a managing partner at Accel, a product line manager at Silicon Graphics, and a business analyst at McKinsey and Company. He began his career as a physicist working in nuclear fusion research and aerospace. Peter holds an AB in physics from Harvard College and an MBA from Harvard Business School.