“With an academic background in deep tech along with experience in deep tech commercialization and startup founder, operator, and investor experience, I am look forward to bringing investors to Phase Shift Ventures and aggregating capital to back innovative deep tech startups that can transform industries, create significant societal impact, and produce attractive investor returns.”
Bio
Dennis earned a A.B. in Physics from Cornell University and a Ph.D. in Physics from Duke University. He worked in microelectronics, photonics, ultrasonics, and signal processing as a member of the technical staff at the Texas Instruments Central Research Laboratories and a Group Leader in Acousto-Optics at Harris Corporation (now L3Harris). He founded and scaled VC-backed optical information processing startup, Photonic Systems. Under his leadership, the firm became the technical leader in the field. Merging with VC-backed Milcom Technologies, a seed-stage technology commercialization venture fund (now Arsenal Venture Partners), he became the Director of Optics and Photonics evaluating Department of Defense funded optical, semiconductor, and communication technologies at DoD primes to assess their maturity and competitive advantage. There, he was part of a team that launched technology companies in partnership with defense contractors including BAE, Boeing, ITT, Honeywell, Lockheed Martin, and Raytheon, federal laboratories including Oak Ridge, Los Alamos, Sandia, Lawrence Livermore and other leading-edge research and development sources. Fourteen companies were launched through the fund, attracting over $600M in venture capital.
Most recently he cofounded and is the Managing Member of the seed capital firm SeedFundersOrlando where he has led 20 angel investments in early-stage tech startups. He has also managed VentureScaleUp, an accelerator program for high-growth tech entrepreneurs and taught Technology Entrepreneurship as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Central Florida. He is on the Board of the Florida Venture Forum and on the Board of Advisors of the Rollins College Crummer Graduate School of Business Center for Advanced Entrepreneurship.
“I am an extremely hands on inventor and seasoned entrepreneur, engineer, and sometimes board member with a passion for solving complex multidisciplinary problems, creating value and bringing leadership to diverse teams from R&D to marketing to manufacturing.”
Bio
David earned a MS in Electrical Engineering from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. After he graduated he started his first company – ACT Microdevices – building a semiconductor style clean-room out of a burnt down church and growing it from cash flows while living in it. ACT re-branded as Haleos, a manufacturer of MEMS based fiberoptic components and assemblies. Raising venture capital for expansion in their 4th year the company grew to a $20M/yr run rate and filed 120 patents in 18 months. While serving as the President/CEO, he invented a Silicon Optical Bench platform that created hermetic micro-cavity RF packages at the wafer level for laser transmitters (Si-Pak), and formed a strategic alliance with Newport for joint development of next generation fiber optics and photonics manufacturing automation equipment. The company was acquired by Rohm and Haas, now Dow Chemical. He joined the Rohm and Haas team as their Director of Product Development and R&D and was a part of the corporate IP Strategy team. In July of 2008 he bought back his business and IP from Rohm and Haas just before the Dow Chemical and rebranded as NuvoTronics, Inc – a manufacturer of RF, radar, and wireless systems for defense and telecom organizations.
While serving as the President and CEO, he and his multidisciplinary team of engineers and scientists designed multiple products, generating numerous contracts and awards from the space and defense industries. As the company continued to grow and expand it’s game-changing technology resulting in a portfolio of over 100 patents. The company was acquired by the Cubic Corporation for $64M in cash and added earn out options. He is now CEO and Founder of NuvoNexus, an R&D company, and an angel investor.
“I am working on better chemistries for our loved ones and the planet… from chemistries that enable safer and more desirable products and a complimentary effort to clean unwanted pollutants from the environment. Good science is a super power.”
Bio
Christina earned a Ph.D. in Material Science Engineering from the University of Central Florida, where she researched and developed high sensitivity nano-oxide sensors that operate at room temperature for hydrogen detection. She worked in corporate research and development at Lockheed Martin, where she was a principal investigator and co-investigator on several Department of Defense and company research programs, serving as co-founder and co-chair of the Lockheed Martin Nano-Bio Working group. She became an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Florida Polytechnic University, where she conducted research on material and sensor approaches for fog detection. She served as faculty chair and trustee, as well as the first coordinator of the inaugural mechanical engineering degree program.
She developed NanoRAD (Nano-based Residual Active Disinfectant), a patented nanoparticle engineered to disinfect the surface on which it is applied by producing hydrogen peroxide from water available in the air or around the pathogen. The transparent coating kills most bacteria and viruses within two hours and can last for up to three months. Unlike other disinfectants, it is also safer for people and the planet, eradicating infectious pathogens without the release of harmful toxins. She founded Kismet Technologies in 2019 to commercialize NanoRAD and has since expanded its portfolio to include infection-control products for wound healing and surface coatings for medical devices. With VC backing, Kismet has opened a manufacturing facility in Orlando and pilots programs for its products in hospitals, cruise ships and clean rooms.
“Dennis has a rare combination of innovativeness and analytical talents that are extremely important in today's globally competitive high-technology environment.”
"I have been working with Dennis on early-stage deals for more than 10 years. His insights, knowledge, and attention to detail makes him a true leader in the field. I have seen him source deals, lead the due diligence, negotiate terms, and close an investment, skillfully and professionally numerous times throughout Florida, and in particularly in the Orlando area. His skills, connections, and experience are invaluable to the local startup ecosystem."