David Koenig - Chief Executive Officer
David has more than 15 years experience launching and overseeing the operations, strategy, and development of technology companies in the entertainment industry. Prior to StudioGPU, David was CEO of XLT, Inc., where he successfully raised more than $13 million in seed capital for development of the company's real-time animation and rendering software, and forging strong relationships with leading entertainment companies such as Lion's Gate Entertainment, Sony Picture Animation, MTV Networks and others. David also co-founded Gigawatt Studios, a Hollywood-based independent game developer with sales in excess of $100 million, and managed the development of artificial intelligence systems at Cognitive Systems.
David holds a B.A. from the University of California, Santa Cruz, an M.A. in International Affairs from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs, and an M.A. from Columbia University's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
Richard Forte - Executive Chairman and Board Director
Richard has more than 40 years direct experience in the technology industry with proven success at start-ups leading to IPO's with over one billion dollar valuations. With more than 30 years direct P&L responsibility, Rich has successfully raised more than $250 million in both venture and IPO financing. Along with his start-up experience, Richard successfully managed multi-billion dollar operations at Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) directing over 2,000 professionals. Rich was Executive Chairman and Board Director at SiNett Corporation, CEO at Rfco Semiconductor Corporation, CEO at ITex Corporation (led IPO), CEO at Vantis Corporation, (a wholly-owned subsidiary of AMD, and senior executive at MonoLithic Memories Corporation. Richard is currently a general partner with First Silicon Venture Capital.
Richard holds a B.S. in Physics from San Jose State University.
Robert Knaack - Chief Technical Officer
Robert has been involved in the creation of game and animation software for more than 15 years. The architect behind the real-time rendering software at StudioGPU, Robert enjoys blending speed, power, and ease-of-use into interactive tools for feature-quality animation. As chief architect and lead developer of numerous game engines and software products in the entertainment industry, Robert has delivered memorable game and rendering technology for the Xbox, PS2, and PC. He has also worked for several game studios, including Magnet Interactive Studios, where he helped develop a first-person shooter game based on the Hellraiser movie series, and Sega Midwest as a game developer and R&D specialist.
Robert Knaack holds a B.A. and M.A. in Computer Science with a minor in Math from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.
Yoni Koenig - Chief Scientist
Yoni has been developing unique production pipelines for the game and animation industries since 1994. An expert at creating high-quality content for final-shot creation and rendering of broadcast, DVD and feature films using the GPU (graphics processing unit), he successfully created a revolutionary shift in the development of 3D visual content. Yoni began his career in the games industry as Lead Artist at Eidolon, producing games for companies such as Electronic Arts; later joining Magnet Interactive Studios, a developer of interactive content, before co-founding Gigawatt Studios in Hollywood.
Yoni holds a B.A. from the School of Visual Arts in New York and a M.F.A. from Hunter College in New York.
Andrew Baum - Vice President of Marketing
Andrew has managed marketing, sales and overall business strategy for leading entertainment and consumer companies for more than 17 years. Prior to StudioGPU, Andrew was General Manager for the Pro Photo Business Group and Vice President of Marketing at Printroom, a business supporting more than 20,000 professional photographers. Andrew was also at Pinnacle Systems, a division of Avid Technologies, for five years in a variety of senior product marketing and management positions in the professional and consumer video divisions before becoming Group Manager of North American Marketing. Prior to Pinnacle, as Product Marketing Manager at Apple, Andrew was an integral part of the launch and success of the industry-leading and Emmy award-winning Final Cut Pro. Andrew has also held senior marketing and finance positions at Macromedia, SGI and Sun Microsystems.
Andrew holds a B.A. in Government and Economics from Cornell University and an M.B.A. in finance and marketing with distinction from Santa Clara University.
Ralph Cognac - Vice President of Worldwide Sales
Ralph comes to StudioGPU with a solid track record of more than 35 years experience in driving sales, marketing, and business strategies for start-ups and large technology companies. Prior to StudioGPU, Ralph held positions as Chief Sales and Marketing Officer (CMO) and Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for companies including Integrated Telecom Express (ITeX) and Integrated Device Technology (IDT), where he helped grow the company from zero products and sales to over 200 products and $400M in sales in less than five years. Ralph additionally played an integral role in the company's public funding and IPO. Ralph was a founder and corporate officer of Synergy and Wireless PC. He has also held sales and marketing management positions at Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Motorola, MoSys, and RFco.
Ralph holds a B.S.E.E. and an M.B.A. from Arizona State University.
Ted Henning - Director of User Training & Support
Ted comes to StudioGPU with over ten years experience as a video game, animation and virtual worlds producer and five years experience designing and teaching graduate level courses in Instructional Design and Education Technology. At StudioGPU, Ted creates engaging and comprehensive user friendly training materials and manages the company's technical support to offer customers an unsurpassed experience.
Ted holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Lehigh University and a MS Education Technology from National University.
Tamir Barelia - Director of Business Development
Tamir comes to StudioGPU with more than ten years of experience in business development within construction, architectural design and visualization. Tamir has a significant amount of experience in setting up digital CAD/CAM production pipelines for architectural concept development using a variety of 3D software platforms and packages. After working in sales and marketing with numerous companies in the construction industry, Tamir founded Studio IMAGO, a small private design studio for architectural interiors and single-family dwellings. Studio IMAGO was contracted by other architectural firms, including the Studio of Eric Lloyd Wright, to develop and implement new ways to move forward with advanced design concepts by producing and analyzing digital 3D models. Tamir joins StudioGPU from the XLart Group, where he was the Technical Director who guided the company's move from 2D to 3D and participated as the co-developer in the company's branding campaign.
