The People

The NextStart Network includes mentors, investors, and partner organizations that have

come together with a common goal: to create a launching pad for the next generation of

new ventures.

NextStart Executive Committee

Michael Mino President & CEO PropertyBoss Solutions	Michael Mino is President and CEO of PropertyBoss Solutions, a developer and marketer of property management software used to manage residential and multi-family apartment facilities. Mr. Mino led a management buyout of the company in 2004. He previously founded a number of technology-based ventures in South Carolina and New York. During the 2001 and 2002 academic years, he served as Entrepreneur in Residence for the Clemson Spiro Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership. Mr. Mino earned an M.B.A. from the Rochester Institute of Technology, and he received both his M.E. and B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Rensselear Polytechnic Institute.
Kim Dawson Associate Director Spiro Institute	Kim Dawson directs Business Outreach Programs for the Spiro Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership Clemson University. She manages the Institute’s service learning activities, which link Clemson M.B.A. students with entrepreneurial firms to provide assistance with market opportunity assessment and strategic business planning for both start-up and established companies. She has B.S. in Nuclear Engineering and an M.S. in Technology and Science Policy from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and a Ph.D. in History from the University of Georgia.
Kristie B. Byrum President &CEO Byrum Innovation Group	Kristie Bohm Byrum, APR, is President and CEO of the Byrum Innovation Group Inc., a strategic marketing and communications firm that represents national clientele. She has a proven track record in leading national, regional and local corporate communications programs for companies across the U.S. Ms. Byrum has launched several businesses in the Upstate, creating jobs and securing venture capital to fuel business growth. She has been featured on CNN’s Entrepreneur’s Only television show and was honored a Sam Walton Emerging Entrepreneur. She holds a B.A. in Journalism from The Pennsylvania State University and an M.A. in Journalism and Mass Communications from the University of South Carolina.
Neil Grayson Founder Entrepreneurs Foundation of the Southeast	Neil Grayson is a partner with Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP. He has a corporate practice focused on securities, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance matters, including for emerging growth companies and private equity funds. Mr. Grayson founded the Entrepreneurs Foundation of the Southeast in Atlanta and helped to establish the Greenville chapter of the Young Entrepreneurs' Organization. He also worked with the SC Department of Commerce in implementing the South Carolina Venture Capital Act. He has lectured and written articles on issues regarding raising capital, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance. Mr. Grayson earned a Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1987, and he earned a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in Accounting and Economics from Wofford College in 1984.
Rick Heller Retired CEO	Rick Heller, a recently retired executive, has been serving as a mentor and adviser to three of last year’s NextStart graduate companies. Utilizing his 40 plus years as an experienced executive, where he specialized in technology start up and business turnarounds in the computing and communications industry, Heller is now working with NextStart and the Spiro Institute. Previous positions include CEO of Aironet, a wireless networking company sold to Cisco, and CEO Proxim, a wireless networking company that completed its IPO in 1993. Mr. Heller received his BS in Business Administration from The Citadel and an MA in Business from University of Georgia.
David Setzer Founder & CEO VirtualConnect Technologies	David Setzer is the founder and CEO of VirtualConnect Technologies which provides email security, continuity and availability services to over 3,000 organizations around the world through their Mailprotector® service. Since 1994 he has additionally provided business education and training to over 15,000 entrepreneurs in the former Communist countries of Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Ukraine through ongoing professional speaking, leadership coaching, training, and mentoring. Mr. Setzer is a graduate of the University of South Carolina where he earned a Bachelors of Science degree in Business Administration with a double major in Finance and Entrepreneurship and served for two years as President of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Peter Walschmidt Founder & CEO Gnoso	Peter Waldschmidt, the founder and CEO of Gnoso, is an entrepreneur with an enthusiasm for innovative technology. Gnoso is a software design company that has created and launched several successful software products, including NCover and LogForLife.com. Prior to Gnoso, Mr. Waldschmidt co-founded TetraData Corporation in 1997, serving as its Chief Technology Officer. While at TetraData, he and his partners grew the company to be the national leader in K-12 education data analysis. During this period TetraData raised venture capital to support its rapid growth and eventually sold the company to Follett Software Corporation, a leading educational software company, in 2006.
David Wyman Lecturer Spiro Institute	David Wyman is currently a lecturer with the Spiro Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership at Clemson University. He is passionate about making a difference in entrepreneurial education. Mr. Wyman is also a successful entrepreneur with over 50 inventions sold to major toy companies including Milton Bradley, Fisher-Price and Mattel. He graduated from Queens’ College, Cambridge with a B.A. in Economics and has a M.B.A from Cranfield in the UK. Presently, he is a candidate for a Ph.D. at the University of Aberdeen.
Robert Fletcher Founder Cotesworth	Robert Fletcher is founder of the private equity firm Cotesworth (which manages the NextStart funds) and Venture Capitalist in Residence at the Darla Moore School of Business. Previously, Mr. Fletcher served as Principal of The Trelys Funds, as Assistant to the CEO of NYSE-listed Mynd Corporation (now CSC) and as CEO of the robotics firm Applied Motion Systems. He holds an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from Clemson and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

NextStart Advisors and Mentors

Jane Allen Founder and CEO Smart Work Network	Jane Allen is founder and CEO of Smart Work Network, an Upstate, SC-based, retained Executive Search, Assessment and Career Management firm for growth and emerging companies. She is a serial entrepreneur who began her entrepreneurial journey on a farm in Georgia, at age five, selling eggs and flowers door-to door. Mrs. Allen’s present company, Smart Work Network, founded in 1999, provides an unconventional approach to executive search and selection, incorporating a disciplined process with scientifically predictive assessment tools, combined with holistic and intuitive processes. Ms. Allen has a B.S. in Communication Arts and Psychology from The State University of New York.
Marc Bolick President Dmarc8 International	Marc Bolick founded and operates Dmarc8 International, a consulting company specializing in strategy, marketing, business development, product management and project management services for high growth, technology-based companies. Prior to Dmarc8, Bolick co-founded MobiQuis, a company providing infotainment services to the mobile telecoms industry. His previous experience includes nine years at General Electric and two years at Nucletron/Delft Instruments in medical devices marketing and product management. Having lived and worked a total of 17 years abroad, Bolick has deep international business experience. Marc received his MBA from Rotterdam School of Management and his BS degree in Mechanical Engineering from Clemson University.
Michael Bolick President & CEO Selah Technologies	Michael Bolick is Founder, President & CEO of Selah Technologies, LLC. Selah is developing nanotechnology enabled in vitro diagnostic test kits that will allow surgical oncologists to better visualize and remove cancerous tissue. Mr. Bolick has more than 18 years experience in starting and growing advanced materials manufacturing companies, including ten years serving the pharmaceutical industry as an executive with contract research and manufacturing company. He serves on the National Cancer Institute’s SBIR Bridge Award Review Panel, on the External Advisory Board of the University of South Carolina’s NanoCenter, and on the board of the Rutland Institute of Ethics. Mr. Bolick holds a B.S. Degree in Chemical Engineering from North Carolina State University.
Reed Byrum Chair Byrum Innovation Group	Reed Byrum, APR, Fellow, PRSA, is currently Chair of the Byrum Innovation Group, Inc., in Greenville, SC, and Austin, TX. He is a leading corporate strategist in dealing with issues such as marketing, positioning and reputation. Mr. Byrum is an expert at positioning small- to mid-sized, pre-IPO companies in the markets and marketplace. He has served as a corporate executive for multiple companies, ranging from startups to the Fortune 100, and as a senior consultant to global and regional agencies. Mr. Byrum has been selected by PR Week as one of the top public relations executives in high technology. He is a graduate of Washington and Lee University.
Andrew Clark Founder & CTO SensorTech, LLC.	Dr. Andrew Clark is Founder and Chief Technical Officer of SensorTech, LLC. Dr. Clark has worked with advanced materials for over 8 years and co-invented the SensorTech technology in 2005 along with Dr. Martine LaBerge at Clemson University. The discovery of this conductive application of a polymer along with the multiple uses of polyethylene plastics has placed Dr. Clark on the cutting edge of advanced materials technology. Through his initial discovery at Clemson with trial tibial inserts for prosthetic patients, Dr. Clark has created an unrivaled line of products to change the contact sensing arena. He earned his Masters and Doctorate degrees in Bioengineering at Clemson University.
David Cull Chief Technology Officer CreatiVasc	David Cull, M.D. currently serves as Chief Technical Officer of CreatiVasc Medical LLC, a company he founded in 2004 to commercialize medical devices that he invented to improve vascular access surgery procedures. He is a professor of clinical surgery at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine and vascular surgeon at the University Medical Center/Greenville Hospital System. Most of his clinical and research activities over the past 15 years have focused in the area of vascular access surgery. In his role as CTO with Creativasc, he oversees human clinical trials to evaluate the company’s medical devices.
Gail DePriest Director Corporate Relations, CBBS at Clemson University	Gail DePriest is currently Director of Corporate Relations for Clemson University’s College of Business & Behavioral Science. Ms. DePriest brings over 20 years experience in business, including owning her own human resource consulting firm. Her areas of expertise include corporate coaching for top performance, merger and acquisition/executive team assimilation, coaching line and general management, and coaching MBA students to leverage their degrees. She has received many community awards, including the National Society for Human Resources Management Award for Workplace Readiness Innovation. Ms. DePriest received her B.S. in Human Resource Management from Southern Wesleyan University and her Masters in Counseling from Webster University.
Linda Gallicchio Associate Director Rutland Institute for Ethics	Linda Gallicchio is the Associate Director of Outreach Programs for the Rutland Institute for Ethics at Clemson University. Ms. Gallicchio has more than 22 years of experience in managerial and executive roles, mostly in human resources, across a variety of industries and at another land-grant university. She chairs the Four Way Test Committee for Rotary District 7750, serves on several committees in the Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce, and is an advisory board member of the Carolina First Center for Excellence in the Greenville Chamber of Commerce. Ms. Gallicchio has a B.S. in Business Administration, summa cum laude, from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She earned her MBA, with distinction, from SUNYAB as well.
Adam Gautsch Co-Founder OrangeCoat	Adam Gautsch joined forces with Evan Tishuk to start OrangeCoat, a Greenville South Carolina-based full service web design firm, in 2003. Originally from Martinsville Virginia, he moved south to study political science at Clemson University. Upon graduating, Mr. Gautsch jumped immediately into the political arena as manager for a congressional campaign. After falling short in the election, he co-founded OrangeCoat, where he currently negotiates, handles sales, markets relentlessly, orchestrates research and testing and helps to manage and keep projects on time. Mr. Gautsch holds a B.S. in Political Science from Clemson University.
Thomas Greer Founding Partner Fulcrum Venture Partners, Inc.	Thomas Greer is a founder and partner of Fulcrum Venture Partners, Inc. He has over 15 years of investment, financial and operating experience. Mr. Greer was the founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Regency Healthcare, Inc. , a provider of hospice services throughout the Southeast. Mr. Greer currently serves as Chairman of the Board at the successor to Regency, Regency Healthcare Group, LLC. Mr. Greer received his bachelor’s degree in Financial Management from Clemson University and his Masters of Business Administration degree from Wake Forest University.
Chris Hill Founder Figure Head Consulting	Chris A. Hill, CPA, is the founder of FigureHead Consulting, an outsourced CFO consulting service firm focused on assisting small-to-medium sized businesses with executive level financial oversight. Mr. Hill assists market-challenged companies make strategic financial decisions and negotiate favorable debt financing arrangements during difficult times. He has recently worked with companies ranging from start-up to turn-around, and helped privately held companies during mergers and acquisitions, debt financing, private equity investments and corporate equity sales. His prior experience includes 9 years with Bank of America. Mr. Hill has a B.S. in Financial Management Clemson University, and is both a licensed Real Estate Broker and a Certified Public Accountant in South Carolina.
Andrew Kurtz CEO & President Vigilix	Andrew Kurtz currently serves as the CEO and President of Vigilix, LLC, a single solution technology for mission-critical point-of-sale monitoring, alerting, remote control, and offsite backup. He has established multiple technology companies and provided leadership in the development of new software technologies designed to improve business processes. In 1999, he started ProActive Technology, a software development and professional consulting firm providing services to manufacturing companies and businesses throughout the Southeast. While there, Mr. Kurtz recognized the need to spin off a new company to adequately commercialize the Vigilix Platform, and today he leads the company’s senior management team. He holds a B.A. degree in Accounting from Furman University.
Logan Metcalfe Founder Arena Consulting	Logan Metcalfe is founder of Arena Consulting, a company that provides CFO and management consulting services to companies experiencing or anticipating rapid growth. He spent 5 years as CFO/COO of Immaculate Baking Company, America’s leading brand of all-natural refrigerated cookie dough, where he raised over $7.6M in angel and venture capital investment. Mr. Metcalfe previously worked as a Senior Management Consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton, where he consulted for Fortune 100 companies and helped establish an initiative to accelerate the development of high impact technology start-ups. Mr. Metcalfe graduated from the University of Auckland with degrees in Business and Arts and earned an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
Dr. Brian Morin CEO, Innegrity LLC Interim-CEO, Invenca	Dr. Brian Morin is currently CEO of Innegrity LLC, a high performance fiber manufacturer. Dr. Morin has several hundred million dollars in sales of products based on his inventions, and he has applied for more than 60 patents on subjects ranging from molecular magnetic materials to polymer additives to advanced fibers. Dr. Morin received his Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in physics from The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. He received his B.S. degree in physics from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, NC.
Jeff Papenfus President and Owner North Gate Labs, LLC	Jeff Papenfus started his career leading national sales and marketing teams, then technical development teams, start-up companies and entrepreneurial support groups. He is currently the Owner and President of North Gate Labs, LLC (NGL) in Greenville, South Carolina. NGL develops and sells web-based tools and services such as the websalestool CMS and Condoh.com – “a directory of downtown living.” His professional experience with start-ups, publicly listed firms and government agencies has provided Mr. Papenfus with valuable insight and experience in many areas of business and community. A founder of NEXT, he continues to further the mission of helping high-growth, technology start up firms. Mr. Papenfus earned his Bachelor’s degree from Clemson University in 1989.
Steve Schilling President & CEO Cypress Communication	Steve Schilling currently serves as President & CEO of Cypress Communication. Mr. Schilling has over 20 years of experience in the telecom and data communications industry where he has specialized in turnarounds, start-ups and managing high-growth firms. Mr. Schilling has twice been named to Catalyst Magazine’s Atlanta’s Top 50 Entrepreneurs list. In 2000 he was an Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year finalist and in 2004 he was awarded Atlanta Telecom Professionals’ Award for Outstanding Leadership. He earned a B.S. in Administrative Management from Clemson University and an M.B.A. in International Business from Georgia State University.
Greg Smith Vice President & GM Xerox Mortgage Services, Inc.	Greg Smith is vice president and general manager of Xerox Mortgage Services, Inc. Prior to Xerox, Smith co-founded and served as CEO of Advectis, Inc., the exclusive provider of BlitzDocs Collaboration Suite, one of the mortgage industry's most widely-used solutions for electronic document collaboration. Advectis, Inc. was acquired by Xerox Corporation in October of 2007. Mr. Smith earned his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Clemson University his Master of International Business Studies from the University of South Carolina.
Jim Sobeck CEO New South Construction Company	Jim Sobeck is CEO of New South Construction Supply and is also CEO of New South Real Estate Partners. Prior to his present ventures, he was CEO of ChanneLinx and of Enterprise Computer Systems. Mr. Sobeck is a former board member for both the National Association of Home Builders and the National Council for the Housing Industry. He also serves on the advisory board for Southern Tide clothing company. He earned his B.A. in Government from King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, PA, and he has completed post graduate work at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business.
Dr. Caron St. John Director Spiro Institute	Dr. Caron St. John is Associate Dean for the College of Business & Behavioral Science at Clemson University and Director of the Spiro Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership. Her area of academic expertise is strategic management. She has been instrumental in many Upstate entrepreneurial development initiatives including InnoVenture, InnoVision, and NEXT. She serves on advisory boards of various start-up firms and seed capital funds. Before pursuing an academic career, Dr. St. John was a chemist with Celanese Corporation where she was involved with new product development and new business development. She received a B.S in chemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology and an M.B.A. and Ph.D. in Business from Georgia State University.
Evan Tishuk Co-Founder OrangeCoat	Evan Tishuk is an entrepreneur-designer and creative force behind OrangeCoat, a Greenville South Carolina-based full service web design firm. While still in college, Mr. Tishuk partnered with several fellow students in an Internet start up that focused on organizing and delivering hyper-local travel information to tourists. In 2003, Mr. Tishuk again partnered with a former Clemson student to form OrangeCoat. In its sixth year, OrangeCoat has consistently grown and been involved with many successful clients and partners ranging from large corporations to incipient entrepreneurs with little more than an idea and passion. He graduated from Clemson University in 2002 with a B.S. in Computer Information Systems.
Warren Weeks Vice President Selah Technologies	Warren Weeks, President of The Compound Group, has more than 14 years of executive experience starting new companies, developing new products, and advancing new technologies. He began his career at Cree, Inc., he co-founded Nitronex Corporation, and he served on the executive startup team at Intrinsic Semiconductor Corporation. Mr. Weeks served as a key member of the startup team at SC Launch as its Technology Director. Most recently, he was on the executive management team of Selah Technologies, LLC. The many high-tech companies Warren has worked with have collectively raised nearly $100 million in private equity funding. He holds a B.S. degree in Ceramic Engineering from Clemson University and an M.S. degree in Materials Science & Engineering from N.C. State.
Irv Welling Chairman Emeritus Elliott Davis	Irv Welling served as Chairman of Elliott Davis from 1994 - 2003, where he oversaw the growth and expansion of a small South Carolina company into one of the largest middle market accounting and consulting firms in the United States. He has championed the diversification of the firm’s capabilities into numerous industry specialty groups, and directed the addition of technology, wealth management and international services affiliates. His involvement with client engagements includes visioning, strategic business planning, and consultation on general corporate matters. He holds a B.A. degree in History from Davidson College and an M.B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Finance and Commerce.

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Application Deadline is April 15, 2010