Mark Wippich has been Principal of MPW, LLC since 2007 and a partner with LightWave Advisors since 2009.  Mark has 20 years in Optics-Photonics-Sensing Solutions. He was with New Focus(now Oclaro) for 10 years in various engineering and general management roles as an early employee from bootstrap phase through its phases of hyper growth and ~$600M of private and public equity funding, and several mergers and divestitures. Among his roles were new product developments, operational integration across multiple sites, and advisor to senior management including in M&A. In that role he and John, a long time board member of New Focus worked together. Mark has also been an early participant in an internet service start-up and currently focuses on top management business development and M&A. Mark has an EE from the Santa Clara University Strozzi Institute and holds 3 Patents.

In addition to our own experience and specialties, we have a strong network of associates and Strategic Alliances in areas including recruiting, technical consultants, and professional service providers in law firms, accounting firms, and PR.

Among frequent collaborators on projects are:

David Heinemann has provided financial advisory services to clients in the software and information industry since 1984. He has participated in some 60 transactions in the industry with a cumulative value of over $600 million. Among others, he has advised clients in transactions with Advent Software, American Management Systems, CGI, BMC Software, Compuware, Eastman Kodak, EDS, Geocapital, Jefferson-Pilot, Martin Marietta (now Lockheed Martin), MediaNews Group, and Online Software International and Pansophic (both now Computer Associates), and Primedia. Mr. Heinemann was on the Board of Directors of INPUT, a market research firm focusing on the IT Industry and Dot4, Inc., an IT services company. In addition he advises government IT organizations and investors regarding strategic transactions in the government IT market. As a strategic advisor, Mr. Heinemann takes an active role with his clients and in some cases takes on an interim management role to restructure and/or reposition a client's business for success or refine/refocus its information based product offering or IT infrastructure.

Prior to forming Heinemann & Co., Inc., Dave was with Broadview Associates where he and John worked together. Prior to that, he developed the personal computer book and software publishing program for Prentice-Hall, Inc.Dave holds a MBA from Columbia University and a Sc.B. in Physics from Brown University.

David A. Krohn has over 35 years experience in the sensing industry. He is the Managing Partner of Light Wave Venture LLC, which is focused on developing telecommunications, sensor and power delivery business opportunities in a wide range of market applications. Prior to his consulting experience he served as Global New Business Director for Photonics at 3M Company.  From 1987 to 1998, he was the General Manager of the Specialty Optical Fiber Business that included the Bragg Grating Technologies business acquired from UTC in 1995. He founded EOTec Corporation in 1979 that manufactured specialty fiber, sensors, cables, cable assemblies and data links.  Dave was the CEO of EOTec until the business was acquired by 3M in 1987.  He attended Rutgers University as an undergraduate and obtained his MS from Case Western Reserve University and his Ph.D. from Lehigh University. 

At this time, he is also very active in many technical societies and teaches short courses in technology and business development at various universities.  Dave has written 3 books, 46 papers and holds 27 patents relating to fiber optics and optical sensors. Dave has also been directly involved with founding four companies since 1999, including two with John Dexheimer. Dave started the OIDA Photonic (Fiber Optic) Sensor Consortium which has more than 60 participating companies and organizations.

David Mintzer is an executive with over 20 years in progressive roles in Engineering, Critical Accounts, Mergers & Acquisitions, Marketing, and Executive Management in optoelectronics, telecommunications and lighting industries. Prior to his current roles in interim management and advisory focused on the lighting and solar industries, he was with JDS Uniphase from 2003-2009 and 1998-1999, most recently as Vice-President of Sales & Marketing of the Commercial Laser Division.  He led both inorganic and organic growth strategies to enter the solar and material process segments.  His prior roles at JDSU included corporate development M&A and new business investments,  and several years as a Director of Critical Accounts including Cisco, HP, Verizon, AT&T, Pfizer, General Motors, Siemens, ASML, KLA-Tencor, Fujitsu, Huawei, Lucent, Brocade, Nortel, Hitachi, Motorola, and IBM.

Before joining JDSU, David began his Engineering career at Newport Corporation and Physical Optics Corporation and between his JDSU terms in sales management at Lucent Microelectronics-Agere Systems. He holds degrees in Physics and Applied Optics from California State University and has several patents in the field of holographic light diffusion which extend lighting systems’ optical efficiencies, IC’s to operate faster and produce less heat, and to enable solar panels to generate electricity with fewer panels. 
Among recent assignments he has been the acting VP Marketing of a solid-state plasma lighting company responsible for technology integration and market entry and as acting COO of an LED firm responsible for West Coast Operations and new product introduction of parking light and garage fixtures. 

Roger Paradis has had a career of over 30 years of extensive entrepreneurial, marketing, finance and operational experience in both large and small companies.  He is currently engaged in interim management services for services and technology firms. During the 80’s he founded a venture backed company, managed a startup venture fund and accomplished several turnarounds all in computer and communications component, system and software fields.  In 1988 he was recruited by a group of VCs to become CEO of a struggling PC software firm. By 1998 he had grown the firm from under $7 million in revenue to over $200 million, led six acquisitions, and worked with John Dexheimer on the IPO and acquisition of a large competitor.  In 1998 he became CEO, and remains Chairman, of Passkey Systems, Inc. an Internet based service for managing attendee hotel reservations and has led a successful refocusing and substantial growth.  Three of the four companies that provide infrastructure services worldwide to travel agencies (Sabre, Worldspan and Galileo) became investors in Passkey during his tenure and the company is an acknowledged leader in its market.

He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and served aboard a Poseidon submarine. In addition to his degrees in math, physics (BS and MS) he holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. Upon leaving the Navy as a Lieutenant, he was a manager for Raychem in interconnect products and AT&T where he became the youngest Division manager prior to the breakup of the Bell System. 

Kyle Dexheimer, a student at University of Mary Washington, has provided assistance in market research, surveys and statistical analysis. Among the projects he has worked on are surveys for sensing, fiber optics, computing and communcations preferences in state and local governments, as well as market research in the clean energy sector including LEDs and solar power, and in projects in India.