Sparsix BoA Announcement

06-Sep-06

Sparsix Corporation announces appointments to its Board of Advisors

Dr. Roger Werne and Maria Douglass join the Sparsix team

Sparsix Corporation announced today that it has named Dr. Roger Werne and Maria Douglass to its Board of Advisors.

As a member of the Board of Advisors, Dr. Werne will advise the company on strategy related to technology transfer and commercialization. Dr. Werne is the Chief Technologist for Industrial Partnerships and Commercialization at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. He previously served LLNL from 1999–2006 as its Chief Engineer for the NAI/Homeland Security Directorate, charged with the mission of countering the proliferation and use of weapons of mass destruction against the United States, and from 1988-1994 as its Associate Director of Engineering and Technology Transfer, during which he started and led LLNL’s Industrial Partnering program. In 1995 he co-founded ITI Medical Technologies, a medical device start-up company focused on the field of MRI-guided surgery, a new minimally invasive surgical paradigm. Dr. Werne received his Ph.D. in Structures and Solid Mechanics from the University of California at Berkeley.

“Roger Werne brings to Sparsix a wealth of practical experience and expertise in technology commercialization and public/private partnering” said Daniel Considine, Sparsix’s president. “We are very excited to be working with him.”

Maria Douglass has extensive experience implementing US government nonproliferation and national security programs. She is currently the Deputy Director for Accelerated Drug & Vaccine Development for the BioIndustry Initiative, a nonproliferation program of the US Department of State and a consultant to the Department's Biosecurity Engagement Program, focusing on the creation of investable deals and sustainable high-tech industry partnerships. While serving as Senior Technology Implementation Manager for the International Science and Technology Center, Ms. Douglass assessed market demand and competitive advantage for over 50 early-stage technologies, brought a dozen to market, and leveraged a dozen more into successful high-tech start-up businesses. Ms. Douglass holds an M.S. in Science & Technology Commercialization from the IC2 Institute at the University of Texas and a B.A in Russian-Soviet Studies from Colby College.

Oleg Diyankov, Sparsix’s vice president for research and development, welcomed Ms. Douglass’s appointment to the company’s Board of Advisors, saying that “Maria Douglass has a solid understanding of the issues that need to be addressed in dealing with technology commercialization. She is an excellent addition to the Sparsix team.”

About Sparsix Corporation

Sparsix Corporation is an early-stage US-Russia technology firm developing sparse data processing solutions to accelerate real-world simulations, thereby reducing time-to-solution. For more information, email info@sparsix.com.

About Starboard Ventures

Starboard Ventures LLC is a management firm that specializes in commercializing technologies from Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia. The firm works with scientists, engineers and NGOs to identify and qualify exciting new technologies, manages new companies through their organizational stage and early start-up stage, and seeks to develop permanent management teams to see companies through to success. For more information, visit the Starboard Ventures website at www.starboardventuresllc.com or email info@starboardventuresllc.com.