Adam Hocherman founded American Innovative in 2003 and currently serves as the company's president. In addition to running day-to-day operations, he is the inventor of many of American Innovative's consumer products.
Prior to founding American Innovative, Hocherman was the VP Engineering at Syncline, Inc., a Boston-based firm specializing in web-based GIS (Geographic Information Systems) solutions. A member of the management team, he was principally in charge of the company's engineering department. In addition Hocherman served as the primary client engagement manager for most of the large-scale project work completed at the firm. Before Syncline, Hocherman spent several years as part of Accenture's (formerly Andersen Consulting) Internet Center of Excellence in Boston. The Internet Center (or ICE) was part of a then-fledgling network of niche development arms within Andersen Consulting responsible for the very first Internet technology projects procured by the global firm. At the ICE center Hocherman was responsible for the architecture and development of large-scale, Java-based enterprise internet projects.
Adam Hocherman's comments are from a panel entitled Rising Stars: The "Early Days" of Promising Young Entrepreneurs that was given during Entrepreneurship at Cornell's Celebration event in April 2010.
Adam Hocherman holds both a BS in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and an MBA from Cornell University.
Jason Hogg is the Founder, President and CEO of Revolution Money, Inc.
Previously, Hogg was a founder of MBNA Canada and served as Chief Business Development Officer responsible for establishing the bank's business development and marketing operations resulting in receivables of $1 billion.
Over five years with MBNA America, Hogg held executive positions in Loss Prevention, Credit, Compliance, Sales and Marketing. During this time, he co-founded MBNA's Sports Marketing practice, now a $4 billion receivables business and co-founded MBNA's credit counseling subsidiary, Financial Management Services, Inc.
Hogg's experience also includes COO and President positions at two technology organizations, Medsite, Inc. and HorizonLive, Inc. respectively.
Michael Hokenson is a Managing Director and Co-Founder of Minlam Asset Management. Hokenson has been involved with emerging market entrepreneurial ventures and the microfinance industry since 1997. He has been published on the profitability of microfinance institutions in The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid by C.K. Prahalad.
Michael Hokenson graduated from the Erb Institute of Global Sustainable Enterprise at the University of Michigan, earning an M.B.A. at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business and a M.S. in Environmental Science at the School of Natural Resources and Environment. He received his B.A. in Mathematics and Philosophy from St. John's College in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Aaron Holiday is the Managing Entrepreneurial Officer at Cornell Tech in NYC. Aaron works to build and manage an innovative organization that is responsible for the commercialization and mass productization of deeply technical breakthrough research, startup formation, and the implementation of new degree programs.
Prior to his work with the NYC startup and venture capital community, Aaron spent 6 years on Wall Street building advanced financial trading technology for Goldman Sachs and GFI Group.
Aaron earned his MBA from Cornell University and holds a BS in Computer Science from Morehouse College.
<p>Michael Holland is currently a Director at Oberon Media, one of the world's leading casual games solution provider.</p> <p>Prior to his position at Oberon, Mike was the founder of OpenWonder. OpenWonder is focused on developing and planning specialized web services and is specifically targeting the area of diversity within large corporations.</p> <p>Prior to founding OpenWonder. Hollard worked at DirectAdvice, a subsidiary of Mellon Financial. Before that role, Holland was a project manager at Infonautics. Infonautics was an operator of specialized information Web sites and tools that was acquired in 2001 by Tucows. Tucows is a Toronto-based provider of wholesale digital products to Internet service providers and Web-hosting companies. In addition, Holland attempted several dot com startups while an undergraduate student. </p> <p>Michael Holland received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University and his MBA From Duke University.</p>
<p>Phil Holland has been an entrepreneur throughout his adult life. His businesses have included building "spec" houses, the manufacture of automatic doughnut machinery, designing and building apartment complexes, restaurant franchising, doughnut retailing and the development and management of shopping centers. His thorough understanding of the world of business has been demonstrated through success (and even a failure) at these varied and demanding professions. </p> <p>In 1970 he founded Yum Yum Donut Shops, Inc. with just one shop and 5000 dollars which went on to be the largest chain of privately owned donut shops in the United States. He sold his interest in Yum Yum in 1989. </p> <p>Starting after the Los Angeles Rodney King riots in 1992, Mr. Holland began conducting a free night course in Compton, California to encourage people to start new businesses. The course was designed to help entrepreneurs avoid the common mistakes many entrepreneurs make when starting out. With this beginning, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization was formed, My Own Business, Inc. (MOBI). The goal was to help foster successful entrepreneurs worldwide. Mr. Holland brought together a Board of Trustees consisting of business and professional experts who continually expand the content and outreach of the free My Own Business Internet course, www.myownbusiness.org. Mr. Holland serves as Chairman of the MOBI Board of Trustees.</p> <p>Phil Holland received his Bachelors degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Southern California. </p>
Laura Hollis is Associate Director of Curriculum and Programs at the Academy for Entrepreneurial Leadership at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She is also an Adjunct Lecturer in Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering.
Previously, Hollis served as general counsel for a Nashville-based company in the music industry. She then transitioned to academics and was a law professor for nine years at the University of Detroit.
Laura Hollis holds an undergraduate degree in English as well as a degree in law.
Mike Homer is the Chairman of Kontiki. He is also an investor and advisor to several Silicon Valley startups, including Opsware (formerly Loudcloud), Tellme Networks, Palm, and TiVo. Previously, Mike was a Senior Vice President at America Online. Before the acquisition of Netscape by AOL, he held various executive positions at Netscape Communications, including Executive Vice President and General Manager of Netscape Netcenter, and Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Earlier in his career, Mike gained valuable experience as Vice President of Engineering at EO Corporation and as Vice President of Marketing at GO Corporation. From 1982 to 1991, Mike held various technical and management positions at Apple Computer. Mike Homer earned a B.S. from the University of California at Berkeley.
Byron Hoover is the Marketing Director for the Jose Cuervo Portfolio at Jose Cuervo International. He is responsible for the worldwide development of the Cuervo brand. His responsibilities include global marketing strategy, brand management, advertising development and online and promotional programming.
Prior to his role at Cuervo International, Hoover spent 10 years in Europe with the Walt Disney Company and Procter and Gamble in a series of international marketing and brand management roles.
Byron Hoover holds a B.A. degree from Emory University, and MBA from Cornell University and a Master's in International Management from the University of Leuven, Belgium.
Marisa is an associate in the Boston law office of Mintz Levin. She practices in the Immigration section of the firm and her work involves business immigration, including work visas and immigrant petitions. She also works with tax-exempt organizations on a variety of corporate matters.
Prior to joining Mintz Levin, Marisa worked as a Summer Associate for Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt in Portland, Oregon, and served as a student intern to the Legal Aid Society of New York.
Marisa Howe earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Dartmouth College and her J.D. from New York University School of Law.
Winnie Huang is President of the Americas business for Lee Kum Kee, the leading producer of Chinese sauces. Beginning with their Premium Oyster Flavored Sauce, Lee Kum Kee now markets over 200 different sauces in over 100 countries.
Paul Hudnut is Director of the Global Social and Sustainable Enterprise Program at Colorado State University and teaches entrepreneurship classes at the College of Business. He is also Co-Director of CSU's Global Innovation Center for Energy, Health & Environment and serves as Chair of the Intellectual Property Committee of the Rocky Mountain Regional Center of Excellence in Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases. Hudnut is a visiting instructor in entrepreneurship at the Bordeaux Business School and Bainbridge Graduate Institute.
Hudnut's background and interest is in building companies, technology transfer, and intellectual property in the bioscience, energy and information services industries. He is particularly interested in business models which emphasize an entrepreneurial approach to global issues of environment and health.
Hudnut is a founder and director of Envirofit International, Ltd., which was a TechAward laureate in 2005 and was recently recognized by Stanford Social Innovation Review for its innovative approach for commercializing environmentally friendly technologies in the developing world.
Prior to joining CSU, Mr. Hudnut was an executive at Heska Corporation, U S WEST Marketing Resources and PR Pharmaceuticals.
Paul Hudnut earned his BA from Colorado College and his law degree from University of Virginia and completed the Program for Management Development at the Harvard Business School in 1991.