Boardroom Media (CEO News)
At CEO (Boardroom Media) we track over 1,000,000 startups and over 5,000,000 people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top United States based CEO’ operating in the Communication Hardware space. If you think a CEO’ is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on [email protected]
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Kwindla Kramer
Co-founder & CEO of Daily.co
Kwindla Hultman Kramer is CEO of Oblong Industries, developer of the g-speak Spatial Operating Environment. Oblong was responsible for the gestural interfaces in the film Minority Report, and the company’s current customers and partners include Boeing, GE, Saudi Aramco and others. Kwin’s background is in programming, hardware design, and the development of large-scale systems architectures. Before helping to start Oblong he served as the founding CTO of AllAfrica.com, one of the web’s largest content aggregators and a two-time webby award nominee. Kwin holds degrees from the MIT Media Laboratory and Harvard College and lives in Los Angeles.
Follow Kwindla Kramer:
About Daily.co: Daily.co offers video chat as an API.
Ari Roisman
Co-Founder & CEO of Wristcam
A Mechanical and Energy Engineer by training and passionate entrepreneur at heart, Ari has founded several profitable ventures in a variety of industries. Since founding in 2012, he served as CEO of Glide, the pioneering video messenger for smartphones and smartwatches that supports millions of users and billions of live video exchanges. In 2016, Ari teamed up with an early Apple Watch program manager to develop Wristcam, an ultra-compact Camera System made for Apple Watch. Ari holds a B.S. and M.S. in Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis, and was selected by MIT Technology Review as one of 35 global innovators under 35.
Follow Ari Roisman:
About Wristcam, Wristcam: Computer Vision for Wearables
Grace Chen
Co-Founder & CEO of Common Networks
Grace is the CPO and co-founder of Common Networks. She was previously at Square, where she was the Director of Product on the flagship Square Register product and managed a team of 70+ engineers, product managers, and designers. She alo led teams responsible for the launches of Square Japan and Australia, Square Invoices, new Square card readers, Instant Deposits, and numerous retail, restaurants & services features.Before Square, Grace was at Google PMing the Offers product and working on Sales Strategy and Operations. She started her career as a Systems Engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab. Grace has a BS in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford University.
Follow Grace Chen:
About Common Networks: Common Networks is a wireless internet service provider that brings fiber-class internet to homes.
Ed Meyercord
CEO & President of Extreme Networks
Meyercord serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Extreme. He joined our Board of Directors as an independent director in October 2009 and served as Chairman from March 2011 through August 2015. Prior to assuming an operating role at Extreme, Meyercord was Chief Executive Officer and Director at Critical Alert Systems, LLC, a software-driven, healthcare information technology company, that he co-founded in July of 2010. Previously,, Meyercord served as CEO, President and Director of both Cavalier Telephone & TV, a privately held voice, video and data services company with an extensive fiber network; and Talk America, Inc., a publicly traded company that provided phone and internet services to consumers and small businesses throughout the U.S. Meyercord was also a Vice President in the investment banking division of Salomon Brothers (now Citigroup). He previously served on the board of Tollgrade Communications, Inc.
Follow Ed Meyercord:
About Extreme Networks, Extreme Networks: Extreme Networks delivers the best wired/wireless networking experience for your staff, customers, and users.
Dave Shor
Founder / CEO of Lynq Technologies
Follow Dave Shor:
About Lynq Technologies, Techstars: The network for when failure isn’t an option.
Patrick J. Esser
President & CEO of Cox Communications
Patrick Esser is President of Cox Communications, Inc., a multi-service broadband communications and entertainment company with more than 6 million residential and commercial customers. Esser brings 30 years of experience in cable and telecommunications to bear on his role as Cox’s top executive, a position he’s held since 2006. He joined Cox in 1979 as Director of Programming in Hampton Roads, Va., and was part of the original management team that pioneered Cox’s advertising sales division now known as Cox Media. Named corporate Vice President of Advertising Sales in 1991, Esser was presented with the Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau President’s Award just three years later. Esser became Vice President of Operations for Cox’s Western Division in 1999, and a year later was promoted to Senior Vice President of Operations. In 2004, Esser was promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Cox has earned numerous accolades during Esser’s tenure as President. In 2006, Cox debuted in DiversityInc’s listing of the Top 50 Companies for Diversity, and in three years, the company scaled the list from its initial ranking at number 32 to its’ ranking at number 6 in 2008. In 2008, DiversityInc also ranked Cox within the Top 10 Workplaces for African Americans and the Women in Cable Television (WICT) Foundation named Cox the Best Operator for Women in Cable for the sixth straight year. In 2006, Cox was named the top employer in cable by CableWorld, and in 2007 Esser was personally distinguished with recognition as Multichannel News’ first “Executive of the Year.” Customer service excellence remains a Cox hallmark under Esser’s leadership. Cox ranks highly in annual J.D. Power and Associates studies of consumer satisfaction. In 2008, for the sixth consecutive year, Cox received highest honors for Residential Telephone Customer Satisfaction StudySM in the West and ranked highest among small/midsize business data providers in their Major Provider Business Telecommunications StudySM. To-date, Cox is the only telecommunications and entertainment company to receive top honors recognition from J.D. Power in studies of video, telephone and high-speed Internet satisfaction. In 2007, Cox also received PC Magazine’s Readers’ Choice Award for Cox High Speed Internet Service. Esser currently serves as Vice Chair of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, following successful tenure as treasurer and co-chair of The Cable Show, the industry’s premier annual event in 2007. He also serves on the board of directors of C-SPAN, the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing Educational Foundation, CableLabs, and Cable in the Classroom. Additionally, he serves as an adviser to the Association of Cable Communicators and the National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications. Esser also serves as a Southeastern Trustee of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. A graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, Esser holds a B.A. and M.A. in communications media, and in 2003 was presented the university’s Heritage Honors Alumni Achievement Award.
Follow Patrick J. Esser:
About Cox Communications, Cox Enterprises: Cox Communications operates as a multiservice broadband communications company in the United States.
Vincent Kimura
Lead Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Smart Yields
Vincent Kimura is lead founder and CEO of Smart Yields, a mobile and desktop app that is revolutionizing farming for both small- to medium-scale farms. Smart Yields uses sensors to analyze, predict, and alert farmers of environmental conditions to allow for greater crop protection and to increase yields. Vincent leads the strategic growth, gets his jeans dirty with future farm holder clients then switches mid-day to his business attire to pitch investors on Smart Yields’ vision. Prior to the launch of Smart Yields in October 2015, Kimura served for nearly a decade as the Chairman of the Board and CEO of Inovi Green, a company that helps businesses and organizations implement environmental strategies and innovations through clean energy and sustainable technology solutions. With more than 15 years of experience throughout the Asia-Pacific region, Kimura provides public and private entities with strategic sustainability management and tech consulting programs, and business development. A well-respected expert in sustainable solutions and innovations, Kimura received the 2016 Hawaii Venture Capital Association award for Clean Tech/Ag Entrepreneur of the year, the 2014 Commitment to Green Award from Pacific Edge Magazine, and was honored as one of Pacific Business News’ Forty Under Forty Class of 2016. In 2014, Inovi Green also won the Global Agriculture Innovation Challenge with its soil microbe’s project submission at the Asia Pacific Resilience Innovation Summit. Kimura is well-versed in a variety of industries including energy and environment, farming and agribusiness, non-profit, academia, IT, and government. Prior to founding Inovi Green, Kimura served as the Asia-Pacific Initiative Manager for The Institute for Triple Helix Innovation in Beijing and the Director of Communications and Public Affairs for the Pacific Basin Economic Council. He also held various management and consulting positions at BearingPoint and KPMG Consulting. Currently, Kimura serves on the Oregon State University Board of Advisors for the College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences and co-leads Thunderbird Global School of Management’s Hawaii Alumni Chapter. He is involved with several local organizations, including mentoring and judging the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Shidler College’s PACE Business Plan Competition, Hawaii STEM Week Awards and the annual Design Thinking Hawaii Stanford Design School Bootcamp. Born in Honolulu and raised in both Hawaii and Asia, Kimura holds a B.S. in Environmental Science from Oregon State University, an M.B.A. from Thunderbird School of Global Management, and certifications in HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) and Government Cost Accounting from George Washington University, and SQF Practitioner (Food Safety Scheme) GFSI. Kimura currently lives in Honolulu, Hawaii with his wife Lisa and their three children.
Follow Vincent Kimura:
About Inovi Green, Smart Yields: Founded in 2015, Smart Yields connects farmers, researchers and their communities through real-time analytics from connected sensors.
Will Jackson
Co-founder and CEO of Mote
Will Jackson is the founder and CEO at Mote.
Follow Will Jackson:
About Mote: Mote is an audio tool kit for educators and learners.
Thibault Duchemin
Founder & CEO of Ava
Follow Thibault Duchemin:
About Ava: Ava empowers 400M deaf & hard-of-hearing people to have accessible in-person conversations, anytime, anywhere.
Reda Dehy
CEO of Collimator
Follow Reda Dehy:
About Collimator: Collimator is a developer of modern cloud-native engineering modeling and simulation software.
Nuthan Seegehalli
Co-Founder and CEO of KA18Labs
Follow Nuthan Seegehalli:
About KA18Labs: KA18Labs is a tech company that works on IOT safety devices.
Haynes G. Griffin
CEO, Chairman of SmartSky Networks
Haynes Griffin is a wireless industry pioneer and serial entrepreneur who founded and led Vanguard Cellular Systems from commercial launch to its IPO and eventual sale in 1999 to AT&T. He is also the past chairman of the board of the CTIA wireless trade association and serves as chairman of the SmartSky Board.
Follow Haynes G. Griffin:
About SmartSky Networks: SmartSky Networks develops 4G air-to-ground broadband connectivity and communication systems.
David Kobrosky
CEO of Intros
David Kobrosky is Venture Partner at Contrary Capital.
Follow David Kobrosky:
About Intros: Intros is a developer of a communication platform to help people communicate within the community.
Vedran Vukman
CEO of Vyoocam
CEO @ Vyoocam
Follow Vedran Vukman:
About Vyoocam: Mobile apps on the communication wearables
Nini William Hinsche
Chairman and CEO of Radiance
Nini William Hinsche, chairman & chief executive officer, founded Radiance VR, Inc., in 2016 and is creating products that serve life, helps engage humanity and strives to create the best virtual reality experience possible using patent-pending technologies. Hinsche coupled the knowledge learned through his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Cincinnati’s Carl H. Lindner College of Business and his experience at several of the world’s largest Fortune 100 organizations with his passion for social causes. Having grown up understanding extreme poverty and wealth, Hinsche has an appreciation that with great wealth comes great responsibility. As such, he supports causes such as civil rights and social action, environmental/wildlife restoration, children’s rights, and poverty alleviation through job creation. Hinsche grew up in Centerville, Ohio and is fluent in English and conversational in Mandarin. He is an avid driving enthusiast, reader, hiker, and traveler and has traveled throughout the U.S., Caribbean, Dominican Republic, China, England, Scotland, Netherlands, Austria, and Hungary.
Follow Nini William Hinsche:
About Radiance: American high-tech consumer electronics manufacturer that designs, engineers, and markets virtual reality personal computing systems.
Dan Peleg
Founder & CEO of GlobeKeeper
Dan Peleg is the Founder & CEO at GlobeKeeper.
Follow Dan Peleg:
About GlobeKeeper: GlobeKeeper is a real-time collaboration platform for security personnel that Improves officers’ response time by 60%.
Ashish Mudgal
Founder and CEO of HeyHerbie
Ashish Mudgal is the founder and CEO of HeyHerbie.
Follow Ashish Mudgal:
About HeyHerbie: HeyHerbie is a TV-based platform that connects older adults with their loved ones and helps them stay active and vibrant in their own homes.
Wei Cheng Chou
CEO and Founder of InnovArt Design
Wei Cheng Chou is the founder of InnovArt who handles all aspects of product design and project management. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Transportation Design from ArtCenter College of Design in the states, and a Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan. Wei’s main experience is in electric vehicle design with user and automotive interaction, 3D computer graphics, and multimedia communication. He hopes to use these skills to integrate technology and intuitive design into everyone’s life.
Follow Wei Cheng Chou:
About InnovArt Design: InnovArt Design is a Taiwan and LA based AIoT startup integrating Tech, Design, Business, and UX talents together to create innovative products implementing the user’s lifestyle. And moreover, the company goal is to enhance human connectivity through future mobility realization.
Patrick Burns
CEO of Haystack Technologies
Pat joined Haystack from Savi Technology where he led marketing, licensing, and alliances for more than six years before and after its acquisition by Lockheed Martin. While at Savi, he spearheaded Savi’s ISO 18000-7 and OEM licensing programs and co-founded the DASH7 Alliance. Prior to Savi, Pat was co-founder of Demandline, a B2B telecom marketplace backed by NEA, and was also a founding member of SkyTel’s Advanced Applications Group, prior to its acquisition by MCI. He has also held positions with ARDIS, a joint venture of IBM and Motorola, as well as positions with the Office of Management and Budget and Office of the Secretary of the Treasury in Washington, D.C. He holds multiple patents in wireless communications and e-commerce and received a bachelor’s degree from American University and an MBA from Kellogg.
Follow Patrick Burns:
About Haystack Technologies: The longest range, lowest power GPS asset tracking and connectivity
Emmanuel Cotrel
Chief Executive Officer of FMC GlobalSat
Emmanuel Cotrel is the Chief Executive Officer at FMC GlobalSat.
Follow Emmanuel Cotrel:
About FMC GlobalSat: FMC GlobalSat is the exclusive global distributor of Kymeta communication solutions for renewable energy technologies.
Desmond Beristain
President & CEO of Festiie
Desmond Beristain joined Festiie as President & CEO in 2016.
Follow Desmond Beristain:
About Festiie: Festiie is the offline GPS tracker for festival-goers that fits in the palm of your hand and transmits over a mile away.
