John Laffey

Massachusetts Financial Services Co., do-business-as MFS Investment Management (MFS), is a SEC-registered investment advisor and mutual fund manager headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. The firm was founded in 1924 and is a subsidiary of Sun Life of Canada (US) Financial Services Holdings, Inc., ultimately held by Sun Life Financial, Inc. (TSE, NYSE: SLF) in Canada. The firm provides investment advisory and sub-advisory services to a range of institutional clients and pooled investment vehicles. MFS is a responsible investor and signatory to the UN Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI).

Idealab Corp (Idealab) is a venture capital subsidiary of Idealab Holdings LLC founded in 1996 by Bill Gross and Marcia Goodstein. The firm is headquartered in Pasadena, California.

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC provides assurance, tax and advisory services. Its services include audit and assurance, consulting, deals, human resources, legal, tax, and family business. The firm also offers accountability, risk management, structuring, mergers and acquisitions, and performance and process improvement. The company was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Buffalo, NY.

University of Southern California is a private research university that mainly offers undergraduate, graduate & other higher education. The university was founded in 1880 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, CA.

SSgA Funds Management, Inc. (SSgA FM) is a SEC-registered investment advisor and mutual fund manager headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. The firm was founded in 1978 and is a subsidiary of State Street Global Advisors, Inc., ultimately held by State Street Corp. (NYSE: STT). SSgA FM provides investment advisory services to US investment companies and certain pooled investment vehicles.

K&L Gates LLP engages in the provision of legal services. The firm represents corporations, growth and middle-market companies, capital markets participants and entrepreneurs as well as public sector entities, educational institutions, philanthropic organizations, and individuals. The company was founded by Kirkpatrick Lockhart in 1946 and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA.

The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants provides vocational education in accounting. The company provides services to the accounting community, regulatory bodies, and other organizations. It also operates in Jersey City, Washington, and Lewisville. It was founded in 1887 and is headquartered in New York City, NY.

The Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers, Inc. is a non-profit organization that owns and operates technical professional association. It provides membership and services, societies and communities support, publication services, and conferences and events. The company was founded in 1884 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

Cornell University is an educational institution that offers undergraduate and post graduate programs. It was founded in 1865 and is based in Ithaca, NY.

Walnut Ventures Associates (Walnut Ventures) is a venture capital firm founded in 1994 by Ralph Wagner. The firm is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Al Jazeera Islamic Co. is a finance company based in Doha, Qatar that provides personal financing, car financing, and equipment financing for companies. The Qatari company also offers project financing, operational expense financing, and goods financing. Al Jazeera Finance Company is committed to the principles of corporate governance and social responsibility. The private company has been a pioneer in establishing the concept of Islamic financing in Qatar since 1989 and have become one of the leading companies in the market due to their innovative solutions and services. The company recently opened a new branch in the city of Al Wakra. The company was founded by Mohamed Nanabhay and the CEO is Amer Al Jabri.

Acorn Capital Partners Ltd. (Acorn) is an independent investment management firm headquartered in Stockport, UK. The firm was founded by Ian Templeton and Graham Norfolk in 2000. Acorn provides fund management and advice to high net-worth individuals, sophisticated investors and pension funds.

doNext SpA provides portfolio and asset management services. It offers securitization solutions for performing and non-performing portfolios including payment monitoring, handling of collection of assigned loans, and assisting in the establishment of special purpose vehicles. The company was founded in 1891 and is headquartered in Rome, Italy.

Cota Capital Management LLC (Cota Capital) is a venture capital firm founded in 2014 by Babak Poushanchi and Bobby Yazdani. The firm is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

Global Semiconductor Alliance provides information on and organizes events for the semiconductor industry in order to ensure growth and profitability of the industry. The private company is based in Dallas, TX. The company was founded by Jodi L. Shelton. Jodi L. Shelton has been the CEO since incorporation.

Aerial Technologies, Inc. engages in a software company. It operates as home automation systems that provide a cloud-based, user-oriented, ambient intelligent platform that recognizes and learns people’s activities. The company was founded by David Grant, Michel Allegue, Jevin Maltais, and Francois Morel in 2015 and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada.

Haila Technologies, Inc. is engaged in the development of the next generation wireless connectivity platform. Its ultra low power and multi-protocol independent technology enables deployment of internet of things sensors into existing network infrastructures. The firm focuses on reducing power consumption in smart cities, healthcare and agriculture sectors. The company was founded by Charlotte Savage and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada.

Greenwave Reality, Inc. engages in the provision of internet of things (IoT) software and services. It offers its products through the AXON platform, which is categorized into the following: AXON IoT, AXON Media, AXON Mobile, and AXON Networking. AXON IoT includes the implementation of control and interoperability of devices in a common network. AXON Media covers embedded software solution used to manage data for streaming. AXON Mobile refers to the cloud management platform for connecting devices to cellular networks. AXON Networking features the provision of in-home IoT networks. The company was founded by Martin Manniche, Dan Lejerskar, and Peter Wilmar Christensen in 2008 and is headquartered in Irvine, CA.

Lumotive, Inc. is a company based in the United States that specializes in solid-state, 3D-sensing systems. Lumotive's patented light control metasurface (LCM™) beam steering chips enable advanced sensing and perception capabilities in next-generation consumer, mobility, and industrial automation products such as mobile devices, autonomous vehicles, and robots. The American company has received industry acclaim, including awards such as the Fierce Electronics 2021 Startup of the Year Award, CES Innovation Awards in 2022 and 2024, Fast Company's Next Big Thing in Tech 2023, a 2022 SPIE Prism Award, and a prestigious Edison Award. Investors in the company include Gates Frontier, MetaVC Partners, Quan Funds, Samsung Ventures, and Unique. The company was founded in 2018 by Gleb Akselrod, and Sam Heidari has been the CEO of the company since 2021.