Executive Bios
John Kembel, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer
John Kembel is a leader in the design thinking movement, which advocates an experience-centered approach to product design, and places design at the center of corporate performance. As a repeat entrepreneur, John has been creating and bringing new products and technologies to market for more than a decade. He gained experience with startups when he co-founded DoDots, a high-profile, venture-backed internet company. He has directed cutting edge, innovative companies that provide solutions reflecting an elegant mix of sound engineering and top-notch design. He has won national and industry awards in design, and frequently consults as an innovation expert for major consumer product companies nationwide. He is a Consulting Associate Professor and Strategy Board Member for the new Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford University (the d.school).
John has also worked in industry and research environments for companies such as IDEO, Intel, IBM, and Interval Research. He has B.S. and M.S. degrees in engineering and design from Stanford University and an M.S. in Human-Computer Interaction from the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University.
Mike Rosol, SVP of Sales
Mike Rosol brings over 16 years of executive management experience to HiveLive's sales organization. Mike's career has centered around B2B software and web-based solutions for online marketers in Fortune 500 companies worldwide. Over the past 15 years, he built three highly successful technology sales forces from the ground up. Formerly, Mike served as Executive VP of Worldwide Sales for Exactis.com, a startup internet marketing company. At Exactis.com, he was an instrumental part of the management team that, within three years of inception, led the company to a successful IPO and subsequent acquisition by 24/7 Media. Upon acquisition, he assumed management of the combined $200 million+ U.S. sales force.
Mike has also served as Senior VP of Sales for the eServices division of Experian N.A., a $500 million direct marketing company; and VP of Western Sales for DoubleClick. Since leaving DoubleClick, he has provided consulting services to several technology startups, focusing on sales strategy, tactical sales planning, and building the sales force. Mike has a B.A. in biology, and an M.S. in geology, both from the University of Colorado.
Greg Schneider, Chief Marketing Officer
Greg Schneider has over twenty years of experience in B2B marketing. Throughout his career, he has pioneered and launched software solutions that reinvented the marketing function. Most recently, he served as VP of Marketing for two companies, Exactis.com and Finali Corporation, both in the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) space. At Exactis, the world's first on-demand e-mail marketing company, Greg built a successful marketing team from the ground up, and led all phases of marketing, including product management, product marketing, and market communications. He served as the chief architect of business direction, and created branding and product development strategies fundamental to the company's growth, successful IPO, and $500 million acquisition by 24/7 Media. At Finali, Greg helped set the corporate vision, restructured the existing product line, and launched a successful corporate communications campaign. Finali was purchased by Convergys Corporation, the world's largest contact center operator.
Greg also spent eight years with Hewlett-Packard Company, in product management, product marketing, and business planning roles. Greg has a B.A. in English from Santa Clara University, and an M.B.A. in Marketing and Management from Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management.
Ed Messman, VP Operations, Finance & Corporate Development
Ed Messman brings over 13 years experience working with early stage technology companies. Ed's career has centered around providing growth capital to rapidly growing venture backed technology companies at all stages of development. Most recently, he served as Managing Director of Hercules Technology Growth Capital, a premier specialty finance company focused on providing debt and equity to venture capital and private equity backed technology companies. At Hercules, Ed was an instrumental member of the firm's investment team where he focused on both early and later stage investment opportunities. There he established and managed a portfolio of technology centric companies covering software, internet and communications.
Ed has also served as co-founder of a financial services firm focused on technology growth companies, and has built and led teams as Vice President/Regional Market Manager for two premier west coast financial institutions covering early stage technology companies. Ed holds a B.S. in International Finance from Grand Canyon University and an M.B.A. in Finance and Entrepreneurship from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Geoff Kembel, Co-founder and Application Architect
Geoff Kembel has been exploring the intersection of design, engineering, and computer science for over ten years. He currently specializes in emerging internet technologies and cutting-edge web development. He has experience in both academic and industry research environments with companies such as IBM Research, BMW, Casio, and Intel. He has worked on a broad range of products, including smart toys and furniture, next-generation consumer electronics, robots, and video games. More recently, Geoff has extended his expertise to include internet technology: designing and implementing innovative web sites and applications.
Geoff has Silicon Valley startup experience developing award-winning web technology, as well as freelance experience helping small businesses and organizations establish a presence on the web. Geoff has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering with an emphasis in Design from Stanford University.
