The External Advisory Board Members provide perspective to the Department of Computer Science on the ever-changing needs of the industry in the field of computer science so the university can continue to adapt it's programs to better serve the needs of the market.

The University of Minnesota is one of the top research universities in the country with funding of $1B+ annually. The Business Advisory Group is comprised of business leaders that work with the university to support the commercialization of this research.

We created 32 Degrees to support up and coming entrenpreneurs. I appreciate the support we had from early angel investors at NativeX. The capital investment was nice but more valuable was their relationships, encouragement, business savy, and leadership. Now we hope we can pass along some of our good fortune to other startups (primarily focused on companies located in Minnesota or Chicago).A Few Of The Companies:PartySlate.com - Luxury Event Ideas, Inspiration, Event Pros NetworkArena (GetArena.co) - Enriched sports experience in the moment (UFC, etc.)GlanceAt (BranchMessenger.com) - Private network for your storeKidizen.com - Kids merchandise resale marketplaceFriend2Friend.com - Promotion platform for brands and agencies.eBureau.com/TruSignal - Predictive Analytics and Data SolutionsAtomicLearning.com - Online professional learningNeuroticmedia.com - Music download shop services for brick & mortar merchantsFieldNation.com - Technician workforce management solutionsZencoder.com - Live and cloud file transcodingOptimine.com - Measure your media ROI cross-channelPouncerMedia (TablePouncer.com) - Last minute deals, first class restaurantsLeagueSafe.com - Collect dues for fantasy leaguesHomeSpotter.com (FKA MobileRealtyApps.com) - Creating conversation around home searches Interiordefine.com (FKA DefySupply.com) - Custom furniture directBranchApp.com - Instant payments for any workforce

Great North Labs: (GreatNorthLabs.com) is a Minnesota based venture capital fund focused on helping tech startups in the upper Midwest. We invest in startups across virtually any industry that are tackling bold problems. Our fund is managed by successful tech startup founders and includes support by advisers in the region as well as in Silicon Valley.

NativeX is the leader in mobile in-app freemium ad monetization. We combine both direct sales and exchange technology to optimize the yield for our publishers across both reward and non-reward ad products. Unique to NativeX, our monetization solution creates native ad experiences through customizable ad units that better fit the app their displayed in and algorithmic optimization for improved relevancy.

FreeStuffCenter.com was a website which my partner (brother) and I started in high school. The site provided a directory of freebies from around the Internet and was visited by millions of visitors. Later, when we started a new company we sold FreeStuffCenter.com to the Harlan brothers that were at the time executives with PrimaryAds.