Brenda Hall co-founded Bridge360 and has been the company's CEO since its inception in 2001. She is an industry-recognized expert on both the business and technological aspects of international product delivery.
Under her leadership, Bridge360 has become known as the company of "go to experts" for technology companies who deploy their products around the globe. The Bridge360 team has grown from its initial staffing of four employees to 19 employees with corporate net profits growing steadily each year by more than 10 percent. Bridge360 has grown their client services base to more than 23 customers to date across both the public and private sectors.
Brenda has extensive industry experience, having worked at IBM, Compaq Computer, BMC Software, Cirrus Logic and several technology start-ups. During her 22 years at IBM, she became a systems analyst responsible for the delivery of IBM Austin's products into Europe and Asia. Upon retiring from IBM, she became a certified project manager working for Compaq Computer and Cirrus Logic responsible for the delivery of the graphics software solutions across Compaq's PC's and Cirrus Logic's chip solutions. She joined BMC Software/Austin as Globalization Manager, where she established the strategy, processes and guidelines to support BMC's product offerings across Europe and Asia. This global expertise is invaluable to Bridge360 clients.
As a leader in the academic community, Brenda volunteers her expertise and time with the next generation of global project leaders, software developers and quality assurance professionals. She is a member of The University of Texas School for Science, Technology and Science Board of Advisors, is a frequent collaborator with the University of Texas McCombs School of Business and also holds an Advisory Board seat on Austin Community College's Localization Program.
Brenda is extremely involved in the Austin technology and international communities as the Chairman of the Board for the International Center of Austin (ICA) and the Chairman for the Camino Real District Export Council for the State of Texas. She is a founder for the World Congress for Information Technology 2006 (WCIT) helping to win the bid for the City of Austin. She is part of the Executive Committee for the non-profit organization, Products and Systems International, and is a member of the Executive Women's Forum of the Austin Women in Technology Association.
Mihir K. Ravel is a noted technology executive in the electronics design and automation industries with over 25 years experience in commercializing new technologies for a diversity of applications including ultra-high speed optics and electronics, RF/wireless communications, multimedia systems, biomedical imaging, environmental monitoring, smart sensors and factory automation. After a fortunate corporate career he now divides his time between initiatives to improve science/technology education and his firm Emerging Technology Ventures, a strategy and technology development consultancy advising early stage companies. His current focus is on the challenges of efficient innovation and entrepreneurship in globalized organizations. He spent much of 2004/5 traveling internationally to meet with public and private-sector experts about technology and educational challenges in both developed and developing economies, and then to identify best practices that can be cross-pollinated across global organizations.
From 2000 to 2004 he was Vice-President of Technology and Corporate Development for National Instruments, a global leader hardware/software aimed at computer-based control and automation. At NI he lead key initiatives aimed at the mixed-signal, RF/wireless communications, and education markets, and was also responsible for building the company's technology partnership's with the semiconductor and computing industries. Prior to that he was Director of Strategic Technologies for Tektronix, a Fortune 500 leader in tools for design and test of electronic systems, and was recognized as the first Business and Technology Fellow in the company's history. He has degrees in Physics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from M.I.T., along with graduate studies in economics and computational finance from M.I.T.'s Sloan School and the Oregon Graduate Institute.
Mihir is on the Editorial Advisory Board for EDN magazine, the leading North American journal for design engineers, and a frequent speaker on product development and global engineering issues at industry and academic forums. He is active in contributing to Central Texas high tech community and serves on the advisory boards for the Austin Technology Council, the M.I.T. EnterpriseForum, and The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE), and several early stage ventures.