Industry & Entrepreneurial Experience
From scaling a public semiconductor company to co-founding a health-tech startup, my career has been defined by building ventures, closing deals, and turning strategic vision into measurable outcomes. These experiences are the foundation of my academic research.
The Entrepreneurial Thread
Whether leading corporate development at a publicly traded company or co-founding a biomedical startup, the common thread has always been entrepreneurial: identifying opportunities, building the case, assembling the team, and executing under uncertainty. I bring this startup-and-scale mindset into my teaching, my research, and my work with students who aspire to build something of their own.
CEO & Co-Founder
Virchow Photonics · Austin, TX · 2024–Present
Co-founded with Dr. Ray T. Chen (Endowed Chair Professor, UT Austin Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering; 82 patents, ~1,000 publications) to commercialize Subwavelength Grating Waveguide-Based Micro-Ring Resonator (SWGMR) technology for ultra-sensitive biomarker detection.
Our photonic semiconductor platform enables early detection of cancer biomarkers with 10x sensitivity over competing technologies, delivering results in approximately 15 minutes through fully automated, low-cost consumables.
Named after Rudolf Virchow, the father of modern pathology, the company represents the convergence of my semiconductor industry expertise with cutting-edge biomedical research — and the kind of deep-tech entrepreneurship that turns university IP into clinical impact.
Head of Corporate Development & Strategy
Cirrus Logic (NASDAQ: CRUS) · Austin, TX · 2000–2023
For 23 years, I served as the strategic architect behind Cirrus Logic's transformation from a $160M niche semiconductor company to a $1.8B global leader in audio, haptic, and power conversion technology — with a market capitalization exceeding $6B.
Reporting directly to the CEO, I led all aspects of corporate strategy, mergers and acquisitions, innovation pipeline management, and investor relations.
M&A Track Record: 12 completed transactions from target identification through post-merger integration, including:
- —Wolfson Microelectronics (Edinburgh, $467M) — Transformative audio codec acquisition
- —Lion Semiconductor (San Francisco, $335M) — Power conversion technology expansion
- —Apex Microtechnology, AudioLogic, Peak Audio, Tripath Technology, and others
I managed a $300M R&D budget, implementing evidence-based frameworks for project prioritization. I led quarterly business reviews synthesizing complex metrics for executive decision-making. And for seven years, I managed analyst relationships, non-deal roadshows, and stakeholder messaging as the company's investor relations lead.
This experience — navigating competitive dynamics, cultural integration challenges, and stakeholder alignment across 12 acquisitions — is the foundation of my academic research on organizational legitimacy and ethical leadership.
23 Years
Corporate Strategy at Cirrus Logic
12 Acquisitions
Completed M&A Transactions
$1.8B Revenue
Growth Delivered ($160M → $1.8B)
2 U.S. Patents
Granted
Education
2024–2026
PhD in Business (Management)
University of Denver
4.0 GPA · Dissertation: "Defense Against the Dark Arts of Polarization"
2006
Corporate Strategy Program
MIT Sloan School of Management
2005
Mergers & Acquisitions Program
Stanford Graduate School of Business
2000
MBA (Strategy)
Texas A&M University, Mays Business School
4.0 GPA
1998
Diplom Betriebswirt (B.S.)
University of Applied Sciences Munich
Focus: Marketing & Business Software