Advisory Team

Advisory Team

The Advisory Team for Practical Computer Applications (PCA):

Scott Maxwell

Managing Director, Insight Venture Partners

Scott Maxwell is a Managing Director at Insight Venture Partners and was formerly a Partner at Putnam Investments, where he was Managing Director, Corporate Development. While at Putnam, Dr. Maxwell was Putnam’s Managing Director and general manager responsible for building the Strategic Partnership between Putnam and the principals of Thomas H. Lee Company, and he led projects in areas of e-commerce strategy, retail distribution strategy, product development and pricing.

Dr. Maxwell graduated from M.I.T. with a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA from the Sloan School of Management. Scott also holds a B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Davis.

Bahar Uttam

Chairman, Synetics Corporation

Bahar Uttam is the Co-founder of Synetics Corporation, and has served as President and Chairman of the Board since inception in 1984. From 1979 to 1984, he was Senior Vice President and Director of the Systems Group at Jaycor. Prior to his employment at Jaycor, he was a member of the technical staff at The Analytic Sciences Corporation (TASC), a provider of high technology systems engineering services.

Mr. Uttam currently serves on the Dean’s Council at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government; and he is Director of the British American Business Council of New England and Vice Chairman of IEEE Position Location and Navigation Symposium. Mr. Uttam holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from London University, a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Iowa, and a Degree in Electrical Engineering from Northeastern University.

Paul Davis

CEO, GeneXP Biosciences

Paul Davis is the cofounder and Chief Executive Officer of GeneXP Biosciences and he is also a General Partner of Seed Partners LLC. Previously, Mr. Davis served as EVP and COO of Vanguard Automation, a provider of ball grid array semiconductor packaging systems, where he led its successful turnaround. As Executive Vice President, he was the senior company official reporting to a GE Capital-led board. In 1997 he led the sale of the company to RVSI for $46 million, delivering an average 70% IRR for the investors. Mr. Davis also led the restructuring of Vanguard’s custom automation business and sold it to ATS Accu-Fab Systems in 1997 where he then served as Vice President, Business Development.

In 1998, he co-founded Predictive Networks, a provider of ISP and iTV operating systems. Mr. Davis served as COO and Director before VC-selected management was brought in. He earned his law degree from Suffolk University and a BA from Tufts University.

Walter Wright

Trinity Law Group, LLC

Walter A. Wright, III is a Managing Director with Trinity Law Group, LLC, a business law and strategy legal practice. Prior to Trinity Law Group, Walter was Managing Director with Rich May, where he concentrated on corporate, commercial, financial and securities matters. Mr. Wright leads a law practice intensely focused on the organizational, venture financing, operational and transactional requirements of emerging technology and information companies as well as representing major venture capital funds and angel groups in investment transactions. Mr. Wright serves as a corporate officer and as strategic advisor to a number of public and private companies.

Mr. Wright also is managing partner of the MapleCrest Funds and the eCapital Funds, venture capital co-investment entities. He is a member of the American and Massachusetts Bar Associations, the ABA’s Business Section, the Science and Technology Section, and the Law Practice Management Section, the Association for Corporate Growth, the Massachusetts Interactive Media Council (MIMC), the MIT Enterprise Forum, the Association For Interactive Media and the National Association of Corporate Directors.

Mr. Wright graduated magna cum laude from both the Boston College Law School (J.D.) and Tufts University (B.A., M.A).

Abbot Gilman

Retired & Busy

Abbot Gilman is a successful serial entrepreneur, investor and advisor to venture funds and emerging technology companies. Mr. Gilman was a Founder, Director and Chief Operating Officer of Broadband Access Systems, Inc. (BAS), a private company that was acquired by ADC Telecommunications, Inc. in September, 2000. Prior to co-founding BAS, he was a Principal and Vice President of Marketing and Sales at Applied Network Technology, Inc., acquired by Fore Systems in May of 1995. Following the acquisition at Fore Systems, as Director of Marketing, he successfully launched Fore’s Ethernet Switch product line.

Mr. Gilman spent 17 years at Digital Equipment Corporation in various Management & Marketing roles. He is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and events. He holds a BS degree in Business Administration from Northeastern University with Honors and an MBA from Babson College.