|
|
|
|
Working with PlazaBridge is unlike working with other firms that purport to offer commercialization services. In short, we work the processes and front-line customer's necessary to succeed. We cultivate our network to align all possible advantages to make the start-up's product or service a success. We are strategist with outstanding execution abilities supplementing white-board talks with the actions to implement them; we create value propositions recognized & realized quickly by customers. We have a unique process for value branding and value proposition and securing first customers within a repeatable sales model.
PlazaBridge Managing Partner Bios
Robbie Hardy-Managing Partner PlazaBridge Robbie Hardy is a serial entrepreneur with expertise in every aspect of growing a business from the idea to the commercialization aspect to selling the ideas to customers and to getting young companies funded. She is one of the most respected entrepreneurs among her peers and has roots far and deep in with organizations that are service firms to starts ups from the investment communities to the lawyers to the local community economic development organizations to the university system’s entrepreneurial schools. She taps all her knowledge banks when it comes to supporting great people with great ideas or business ventures. Having founded four software companies and successfully selling all four, she decided to dedicate her career to supporting other entrepreneurs master the challenges faced day to day and long term through the founding of Silkroad Partners. In 2001, Robbie founded Silk Road Partners (which recently merged with Creative Leadership Adventures); a “Mentor Capital “ firm providing guidance to early stage company CEOs, alternative financing options and exit strategies for later stage companies.
She is the Founding Chairman of the Atlantis Group a seed stage capital fund specializing in tech, biotech and life sciences in the RTP region of North Carolina. She is also a founding member of the National Angel consortium. Robbie is an experienced investor and entrepreneur with extensive start up and board experience. Her experience spans from providing IT consulting to Global Multinationals to directing large IT implementations as a decision maker and IT organizational leader to starting her own software companies serving the unmet needs of the marketplace. She founded and was CEO of CI Technologies a software company in 1992 and sold it to Seagate in 1995. Prior to CI Technologies, Hardy was a Vice President with American Management Systems (AMS) in Fairfax Virginia. Prior to AMS Hardy was MIS director of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Hardy has been recognized many times for her success. In 1997 she was Entrepreneur of the Year. She serves on boards of several RTP start ups.
Richard Spangler, Managing Partner PlazaBridge Richard is the founder of Pole-Flyers, a non-profit Pole-Vault Coaching Clinic for high school and college age athletes and donates hit sit to high school coaching. He serves on the board of directors for the non-profit, Night of Dreams; a community arts collaborative. Robert Dale –Managing Partner PlazaBridge Robert enjoys skiing, being in the great outdoors, creating new inventive ways of doing old things and giving back to the entrepreneurs by offering incredible mentorship. He’s one of the most proud fathers, of a beautiful entrepreneurial daughter, on earth other than his Partner Richard Spangler.
Teresa Spangler, Managing Partner PlazaBridge Other past experiences include turnarounds of challenged businesses for example: holding the strategic initiatives executive position for a $170 Million HR outsourcing where she was responsible for their relocation from NYC to Raleigh, NC resulting in over $3 million in cost savings annually as well as launching out entrepreneurial business units designed to grow top line revenue. In her role for the outsourcing firm she launched a new business division called Sales Talent Solutions, a firm focused on large volume sales hires and ramp up initiatives of sales teams. Teresa has been hired to take over entrepreneurial companies struggling with growth in their early stages. The Board Chair of a Norwegian Software company hired her to increase the valuation of the firm and then lead the sale of this company resulting in an acquisition by a UK firm. Prior to founding CLA, she was hired as employee number 32 at Red Hat to drive revenue for this young entrepreneurial company that had little revenue experience. She held senior positions with Red Hat, Inc where she was responsible for pre-IPO revenue, building the enterprise & channel sales organization customer service, channel, call center and VP Marketing and Business Development roles where she set strategies and build core teams to implement those strategies. Her role also included establishing the strategic revenue generating relationships with the giants of high technology: IBM, Intel, Compaq, HP, Oracle and Dell. Prior to Red Hat, Teresa's roles included; co-founding partner and Vice President of Sales and Marketing of the venture backed Software Company, Technauts, Inc. She was also jointed Picturetel Corporation, in it's early stages, as a Region Director of this market-leading manufacturer of videoconferencing technology and was with Picturetel contributing to revenue growth from $28 Million when she start to over $490 million in revenue when she left. Teresa is on the Board of The Council for Entrepreneurial Development, is Chair of the non-profit Night of Dreams and is an advisory board member to the Board of Directors Diversity Initiative, UNC Chapel Hill. Teresa is also a singer/songwriter with a passion for music and the creative arts. She enjoys reading, usually five books at one time, writing, public speaking, skiing, tennis, dancing with her college age daughter and traveling the world.
PlazaBridge Partner's Bio Taffy Williams, Ph.D. - President and Chief Executive Officer, Colonial Technology Development Co. Dr. Williams serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Life Sciences Research Organization a not-for-profit company affiliated with the American Nutritional Society. Prior to Colonial, he served as president and Chief Executive Officer of Photogen Technologies Inc., IMCOR Pharmaceutical Co. and he was president and founder of InKine Pharmaceutical Company. Prior to that, he was president, CEO and Chairman of Panax. Dr. Williams has raised more than $100 million. In addition to executive management skills, the ability to grow companies and new business development experience, Dr. Williams is the author of eight patents, one invention registration, seven patent applications and 53 published articles. He also has been the recipient of several prestigious awards, including a postdoctoral fellowship from the National Institutes of Health, ``Most Significant Scientific Publication'' awards from the Naval Medical Research Institute in 1985 and 1986, and the Civil Service Special Achievement Award for restructuring research activities in 1986. Dr. Williams holds a bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of Notre Dame, a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of South Carolina, and did postdoctoral training at the University of South Carolina and the University of Michigan.
|