ROMAN KIKTA

Roman Kikta is an entrepreneur, venture capitalist, wireless industry innovator, anthropologist and author with over 25 years of experience creating, building, inspiring and accelerating every organization he touches. Roman has played instrumental roles in launching and building technology start-ups and new multi-billion dollar corporate divisions at leading global companies. He's highly skilled in conceptualization and as an innovator led the development and commercialization of several generations of mobile devices and the creation of several wireless industry firsts: cellular payphones, voice recognition dialers, cellular in-building systems and played a role in the initial launch of cellular (analog) and PCS (digital) in the U.S. As a venture capital fund manager, Roman has invested in more than 25 pioneering, disruptive seed and early-stage companies and played active roles in their growth, working closely with entrepreneurs, providing his know-how, experiences, global perspective, and extensive network of relationships thereby increasing their probability of success. These include: InnerWireless (acquired by BlackBox Networks, NASDAQ:BBOX) Spatial Wireless (acquired by Alcatel, NYSE:ALU), Now Public (acquired by Clarity Media) and others. Under his leadership Entrepreneur Magazine named his firm as one of the Top 100 Venture Capital Firms for Entrepreneurs in 2004 and was a Finalist for the Tech Titan Technopolis Award in 2005. Roman was named a “High Tech All-Star” in 2001 and is an RCA Fellow. Roman is also a cultural anthropologist of technology use-- on how people use mobile technologies, the Internet and digital media in their everyday lives. He's a leading authority on how technologies are shaping society. Roman has authored over 100 articles and four books published by McGraw-Hill including: "Wireless Internet Crash Course", "3G Wireless Demystified", "Delivering xDSL", and "CDMA IS-95 for Cellular & PCS: Technology, Economics & Services". Roman is currently writing his latest book: “Innovation Nations: In Search of the Next Silicon Valley” to be published in 2016. Roman seeks to energize, inspire, influence and empower every entrepreneur he comes in contact with. He’s a leading voice in the global entrepreneurial community and a sought after speaker for conferences and industry events and as a lecturer at universities around the world on innovation, entrepreneurship, economic growth and the future of mobility & society. Roman holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rutgers University, and is a graduate of the Private Equity & Venture Capital Program at the Harvard Business School; the Management program at New York University and the Strategy & Innovation Program at MIT Sloan School of Management.