Stan Brew
Atlanta GA,#2Consumer Suggestion
Wed, December 31, 2008
It is very disingenous for John to suggest that IKOBO originated from Nigeria. Look at the names of the owners and the managers below and tell me if these guys are Nigerians Total Technology Ventures www.ttvatlanta.com Total Technology Ventures (TTV) is an Atlanta-based investment firm focused on providing capital to early-to-late stage privately held companies in the financial services industry and IT driven businesses with products that serve the financial services industry. TTV targets companies where it can leverage the close relationships with its strategic partners: Synovus Financial Corp., TSYS, and CheckFree Corporation. Council Ventures www.councilventures.com Council Ventures is a Nashville-based venture capital firm focusing on early-stage companies with proven, technology-driven value propositions and strong revenue momentum. Council Ventures brings substantial management and operating experience to their portfolio companies through their CEO Council, comprised of 22 former and current CEOs of major corporations and institutions. Greenhill SAVP www.greenhill-co.com Greenhill SAVP is a NY-based venture capital firm that invests in early stage Technology-Enabled Services and Business Information Services companies. Greenhill SAVP was formed in early 2006 when Silicon Alley Venture Partners ("SAVP") and Greenhill & Co., Inc. (NYSE: GHL), an independent investment and merchant banking firm, combined resources to create Greenhill SAVP ("GSAVP"). Board of Directors Robert E. Hyer Jr., Chairman of the Board Mr Hyer joined Greenhill in 2006 and has over 19 years of investment banking experience, 18 of which were with Citigroup Global Markets, where he headed the Electronic Financial Services Group. Mr. Hyer is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and the University of California at Berkeley Haas School of Business Blake Patton, Chief Executive Office, iKobo Blake brings more than 15 years of international eCommerce experience. Prior to his role as CEO, he served as Chief Operating Officer of iKobo. His previous experience includes Managing Director of iXL's European operations and General Manager of iXL's Boston office. He was the founder/President of Siteman, a content management software venture that was later sold, and VP of Operations of Swan Media. Blake holds a Bachelors degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Georgia Tech. James R. Balkom Jr. Jim is Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army for Georgia, a Consultant and Executive Coach with Corporate Psychology Resources, and a member of the CEO council for Council Ventures. Previously Jim served as Chairman of Commerce South Bank, Director, Chairman, and interim CEO of Pameco Corporation, group executive of Personal Solutions for Equifax, and the Chairman and CEO of Techsonic Industries. He currently serves as Chairman of the Advisory Board of Corporate Psychology Resources, and sits on the Boards of EVault, National Endowment for the Public Trust, Mission Specialties, and USO of Georgia. He formerly served on Atlanta Advisory Board of Directors of BB&T and the boards of Medport and American Remanufacturers. Jim holds a BA from the U.S. Military Academy and an MBA from Harvard. James F. Calvano James F. Calvano is a Principal and Chairman of Palisades Financial. Mr. Calvano has over 45 years of senior leadership experience with several Fortune 500 corporations. He has served as Vice President and General Manager of Olivetti Corporation of America; President and CEO of Avis Inc.; Vice Chairman of American Express Travel Related Services; President and Chief Operating Officer of Commercial Credit; President and CEO of Carlson Travel Co.: President and COO of Western Union/New Valley Corporation; Executive Vice President of Primerica Corporation; Executive Vice President of Marketing at Travelers Group; Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of Travelers Inc.; and Chairman and CEO of NYSE listed MoneyGram Payment Systems Inc. He received his Bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago and completed the Advance Management Program at Harvard Business School. Gardiner Garrard III, Managing Partner, Total Technology Ventures LLC Gardiner is a Founder and Managing Partner of Total Technology Ventures LLC, an investor in iKobo. Previously Gardiner was a principal of Shoptaw & Garrard. He serves on the on the Board of Directors of Connecture Inc., Perimeter Internetworking Inc., and Financial Transactin Systems Inc. He holds a BA from the University of North Carolina and an MBA from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University. Brian Hirch, Managing Director, Greenhill & Co. Brian is a Co-Founder and Managing Director of Greenhill SAVP where he oversees management of the venture fund and serves as Co-Chairman of the Fund's Investment Committee. Brian was previously a Managing Partner with SAVP, where he co-managed all of the fund's activities. Prior to SAVP, Brian was a Principal at Sterling Venture Partners and a Vice President with ABN AMRO Private Equity, the U.S. venture arm of ABN AMRO bank. Brian is currently a board member of BDMetrics, BestContractors, iKobo and Serious. Brian previously sat on the boards of YellowJacket (acquired by the Intercontinental Exchange, NYSE:ICE) and KnowledgeStorm (acquired by TechTarget, NASDAQ:TTGT). He holds a BA in Economics and American Studies from Brandeis University. Management Team Blake Patton Blake is responsible for managing all aspects of the customer experience. He is committed to providing the safest and most convenient money transfer service and delivering the highest level of customer service and value. Prior to his role as CEO, Blake served as iKobo's Chief Operating Officer where he led iKobo's team of committed experts that manage Customer Care, the iKobo.com website, the online processing engine, and compliance and risk management. His previous experience includes Managing Director of iXL's European operations and General Manager of iXL's Boston office. He was the founder/President of Siteman, a content management software company that he later sold, and VP of Operations of Swan Media. Blake has over 15 years of leadership experience ranging from early stage entrepreneurial to large publicly traded technology companies. He was Captain of the Swimming and Diving Team at Georgia Tech while earning a Bachelor degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering. He was inducted into the Georgia Tech College of Engineering Council of Outstanding Young Engineering Alumni in 2000. Blake is active with the Alzheimer's Association where he Co-Chairs the North Fulton / Gwinnett Memory Walk and serves on the Administrative Board of his Church. Colin Rogoff Colin is responsible for the finance & admin, legal and human resources functions at iKobo. He has more than a decade of executive level experience, and a solid track record in establishing/upgrading financial processes and controls, as well as leading complex financing and M&A transactions. Before joining iKobo, Colin was CFO of Harbor Payments, a provider of outsourced electronic payment solutions, through its acquisition by American Express. Prior to this, he was CFO of Magnet Communications, which provided outsourced cash management solutions to large financial institutions. Colin has also held top financial roles at Masterpack International and System Builder Technologies. He began his career as a public accountant with Arthur Andersen & Co. Colin has an MBA from the University of Witwatersrand and a Bachelor of Commerce with honors from Natal University, both in South Africa. Eva Boker, Chief Marketing Officer Eva is responsible for the full range of marketing functions including brand building, PR and press relations, marketing strategy, communications, customer acquisition and retention (via online and offline marketing), research and analytics, third party relationships and alliances. Her previous experiences include executive marketing roles in such bell weather companies as Interactive Corp and The Walt Disney Company as well as successful start ups such as LowerMyBills.com and Shopzilla.com previously BizRate. Eva brings a unique blend of brand and performance marketing and has over 15 years of successful marketing experience. Her marketing methodology and techniques cemented LowerMyBills.com in the top 5 online advertisers and helped propel the company from $18 million in revenues to over $100 million in just 2.5 years. Eva holds a bachelor's degree from Queens College in New York. Ian C. Van Buskirk, Program General Manager Ian is responsible for the full delivery and execution of iKobo's product programs including the entire product life-cycle and customer experience. Ian has over 13 years experience with large scale implementations in the telecommunications and prepaid processing industries. Prior to joining iKobo, Ian has worked in various managerial jobs for Amdocs, Deloitte, Cap Gemini, Pre Solutions, and InComm. At InComm, Ian served in several roles from Director of Program Management to Senior Director of Gift Card Services. Most recently, Ian was Managing Consultant for a successful 80 million dollar CRM project implementation at a large telecommunications company. Ian has an Executive MBA from University of Georgia and holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Management Information Systems from Florida Sate University. Max Garcia, Chief Technology Officer Max is responsible for ensuring all technology solutions provide the highest level of security, service, and availability to our customers. He has a total of 18 years experience in all aspects of telecommunications, software development, operations, transaction processing, and project management, most recently at InComm, a global transaction processor and distributor of products to the retail industry in the U.S., Canada, Caribbean, and Europe with over 145,000 retail locations and annual revenue of $2.5 billion. At InComm he was responsible for all merchant and product provider initiatives from the initial IT sales support, project management, integration development and final production releases. He has extensive experience working with retail partners like Wal*Mart, Target, Best Buy, Office Depot and product partners Microsoft, Apple, Cingular, TMobile, Verizon, and Sprint among others. He has a BS degree (with honors) in Computer Engineering from The Florida Institute of Technology. Cherie Hamblin, Vice President, Compliance Cherie is primarily responsible for the company's external relationships with the Department of Homeland Security, US Department Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and other governmental agencies as necessary. Additionally, she manages the company's ongoing compliance with the regulations of Visa Prepaid Card programs. Cherie was a key member of the management team of Clarity Payment Solutions, Inc, a pioneer in prepaid payments processing that was acquired by Total Systems (TSYS) for $53 million in 2004 as well as Chief Compliance Officer for the successor company TSYS Prepaid. As the area of prepaid risk management and fraud prevention has evolved she has led the industry creating reasonable and secure compliance policies across the various business enterprises. Cherie is a frequent speaker at anti-money laundering regulatory and risk forums and is the Vice Chairperson of the Government Relations Group of the National Branded Prepaid Card Association (NBPCA). Cherie received her Bachelor's degree from New York University and is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS).
Stan Brew
Atlanta GA,#3Consumer Suggestion
Wed, December 31, 2008
It is very disingenous for John to suggest that IKOBO originated from Nigeria. Look at the names of the owners and the managers below and tell me if these guys are Nigerians Total Technology Ventures www.ttvatlanta.com Total Technology Ventures (TTV) is an Atlanta-based investment firm focused on providing capital to early-to-late stage privately held companies in the financial services industry and IT driven businesses with products that serve the financial services industry. TTV targets companies where it can leverage the close relationships with its strategic partners: Synovus Financial Corp., TSYS, and CheckFree Corporation. Council Ventures www.councilventures.com Council Ventures is a Nashville-based venture capital firm focusing on early-stage companies with proven, technology-driven value propositions and strong revenue momentum. Council Ventures brings substantial management and operating experience to their portfolio companies through their CEO Council, comprised of 22 former and current CEOs of major corporations and institutions. Greenhill SAVP www.greenhill-co.com Greenhill SAVP is a NY-based venture capital firm that invests in early stage Technology-Enabled Services and Business Information Services companies. Greenhill SAVP was formed in early 2006 when Silicon Alley Venture Partners ("SAVP") and Greenhill & Co., Inc. (NYSE: GHL), an independent investment and merchant banking firm, combined resources to create Greenhill SAVP ("GSAVP"). Board of Directors Robert E. Hyer Jr., Chairman of the Board Mr Hyer joined Greenhill in 2006 and has over 19 years of investment banking experience, 18 of which were with Citigroup Global Markets, where he headed the Electronic Financial Services Group. Mr. Hyer is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and the University of California at Berkeley Haas School of Business Blake Patton, Chief Executive Office, iKobo Blake brings more than 15 years of international eCommerce experience. Prior to his role as CEO, he served as Chief Operating Officer of iKobo. His previous experience includes Managing Director of iXL's European operations and General Manager of iXL's Boston office. He was the founder/President of Siteman, a content management software venture that was later sold, and VP of Operations of Swan Media. Blake holds a Bachelors degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Georgia Tech. James R. Balkom Jr. Jim is Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army for Georgia, a Consultant and Executive Coach with Corporate Psychology Resources, and a member of the CEO council for Council Ventures. Previously Jim served as Chairman of Commerce South Bank, Director, Chairman, and interim CEO of Pameco Corporation, group executive of Personal Solutions for Equifax, and the Chairman and CEO of Techsonic Industries. He currently serves as Chairman of the Advisory Board of Corporate Psychology Resources, and sits on the Boards of EVault, National Endowment for the Public Trust, Mission Specialties, and USO of Georgia. He formerly served on Atlanta Advisory Board of Directors of BB&T and the boards of Medport and American Remanufacturers. Jim holds a BA from the U.S. Military Academy and an MBA from Harvard. James F. Calvano James F. Calvano is a Principal and Chairman of Palisades Financial. Mr. Calvano has over 45 years of senior leadership experience with several Fortune 500 corporations. He has served as Vice President and General Manager of Olivetti Corporation of America; President and CEO of Avis Inc.; Vice Chairman of American Express Travel Related Services; President and Chief Operating Officer of Commercial Credit; President and CEO of Carlson Travel Co.: President and COO of Western Union/New Valley Corporation; Executive Vice President of Primerica Corporation; Executive Vice President of Marketing at Travelers Group; Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of Travelers Inc.; and Chairman and CEO of NYSE listed MoneyGram Payment Systems Inc. He received his Bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago and completed the Advance Management Program at Harvard Business School. Gardiner Garrard III, Managing Partner, Total Technology Ventures LLC Gardiner is a Founder and Managing Partner of Total Technology Ventures LLC, an investor in iKobo. Previously Gardiner was a principal of Shoptaw & Garrard. He serves on the on the Board of Directors of Connecture Inc., Perimeter Internetworking Inc., and Financial Transactin Systems Inc. He holds a BA from the University of North Carolina and an MBA from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University. Brian Hirch, Managing Director, Greenhill & Co. Brian is a Co-Founder and Managing Director of Greenhill SAVP where he oversees management of the venture fund and serves as Co-Chairman of the Fund's Investment Committee. Brian was previously a Managing Partner with SAVP, where he co-managed all of the fund's activities. Prior to SAVP, Brian was a Principal at Sterling Venture Partners and a Vice President with ABN AMRO Private Equity, the U.S. venture arm of ABN AMRO bank. Brian is currently a board member of BDMetrics, BestContractors, iKobo and Serious. Brian previously sat on the boards of YellowJacket (acquired by the Intercontinental Exchange, NYSE:ICE) and KnowledgeStorm (acquired by TechTarget, NASDAQ:TTGT). He holds a BA in Economics and American Studies from Brandeis University. Management Team Blake Patton Blake is responsible for managing all aspects of the customer experience. He is committed to providing the safest and most convenient money transfer service and delivering the highest level of customer service and value. Prior to his role as CEO, Blake served as iKobo's Chief Operating Officer where he led iKobo's team of committed experts that manage Customer Care, the iKobo.com website, the online processing engine, and compliance and risk management. His previous experience includes Managing Director of iXL's European operations and General Manager of iXL's Boston office. He was the founder/President of Siteman, a content management software company that he later sold, and VP of Operations of Swan Media. Blake has over 15 years of leadership experience ranging from early stage entrepreneurial to large publicly traded technology companies. He was Captain of the Swimming and Diving Team at Georgia Tech while earning a Bachelor degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering. He was inducted into the Georgia Tech College of Engineering Council of Outstanding Young Engineering Alumni in 2000. Blake is active with the Alzheimer's Association where he Co-Chairs the North Fulton / Gwinnett Memory Walk and serves on the Administrative Board of his Church. Colin Rogoff Colin is responsible for the finance & admin, legal and human resources functions at iKobo. He has more than a decade of executive level experience, and a solid track record in establishing/upgrading financial processes and controls, as well as leading complex financing and M&A transactions. Before joining iKobo, Colin was CFO of Harbor Payments, a provider of outsourced electronic payment solutions, through its acquisition by American Express. Prior to this, he was CFO of Magnet Communications, which provided outsourced cash management solutions to large financial institutions. Colin has also held top financial roles at Masterpack International and System Builder Technologies. He began his career as a public accountant with Arthur Andersen & Co. Colin has an MBA from the University of Witwatersrand and a Bachelor of Commerce with honors from Natal University, both in South Africa. Eva Boker, Chief Marketing Officer Eva is responsible for the full range of marketing functions including brand building, PR and press relations, marketing strategy, communications, customer acquisition and retention (via online and offline marketing), research and analytics, third party relationships and alliances. Her previous experiences include executive marketing roles in such bell weather companies as Interactive Corp and The Walt Disney Company as well as successful start ups such as LowerMyBills.com and Shopzilla.com previously BizRate. Eva brings a unique blend of brand and performance marketing and has over 15 years of successful marketing experience. Her marketing methodology and techniques cemented LowerMyBills.com in the top 5 online advertisers and helped propel the company from $18 million in revenues to over $100 million in just 2.5 years. Eva holds a bachelor's degree from Queens College in New York. Ian C. Van Buskirk, Program General Manager Ian is responsible for the full delivery and execution of iKobo's product programs including the entire product life-cycle and customer experience. Ian has over 13 years experience with large scale implementations in the telecommunications and prepaid processing industries. Prior to joining iKobo, Ian has worked in various managerial jobs for Amdocs, Deloitte, Cap Gemini, Pre Solutions, and InComm. At InComm, Ian served in several roles from Director of Program Management to Senior Director of Gift Card Services. Most recently, Ian was Managing Consultant for a successful 80 million dollar CRM project implementation at a large telecommunications company. Ian has an Executive MBA from University of Georgia and holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Management Information Systems from Florida Sate University. Max Garcia, Chief Technology Officer Max is responsible for ensuring all technology solutions provide the highest level of security, service, and availability to our customers. He has a total of 18 years experience in all aspects of telecommunications, software development, operations, transaction processing, and project management, most recently at InComm, a global transaction processor and distributor of products to the retail industry in the U.S., Canada, Caribbean, and Europe with over 145,000 retail locations and annual revenue of $2.5 billion. At InComm he was responsible for all merchant and product provider initiatives from the initial IT sales support, project management, integration development and final production releases. He has extensive experience working with retail partners like Wal*Mart, Target, Best Buy, Office Depot and product partners Microsoft, Apple, Cingular, TMobile, Verizon, and Sprint among others. He has a BS degree (with honors) in Computer Engineering from The Florida Institute of Technology. Cherie Hamblin, Vice President, Compliance Cherie is primarily responsible for the company's external relationships with the Department of Homeland Security, US Department Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and other governmental agencies as necessary. Additionally, she manages the company's ongoing compliance with the regulations of Visa Prepaid Card programs. Cherie was a key member of the management team of Clarity Payment Solutions, Inc, a pioneer in prepaid payments processing that was acquired by Total Systems (TSYS) for $53 million in 2004 as well as Chief Compliance Officer for the successor company TSYS Prepaid. As the area of prepaid risk management and fraud prevention has evolved she has led the industry creating reasonable and secure compliance policies across the various business enterprises. Cherie is a frequent speaker at anti-money laundering regulatory and risk forums and is the Vice Chairperson of the Government Relations Group of the National Branded Prepaid Card Association (NBPCA). Cherie received her Bachelor's degree from New York University and is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS).
Stan Brew
Atlanta GA,#4Consumer Suggestion
Wed, December 31, 2008
It is very disingenous for John to suggest that IKOBO originated from Nigeria. Look at the names of the owners and the managers below and tell me if these guys are Nigerians Total Technology Ventures www.ttvatlanta.com Total Technology Ventures (TTV) is an Atlanta-based investment firm focused on providing capital to early-to-late stage privately held companies in the financial services industry and IT driven businesses with products that serve the financial services industry. TTV targets companies where it can leverage the close relationships with its strategic partners: Synovus Financial Corp., TSYS, and CheckFree Corporation. Council Ventures www.councilventures.com Council Ventures is a Nashville-based venture capital firm focusing on early-stage companies with proven, technology-driven value propositions and strong revenue momentum. Council Ventures brings substantial management and operating experience to their portfolio companies through their CEO Council, comprised of 22 former and current CEOs of major corporations and institutions. Greenhill SAVP www.greenhill-co.com Greenhill SAVP is a NY-based venture capital firm that invests in early stage Technology-Enabled Services and Business Information Services companies. Greenhill SAVP was formed in early 2006 when Silicon Alley Venture Partners ("SAVP") and Greenhill & Co., Inc. (NYSE: GHL), an independent investment and merchant banking firm, combined resources to create Greenhill SAVP ("GSAVP"). Board of Directors Robert E. Hyer Jr., Chairman of the Board Mr Hyer joined Greenhill in 2006 and has over 19 years of investment banking experience, 18 of which were with Citigroup Global Markets, where he headed the Electronic Financial Services Group. Mr. Hyer is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and the University of California at Berkeley Haas School of Business Blake Patton, Chief Executive Office, iKobo Blake brings more than 15 years of international eCommerce experience. Prior to his role as CEO, he served as Chief Operating Officer of iKobo. His previous experience includes Managing Director of iXL's European operations and General Manager of iXL's Boston office. He was the founder/President of Siteman, a content management software venture that was later sold, and VP of Operations of Swan Media. Blake holds a Bachelors degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Georgia Tech. James R. Balkom Jr. Jim is Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army for Georgia, a Consultant and Executive Coach with Corporate Psychology Resources, and a member of the CEO council for Council Ventures. Previously Jim served as Chairman of Commerce South Bank, Director, Chairman, and interim CEO of Pameco Corporation, group executive of Personal Solutions for Equifax, and the Chairman and CEO of Techsonic Industries. He currently serves as Chairman of the Advisory Board of Corporate Psychology Resources, and sits on the Boards of EVault, National Endowment for the Public Trust, Mission Specialties, and USO of Georgia. He formerly served on Atlanta Advisory Board of Directors of BB&T and the boards of Medport and American Remanufacturers. Jim holds a BA from the U.S. Military Academy and an MBA from Harvard. James F. Calvano James F. Calvano is a Principal and Chairman of Palisades Financial. Mr. Calvano has over 45 years of senior leadership experience with several Fortune 500 corporations. He has served as Vice President and General Manager of Olivetti Corporation of America; President and CEO of Avis Inc.; Vice Chairman of American Express Travel Related Services; President and Chief Operating Officer of Commercial Credit; President and CEO of Carlson Travel Co.: President and COO of Western Union/New Valley Corporation; Executive Vice President of Primerica Corporation; Executive Vice President of Marketing at Travelers Group; Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of Travelers Inc.; and Chairman and CEO of NYSE listed MoneyGram Payment Systems Inc. He received his Bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago and completed the Advance Management Program at Harvard Business School. Gardiner Garrard III, Managing Partner, Total Technology Ventures LLC Gardiner is a Founder and Managing Partner of Total Technology Ventures LLC, an investor in iKobo. Previously Gardiner was a principal of Shoptaw & Garrard. He serves on the on the Board of Directors of Connecture Inc., Perimeter Internetworking Inc., and Financial Transactin Systems Inc. He holds a BA from the University of North Carolina and an MBA from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University. Brian Hirch, Managing Director, Greenhill & Co. Brian is a Co-Founder and Managing Director of Greenhill SAVP where he oversees management of the venture fund and serves as Co-Chairman of the Fund's Investment Committee. Brian was previously a Managing Partner with SAVP, where he co-managed all of the fund's activities. Prior to SAVP, Brian was a Principal at Sterling Venture Partners and a Vice President with ABN AMRO Private Equity, the U.S. venture arm of ABN AMRO bank. Brian is currently a board member of BDMetrics, BestContractors, iKobo and Serious. Brian previously sat on the boards of YellowJacket (acquired by the Intercontinental Exchange, NYSE:ICE) and KnowledgeStorm (acquired by TechTarget, NASDAQ:TTGT). He holds a BA in Economics and American Studies from Brandeis University. Management Team Blake Patton Blake is responsible for managing all aspects of the customer experience. He is committed to providing the safest and most convenient money transfer service and delivering the highest level of customer service and value. Prior to his role as CEO, Blake served as iKobo's Chief Operating Officer where he led iKobo's team of committed experts that manage Customer Care, the iKobo.com website, the online processing engine, and compliance and risk management. His previous experience includes Managing Director of iXL's European operations and General Manager of iXL's Boston office. He was the founder/President of Siteman, a content management software company that he later sold, and VP of Operations of Swan Media. Blake has over 15 years of leadership experience ranging from early stage entrepreneurial to large publicly traded technology companies. He was Captain of the Swimming and Diving Team at Georgia Tech while earning a Bachelor degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering. He was inducted into the Georgia Tech College of Engineering Council of Outstanding Young Engineering Alumni in 2000. Blake is active with the Alzheimer's Association where he Co-Chairs the North Fulton / Gwinnett Memory Walk and serves on the Administrative Board of his Church. Colin Rogoff Colin is responsible for the finance & admin, legal and human resources functions at iKobo. He has more than a decade of executive level experience, and a solid track record in establishing/upgrading financial processes and controls, as well as leading complex financing and M&A transactions. Before joining iKobo, Colin was CFO of Harbor Payments, a provider of outsourced electronic payment solutions, through its acquisition by American Express. Prior to this, he was CFO of Magnet Communications, which provided outsourced cash management solutions to large financial institutions. Colin has also held top financial roles at Masterpack International and System Builder Technologies. He began his career as a public accountant with Arthur Andersen & Co. Colin has an MBA from the University of Witwatersrand and a Bachelor of Commerce with honors from Natal University, both in South Africa. Eva Boker, Chief Marketing Officer Eva is responsible for the full range of marketing functions including brand building, PR and press relations, marketing strategy, communications, customer acquisition and retention (via online and offline marketing), research and analytics, third party relationships and alliances. Her previous experiences include executive marketing roles in such bell weather companies as Interactive Corp and The Walt Disney Company as well as successful start ups such as LowerMyBills.com and Shopzilla.com previously BizRate. Eva brings a unique blend of brand and performance marketing and has over 15 years of successful marketing experience. Her marketing methodology and techniques cemented LowerMyBills.com in the top 5 online advertisers and helped propel the company from $18 million in revenues to over $100 million in just 2.5 years. Eva holds a bachelor's degree from Queens College in New York. Ian C. Van Buskirk, Program General Manager Ian is responsible for the full delivery and execution of iKobo's product programs including the entire product life-cycle and customer experience. Ian has over 13 years experience with large scale implementations in the telecommunications and prepaid processing industries. Prior to joining iKobo, Ian has worked in various managerial jobs for Amdocs, Deloitte, Cap Gemini, Pre Solutions, and InComm. At InComm, Ian served in several roles from Director of Program Management to Senior Director of Gift Card Services. Most recently, Ian was Managing Consultant for a successful 80 million dollar CRM project implementation at a large telecommunications company. Ian has an Executive MBA from University of Georgia and holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Management Information Systems from Florida Sate University. Max Garcia, Chief Technology Officer Max is responsible for ensuring all technology solutions provide the highest level of security, service, and availability to our customers. He has a total of 18 years experience in all aspects of telecommunications, software development, operations, transaction processing, and project management, most recently at InComm, a global transaction processor and distributor of products to the retail industry in the U.S., Canada, Caribbean, and Europe with over 145,000 retail locations and annual revenue of $2.5 billion. At InComm he was responsible for all merchant and product provider initiatives from the initial IT sales support, project management, integration development and final production releases. He has extensive experience working with retail partners like Wal*Mart, Target, Best Buy, Office Depot and product partners Microsoft, Apple, Cingular, TMobile, Verizon, and Sprint among others. He has a BS degree (with honors) in Computer Engineering from The Florida Institute of Technology. Cherie Hamblin, Vice President, Compliance Cherie is primarily responsible for the company's external relationships with the Department of Homeland Security, US Department Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and other governmental agencies as necessary. Additionally, she manages the company's ongoing compliance with the regulations of Visa Prepaid Card programs. Cherie was a key member of the management team of Clarity Payment Solutions, Inc, a pioneer in prepaid payments processing that was acquired by Total Systems (TSYS) for $53 million in 2004 as well as Chief Compliance Officer for the successor company TSYS Prepaid. As the area of prepaid risk management and fraud prevention has evolved she has led the industry creating reasonable and secure compliance policies across the various business enterprises. Cherie is a frequent speaker at anti-money laundering regulatory and risk forums and is the Vice Chairperson of the Government Relations Group of the National Branded Prepaid Card Association (NBPCA). Cherie received her Bachelor's degree from New York University and is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS).
Stan Brew
Atlanta GA,#5Consumer Suggestion
Wed, December 31, 2008
It is very disingenous for John to suggest that IKOBO originated from Nigeria. Look at the names of the owners and the managers below and tell me if these guys are Nigerians Total Technology Ventures www.ttvatlanta.com Total Technology Ventures (TTV) is an Atlanta-based investment firm focused on providing capital to early-to-late stage privately held companies in the financial services industry and IT driven businesses with products that serve the financial services industry. TTV targets companies where it can leverage the close relationships with its strategic partners: Synovus Financial Corp., TSYS, and CheckFree Corporation. Council Ventures www.councilventures.com Council Ventures is a Nashville-based venture capital firm focusing on early-stage companies with proven, technology-driven value propositions and strong revenue momentum. Council Ventures brings substantial management and operating experience to their portfolio companies through their CEO Council, comprised of 22 former and current CEOs of major corporations and institutions. Greenhill SAVP www.greenhill-co.com Greenhill SAVP is a NY-based venture capital firm that invests in early stage Technology-Enabled Services and Business Information Services companies. Greenhill SAVP was formed in early 2006 when Silicon Alley Venture Partners ("SAVP") and Greenhill & Co., Inc. (NYSE: GHL), an independent investment and merchant banking firm, combined resources to create Greenhill SAVP ("GSAVP"). Board of Directors Robert E. Hyer Jr., Chairman of the Board Mr Hyer joined Greenhill in 2006 and has over 19 years of investment banking experience, 18 of which were with Citigroup Global Markets, where he headed the Electronic Financial Services Group. Mr. Hyer is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and the University of California at Berkeley Haas School of Business Blake Patton, Chief Executive Office, iKobo Blake brings more than 15 years of international eCommerce experience. Prior to his role as CEO, he served as Chief Operating Officer of iKobo. His previous experience includes Managing Director of iXL's European operations and General Manager of iXL's Boston office. He was the founder/President of Siteman, a content management software venture that was later sold, and VP of Operations of Swan Media. Blake holds a Bachelors degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Georgia Tech. James R. Balkom Jr. Jim is Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army for Georgia, a Consultant and Executive Coach with Corporate Psychology Resources, and a member of the CEO council for Council Ventures. Previously Jim served as Chairman of Commerce South Bank, Director, Chairman, and interim CEO of Pameco Corporation, group executive of Personal Solutions for Equifax, and the Chairman and CEO of Techsonic Industries. He currently serves as Chairman of the Advisory Board of Corporate Psychology Resources, and sits on the Boards of EVault, National Endowment for the Public Trust, Mission Specialties, and USO of Georgia. He formerly served on Atlanta Advisory Board of Directors of BB&T and the boards of Medport and American Remanufacturers. Jim holds a BA from the U.S. Military Academy and an MBA from Harvard. James F. Calvano James F. Calvano is a Principal and Chairman of Palisades Financial. Mr. Calvano has over 45 years of senior leadership experience with several Fortune 500 corporations. He has served as Vice President and General Manager of Olivetti Corporation of America; President and CEO of Avis Inc.; Vice Chairman of American Express Travel Related Services; President and Chief Operating Officer of Commercial Credit; President and CEO of Carlson Travel Co.: President and COO of Western Union/New Valley Corporation; Executive Vice President of Primerica Corporation; Executive Vice President of Marketing at Travelers Group; Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of Travelers Inc.; and Chairman and CEO of NYSE listed MoneyGram Payment Systems Inc. He received his Bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago and completed the Advance Management Program at Harvard Business School. Gardiner Garrard III, Managing Partner, Total Technology Ventures LLC Gardiner is a Founder and Managing Partner of Total Technology Ventures LLC, an investor in iKobo. Previously Gardiner was a principal of Shoptaw & Garrard. He serves on the on the Board of Directors of Connecture Inc., Perimeter Internetworking Inc., and Financial Transactin Systems Inc. He holds a BA from the University of North Carolina and an MBA from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University. Brian Hirch, Managing Director, Greenhill & Co. Brian is a Co-Founder and Managing Director of Greenhill SAVP where he oversees management of the venture fund and serves as Co-Chairman of the Fund's Investment Committee. Brian was previously a Managing Partner with SAVP, where he co-managed all of the fund's activities. Prior to SAVP, Brian was a Principal at Sterling Venture Partners and a Vice President with ABN AMRO Private Equity, the U.S. venture arm of ABN AMRO bank. Brian is currently a board member of BDMetrics, BestContractors, iKobo and Serious. Brian previously sat on the boards of YellowJacket (acquired by the Intercontinental Exchange, NYSE:ICE) and KnowledgeStorm (acquired by TechTarget, NASDAQ:TTGT). He holds a BA in Economics and American Studies from Brandeis University. Management Team Blake Patton Blake is responsible for managing all aspects of the customer experience. He is committed to providing the safest and most convenient money transfer service and delivering the highest level of customer service and value. Prior to his role as CEO, Blake served as iKobo's Chief Operating Officer where he led iKobo's team of committed experts that manage Customer Care, the iKobo.com website, the online processing engine, and compliance and risk management. His previous experience includes Managing Director of iXL's European operations and General Manager of iXL's Boston office. He was the founder/President of Siteman, a content management software company that he later sold, and VP of Operations of Swan Media. Blake has over 15 years of leadership experience ranging from early stage entrepreneurial to large publicly traded technology companies. He was Captain of the Swimming and Diving Team at Georgia Tech while earning a Bachelor degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering. He was inducted into the Georgia Tech College of Engineering Council of Outstanding Young Engineering Alumni in 2000. Blake is active with the Alzheimer's Association where he Co-Chairs the North Fulton / Gwinnett Memory Walk and serves on the Administrative Board of his Church. Colin Rogoff Colin is responsible for the finance & admin, legal and human resources functions at iKobo. He has more than a decade of executive level experience, and a solid track record in establishing/upgrading financial processes and controls, as well as leading complex financing and M&A transactions. Before joining iKobo, Colin was CFO of Harbor Payments, a provider of outsourced electronic payment solutions, through its acquisition by American Express. Prior to this, he was CFO of Magnet Communications, which provided outsourced cash management solutions to large financial institutions. Colin has also held top financial roles at Masterpack International and System Builder Technologies. He began his career as a public accountant with Arthur Andersen & Co. Colin has an MBA from the University of Witwatersrand and a Bachelor of Commerce with honors from Natal University, both in South Africa. Eva Boker, Chief Marketing Officer Eva is responsible for the full range of marketing functions including brand building, PR and press relations, marketing strategy, communications, customer acquisition and retention (via online and offline marketing), research and analytics, third party relationships and alliances. Her previous experiences include executive marketing roles in such bell weather companies as Interactive Corp and The Walt Disney Company as well as successful start ups such as LowerMyBills.com and Shopzilla.com previously BizRate. Eva brings a unique blend of brand and performance marketing and has over 15 years of successful marketing experience. Her marketing methodology and techniques cemented LowerMyBills.com in the top 5 online advertisers and helped propel the company from $18 million in revenues to over $100 million in just 2.5 years. Eva holds a bachelor's degree from Queens College in New York. Ian C. Van Buskirk, Program General Manager Ian is responsible for the full delivery and execution of iKobo's product programs including the entire product life-cycle and customer experience. Ian has over 13 years experience with large scale implementations in the telecommunications and prepaid processing industries. Prior to joining iKobo, Ian has worked in various managerial jobs for Amdocs, Deloitte, Cap Gemini, Pre Solutions, and InComm. At InComm, Ian served in several roles from Director of Program Management to Senior Director of Gift Card Services. Most recently, Ian was Managing Consultant for a successful 80 million dollar CRM project implementation at a large telecommunications company. Ian has an Executive MBA from University of Georgia and holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Management Information Systems from Florida Sate University. Max Garcia, Chief Technology Officer Max is responsible for ensuring all technology solutions provide the highest level of security, service, and availability to our customers. He has a total of 18 years experience in all aspects of telecommunications, software development, operations, transaction processing, and project management, most recently at InComm, a global transaction processor and distributor of products to the retail industry in the U.S., Canada, Caribbean, and Europe with over 145,000 retail locations and annual revenue of $2.5 billion. At InComm he was responsible for all merchant and product provider initiatives from the initial IT sales support, project management, integration development and final production releases. He has extensive experience working with retail partners like Wal*Mart, Target, Best Buy, Office Depot and product partners Microsoft, Apple, Cingular, TMobile, Verizon, and Sprint among others. He has a BS degree (with honors) in Computer Engineering from The Florida Institute of Technology. Cherie Hamblin, Vice President, Compliance Cherie is primarily responsible for the company's external relationships with the Department of Homeland Security, US Department Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and other governmental agencies as necessary. Additionally, she manages the company's ongoing compliance with the regulations of Visa Prepaid Card programs. Cherie was a key member of the management team of Clarity Payment Solutions, Inc, a pioneer in prepaid payments processing that was acquired by Total Systems (TSYS) for $53 million in 2004 as well as Chief Compliance Officer for the successor company TSYS Prepaid. As the area of prepaid risk management and fraud prevention has evolved she has led the industry creating reasonable and secure compliance policies across the various business enterprises. Cherie is a frequent speaker at anti-money laundering regulatory and risk forums and is the Vice Chairperson of the Government Relations Group of the National Branded Prepaid Card Association (NBPCA). Cherie received her Bachelor's degree from New York University and is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS).
John
Columbia,#6Consumer Suggestion
Sun, October 26, 2008
"Kobo" are coin currency in Nigeria: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigerian_naira IKOBO originated from Nigerian "Kobo" by adding "i" as they often do on the internet. It is believed that IKOBO company owners are from Nigeria.