Kimo Johnson, CEO, Co-Founder
Kimo Johnson is CEO and a co-founder of the GelSight. He helped develop the GelSight technology during his postdoc at MIT. Dr. Johnson's research interests include image and signal processing, computer vision and 3D measurement. Dr. Johnson is excited to bring the GelSight technology to the world and explore next-generation opportunities for this unique platform technology.
Fun fact: In college, Kimo played saxophone and keyboards in a rock band named Beefcake Messiah.
János Rohaly, Chief Technology Officer, Co-founder
János is a hands-on high-tech entrepreneur with experience in building successful businesses and creating game changing imaging products out of a research idea. In 2003 he co-founded Brontes Technologies, a dental 3D intraoral scanning startup, based on his research at MIT. Brontes was acquired by 3M in 2006. In 2011, after spending few years as chief technology officer at the Digital Oral Care Division of 3M he joined the founding team of GelSight. János holds a PhD in Industrial Sciences and has numerous patents spanning the space of novel optics and algorithms in the field of three-dimensional imaging.
Fun fact: I have lived, studied, and worked on three continents.
Duane Sword, Chief Commercial Officer
Duane is a serial entrepreneur (3 prior startups, acquired). 25 years in test, measurement and diagnostics. Product Management, marketing and global sales experience. He has built his career with major public companies including Hewlett-Packard, Thermo Fisher Scientific and MKS Instruments. Launchpad Venture Group investor and member.
Fun fact: To relax I like to get on a race track at 120mph.
Thierry Mantel, Chief Operating Officer
Thierry has spent most of his career in the automotive and aerospace industries from engineering positions to the management of profit center and international cooperations. He has a PhD in turbulent combustion modeling and he was a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University.
Fun fact: I enjoy cooking French and Italian dishes, and practice road and mountain biking on a regular basis.
Sean Garrett, Chief Product Officer
Sean is a technical business executive passionate about creating new and unique product experiences. He spent the majority of his career at Bose Corporation where he was responsible for pioneering the introduction of numerous technologies and award-winning products, leading global organizations, and building Bose’s headphone business. Sean’s strengths include product development and launch, organization building, strategy development and deployment, communication, and problem solving.
Fun fact: I am a 'car guy' and still have the car I built with my father while I was in high school. It shares the garage with the car I am building now with my kids.
Jay Anseth, VP of Chemical Processes
Jay is responsible for the research, development, and manufacturing of GelSight’s elastomeric sensor cartridges. He received his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University with a focus on emulsions and interface science. Afterward, he conducted postdoctoral research at Harvard University in the Departments of Applied Physics and Microbiology. Prior to joining GelSight, he spent nearly 14 years at E Ink Corporation working as a technical contributor, manager, and research director in the areas of microencapsulation, pigment dispersion formulations, and thin film coatings.
Fun fact: I enjoy keeping aquariums. Currently I have a fish that is now more than 10 years old. He was about 1” long when I got him & is now about 18” long. He is appropriately named SuperBeef.
Veronica Betancur, Robotics Engineer
Veronica is currently leading the Robotics efforts at GelSight. She has a Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering with significant experience in aerospace, mechanical, biomedical, and robotics engineering, with emphasis in the design and manufacturing of polymeric microfluidic devices and aircraft dynamics and control.
Fun fact: I competed in the Nationals for archery when I was younger.
Steve Boyle, Principal Product Engineer
As Product Engineer, Steve is excited to work with such a smart and talented team on integrating our world class technology into our product lines. After getting his BS in Mechanical Engineering, he has worked in consumer product development throughout his career, with roles evolving from Design Engineer through HW/SW Platform Management. Steve loves being able to work on innovative new technologies and designs that incorporate a Human Centered Design approach, and he is looking forward to helping develop some really game changing products!
Fun fact: Big Boston sports fan, but in particular, love of the Celtics & basketball as a youth evolved into a love for sneakers, and I currently own over 150 pairs (most of which are unworn).
Kristin Colman, Director of Marketing
Kristin comes to GelSight with extensive experience in Demand Generation, Digital Marketing and in-person events. She spent the majority of her career in the publishing and advertising industry, and is very excited to be on the other side.
Fun fact: I love traveling and adventures! I have been hugged by a manatee in Florida and have gone cage diving with Great White sharks in South Africa.
Joesph Daniels, Federal & Military Director
Joseph brings over 20 years of global experience in the product testing and diagnostics of information in the aerospace, marine, military and electronics fields. He is specialized in spectrophotometers and surface analysis for US Air Force and Navy, Boeing, Airbus, Lockheed, as well as Apple and Samsung around the world. Joseph graduated Texas A&M Class of 1995.
Fun fact: I played for the New York Jets and Denver Broncos from 1995 - 1998. Then I worked as a Scout for the Seattle Seahawks for 7 years.
Alexa Horn, Gel Production Manager
Alexa is currently the Gel Production Manager. Her background is in STEM with a BA in Biology from Hamilton College. She started at Gelsight in 2017 as a lab technician and steadily grown into her current role.
Fun fact: I am technically a captain because I have my boating license.
Michael Joseph, Electrical Engineer
Michael joined the GelSight team in summer of 2015. He holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of New Hampshire, and is pursuing his MEEE. He has been involved in GelSight system deployment, manufacturing, and design.
Fun fact: I was a BSA Eagle Scout award recipient in November 2005.
Aidan Linton, Product Designer
Aidan is an industrial designer and process innovator, who loves what he does. He works across the interfaces of art, function, and engineering; gets his hands dirty and consider prototyping central to his process and one of his strengths. Aidan’s passion for product design and process innovation stems from the intersection of problem solving, creativity, and helping others—he uses his skills to develop simple, highly intuitive, empathetic, thoughtfully designed solutions, that enable enjoyable and effective user experiences, and help improve quality of life.
Fun fact: I got SCUBA certified when I was 13 and have been on almost 4 dozen dives so far in my life.
Joe O'Leary, Principal Software Architect
Joe grew up in the Boston area and migrated to the mid-west to attend and graduate from the University of Notre Dame. He’s been writing software since the early 1990s for everything from RADAR to image processing, flight-scheduling to DNA matching, and now here at GelSight!
Fun fact: I've run the Boston Marathon 10 times. It never gets easier.
F. Garrett Reis, Sales Engineering Manager
Garret comes to GelSight specializing in technical sales, applications, customer success/solutions, pre and post-sale engineering, as well as quality control engineering and metrology. He completed his B.S in Industrial and Systems Engineering at The University of Rhode Island.
Fun fact: As a surfing enthusiast I love to hit the waves!
Debra Shure, Principal Software Engineer
Debra is a Principal Software Engineer at GelSight with over 30 years experience developing software. She is currently working on designing, integrating and testing algorithm based components for our user facing applications. Prior to joining GelSight, Debra was in the Defense Industry working on software for computer vision applications.
Fun fact: I am a yoga teacher.
Jared Trudeau, Gel Production Engineer
Jared is a jack of all trades! He is has a Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences but I have many hobbies such as; rock climbing, off-roading, scuba diving, traveling, off-road fabrication and hunting.
Fun fact: I lived in Seoul, South Korea for half of a year where I finished my bachelors degree and did a bunch of traveling. I have been to 12 countries so far.
Justin Vadenais, Gel Production Technician
Justin interned for GelSight in the summer of 2017. After graduating from UMASS Amherst with a Bachelor’s of Science in Chemistry in the spring of 2018, he spent over 2 years as a lab technician in a molecular reagent manufacturing lab. Justin is very excited to rejoin the GelSight team!
Fun fact: I am an avid Patriots and Celtics fan!
Richard Cottrell, Advisor
CTO Polaroid Corporation
PhD Chemical Engineering
30+ years manufacturing, R&D
Lieutenant General Judith A. Fedder (USAF-retired), Director
Lieutenant General Judith A. Fedder (USAF-retired) is an Independent Consultant and a Senior Advisor to the Boston Consulting Group. She served in the U.S. Air Force for 35 years, leading in the areas of aircraft maintenance, munitions, logistics and sustainment. Following her active duty service, she was a Senior Director for Integrated Logistics in Global Sales and Marketing at The Boeing Company. Her current consulting roles focus on military aircraft life-cycle management, professional development, and resource planning related to Department of Defense weapon systems.
Vice Admiral David Buss, Director
Vice Admiral David Buss has served as an independent Director with GelSight's Board since 2019. He is a retired 3-star admiral who served on active duty in the US Navy for more than 36 years as a Naval Aviator. After retiring from the Navy in 2015, Buss was president of Cubic Global Defense, Inc. (NYSE: CUB) until 2018. He is currently the CEO of OpenDrives, Inc., a Los Angeles-based technology sector company. In addition to his Director duties with GelSight, Admiral Buss also serves a Director on the Board of TechFlow, Inc. and is Chairman of the Board of Directors of WestPak, Inc. Additionally, he serves as a Trustee at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD.
John Ho, Director
John Ho is an MIT-trained technologist and investor with expertise in advanced materials, optoelectronics, photonics, and visual display technologies. As a Partner with Anzu Partners, John leads the Anzu Boston office and supports Anzu’s portfolio companies with their business development and strategic growth initiatives. He’s also responsible for sourcing and leading diligence on early-stage companies with industrially-oriented hardware or new materials (nanotechnology).
Previously, John was the Product Marketing Manager at QD Vision where he was responsible for commercializing applications of quantum dot materials in the display and lighting markets. John has numerous papers and patents pending in the fields of organic electronics and nanotechnology fabrication.
Prior to QD Vision, John was a Management Consultant with Boston Consulting Group with expertise in the Healthcare/Biopharma, Enterprise Software, and Industrial Goods industries.
He was also a scientist at Raytheon BBN Technologies, acting as a technical interface for government agencies as well as leading development efforts for ultra-trace chem-bio sensor technologies.
Dr. Ho received his BS, MEng, and PhD in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where his thesis work involved the use of quantum dots in hybrid organic-inorganic chemosensors for trace detection of explosives.
David Hurley, Director
David Hurley has over forty years of experience in operations, marketing and sales in the aerospace and telecommunications industries. In 1984, Hurley founded Flight Services Group (FSG) and his entrepreneurial approach led to the successful growth of the company, setting the standards for safety, training and professionalism in business aviation, and creating one of the world’s largest providers of corporate aircraft management, executive charter, and aircraft sales and acquisitions in the U.S. Hurley was elected to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Board in 2000 and retired as Chairman in 2006.
Kimo Johnson, CEO, Co-Founder
Kimo Johnson is CEO and a co-founder of the GelSight. He helped develop the GelSight technology during his postdoc at MIT. Dr. Johnson's research interests include image and signal processing, computer vision and 3D measurement. Dr. Johnson is excited to bring the GelSight technology to the world and explore next-generation opportunities for this unique platform technology.
Fun fact: In college, Kimo played saxophone and keyboards in a rock band named Beefcake Messiah.
Pierre Villeneuve, Director
Pierre Villeneuve has founded and scaled three companies. He has raised over $30M in VC funding and sold two companies. Pierre has mentored over 40 tech startups, including one unicorn, through MIT and the Consulate General of Canada. Pierre also founded a private equity firm pursuing buyouts and recapitalizations of manufacturing companies. Pierre brings his deep knowledge of technology and entrepreneurial leadership to his investing and advisory roles. He has a PhD in Physics from Laval University and was a Research Scientist at MIT and Adjunct Professor at Brown University.