Prior to Rivio, while pursuing doctoral studies at Stanford, Albert started VXtreme, a streaming media software company. Albert was Principal Engineer when VXtreme was acquired by Microsoft in August 1997. VXtreme technology became the Windows Media Player used by several hundred million people today. At Microsoft, Albert continued his work as Manager of the Advanced Video Compression R&D Group.

Albert has authored 5 papers, filed more than 14 patent applications, and has received numerous awards from the IEEE and ACM.

Albert holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University.

Prior to founding IdeaBlade, Jay was Principal Architect at Rivio, Inc. where he led the development and implementation efforts of more than 40 engineers, both in the US and off-shore. The flexibility of the framework design allowed for simple customization and configuration management of Rivio web-based applications for distribution by Bank of America, Fleet Boston Bank, Verizon, Bell South, and Microsoft among others.

Previously, as an independent consultant for both ThoughtWorks, Inc. and GE Capital, Jay managed teams that designed and implemented a variety of financial application tools and frameworks. Prior to GE Capital, Jay worked for Pacific Bell and as a senior consultant for Pricewaterhouse Consulting (now PricewaterhouseCoopers).

Jay holds an M.B.A. Finance, Wharton School and M.S. Engineering, Moore School of Electrical Engineering, University of Pennsylvania. He received a B.S. Finance, Wharton School and B.A.S., College of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Pennsylvania.

Prior to joining IdeaBlade in 2002, Ward was Senior Director of Product Management at Rivio, Inc. where he was responsible for definition and development of all Internet applications. Later Ward created the Rivio professional services department that managed all customization and private labeling activities for Rivio partners including Bank of America and Fleet Boston Bank.

Before Rivio, Ward was V.P. of Financial Services and a Director of Business Development at GE Capital Computer Leasing. Prior to GE, he designed and developed numerous enterprise applications for American Express, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, Mobil Oil and other global industrial companies.

Ward has a BA from Haverford College and pursued doctoral studies at the University of California, Berkeley.

Previously as Founder and CEO of Dynamic Solutions, Michael built and managed a profitable software services company providing solutions to the manufacturing and high tech verticals.

As the first General Manager for Microsoft Vietnam, Michael pioneered the company’s entry into the country, successfully developing a profitable business with ninety-nine percent piracy in less than two years. As Regional Marketing Director, Michael created and implemented regional sales and marketing initiatives across seven countries within the Southeast Asia Region.

Michael graduated from DePauw University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and a minor in Computer Science. He lives in the Bay Area with his wife Laura, and his daughters Jessica, Audrey and Jenna.