Chris Wellens is the founder and CEO of InterWorking Labs, a software developer specializing in network test and verification products. Product developers and testers at Cisco, Hewlett Packard, Microsoft, Juniper Networks, Nortel, and many other companies, use InterWorking Labs solutions to deliver high quality products while meeting time to market goals.

Prior to InterWorking Labs, Chris was the Director of Technology for the Interop Company and has worked with Sun Microsystems in different capacities, as Product Line Manager, Software Product Manager and Group Manager of Market Development Engineering Chris has published a number of papers and articles on networking topics, and is currently completing her first book, with the working title: the Complete Software Product Marketing Guide. Chris earned a B.A. from Wellesley College and an M.S. from the University of Southern California. She lives in Santa Cruz with her husband, Karl Auerbach and cats--Chutney, Ryekrisp, and Moliere.

Chris built her venture from money raised through non-conventional means

Dr. Prieditis is CEO and President of Lookahead Decisions Incorporated, a company that produces software for real-time decision-making applications in healtcare, manufacturing, and material handling. Prior to that Dr. Prieditis was CEO of Unconventional Wisdom, a company that produced adaptive software for search engines, and a professor in the Computer Science department at the University of California-Davis.

Dr. Preditis has raised money through University grants and other non-conventional sources for his current and previous ventures

Mark is a relationship manager in the bank's China Basin Division based in San Francisco, which also includes coverage of the North Bay/Sacramento areas. His group manages over 150 client relationships with technology and life sciences companies and provides a unique combination of products and services specifically geared towards early stage companies. These services include access to industry specific entrepreneurial and investor events and referrals to key partners and alliances. Financial products offered include equipment term loans, accounts receivables financing, merchant card accounts, credit cards and standby letters of credit. Client companies are typically bootstrapped or backed by angel investors. Mark recently returned back to Silicon Valley Bank after a three-year hiatus. In '98 he left Silicon Valley Bank to join Accenture's Communication and High-Tech Practice and then Neomar, a wireless start-up company based in San Francisco. Mark holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Pepperdine University and an MBA from Santa Clara University.

Silicon Valley Bank serves emerging growth and middle market companies in targeted niches, focusing on technology and life sciences, while also addressing other specific industries in which it can provide a higher level of service and better manage credit through specialization and focus.

Chris has broad experience in Europe, North America and Asia with start-ups, turnarounds, acquisition integration and business development in Fortune 500 and privately held companies, including the Access Group, Avnet Inc., ITT, Mostek International & ZF Micro Devices. As a serial entrepreneur, Chris has had a couple of "learning experiences" that add balance to the 6 successful liquidity events over the past 30 years. He has compiled a comprehensive Guide to Venture Financing and teaches on Entrepreneurship at San Jose Sate University. A sometime Angel, he is also an active Board member and Advisor to several established and startup companies. Chris has a BS in Computer Science, and has been featured in and written articles on business and technology issues for the Financial Times, Electronic Times, Linux Journal, Business Week, and other publications. Go to www.mtisac.com and www.cgsmnet.com for more information.