Inventors
Bob Zider(President/CEO) and John Krumme(Chief Development Officer), inventors of Flexon, are once again revolutionizing eyewear technology with the Avantek Mounting System. Bob and John have partnered for years developing commercially successful medical device and healthcare products as The Beta Group.
Team
Bob Zider is Avantek's President and CEO. Previously holding roles as Vice President at the Boston Consulting group, technical roles with Pratt & Whitney and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Bob is now the inventor, innovator, and idea man behind Avantek's revolutionary technology. Bob holds a B.S.C.E. from the University of Virginia and an M.B.A. from Harvard University.
John Krumme is Avantek's Chief Development Officer. Previously holding management roles with GE, HP, and Raychem, John is currently the President of Figure 8 Surgical and the driving force behind Avantek's superior frameless technology. John holds a Masters in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford.
Dave Plough is Avantek’s President. After holding a role as an associate with The Boston Consulting Group, Dave joined The Beta Group in 1986. He served as founding CEO of Portaero from 2007 thru 2013. Dave has led Beta’s investments in CollOptics and Altair Eyewear. He served as initial President of two portfolio companies, CollOptics and Reflex Sunglasses, and as General Manager of another portfolio company, FoxS Labs. Dave received his AB degree in 1981 from Dartmouth College and his MBA in 1986 from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Bob Newell serves as the acting Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer for Avantek. He is an experienced finance executive that has served as Vice President of Finance and CFO of Cardica, Inc. and Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer for Omnicell, Inc. In prior positions, Bob has worked for Cardiometrics, The Beta Group, and Bank of America. Bob holds a B.A. degree in Mathematics from the College of William & Mary and an M.B.A. degree from the Harvard Business School.
Grant Zider is Avantek’s Chief Operations Officer. He has worked closely with corporate partners and eye care professionals for Avantek, leading the efforts to test market and launch HOYA North America’s Distortion-Free Optics product line that utilizes the Avantek Mounting System™. Grant holds a B.A. degree in Political Science from University of California, Los Angeles.
Darcy Thompson is Director of Professional Relations, who has strong optical retail sales and management experience and has played a major role in our successful market testing.
Chris Corley is Avantek's Technology Support Specialist and Advising Optician. After spending a circuit as a lab technician in eyewear chains, Chris took a role under Darcy's tutelage and begin to work on small research and development projects for Avantek, eventually undertaking a full time role. Now, Chris works closely with Avantek's corporate partners and eye care providers alike to ensure a quality product and provide a voice for direct feedback from the market. Chris attended the University of North Florida.
Avantek is a privately held company