Now That @TigerWoods is Validated and My Savings Rate Can Go Up are We Done Yet?

Whether you know it or not two major events occurred today that represent a true step forward (at least in my own mind) in the evolution of the Internet (Michael made me capitalize it) as a truly valuable medium occurred today. While the heavyweights in the industry were debating the future of Web 2.0 at the conference in San Francisco, I learned that Twitter had verified that the handle @TigerWoods was really Tiger Woods and that my bank had noticed that my kids' savings accounts were eligible for a "free" upgrade to a higher interest rate.

As to the likes of Mark Zuckerberg, John Doerr and other heavyweights I await their prognostications with bated breath...as I will forget them as soon as I read them. But will I ever forget that Tiger is back on Twitter or that this change in interest rate (which would have an impact of approximately $.01 per year)? No! Never! Why? Because they remind me of the distortions of notion of real value being delivered by this medium and create noise where there is no need. That my bank actually employs people to call account holders to let them know that over the next one hundred years each of my two daughters can see their net worth rise by $1.00, makes me wonder what other real opportunities that I am missing.

Don't get me wrong--I am a big fan of Tiger Woods. I am a golfer at heart and I admire his accomplishments in the sport. But I don't see him either as a moral compass or his personal problems as a sign of the decline of our society. I see him for what he is--an athlete, an entertainer and a troubled human being. But nothing that he has done--or will do--relieves of me from any my responsibilities as a citizen or a parent. So I guess we aren't done yet. And Tiger can have that extra $1.00 over the next hundred years.

The Quality of Life

I just spent the weekend with my father, who is 95, mentally alert with severely impaired vision and eyesight. Over the past several months I have been struggling to find a device or device that he can operate and will give him access to digital media. This is about keeping an active mind active and avoiding frustration which is the typical barrier to all the gadgets we of the digital age now treasure. Audiobooks would be an ideal medium, but he needs to be able to download, start/stop, and make selections. With our ipods and smart phones we sometimes seem to ignore the simple fact that what works for many of us as "easier" is "harder" for those who's abilities are impaired. We made progress today by connecting headphones to a CD player, but the CD player can only be operated by a miniature remote--where the buttons are small the locations seemingly random and the frustration level extremely high.

While I'm sure we (my sister and I) will find improvements that allow him to enjoy and without extreme effort some of the things we take for granted, the fact that we take them for granted is itself a problem. For many of us "quality of life" means work/family balance, financial security and the ability to choose what we do, we will soon join the generation where our quality of life will be determined by simpler and more day-to-day issues. We should remember that and strive to make accessibility as important as availability and usability.

What is Convergence?

When I was COO at Clarent, our discussion was about the impact of "convergence" where the internet and traditional telecommunications came together. Today convergence is a MUCH bigger trend and many of us do not see the changes as they are coming; green-tech is meeting the web in the networks and interconnects of real time exchange of ideas; semiconductors and software are becoming almost indistinguishable as sub-micron manufacturing processes essentially instantiates code; persistent memory is being converged in a cloud; security is synonymous with individuality and identity; relationships exist in n-dimensions rather than one-on-one. Sometime it is just too much, and other times it is just too little. Profoundly enough, the one factor that still needs to converge in a scalable way is teamwork, the fact that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts and that a new way of doing things with greater efficiency drives new things to discover and do. We are all converging and by default are able to know more about each other--the question remains can we KNOW each other in a profound new way. Can empathy be expressed technologically?

Thoughts on Time and Individuality

Today my younger child celebrated her 13th birthday (actual date was March 4). Tuesday my older child turns 21. My thoughts about how fast time has changed, and what has changed are fast, furious and fleeting insights into the finite and the infinite. As Einstein said (to paraphrase) "The only two things that are infinite are the universe and human stupidity." As to the latter, what strikes me are arbitrary judgements made in politics and business that are driven by ego, dogma or simply misguided and incomplete thought processes. The herd mentality comes to mind.

President Obama has some hard decisions to make. We don't know how to fix the economy because we don't know how to change public sentiment overnight. Markets function wonderfully when people are rational, optimistic and think for themselves. i remember a time when i was an undergraduate at Yale watching Igor Stravinsky conduct a rehersal of the Yale Symphony Orchestra. Looking at the violin section he was extremely frustrated--the violinists looked and acted like clones of each other rather than tapping their individual talent. "Individual bowing..." he stated--and immediately the intensity and urgency of the music increased with mechanism replaced by passion. A lesson we should all take note of now...

Catching Up on Rivalries

So far not a good day for my side, Harvard shuts out Yale, Cal kills Stanford, But it reminds me what these rivalries are all about--pride. Pride in our country, pride in our children, pride in the quality of our friendships and our work. Learning how to win well is just as hard as being a good loser but both learning experiences are just as valuable.

I hear the Republicans shifting the "blame" for the state of the economy to the President elect, I hear the UAW President saying that they will concede "nothing" and financial institutions and others with their hands out for a bailout, a bailout for poor planning, arrogance and customer insensitivity. Then I get a call from the great innovation of our time, Amazon.com scheduling delivery of an item at least a week early. When have we seen customer service like that?

So since my blog is both random, muse-oriented and about taking stands let me advocate the following "radical" suggestion. Let's immediately all reset our expectations, pick up the pieces of our lives and look at things to be truly thankful for. Let's all support the public institutions of greatest import--our schools, our libraries, our ability to live free and thrive. And to all the turmoil in the economy let's remember that the Pilgrims started Thanksgiving for precisely that reason.

More later,

About Me

Richard J. Heaps
rheaps@aol.com 510-368-0142 Alameda, CA


SUMMARY

An accomplished CFO/COO and General Counsel with a broad and unique combination of experience in organizational finance and business management from start-up through IPO to public company. Experience includes M&As, as well as international business development and growing global markets for companies and customers in the enterprise and vertical software, distributed processing, security, telecommunications, VOIP, and software as service sectors.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Cross-functional Leadership: 25+ experience operating on the front lines of growth companies including finance, legal, sales, strategy and systems development, marketing and professional services.
• Driving Organizational Evolution: Key leader taking multiple companies from pre-revenue to public offering, guiding operational change as organization and product, customer and distribution channels change and evolve. Able to integrate technical and market differentiators and articulate them in clear and measurable sales and business plans.
• International Market Expansion: Responsible for taking companies into 20+ countries on 5 continents, assuming both revenue and operational responsibility in companies with 50%+ of revenue outside the United States.
• Strategic Relationship Management: Lead executive in key strategic partnerships with industry leaders worldwide, respected for integrity and candor. Trusted by a broad set of internally and externally facing audiences including customers, employees, investors and industry leaders.
• JD and MBA Stanford University, BA Yale University. Member State Bar of California.

EXPERIENCE

CFO and General Counsel
Selectica, Inc.(NASDAQ: SLTC) San Jose, CA 2008 to present

Company is leader in emerging Contract Lifecycle Management segment. Joined turnaround team to refocus core business, streamline operations, legal affairs, external and internal financial reporting and help manage day-to-day operations.
Strategic Advisor and Principal
The Management Group LLC, Alameda, CA 2001 to present
Established management advisory practice focused on early-stage technology companies in telecom and telecom services, vertical solutions, distributed processing, and e-commerce
Selected engagements:
Vitcom, New York, NY
• Provided ongoing business advisory services for wholesale VOIP carrier including review of business plans, funding strategies and operational structure,
SkyFlow, Berkeley
• As interim President and CEO of this voice enabled call center software company, successfully completed fund raising of $1.5M and full recapitalization of the company,
Tours.com, San Francisco
• Consulted on web strategy and creation of formal business plan and business development for this e-commerce software company in the leisure travel and tours arena,
Novation, Inc, Reno
• Provided a full business plan revision and reviewed funding strategies for this company offering unique technology in the detoxification and purification of semi-potable water supplies,
Clarus Systems, San Francisco
• Initial investor and principal force in helping to secure initial (Series A) funding for this company focusing on QOS assurance in the enterprise voice services business.
Webmediary, Scotts Valley
• Advised on competitive strategies for this web appliance company focused on acceleration of response for highly interactive web sites,
eSelf , Mountain View
• Provided full business plan review and worked on funding strategies for this software company producing intelligent search software,
Kinitos, Palo Alto
• Assisted in the development of business plan and funding strategy for company providing a unique development infrastructure for managing and deploying enterprise-wide distributed processing Microsoft .Net based applications,
Katalytics, Menlo Park
• Reviewed business, funding and operational strategy for this company focused on providing an integrated information system aimed at patient management in hospital emergency rooms,
Vocal Valet, Inc, Mountain View
• Co-founded (as Chairman) company based on a hybrid voice/text user interface with the goal of developing the first truly “friendly” interface to the growing array of digital information, including music, news, sports, video and RSS feeds. Raised seed financing through angels, company currently seeking full funding for product and business development,
eJohnHenry, LLC, Menlo Park
• Currently working on early stage business plan for this data/transaction security company with unique technology for establishing and verifying user identity in various vertical markets such as financial services, logistics, law enforcement, health care and homeland security


COO, CFO and General Counsel,
Clarent Corporation, Redwood City, CA 1998-2001
Hired by the Board of Directors and CEO to be key leader of executive team that drove this innovator in VOIP and soft-switching technology from under 50 people and annualized revenue of $12M to a 20+ country multinational company approaching 900 people and $250M+ in annualized revenue, exceeding market expectations in each quarter as a public company.

Operations and Finance
• As COO/CFO orchestrated Series C, IPO and Secondary Public offerings raising nearly $500M in capital.
• Completed 3 major acquisitions (including one public company) and restructuring the company into three separate business units to address a growing market
• Directly responsible for company’s Series C, IPO and secondary public offering.
• Led company through multiple changes in financial reporting, internal control and forecasting systems to assure full management visibility to the state of the business and the marketplace.
• Responsible for establishing organizational structure and process hiring sales, marketing, finance, human resource, legal, product strategy and business development professionals to build market leadership and brand equity.
• Led successful initial public and subsequent secondary offering led by Credit Suisse First Boston, raising more than $300M and maintained an active investor and analyst dialogue.

Business Development
• Operating force behind expansion of pioneer VOIP company into a worldwide organization.
• Balanced the direct/indirect sales strategy and provided mechanisms for resolution of channel conflict.
• Acted as key executive decision maker for closing major deals in North America and EMEA.
• Built a streamlined contracting and sales administration infrastructure to support both the sales force and to assure consistency with accounting and credit standards.



General Counsel, CFO
Centura Software/Gupta Corp, Menlo Park, CA 1987-1997
Assumed responsibility for both revenue generation and operational areas. Lead the company through a restatement and restructuring as well as opened international sites and markets for this Enterprise Tools and solutions provider.

Finance and Legal
• Led company through multiple changes in financial reporting, internal control and forecasting systems to assure full management visibility to the state of the business and the marketplace.
• Lead the restructuring and restatement of Gupta/Centura’s financial statements, assuming role as CFO in a crisis and enabling the company to stabilize and refocus after process complete.
• Designed and implemented functional and financial turnaround and restructuring plan resulting in a profitable 1996 after eight quarters of losses and implementing changes which reduced the company’s cost structure by 40% while maintaining revenues.
• Settled company’s shareholder class action lawsuit.
• Key contributor to successful IPO in 1993.

Business Development and International Sales
• Key executive responsible for negotiating and structuring strategic relationships with CA, UPS, IBM, NCR, Hewlett Packard, Siemens Nixdorf, PSDI, Mitsubishi Corporation and PeopleSoft.
• Established company’s European operations, technical services and marketing programs during company’s start-up growth period.
• Established international operations in Asia, Latin America and Africa and responsible for growing the business to almost 20% of total revenue in less than 3 years.
• Led the company into the Latin America, Asian and Australasian markets and established strategic channels for client/server products both domestically and internationally.
• Balanced the direct/indirect sales strategies and developed mechanisms for resolution of channel conflict.
• Architect behind streamlining the company’s sales administration and contracting infrastructure to support sales operations and financial reporting standards.


AFFILIATIONS

• State Bar of California, current
• American Bar Association, current
• San Francisco Bar Association, 1996
• International Bar Association, 1996

EDUCATION

STANFORD UNIVERSITY
MBA Graduate School of Business
Arjay Miller Scholar, top 10% of graduating class
JD Stanford School of Law
Topics Editor, Stanford Journal of International Studies

BA Mathematics & Economics magna cum laude
YALE UNIVERSITY, Connecticut


NOTEWORTHY

Director: San Jose Children's Discovery Museum, Alameda Education Foundation, (founding vision behind the Alameda Legacy Fund, the endowment arm of AEF). Vice President and member of the Board of AEF.