McIntyre Associates – MeshNetworks connection

(DOD wireless tech commercialization)

* acquired by Motorola (NYSE – MOT) 12/2004

MeshNetworks was founded with the vision that the Mobile Internet should exploit the same proven architecture found in the wired internet. This architecture is based on a distributed mesh network that supports broadband data speeds by leveraging routing intelligence at the edge of the network. Using advanced ad hoc routing, Mesh is first to bring the advantages of the Internet's self-forming, self-healing, self-balancing architecture to mobile networks.

Retained Search Projects (1999 - 2001)

CEO

Board Member

General Consulting

Richard Licursi, MeshNetworks’ founding CEO and initial (Angel) investor is a long-term client. We worked together in the past to build the management team for another wireless startup, Phoenix Wireless Group/Lucent. (In fact, he brought some of the executives McIntyre Associates placed there to MeshNetworks, including his current VP Worldwide Sales and Director, of Product Development). Richard and I also worked together on Saville Systems, the first telephony billing IPO, where he served on the Board of Directors. Thanks to his introduction, I successfully executed 15 international searches at Saville over a 3-year period, during which they grew from $15M to $180M, completed a secondary offering and split twice.

 The Formation of MeshNetworks - In 1999 Richard called and asked me to participate in reviewing a rough draft business plan for a DOD technology-based company with IPR from ITT Avionics. He flew up to Hartford and we spent the day analyzing the opportunity from a number of angles. Next I visited him in Orlando, where he introduced me to MILCOM Technologies, a DOD technology accelerator www.milcomtech.com, which was helping to incubate the project while the deal was being finalized. We explored strategies around how best to staff the new company for rapid commercialization of this unique wireless IPR.

 Working for a combination of equity & cash, my role transitioned from high-level strategy, to determining what type of CEO could best “operationalize the big idea” by establishing, and scaling this raw technology play into a commercial company with working products in the field. Secondary considerations included BOD members, and senior managers.

 McIntyre Associates designed a search plan, and launched a full-out recruiting campaign, actively considering marquee wireless executives from major industry players. We successfully delivered a highly technical CEO who had been the key driver in building, and turning up one of the pioneer wireless networks in North America. He quickly decided on a market approach, and worked closely with the founder to scale the company around a handful of DOD engineers, IPR and limited startup capital. This CEO took the nascent company (then called Tegenar Networks) from 6 to 100+ employees over a two-year period, and put working commercial products in the field from which to develop a Qualcomm-model licensing enterprise.

 We also delivered a specialized wireless executive as one of the initial board members, and provided consulting services emphasizing specialized recruitment, but including assistance with fundraising, industry networking & PR, and competitive intelligence. 

MeshNetworks, Inc. is a true success story – a pioneer in commercializing ad hoc wireless technology, and the acknowledged leader in the burgeoning field of mesh networking. I am proud and grateful to have had the opportunity to play a significant role in helping to get this company off the ground and running.