SmallTech
Consulting Advisory and Extended Team
Our advisory and extended team provide additional expertise in our core areas, as well as in medicine, electronics, regulatory affairs, energy and intellectual property.
 Neha Choksi, MSEE |
MEMS, Nanotechnology, High-Volume Manufacturing, Management |
| Nasreen Chopra, Ph.D |
Nanotechnology, Management, Alternative Energy |
| Mike Daneman, Ph.D. |
MEMS, Optics, Packaging, Alternative Energy |
| Liz Lison, BS Medical Science |
FDA Regulatory Affairs |
| Dominic Massetti, MS |
Intellectual Property, Semiconductors, Nanotechnology |
| Willy McAllister, MSEE |
Medical Devices, Electronics, Biological & Chemical Measurement Systems |
| Minnie Sarwal, MD, MRCP, DCH, Ph.D. |
Medicine |
| Frederick Stawitcke, Ph.D. |
Medical Devices, Finite Element Analysis, Solar Energy, Management |
| Tamara Barr, RN, MPH |
Medicine |
| Byron Shaw, Ph.D |
Sensors, Energy, Automotive, Management |
Neha Choksi, MSEE
Ms. Choksi earned an MS in Electrical Engineering with a MEMS specialization from Stanford University and a BS in Electrical Engineering and Mathematics from Vanderbilt University. Ms. Choksi is a Founding Member of SmallTech Consulting, and has a wide-ranging technical and business experience that includes jobs as the Director of Product Engineering at Silicon Microstructures, Inc., as an Engineering Manager and a Director of Business Development for startups and premier firms, and as a Strategic Management Business Analyst at McKinsey & Company. Neha has experience with commercialization, new product introduction (NPI), design controls, advanced product quality planning (APQP), ISO9001/TS16949 requirements and implementation, key performance indicators (KPI), and vendor audits. She has also taught a course on Nanofabrication at Foothill College and is active in multiple IEEE chapters including serving as treasurer of the San Francisco Bay Area Nanotechnology Council and past treasurer of IEEE Women in Engineering. She has published technically, and enjoys working to balance market/business and technical perspectives.
Nasreen Chopra, Ph.D
Dr. Nasreen Chopra is an entrepreneur with ten years of experience in discovering, developing and transferring new materials technology into application. Dr. Chopra was co-founder and CEO of Koila, Inc, a venture backed start-up company addressing cooling of microelectronics, where she generated core IP in thermal application of nanotubes, raised Series A funding from top tier venture capitalists, and built a multi-disciplinary team of engineers establishing world's leading expertise of nanotube growth on copper. Nasreen's experience also includes work at Agilent Laboratories on nanopore synthesis (10 - 100 nm diameter) and fast x-ray imaging systems to inspect printed circuit boards. At Applied Materials, she was core member of the team that developed Black Diamond, a leading low-k dielectric film currently in manufacture. Dr. Chopra earned Ph.D., M.A. and B.S. degrees in Physics from the University of California, Berkeley. She is an inventor on numerous pending patents, and has authored 20 technical publications.
Mike Daneman, Ph.D.
Mike Daneman brings a broad range of experience, including over 13 years experience in MEMS design and development, optical design, and fiber-optic packaging, as well as experience in small and large group and project management. Mike has published a number of technical journal and conference papers in the field of optical MEMS. Mike received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, then went on to receive an M.S. and PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley, specializing in adaptive Optical MEMS and Fiber-optics components. Mike has worked at Silicon Light Machines, co-founded Onix Microsystems, and most recently, has managed chip-assembly and packaging of MEMS-based miniature Solid-Oxide Fuel Cells at Lilliputian Systems.
Liz Lison, BS Medical Science
Ms. Lison has more than 20 years experience in the diagnostics industry, having held various senior management positions in regulatory affairs, quality assurance, operations management, customer service and sales and marketing. She has experience working with companies governed by FDA, ISO, CLIA and HIPAA regulations. Most recently she has worked with a number of entrepreneurial diagnostic companies to define their regulatory strategy and implement operational infrastructure to bring cutting-edge products from concept to commercialization. This has included implementing design control systems and facilitating meetings with the FDA. Ms. Lison also has experience of the regulation of healthcare products in the EU and has worked with several companies to achieve compliance with the In Vitro Diagnostics Directive and ISO 13485 certification. Ms. Lison has a BS in Medical Science from the University of Bradford (UK). She is a member of the Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society.
Dominic Massetti, MS Solid-State Physics
Mr. Dominic Massetti has over 30 years of industry experience spanning multiple applications of Integrated Circuit device and fabrication technology. Most recently he directed technology related assessments of intellectual property for IPValue Management. He mined and evaluated the patent portfolios of Fortune 500 high-tech companies. He previously served as Senior Director, VLSI Manufacturing Technology, for HDD industry leader Seagate Technology where he ensured mass market commercialization of state-of-the art IC fabrication technology. Prior to that, he was Director of Technology Development & Quality Systems at Texas Instruments. There he developed and applied high speed analog BiCMOS manufacturing technologies to products used in high capacity storage systems, wireless communication components, and PC processor interfaces. Earlier in his career he developed CMOS logic and non-volatile memory technologies, and managed pilot fabrication lines at NCR Microelectronics and Philips Semiconductors. He has been active in promoting nanotechnology by organizing forums and speaking on the subject. He has published related on-line articles for NanoInvestorNews. As an NSF peer reviewer he continues to support investments in small high tech businesses. Mr. Massetti holds a Master of Science degree in Applied Solid State Physics from the University of California, San Diego. He also earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Physics.
William H. McAllister, MSEE
Mr. McAllister adds to SmallTech’s capabilities in circuit and system design, product integration, and medical device qualification strategy. He has 25 years of experience as a technology and research manager, with an extensive career in project management, electronics and computer design, integrated circuits, systems for biological and chemical measurement, and medical device design in a regulated environment. As a research manager at Hewlett Packard and Agilent Laboratories, Mr. McAllister led teams of engineers and scientists developing microfluidic-based systems for liquid chromatograph and biomolecular recognition arrays (DNA and Antibody arrays). At Pelikan Technologies, Inc., a medical device start-up company, he directed Laboratory and Sustaining Engineering teams developing and delivering to market a pain-free lancing device for diabetics. After introduction, he implemented continuous improvements for yield, cost and reliability. He also coordinated a worldwide team of suppliers, developers and contract manufacturers. Willy is experienced in design verification, process validation, risk assessment, change control and manufacturing under a regulatory environment with rigorous documentation standards for Class-2 medical devices. He has a strong technical background in electrical engineering, complex systems, high-speed data acquisition and mixed-signal electronics, full- and semi-custom integrated circuit design.
Minnie Sarwal, MD, MRCP, DCH, Ph.D.
Dr. Sarwal is a pediatric transplant physician and research scientist, trained in the UK with a DCH from London University and an MRCP from the Royal College of Physicians. London. She also holds a degree in Molecular Biology from Christ's College, Cambridge University, from the Molecular Genetics Unit Laboratory of Nobel Laureate Sydney Brenner. She is the recipient of Medical Research Council and National Kidney Foundation grants in the UK and NIH and Industry grants in the US for her efforts in translation research in transplantation, and has spearheaded the first steroid-free kidney transplant immunosuppression approach for children. She is an Associate Professor at Stanford, where she is involved in patient care and running a laboratory focusing on DNA microarray technology, genomics and proteomics research. She has authored 6 book chapters and over 50 publications and holds 2 patents. She has chaired numerous transplant symposia and transplant committees, is an Ad Hoc member of 4 NIH Study Sections, and has given over 100 lectures nationally and internationally.
Frederick Stawitcke, Ph.D.
Dr. Stawitcke has extensive experience developing early-stage medical device technologies from concept into robust performance and low cost, often with a focus on the control, measurement, movement, and thermal conditioning of gases and liquids. His technical contributions at HP Labs ranged from development of “smart” respirator and infusion pump designs to non-invasive cardiac blood flow measurement technology. While there he also served as a project manager and directed the 30-member Medical Department, providing new technologies to HP’s Medical Products Group. At Agilent Labs he conducted analyses of a MEMS fluidic-optical telecom switch. While at HealtheTech he led the project to develop a novel optical gas sensor from concept through prototype manufacturing process. Most recently he worked in the solar energy field at OptiSolar, developing mathematical models and finite element simulations of thin film a-Si solar panels and vacuum chambers for vapor deposition systems; developing custom electrical interconnections and process equipment for their low cost, automated manufacturing including ultrasonic welding and laser ablation. Dr. Stawitcke has been granted 11 patents; and holds an SB in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the MS and PhD degrees from Stanford University.
Tamara Barr, RN, MPH
Ms. Barr is a Registered Nurse and worked as an infection control nurse at Stanford for 6 years and in public health for 3 years. Tamara has a BS in nursing and a Masters in Public Health, focusing on epidemiology, biomedical sciences and bio statistics.
Byron Shaw, Ph.D.
Dr. Shaw received his B.S. and M.S. in mechanical engineering from MIT, as well as a B.S. in German language and literature. He earned his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering/controls from UC Berkeley. He worked at BMW managing advanced technology, for which he coordinated all university research in the US and was the technical manager of a 30-person engineering and marketing team and a $4 million budget.