Ben Warren
After graduation with an MSEE, I joined Intel Corporation in a design group developing microprocessors and memory devices. In the later part of my seven years with Intel I was the design manager for some of the earliest CODECs and filter devices for the telephony industry, as it moved from mechanical to integrated circuit switching systems. Several papers I authored were published while at Intel on switched capacitor and analog devices.
For the next 15 years I worked in many areas of silicon and software technology including founding a speech recognition company that was subsequently acquired and directing a nation-wide design center operation for VLSI Technology. My experience includes business, foundry operations, IC design, and market development for many of the semiconductor components in the personal computer arena.
At Inova Microelectronics, I was VP of Engineering for their wafer scale circuit business. This required extensive work at various foundries in Japan. Inova used a novel lasing approach that has subsequently become a standard for redundancy in today's memory products. I was General Manager of the Disk Drive Controller Division at Chips and Technologies where, starting from scratch, we grew revenues to over $20M.
In 1992 I joined Weitek Corporation, as VP of Engineering. Weitek developed computer graphics ICs for the PC and complete chip sets for graphics and all non-processor logic. As the PC became a commodity, I made a career change into a business role, joining Nortel via the Bay Networks acquisition as Director of Business Development. During the next three years I served as the focal point for network processors from outside the corporation. In this role I directed several Nortel minority investments in system or software related companies that were considered strategic. In the fall of 2000, I joined Nortels' Advanced Technology Investment group in Ottawa, focusing on start-ups that bring unique capabilities to system products, in the areas of MEMs, Sensor Networks, RFID devices, and other semiconductor related products.
I currently reside in Palo Alto California. In addition to ongoing projects with Nortel I work with small, innovative high tech firms in business and market development.
