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Dr. Atti is an experienced energy technology investor, entrepreneur, and executive who has demonstrated expertise and leadership in venture financing, business development, start-up growth and operations, and negotiating joint venture relationships.

As co-founder and CEO at Phononic, he’s led the development and growth of the company as the leading innovator of solid state cooling and heating management solutions through accretive venture capital and institutional investor support. As a former Director at MHI Energy Partners, a seed- and early-stage energy private equity fund, Dr. Atti managed deal flow networks, conducted due diligence, structured venture financing transactions, and provided direct portfolio company leadership.

Dr. Atti earned his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute at the University of Southern California. Dr. Atti also holds an MBA from New York University and a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from Ithaca College.

Kevin Granucci is the Chief Revenue Officer responsible for the growth of
Phononic’s solid state cooling and heating solutions sold across multiple industries. An innovative sales leader with over 25 years of experience, Kevin is recognized for his ability to drive revenue growth year over year, and for skill at building high-functioning global sales teams as well as global manufacturing networks of reps and distributors. Prior to his current role, Kevin was Phononic’s VP and GM of Optoelectronic Sales where he successfully grew revenue every consecutive quarter for four years.

Throughout his career, Kevin has held various positions in Sales, Planning/Operations and Product Marketing for companies serving the optical component and optical transceiver space, including Hitachi
Semiconductor (now Renesas), Opnext and Oclaro (now Lumentum) with
the last four years at Oclaro spent stationed in Tokyo, Japan driving
Strategy and Product Marketing for their Optical Connectivity Group.

Based in San Jose, Kevin holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the
University of California at Davis.

Jason is a seasoned global executive with demonstrated expertise directing human resources for high growth expansion stage to Fortune 100 companies across numerous industries. Recognized for his leadership skills as well as strong tactical execution, he guides executive teams and boards of directors in transformational organizational strategy.

At Phononic, Jason is responsible for defining strategy across the critical Human Resources function and driving breakthrough performance, ensuring Phononic’s continued global leadership in solid state cooling and heating technology.

Committed to diversity across organizations, Jason has served on the Board of Directors of WEBD (Working to Educate Build and Develop), supporting HBCU’s throughout North Carolina, as well as on the Board of The Triangle Chief Human Resources Officer Association. He has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Pittsburgh.

Jason Ruppert, a native of New Orleans, holds B.S. degrees in both Computer Science and Industrial Engineering from Southeastern Louisiana University and an M.S. in Integrated Manufacturing Systems Engineering from North Carolina State University.  Jason has held executive leadership positions in R&D, Operations, Engineering, and IT for both large and small-cap Hi-Tech/Semiconductor companies (Nortel, Ciena, Harmonic, OCZ Storage Solutions, and Toshiba, Nanotron).

His focus has been working in highly accelerated growth companies and turn-around companies/organizations with emphasis on New Product Introduction, Manufacturing & Supply Chain Operations, Quality & Reliability systems, and Information Technology.

Jeff Yardley is an accomplished finance executive with a proven track record of scaling technology businesses for rapid growth.  Jeff joined Phononic from Cree, Inc. a global, publicly-traded technology company.  At Cree, Jeff had leadership roles within corporate finance and as the finance lead for two high growth business units that grew over 4x during his tenure. He was part of leadership teams that grew and scaled these businesses including strategic development, M&A activity, and a potential IPO.  He is known for driving results, streamlining processes, and developing high-performing teams.

Prior to Cree, Jeff held financial leadership roles at Stock Building Supply and TEKELEC, both publicly traded companies.  He began his career in public accounting at both KPMG and Ernst & Young serving on audits of various public and private companies in a variety of industries.

Jeff attended Appalachian State University where he obtained his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Accounting.  He is a Certified Public Accountant in North Carolina, Certified Management Accounting, and Chartered Global Management Accountant.  He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with his wife and children.