Serano Systems Co

The co-founder of Serano Systems will be the guest speaker of e2e Wyoming’s meeting in Laramie next month.

John Ives, who has three decades of experience working as a software and hardware engineer, entrepreneur, angel investor and venture capitalist, will speak Tuesday, Nov. 17, from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Casper Petroleum Club, 1301 Wilkins Circle, in Casper. The title of his talk is “An Interview with John Ives.”

“John will be a good speaker because of his broad experience. He has been an employee as well as an entrepreneur, he has raised capital, and he has acted as an investor,” says Joe Bennick, director of the Wyoming Technology Business Center (WTBC) for the Casper area. “He has seen ‘both sides of the table’ of multiple tables.”

Ives has been an early-stage investor and entrepreneur since 1997. After working in industry, he co-founded Serano Systems, a fabless storage semiconductor company in Colorado Springs. Ives helmed the company’s early sales, marketing and business development efforts before it was later acquired by Vitesse Semiconductor in 1999.

He is co-founder of Chips on the Deck, a networking organization for Colorado-based semiconductor, electronic desk automation and embedded system entrepreneurs. He also is the founder of Boulder Angel, which organizes the activities of active, professional angel investors in Boulder County. In 2013, Ives founded Tahoma Ventures to provide early-stage capital to technology startups.

Ives received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and computer science from the University of Colorado-Boulder and his MBA from Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.

E2e is an educational networking program with chapters in Laramie, Casper, Gillette and Sheridan. It is designed to improve the climate for the startup and growth of entrepreneurial companies. Each e2e chapter meets bimonthly for 45 minutes of networking, followed by a 45-minute program. The programs include successful entrepreneurs telling their stories, panel discussion on relevant topics and advice from experts in a specific business.

Administered by the UW Office of Research and Economic Development, the WTBC is a not-for-profit business incubator that provides entrepreneurs with the expertise, networks and tools necessary for success. The WTBC launched e2e as an educational networking program.