• Michael Collett
• Dr. Marcos Gomez
• Dr. Faruq Marikar
• Stéphane Robert
• Bob Samuel

Michael Collett
Managing Director, Masters Capital Nanotechnology, LLC

Mike Collett is Managing Director of Masters Capital Nanotechnology, LLC, a venture capital firm focused on investing in companies employing nanotechnology enabled solutions across a wide spectrum of products and applications.  Mike joined Masters Capital Management, a hedge fund based in St. Croix, in 2001. 

Prior to joining Masters Capital, Mike was a Vice President with Merrill Lynch & Co. in their Mergers & Acquisitions Group.  Mike currently serves on the Board of Directors of Nano-Tex, Inc., a fabric innovation company providing nanotechnology-based textile enhancements to the apparel and interior furnishings markets.   Mike holds a B.A. and B.S. from Vanderbilt University and an M.B.A. from Washington University.

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Dr. Marcos Gomez
BASF Future Business, GmbH

Dr. Marcos Gomez joined BASF Venture Capital GmbH in June 2005 and has been responsible for the scouting activities of BASF Future Business GmbH in North America. 
He joined BASF AG’s polymer research in Ludwigshafen in 1999 as Laboratory Director in the solution polymers department. From 2001 till 2005, he was in charge of the global co-ordination of BASF R&D Cooperation in the department of university relations and research planning.

Prior to joining BASF, Marcos was a postdoctoral research fellow at the ETH Zürich with Prof. François Diederich. In 1997 he received a PhD from the University of Birmingham (UK) under the supervision of Prof. Fraser Stoddart in the area of Supramolecular Chemistry. His research has appeared in more than 20 scientific publications.

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Dr. Faruq Marikar
Managing Partner, Nanobiz, LLC

Dr. Marikar is a managing partner of nanobiz, LLC, a consulting group offering business, market, investment, patent and legal guidance on energy, materials, cleantech and nanotechnology commercialization. 

In his prior corporate career, Marikar was responsible for planning and developing new business opportunities through cross-sector alliances in a global setting, in materials, chemicals, electrical/electronics and energy technologies. 

At Hoechst Celanese he was responsible for assessing and accessing external (university and national laboratory) technologies and growing new businesses.  On expatriate assignment in Germany, he sought technology linkages among the Hoechst businesses in Europe, and cross-Atlantic business development projects.  As director of business development for SGL Carbon, Marikar opened an office in New Jersey and built a multi-million dollar business in Fuel Cell Components based on R&D in Germany. 
Marikar served on an industrial advisory committee to the US National Science Foundation.  He was the first chairman of the US Industrial Research Institute’s External Technology Directors’ Network; and represented Hoechst on the Paris based European Industrial Research Management Association panels. 

With basic degrees in chemistry and a Ph.D. in engineering from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Marikar holds 23 patents in batteries, fuel cells, coatings and nanomaterials.

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Stéphane Robert
Chairman and CEO, Raymor Industries

Stéphane Robert is an international business leader in nanotechnology who has transformed Raymor Industries into a global nanomaterials company.  

Robert graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Science from the University of Laval in 1987. An expert in geophysics, Robert worked on different exploration project in Canada and in western Africa. He participated in the financing and acquisition of mining properties and other industrial projects for several public and private companies. Robert has negotiated several partnerships, including SOQUEM, McGill University, and INRS.
Robert joined Raymor in 1996 and became the company’s President & CEO in 1997. He is responsible for re-focusing Raymor from a "resource-based" to a "technology-driven" company in advanced materials, nanomaterials, and nanotechnology. He raised C$26M for Raymor, and led the company’s efforts to acquire over 20 advanced material and nanomaterial patents, including a plasma-based process to produce single-walled carbon nanotubes, with applications in aerospace, defense, electronics, cleantech, and consumer fields.

Robert founded three wholly-owned subsidiaries: Raymor Nanotech Inc., a producer of single-walled carbon nanotubes and developer of related applications; AP&C Advanced Powders & Coatings Inc., focused on the supply of spherical metallic powders, thermal spray coating services, and net-shape forming technology for applications in aerospace, defense, biomedical, energy and other industrial sectors; and Raymor Aerospace Inc., targeting the growing market for thermal spray coating services in aerospace and defense.

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Bob Samuel
Product Manager, Integran

Robert Samuel joined Integran Technologies Inc. in July 2004 and is product manager nanoPlate technology.  Responsibilities include commercialization of coating technologies and lead customer engagements.

Robert graduated from the Queen’s School of Business with a Bachelor’s degree in 1982 and is a member of the Society of Management Accountants.  Prior to joining Integran, Robert was responsible for business planning for emerging technologies for a large telecommunications company.  In this role Robert was responsible for product design, market evaluation, and customer engagements.

Over his 25 year career Robert has also been a consultant for PriceWaterhouseCoopers and managed a successful consulting practice for several years.

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