Dr. Gilad Almogy brings more than a decade of experience leading global technology organizations. Prior to founding Cogenra, Dr. Almogy was a senior vice president at Applied Materials (AMAT), in charge of the Display and Thin Film Solar Products business segment. Dr. Almogy joined Applied Materials in 1997 through the acquisition of Orbot Instruments and went on to become the General Manager of its’ PDC (Process Diagnostics and Control) Business Group in 2000. Throughout his career Dr. Almogy has initiated, led the development of, and brought to market, advanced technology products generating billions of dollars in revenue.

Dr. Almogy is the inventor of over 30 registered US patents and holds a Ph.D. in Applied Physics from the California Institute of Technology and a BSc in Physics and Mathematics from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel.

Mr. Ratson Morad brings 20 years experience building start-up companies and global organizations in the high tech sector, predominantly for photovoltaic and semiconductor equipment. Prior to joining Cogenra, Mr. Morad was president and chief operating officer of DayStar Technologies (DSTI) where he was responsible for design, construction and staffing of a photovoltaic production facility. Previously, he was founding member and vice president of Engineering and Technology at Solyndra, where he was instrumental in developing an innovative PV system. Mr. Morad held earlier executive positions at Applied Materials, including vice president and general manager, where he led the development and commercialization of new 300mm wafer processing systems.

Mr. Morad earned his Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Ben Gurion University in Israel and completed his Business Management studies at the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology.

Dr. Mani Thothadri brings 14 years of operating experience in the semiconductor, display and solar industries. Prior to joining Cogenra as senior director of marketing and product management, Dr. Thothadri was a deputy general manager at Applied Materials with P&L responsibility for the Display business segment’s physical vapor deposition product. Previously, at Applied Materials, he held roles of increasing responsibility spanning the breadth from engineering and product management to product strategy and corporate strategic marketing, including director of global product management and marketing.

Dr. Thothadri holds a Ph.D. in applied mathematics and engineering from Cornell University in New York and a B. Tech. in mechanical engineering from the Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University, India. He has served on technical panels, authored and co-authored more than 15 technical papers in peer-reviewed journals.

Mr. Chris Trout brings over 17 years of broad experience in product development, operations, and customer support roles in both the semiconductor and renewable energy industries. Prior to joining Cogenra as the director of operations, Mr. Trout held senior management positions at a US PV Manufacturer and at Applied Materials (AMAT).

Mr. Trout holds a Master of Business Administration from the Keller Graduate School of Management and a Bachelor of Science in Electronics Engineering Technology from DeVry University.

Mr. Keith Steel brings 15 years of finance and accounting experience in the high tech sector.  Prior to joining Cogenra, Mr. Steel served as Corporate Controller at Caitin, Inc.  Prior to Caitin, Mr. Steel held a variety of positions at Novellus Systems (NVLS), including Director of Finance and Sales Controller.  Mr. Steel started his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he worked as an auditor in both the high-tech practice in San Jose, CA and the multi-national practice in Taipei, Taiwan.

Mr. Steel holds a Masters of Science degree in Accounting from San Jose State University and Bachelors degrees in Economics and Political Science from University of California at Riverside.  Mr. Steel also holds active CPA and CMA licenses.

Mr. Jesse Yu brings 8 years of experience in renewable energy, first with McKinsey, where he served energy clients across sales, operations and M&A, then Applied Materials, where he wrote the business plan, acquired $15M funding and developed thin film solar farms, and most recently, Generation Investment Management, where he focused on solar investments. Mr. Yu also developed sustainable tourism as a volunteer for Technoserve in Mozambique.

Mr. Yu earned his B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Cornell University and MBA from INSEAD.