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Solekai Systems Announces New CTO posted on Monday, 08 February 2010

Solekai welcomes a "familiar face" in local technology circles of San Diego.

Solekai Systems Corporation announced Marco Thompson as its new Chief Technology Officer last week. A familiar face in the boardrooms of a number of innovative San Diego concerns, Thompson will call on thirty years of engineering services management experience and a vast network of technology contacts and affiliations to direct the technology focus for the Sorrento Valley engineering services company.

When asked why he joined the company, Thompson said, “Solekai has built a world class reputation in the digital video business and smart grid business by taking on difficult projects, and delivering on budget and on time to its customers. Our digital video market focus areas include satellite and cable broadcasters in the United States, Europe, Asia and Australia, as well as set-top box manufacturers worldwide. In the Smart Grid arena, we have unparalleled expertise in smart meter integration into utility network front-ends and back-ends. These are exciting, growth areas for engineering expertise.”

Thompson has designed and managed his way to entrepreneurial success. In 1984 he founded Doctor Design, an embedded engineering services firm that contracted for such companies as AMD, Intel, Samsung, Mitsubishi, DIRECTV, Philips, Thomson, Sony, and IBM. Thompson would later sell the $50 million firm to Integrated Systems, which merged with Wind River (WIND) in 2000, and then merged with Intel (INTC) in 2009. Thompson stayed with the firm for 25 years before departing in November of 2009.

Although trained only as an engineer, and not a marketer or manager, Thompson credits the exceptional strength of UCSD and the entrepreneurial network of San Diego for the success of his former firm. “We reached 250 people because UCSD taught great basic engineering and thinking skills, and because the San Diego community is great at networking and providing mentoring to promising entrepreneurs.

Prior to joining Solekai, Thompson co-founded and ran CommNexus San Diego (formerly San Diego Telecom Council), a non-profit network of communications, government, and defense industry companies. Thompson is also currently a Managing Partner at Express Ventures, an early stage Venture Capital Firm, which has funded eight San Diego companies. In addition, Marco is the founder & Vice Chairman of Connect Sport and Entertainment Innovators, and is the Vice-Chair of the Board of Connect, San Diego’s startup assistance organization.

“This is our fourth opportunity to work together over 30 years, and I am looking forward to the collaboration,” said Solekai President, Martin Caniff. “Marco has shown an ability to lead in two areas critical to the future of Solekai. One is keeping ahead of the curve on the technology that goes into complex consumer devices. Second is his understanding of large market shifts regarding technological changes over time.”

Thompson earned his BSEE, in Applied Physics & Information Systems in 1979 from the University of California at San Diego. In 2003, Thompson was named the Alumni of the Year by the UCSD Jacobs School of Engineering and further honored by being inducted into the Hall of Fame for Engineering, Science and Technology. His interests include heli-skiing, wakesurfing, hockey, and snowboarding.

About Solekai Systems Corporation

Solekai Systems Corporation is a software engineering services and solutions company specializing in design, development, integration, and testing for digital video and Smart Grid industries. Services include specification and requirements development, software architecture, design and development, user interface design and development, system integration, and test procedure design, development and execution.

Posted by bizSanDiego: San Diego Business News