Board of Directors

Steve Halstedt, Chairman of the Board

Steve Halstedt is the Managing Director and co-founder of Centennial Ventures with 25 years of venture experience. He received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 1999 in the category of Supporter of Entrepreneurship, which recognizes a standard of entrepreneurial excellence. Mr. Halstedt was the founding President of the Venture Capital Association of Colorado and previously served on the board of the National Venture Capital Association. He is a graduate of Worcester Polytechnic Institute and the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College (named Edward Tuck Scholar).

Paul Berberian, Founder

Paul Berberian is an experienced chief executive and entrepreneur who has founded and run high-tech companies over the last 12 years. Mr. Berberian is the former CEO and co-founder of Raindance Communications, a web and phone conferencing services company acquired by West Corporation in 2006. Before founding Raindance, Mr. Berberian was co-founder and CEO of LINK-VTC, a video teleconferencing company, which was sold in 1995 to Frontier Communications. Prior to LINK-VTC, Mr. Berberian was co-owner of a plastic badge manufacturer in Long Beach CA. Mr. Berberian is a distinguished graduate of the US Air Force Academy.

Rand Lewis is Managing Director of Centennial Ventures with seven years of venture experience. Mr. Lewis is a former Management Consultant with McKinsey & Company in Atlanta GA and Sao Paulo, Brazil, having served clients across multiple industries with an emphasis in telecommunications. Mr. Lewis is a graduate of Brigham Young University, University of Colorado and the J. L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.

Travis R. Metz

Travis Metz is Managing Director of Monitor Clipper Partners (MCP). Mr. Metz joined MCP in 1999. Previously, he was a principal at Jupiter Partners L.P., a private equity fund. Earlier, Mr. Metz was an analyst at Lazard Frères & Co. Mr. Metz is a graduate of Harvard College.

Bansi Nagji

Bansi Nagji is Senior Partner with Monitor Group, a leading management consulting firm. Mr. Nagji’s primary area of expertise is marketing and innovation, with a particular focus on advising multi-national companies on growth strategies. Mr. Nagji has worked with clients in the U.S., Latin America, Europe and Japan, and has significant experience in a number of industries, including life sciences, consumer products and retail. Mr. Nagji is also a Venture Partner with Monitor Ventures, an independent investment firm affiliated with Monitor Group. Earlier in his career, Mr. Nagji worked as an attorney in London with one of Europe’s largest law firms. He holds degrees from Cambridge University, England, and an M.B.A. with Distinction from INSEAD, France.

Frank Williams

Frank Williams is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Advisory Board Company (NASDAQ: ABCO) which provides best practices research and analysis focusing on business strategy, operations and general management issues to the healthcare industry. Mr. Williams joined The Advisory Board Company in June 2000 and has been the Chief Executive Officer and a director since June 2001. In November 2004, he also began serving as Chairman of the Board. Earlier in his career, Mr. Williams served as President of OnCall Healthcare Communications, General Manager of Vivra Orthopedics and as a consultant at Bain & Company. Mr. Williams received a B.A. from University of California, Berkeley, and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Kyle Lefkoff

Kyle Lefkoff is Founder and General Partner of Boulder Ventures Ltd. which provides venture capital and decades of start-up experience to help exceptional entrepreneurs achieve their goals. Mr. Lefkoff joined the Advisory Board in September of 2011. In his 26 year career as a venture capitalist, Mr. Lefkoff has invested in 60 Colorado companies, resulting in 12 IPOs and 15 trade sales. Mr. Lefkoff holds a B.A. (summa cum laude) in Economics from Vassar College (1981) and a M.B.A. from University of Chicago (1985). He also completed a Fellowship in Economic History at the London School of Economics.

Karl Maier, Founder and Chief Executive Officer

See Leadership Team