Board Members
Duane C. McKnight, Senior Partner, Syncom Venture Partners
Mr. McKnight is a Senior Partner with Syncom Venture Partners, where he has served in a variety of leadership roles over his tenure with the firm and its affiliates. He has successfully invested across a broad segment of the Media & Communications Industry, ranging from distribution platforms like radio and cable, to internet based and mobile business applications, to multimedia content. He currently serves on the board of directors of a number of Syncom portfolio companies, including Maya Entertainment, Indoor Direct, ShowUHow and DubMeNow.
Mr. McKnight is passionate about the role entrepreneurs play in the betterment of America and has been actively involved with a number of nonprofit organizations that are on the forefront of increasing opportunities for a broader range of people. Mr. McKnight is the Architect and Co-Founder of The Marathon Club for Entrepreneurship and has served on the board of directors since the organization's inception in 2002. He has also been actively involved in the leadership of the National Association of Investment Companies, serving the organization as both Vice Chairman and Treasurer. He is a former board member of the Maryland Small Business Development Financing Authority, a Maryland state-sponsored investment fund.
Prior to joining Syncom, Mr. McKnight served as Vice President of Alliance Enterprise Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Sun Company, and a Small Business Investment Company. He previously held a number of accounting and financial analyst positions at Sun Company, a former Fortune 500 conglomerate.
Mr. McKnight holds a B.B.S in Accounting from Temple University, an M.B.A. from LaSalle University and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Ken Bajaj, CEO and Chairman of the Board, DGS
From September 2000 until June 2001, Mr. Bajaj served as Executive Vice President and Group President of Commerce One, Inc.'s Global Services division, which he joined in September 2000 when Commerce One, Inc. acquired AppNet, Inc. From November 1997 until September 2000, Mr. Bajaj was Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of AppNet, Inc. From March 1997 until November 1997, Mr. Bajaj was Vice Chairman of Wang Laboratories, Inc., which he joined in 1996 when Wang Laboratories, Inc. acquired I-NET, Inc., where Mr. Bajaj served as Executive Vice President from 1988 until 1994 and President from 1994 until 1996. Prior to I-NET, Inc., Mr. Bajaj was a senior executive at Electronic Data Systems Corporation and Perot Systems Corporation. Mr. Bajaj has an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Toronto and a Ph.D. in Systems Science from Michigan State University.
Nicholas founded Dyson Capital Advisors, LLC after successfully managing the family investment office (MRW Enterprises) of now-Senator Mark R. Warner since 1997. As President and CIO of MRW Enterprises, Nicholas was responsible for the strategic asset allocation, manager selection, performance monitoring, and risk management for the family's investment portfolio. He managed a significant private equity portfolio, including funds and direct investments, and is the representative on several corporate boards. Nicholas also managed the administrative, tax and legal aspects of the family's operations. Nicholas used his experience managing a single family office for 10 years to build the platform for Dyson.
Through Dyson, Nicholas has created several investment vehicles to take advantage of unique investment opportunities. In 2004, he co-founded and is the CFO of X-10 Capital Partners, a long-short hedge fund in the telecommunications, media and technology sector. Nicholas founded the fund with a former partner of Columbia Capital who brought over 20 years experience in TMT. Since 2005 through 2009, X-10 has outperformed the S&P by over 12%. As CFO, Nicholas oversees the risk management, investor relations and back office functions for the fund.
Seeing the investment opportunity in the clean energy technology sector, in 2008 Nicholas co-founded and is CFO of Novus Energy Partners, a growth equity investor in solar, wind and other cleantech opportunities. The fund is managed by a team of eight partners consisting of the founders of Renewable Energy Corporation, a leading solar company, and three former senior members of General Electric's renewable energy division. Novus closed on $150 million of capital. As CFO, Nicholas oversees the risk management, investor relations and back office for the fund.
Prior to 1997, Nicholas worked with Senator Warner in a variety of capacities, helped manage his political activities and he continues to serve as a political advisor to Senator Warner. Nicholas graduated from Boston University in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration where he concentrated in Finance.
