Meet the Advisory Team
Dr. Kartik Hosanagar
Kartik is one of Yodle’s founders and a professor of Information and Operations Management at the Wharton School of Business. Kartik´s research interests are in Internet commerce with a special emphasis on Internet marketing and online media delivery. Kartik and his colleagues received a $1.2M grant from the National Science Foundation to study the economics of the next generation Internet. Kartik has also consulted for numerous Internet media firms and has taught in Presidential educational initiatives run by the US Department of State.
Kartik is a recipient of the National Talent scholarship from the Government of India and the William Cooper award for best thesis in Management Science and was offered the Castanga fellowship at University of California, Berkeley. Kartik has a Bachelors degree in Electronics and a Masters in Information Systems, both from BITS, Pilani, India and an MPhil in Management Science and a PhD in Management Science and Information Systems from Carnegie Mellon University.
Dr. Michael Kearns
Dr. Michael Kearns is a professor of Computer and Information Science at The University of Pennsylvania where he holds the National Center Chair in Resource Management and Technology. He also has a secondary appointment in the Operations and Information Management (OPIM) department at Wharton. He was also the co-director of Penn’s interdisciplinary Institute for Research in Cognitive Science. Dr. Kearns also leads the Systematic Trading group of Bank of America Securities in New York City. The group is part of Bank of America’s Electronic Trading Services division.
Prior to his work at Penn, Michal, worked from 1991-2001 in basic AI and machine learning research at AT&T Labs and Bell Labs. From 1998-2001, he was the head of the AI department which conducted a broad range of systems and foundational AI work.
Dr. Kearns has earned a bachelor’s degree in math and computer science from the University of California at Berkeley in 1985. Michael has also received a Ph.D. in computer science from Harvard University in 1989.
Iggly Fanlo
Iggy Fanlo joined as CEO of AdBrite in May 2006. Prior to joining AdBrite, Iggy was President and Chief Revenue Officer at Shopping.com. His tenure (1999-2006) ran from the pre-revenue days to over $200 million a year. The company completed an IPO in October 2004 and was acquired by eBay for over $650 million in August 2005.
Prior to his technology career, Iggy spent 15 years on Wall Street with Morgan Stanley and J.P. Morgan. As a Managing Director at both firms, Iggy held various positions, ending as the head of all US Dollar Securitized Debt Trading and Capital Markets. During his final fiscal year, Iggy’s department generated over $300 million in gross profits.
Iggy received a degree in Chemical Engineering in 1983 from Princeton University
Rob Stavis
A Managing Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, Rob focuses on investments in the financial services sector as well as in emerging software technologies. Since joining BVP, Rob has led the firm’s investments in and sits on the boards of independent research companies Gerson Lehrman Group and Soleil Securities, CRM software developer Portrait Software (formerly AIT Group, LSE-AIM: PST), financial marketplace Zopa, independently produced video distributor Revver, home network management software provider Pure Networks, and the stock loan focused Broker/Dealer financial services company Quadriserv. Rob was closely involved in BVP’s investment in Motilal Oswal Financial Services, an India-based financial services and brokerage company.
Rob entered private equity after a 15-year career at Salomon Smith Barney, where he became co-head of global arbitrage trading. He was a member of Salomon’s operating and risk management committees, and chaired the recruiting committee, in addition to managing a $100 billion balance sheet. Rob holds degrees from the Engineering School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton School of Management.