Steven S. Lee

Athena Technology Ventures is a Palo Alto, California-based venture capital firm.

The IT industry is in the midst of a shift of seismic proportions. Driven by Microsoft, Google, and Amazon among others, new compute models such as social networking and cloud computing are changing the way organizations share information, collaborate and communicate. These applications are imposing new performance demands on existing data centers - the IT infrastructure core of an organization. Data centers consist of a large cluster of servers interconnected using network switch infrastructure. These increased performance requirements are contributing to increased server densities and expenses within the data center. Data centers need a cost-effective, power-efficient and reliable 10Gbps interconnect to efficiently scale compute performance. Three generations of history proves standards-based Ethernet over copper UTP (unshielded twisted pair) to be the most cost-effective interconnect technology for data centers. 10GBASE-T is the next generation standard (IEEE802.3an-2006) in Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) interconnects operating at 10 gigabits per second. Founded in 2004, Plato Networks is driving mainstream deployment of 10GBASE-T leveraging a disruptive and silicon-proven AASP™ - Adaptive Analog Signal Processing technology. Unlike multi-chip, power-hungry and unreliable solutions offered by competition, Plato's 10GBASE-T PHY solutions eliminate the need for external passive circuitry, reduce power dissipation by over 50%, required board real-estate by 60% and in the end bolster the resiliency of 10GBASE-T connectivity 'priming the pump' for explosive 10GbE adoption in data centers and enterprise networks. Plato Networks has built a seasoned organization that reflects the innovation and comprehensiveness of its technology/products as well as demonstrable knowledge in building a defensible and sustainable business. With all critical disciplines and expertise - Analog, DSP/Systems, Digital and Technology/Operations in-house, Plato has developed a scalable and results-driven organization that can tackle the challenges involved in designing such complex PHY systems. The team has a cumulative experience of over 200 years coming from successful organizations including Broadcom, Conexant, Cisco-Scientific Atlanta, Exar, IBM, Intel, National, and PMC-Sierra. Plato's investors - Crosslink Capital, Granite Ventures and STIC Investments bring broad and deep knowledge the in the communications semiconductor industry. With numerous test chips and a product developed to date, Plato has set a bench mark for a capital-efficient operating model in a fabless semiconductor company. Plato has developed a diverse body of intellectual property with 15+ patents in the pipeline for AASP and critical building-blocks in deep sub-micron CMOS technologies.

Cenix, Inc. manufactures high-speed optoelectronic subsystems. Its products translate electrical signals, sent from standard networks over copper lines, into light that travels on fiber-optic lines. The company is headquartered in Allentown, PA.

Creative Design Solutions, Inc. provides embeddable server storage solutions. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in San Jose, CA.

ZANTAZ, Inc. provides content archiving and electronic discovery solutions. It offers proactive information risk management solutions ranging from consolidated archiving of information sources, including email, IM and enterprise systems. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Pleasanton, CA.

Eta Kappa Nu owns and operates a non-profit public-service organization. It operates as a electrical and computer engineering honor society of the IEEE. The company was founded by Maurice L. Carr in 1904 and is headquartered in Piscataway, NJ.

DFJ Athena LLC (DFJ Athena) is a venture capital subsidiary of Threshhold Ventures founded by Perry Ha in 2007. The firm is headquartered in California with an additional office in Korea, and China.