Partnerships were made and new hires were appointed. These companies made some Pro AV moves last week.
SNA Displays Hires Richard Hill as New Director of Sales
Richard Hill, an experienced player in the audiovisual industry, joins SNA Displays’ sales division as director of sales. Based out of the company’s Atlanta office, Hill will focus on opportunities in the themed-entertainment market sector, support the SNA Displays’ Preferred Partner channel program, and manage other prospective business in the southeast United States.
Hill joins SNA Displays with 18 years in the commercial audio-video and digital display industries, most recently as vice president of LED display solutions at Digital Projection, a manufacturer and distributor of laser projectors and digital display technology. Instrumental to the establishment and expansion of DPI’s LED division, Hill specializes in business development channel growth and project management with a foundation in marketing and applications engineering.
Throughout his career, Hill has cultivated meaningful connections with systems integrators, consultants, architects, content creators, influencers, and industry media. Sales and partner development highlights include IBM, Coca-Cola, Amazon, NASA, Six Flags, Universal, The Department of Homeland Security, the Smithsonian Institute, and numerous flagship higher education institutions.
When not chasing the next big LED project, Hill enjoys recording and producing music, snow skiing, University of Georgia football, Atlanta Braves baseball, and spending time with his family and their golden retriever, Django.
Nanolumens Welcomes Rob Lamb as New CFO
Nanolumens recently hired Rob Lamb as chief financial officer (CFO), effective July 10, 2023. Lamb will be part of Nanolumens executive leadership team, reporting to chief executive officer, Ney Corsino.
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Lamb comes to Nanolumens from Hodinkee, a New York based e-commerce and media company that specializes in the luxury watch industry, where he also served as CFO. During his tenure with Hodinkee, Lamb led the company through the acquisition of Crown & Caliber, established financial processes and controls and partnered with the executive team and key stakeholders to establish the growth strategy for the organization.
Prior to his role with Hodinkee, Lamb spent nearly 20 years with Turner Broadcasting where he served in a variety of finance roles across the organization before concluding his career with Turner as the vice president of finance for Turner Sports, Turner Studios, and Content Distribution. In this capacity, Lamb led a team of finance professionals in the development and management of business strategies and operating budgets.
Powersoft Expands Footprint in China
Miao Wang has joined Powersoft China as a solutions engineer in its new Beijing office.
Wang is the latest hire for Powersoft’s local operation, which recently relocated to the national capital from its previous office in Shenzhen. He will report directly to Abbu Hu, Powersoft’s chief representative officer in China.
Wang joins Powersoft from a local pro-audio equipment manufacturer, where he worked with clients to deliver professional sound solutions, introduce new products, and provide manufacturer support for important projects and installations. Previously, after studying professional audio at university, he worked as a sound engineer at a television station, handling live sound mixing and recording.
It was as a student that Wang first came across Powersoft’s amplifiers, which, he explains, are as renowned in China for their power, quality and efficiency as in the rest of the world. He says he is enthusiastic about bringing his pro-audio industry expertise to bear in his new role and spreading the word about the company’s industry leading hardware and software solutions with his Chinese colleagues.
Utelogy Corporation and Lightware Visual Engineering Join Forces to Improve Firmware Management
Utelogy Corporation and Lightware Visual Engineering, a longstanding Utelligence Strategic Alliance Partner, have announced an enhanced partnership. This advanced collaboration brings significant updates to Lightware’s API, and further integration with Utelogy’s driver for the Taurus UCX, delivering marked improvements in firmware management and upgrades for Lightware UCX devices.
This strengthened alliance is already delivering impressive results, as highlighted in a recent case study with Erasmus University Rotterdam. Engaging the comprehensive AV systems integration services and support of global provider Kinly, the university successfully transitioned traditional classrooms into dynamic hybrid learning environments, utilizing the power of both Utelogy and Lightware technology.
The robust functionality of the Taurus UCX, coupled with Utelogy’s innovative control solution, has facilitated a fluid, user-friendly learning environment for students and instructors alike. The one-cable connectivity, rapid switching, and smooth operation of USB-C technology, along with the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) capabilities, have been met with positive feedback across the University.
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Additionally, AV/IT campus engineers have leveraged the networked nature of the switcher, capitalizing on its remote diagnostic, control, and management capabilities. With the further integration of Utelogy software, the University now operates a campus-wide solution, enabling preemptive resolution of technical issues, maximizing device uptime, and providing room usage reports to optimize the efficiency of AV technology and venue usage.
A major benefit of this enhancement is the elimination of the need for manual updates to the Taurus, a crucial time and cost saving measure for institutions managing hundreds or even thousands of rooms and devices.
Both Utelogy and Lightware offer a solution that not only streamlines technical operations but also fosters an efficient, collaborative environment for users. This latest update reflects Utelogy’s and Lightware’s ongoing commitment to driving innovation in workspace management and AV technology, providing a seamless, scalable solution for educational institutions and organizations worldwide.
Korbyt Receives Significant Growth Investment from Clearhaven Partners
Korbyt has received a significant growth investment from Clearhaven Partners (“Clearhaven”), a dedicated software and technology-focused private equity firm based in Boston. The partnership with Clearhaven will accelerate Korbyt’s growth trajectory by expanding reseller and technology partnerships, facilitating customer support growth, as well as supporting additional innovation in Korbyt’s industry-leading, cloud-native SaaS platform. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The company’s cloud-based Korbyt Anywhere SaaS platform is a next-generation technology platform for corporate omni-channel communications and content management, enabling organizations to create and distribute compelling messages and visualize mission-critical data to boost contact center agent and frontline worker productivity. Korbyt is the workplace experience technology partner of choice for 400 global enterprises, including 60 of the Fortune 100 across many industries, including financial services, manufacturing & distribution, healthcare, retail, insurance and higher education.
The Korbyt Anywhere platform enables content and data to be seamlessly shared across multiple channels such as digital signage, employee desktops, mobile devices, meeting rooms and more. Korbyt’s customers benefit from a single, highly configurable platform with robust native integrations and machine learning technology that empowers communications, IT, marketing and operations teams to visualize real-time content and better engage with both employees and customers.
Clearhaven Partners is a growth-oriented software and technology private equity investment firm. Clearhaven invests exclusively in software and software-driven companies across major thematic areas driving business software demand. Clearhaven brings experience and operating support to its portfolio companies to help them scale profitably and realize their next-stage potential.
“We are thrilled to partner with Clearhaven Partners in this next chapter of our company’s growth,” said Ankur Ahlowalia, CEO of Korbyt. “Clearhaven’s deep software industry expertise and shared vision for growth align well with our strategic objectives. Together, Korbyt and Clearhaven will accelerate momentum as the leading provider of cloud-native digital signage and corporate communications software, further invest in the product portfolio and our experienced and passionate team, and continue exceeding customer expectations through best-in-class customer support.”
“Clearhaven’s investment in Korbyt marks an exciting starting line for the next era of the Company’s growth and innovation,” commented Michelle Noon, co-founder and managing partner of Clearhaven. “We were impressed with Korbyt’s product vision and success in bringing a true cloud-first approach to address the digital communication demands of the modern workplace. Our alignment with Ankur and the management team underpins our enthusiasm for this partnership and investment.”
McAfee & Taft acted as legal counsel to Korbyt and Virgo Capital, who remains a minority investor in the business. Kirkland & Ellis LLP acted as legal counsel to Clearhaven Partners in the transaction.
