Chris Airola

Current

Health Solutions Group at Microsoft Corp
Board Member at Stronghold Productions

Past

Director Product Management at Zumobi
CTO at HomeSavvi
CTO at Red Llama, Inc.

CTO at Static Factory Media
Research Engineer at Human Interface Technology Lab

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2 more...

Education

Marquette University

Recommended

5 people have recommended Chris

Connections

215 connections

Industry

Computer Software

Websites

My Website

Chris Airola’s Summary

I excel in senior level technology management (VP, Director of technology, or Executive management), and am most interested in recently funded startups and emerging growth companies.

I offer a track record of driving ambitious projects to completion within fast-paced, creative startup environments. My expertise also encompasses product development, business/strategic planning, contract negotiations, and team facilitation.

Presently, I serve as CTO of HomeSavvi (formerly Alphabet Lane), and am a Board Member of an arts non-profit, Stronghold Productions. My contributions have included implementing technology infrastructure and initializing a project for Red Llama, a company I co-founded and was CTO, that became the company’s main focus. I assisted in conceptualizing Stronghold’s primary mission, to foster expression and community involvement in the arts. Additionally, over the course of my career, I co-founded and served as CTO of Static Factory Media LLC, developed and managed a wide variety of projects for the University of Washington Human Interface Technology Lab, played a key technology role in the success of multiple collaborative installations, and have been a contributing author to several publications.

chris{at}airola{dot}com
http://www.airola.com

Chris Airola’s Specialties:

Technology Strategy, Product Roadmap, Surgical Simulation, Medical training, surgery simulation, computer training, simulation, medical device, medical, web, web services, executive management, management, executive, technology, SaaS, social media, Mobile

Chris Airola’s Experience

Health Solutions Group

Microsoft Corp

(Computer Software industry)

2008 — Present (less than a year)
Board Member

Stronghold Productions

(Non-Profit; 1-10 employees; Think Tanks industry)

2005 — Present (3 years)

An Arts nonprofit.
* Integral in conceptualizing primary mission
* Co-developed master Business Plan and Proforma
* Integral in developing and executing the premier project, The Machine
* Developed cross-functional and interdisciplinary teams for projects
* Interviewed by press and presented at forums, such as Dorkbot Seattle
Director Product Management

Zumobi

(Computer Software industry)

2008 — 2008 (less than a year)
CTO

HomeSavvi

(Privately Held; 1-10 employees; Computer Software industry)

2007 — 2008 (1 year)

A home remodel / home management consumer facing social media company.
Launching now.
CTO

Red Llama, Inc.

(Privately Held; 1-10 employees; Computer Software industry)

2003 — 2007 (4 years)

A surgical simulation training company.
* During Red Llama’s early stages, initialized a project (SimPraxis™, an interactive surgical simulation platform) that became the main focus for the company.
* Integral in developing the vision of the simulation software engine and translating that vision into the release of SimPraxis v1.0
* Co-developed the master Business Plan and Proforma
* Researched and implemented competitive solutions and systems
* Helped establish and hire Advisory Board, CEO, and business and technical strategists
* Co-developed product development plan and Product Road Maps
* Presented the Red Llama story to Northwest and West Coast Investor Forums and demonstrated SimPraxis to numerous academic and business leaders
* Managed network and technology infrastructure
* Worked with law firms to create C Corp business documents, private placement memorandums, employment agreements, trademark, and patent application
CTO

Static Factory Media

(Privately Held; 1-10 employees; Media Production industry)

2002 — 2005 (3 years)

A media and technology services company.
* Integral in developing the business plan and securing Angel funding for the company
* Constructed the company's network and technology infrastructure from the ground up, which managed 120 client's websites
* Performed CIO and COO duties in the early stages, and co-managed company finances
* Specified, Researched, developed, and released internal and external software
* Hired and managed Development, System Admins, Sales, Marketing, and PR teams
* Created profitable hosting and web development divisions for the company within 3 years
* Spun off indie record label, Wax Orchard http://www.waxorchard.com
* Worked with the CEO to close down the company, sell assets, and reconcile all debts
Research Engineer

Human Interface Technology Lab

(Computer Software industry)

1996 — 2001 (5 years)

* Key member of the team in attaining second round funding on the Madigan Endoscopic Sinus Surgery Simulator. Our validation protocols are now used as an international standard for surgical training simulator development. Collaborated in development of phase two and three simulation content and testing protocols. Validated voice recognition system, which was used for system control and interactive student aide during training. Published multiple papers, see below.
* HITLab/UW Opthalmology Department's refractive surgery pilot studies; lead to submission of a grant proposal to the NIH for further studies and development of another testing system.
* Kodak, Immersive Experiences Project; Lead Engineer/Developer for the content and audio technology subgroups on this project. Conducted research in noise cancellation hardware and software, and voice recognition software, Developed soundscape synthesis and interaction software for incorporation into a smart home system.