OUR HISTORY
Camgian Microsystems® was founded in December 2006, by CEO Dr. Gary Butler, with the vision of delivering a new generation of advanced sensing and information processing platforms. After acquisitions of Theseus Logic and a Cypress Semiconductor Design Center, Camgian has become a leader in developing end-to-end platforms comprising advanced sensors, wireless communications, real-time signal processing and data analytics to fill intelligence gaps for both the defense and commercial markets.
Camgian is headquartered in Starkville, Mississippi with an additional office in Jackson, Mississippi.
OUR CULTURE + CORE VALUES
At Camgian, we believe the culture of our company is the key to the success of our company. Our culture is driven by three core values.
OUR TEAM
Gary Butler, PhD
Founder, Chairman & CEO , Camgian Microsystems Corporation
Gary Butler is the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Camgian Microsystems. From its early work in building advanced sensor technologies and solutions for organizations such as DARPA, he has lead Camgian’s evolution into a multi-million dollar revenue business and a leading company in the Internet of Things (IoT) market. During this period Camgian has been named by Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest growing private companies in the US, Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the most entrepreneurial companies in America, The Silicon Review as one of the top 50 fastest growing technology companies, CIO Review as one of the top 50 most promising companies in IoT and Compass Intelligence as one of the world’s top companies in IoT innovation and execution. Moreover, ABI Research featured Camgian in their 2015 Hot Tech Innovators report, which identified the company as one of the world’s top tech start-ups. Most recently, Camgian was recognized as a 2017 “Cool Vendor in IoT Edge Computing” by the leading global technology research company Gartner. The prestigious “Cool Vendor” designation recognizes some of the world’s top high-tech companies that have the potential to disrupt today’s digital landscape.
Central to these efforts was Dr. Butler’s direction of the company’s latest product, Egburt, whose design leverages a novel edge computing architecture that supports real-time, sensor enabled IoT solutions. Since its launch, Egburt has received significant industry recognition including being featured in CLSA Americas’ Deep Field report on IoT as one of the promising new offerings in the IoT market and being named Compass Intelligence IoT Innovative Product of the Year at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. He has been a speaker and panelist at events such as Liveworx, the IoT Global Summit, CLSA Americas IoT Innovation Summit, M2M Evolution, European IoT Summit and TEDx. In addition, he has been recognized by Postscapes as a 2015 IoT CEO of the Year award winner, one of 10 Mississippi Vision Leaders for 2015 by the Mississippi Innovation Economy and one of Mississippi’s Top CEOs in 2016 by the Mississippi Business Journal.
Prior to founding Camgian, Dr. Butler was a division engineer with Internet pioneer BBN Technologies with a technical focus in the areas of machine learning and wavelets and their application to sensor signal processing and analytics. At BBN, he worked on the development of feature extraction algorithms, neural networks and genetic algorithms that supported automated, in-situ training of advanced sensing platforms. He was an engineer on the Army’s Future Combat Systems (FCS) program and led several DARPA funded efforts focused in the areas of advanced sensor systems and technologies including the development of novel ad-hoc, multi-hop sensor networks. Dr. Butler was appointed by BBN’s president and chief scientists to membership in the Science Development Program, a technical rank reserved for the company’s most exceptional scientists and engineers. He was also elected as a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
Dr. Butler received his Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge in engineering where he was a member of Churchill College and studied dynamics and the application of wavelets to signal analysis. He received his M.S. in mechanical engineering from Vanderbilt University and B.S. in mechanical engineering from Tulane University. Additionally, he received the executive certificate in strategy and innovation from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management. He currently serves as chair of the Vanderbilt University School of Engineering Board of Visitors and is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization.
Prior to joining Camgian, John served in executive management positions for IBM, Clear Orbit and Tandem Computers. John’s strong finance background and proven executive leadership skills were also instrumental in the success of two emerging technology firms, for whom he held stints as Chief Financial Officer. These include Tantau Software, where he raised $40M from investors and was instrumental in the merger/sale of the company within 20 months of its founding for $375M, and Reliant Data Systems, where he raised more than $7M of venture funding and played a key role in the company’s acquisition by Compuware in May of 1999.
Prior to joining Camgian, John served as President and CEO of ClearOrbit (now Take Solutions), a global technology solutions and service provider of life sciences, supply chain management and enterprise solutions. He was responsible for developing and implementing ClearOrbit’s strategic vision, and ultimately engineering its complete turn-around, resulting in its acquisition by Take Solutions in June 2007.
John’s strong finance background and proven executive leadership skills were also instrumental in the success of two emerging technology firms, for whom he held stints as Chief Financial Officer. These include Tantau Software, where he raised $40M from investors and was instrumental in the merger/sale of the company within 20 months of its founding for $375M, and Reliant Data Systems, where he raised more than $7M of venture funding and played a key role in the company’s acquisition by Compuware in May of 1999.
From 1990 – 1997, John held managerial finance positions with Tandem Computers, including his role as Vice President and Corporate Controller, with global responsibility for accounting, financial planning, SEC reporting, indirect purchasing, and contracts. At that time, Tandem was a $2.3 billion company, and the dominant manufacturer of fault-tolerant computer systems for ATM networks, banks, stock exchanges, telephone switching centers, and other commercial transaction processing applications requiring maximum uptime and zero data loss.
Prior to joining Camgian, Danny was the Senior Director of worldwide CAD for Cypress Semiconductor where he was responsible for the electronic design automation software and the design methodology used to design all Cypress products. Danny has managed geographically dispersed teams of more than 40 people, has managed profit and loss centers, and has extensive experience negotiating multi-million dollar software contracts.
Danny has a Bachelors Degree in Computer Science from Mississippi State University where he has also been a member of the Electrical and Computer Engineering department advisory board.
In addition to his role as Vice President, Danny is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at Mississippi State.
Chris has broad experience in energy & utilities, telecommunications, healthcare, transportation, education and insurance. He is co-author of a patent for “Systems and Methods for Auto-configuration of a Generic Metering device on a wireless Network”. Chris graduated with a degree in Computer Science from the University of Mississippi.
Prior to joining Camgian in 2009, Derrick was the Senior Design Center Manager for Cypress’ design center located in Starkville, MS as well as the company’s manager of the worldwide Intellectual Property Development organization where he was responsible for several IP Centers of Excellence including IO’s, Memory Compilers, ESD, and Standard Logic Cell Libraries. Derrick has managed international, geographically dispersed teams of more than 20 people and managed profit and loss centers. Since joining Camgian, Derrick has managed and lead multiple DoD related R&D programs related to Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) and now leads the development of Camgian’s commercial business. Derrick has a Bachelors Degree in Electrical Engineering from Mississippi State University.
Prior to joining Camgian, Michelle was the Corporate Controller for SemiSouth Laboratories, a high-tech start-up formed to develop and manufacture silicon carbide electrical components.
While there, the company grew from less than 50 employees to over 120 and raised more than $60 million from investors. Prior to SemiSouth, Michelle worked as a Plant Controller for Holcim Cement, one of the world’s largest cement manufacturers. She served as an advisor to plant management, a leader for financial integrity, and ultimately a partner for uniting plant operations with corporate objectives.
Michelle began her career in accounting departments at various businesses ranging from medical supply distributing, to toy manufacturing, to telecommunications and gained a wealth of experience from the diversity. Michelle is a CPA with a Bachelors Degree in Economics from Mississippi State University and an MBA from Mississippi College.
Kevin graduated magna cum laude with his BSM from Tulane University.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Central to these efforts was Dr. Butler’s direction of the company’s latest product, Egburt, whose design leverages a novel, low-power edge computing architecture to drive affordable and efficient IoT solution implementation. Since its launch, Egburt has received significant industry recognition including being featured in CLSA Americas’ Deep Field report on IoT as one of the promising new offerings in the IoT market and being named IoT Innovative Product of the Year at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. A recognized industry thought leader, he has been a speaker and panelist at events such as Liveworx, the IoT Global Summit, CLSA Americas IoT Innovation Summit, M2M Evolution and TEDx. In addition, he has been recognized by Postscapes as a 2015 IoT CEO of the Year award winner and named one of ten Mississippi Vision Leaders for 2015 by the Mississippi Innovation Economy.
Prior to founding Camgian, Dr. Butler was a senior technologist with Internet pioneer BBN Technologies where he led development programs from their Washington, DC office in the areas of low-power sensor networks and advanced signal processing. At BBN, Dr. Butler was elected for membership in the company’s senior science and engineering organization, a rank representing approximately the top ten percent of the technical staff, and was elected as a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Over his career he has been awarded patents related to the application of genetic algorithms to signal classification, multi-static radar signal processing and low-power networked sensor systems.
Dr. Butler received his Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge in engineering where he studied the application of wavelets to signal analysis and non-linear dynamic systems. He received an M.S. degree from Vanderbilt University in mechanical engineering and a B.S degree in mechanical engineering from Tulane University, where he was a four-year letterman on the varsity football team. He currently serves as vice chair of the Vanderbilt University School of Engineering Board of Visitors and is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization, Vanderbilt’s Fred J. Lewis Society, the Oxford and Cambridge Club of London and the Tulane University Athletics Advisory Council. He also serves as a regional contact for Cambridge in America.
Prior to joining Camgian, John served as President and CEO of ClearOrbit (now Take Solutions), a global technology solutions and service provider of life sciences, supply chain management and enterprise solutions. He was responsible for developing and implementing ClearOrbit’s strategic vision, and ultimately engineering its complete turn-around, resulting in its acquisition by Take Solutions in June 2007.
John’s strong finance background and proven executive leadership skills were also instrumental in the success of two emerging technology firms, for whom he held stints as Chief Financial Officer. These include Tantau Software, where he raised $40M from investors and was instrumental in the merger/sale of the company within 20 months of its founding for $375M, and Reliant Data Systems, where he raised more than $7M of venture funding and played a key role in the company’s acquisition by Compuware in May of 1999.
From 1990 – 1997, John held managerial finance positions with Tandem Computers, including his role as Vice President and Corporate Controller, with global responsibility for accounting, financial planning, SEC reporting, indirect purchasing, and contracts. At that time, Tandem was a $2.3 billion company, and the dominant manufacturer of fault-tolerant computer systems for ATM networks, banks, stock exchanges, telephone switching centers, and other commercial transaction processing applications requiring maximum uptime and zero data loss.
Mann is an entrepreneur, investor, and consultant specializing in alternative investments. He has over ten years of experience in the analysis, creation, and management of sophisticated investment products, strategies, and portfolios. He has specific expertise in quantitative finance, financial derivatives, complex trading strategies, illiquid asset classes, financial modeling, and valuation. Prior to entering finance, Russell was a mathematician. He was an Assistant Professor at Brown University from 2002 to 2005, and an NSF Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Michigan from 2001 to 2002. His degrees include: a Ph.D. in Mathematics from Harvard University (2001), where he held the Putnam and NDSEG Fellowships; a Masters in Advanced Studies (Mathematics) from Cambridge (1996), where he studied as a Churchill Scholar; and an AB from Princeton in 1995, Magna Cum Laude, where he was Phi Beta Kappa, a Putnam Fellow, and a Goldwater Scholar.
As the House Republican Whip in 1981, he forged the bipartisan alliance that enacted President Ronald Reagan’s economic recovery program and his national security initiatives. Part of the reason for this and other victories was Congressman Lott’s creation of the House of Representative’s first modern whip organization, focusing on regular member-to-member contacts and extensive outreach to sympathetic Democrats. Counting votes, building coalitions, and moving legislation were things he seemed born to do, and he genuinely enjoyed the process.
Elected to the Senate in 1988, he was a member of the group of pro-growth stalwarts who opposed the tax increase forced on President Bush in 1990. When he became the Senate’s 16th Majority Leader in 1996, he again put his coalition-building skills to the test and, along with House Speaker Newt Gingrich, enacted his historic welfare reform bill of 1996. The next year, Lott, Gingrich and congressional Budget Committee chairman John Kasich and Pete Domenici together produced an historic budget and tax cut agreement that limited some federal spending. But more important, it created new incentives to save and invest, thereby stimulating the economic growth that brought the federal budget into balance for the first time since 1968.
As the Republican Leader during the first two years of President George W. Bush’s administration, Senator Lott led the fight for passage of the President’s tax cut package, the President’s landmark education reform bill, the largest increase in defense spending since the Cold War, the most significant trade legislation in a decade, and the resolution supporting the President on military action in Iraq.
During the Senate’s lame duck session of November 2002, Senator Lott, drawing on his experience as a legislative negotiator, reached the compromises that created the Department of Homeland Security. In 2006, Senator Lott was elected Senate Republican Whip for the second time in his career. He is the only member of Congress to hold this position in both the House and Senate.
For 16 years in the House of Representatives and 19 years in the Senate, Trent Lott has been a driving force in the United States Congress. After his retirement from the United States Senate, Senator Lott founded the Breaux Lott Leadership Group with former Senator John Breaux of Louisiana, a partnership offering strategic advice, consulting and lobbying to a wide range of clients. The firm unites two former Senate leaders from opposite parties, with a combined total of nearly 70 years experience in Congress.
Senator Lott is married to Patricia (Tricia) Thompson Lott, his college sweetheart. They have two children – Chester Trent Lott, Jr. and Tyler Lott Armstrong – and have been blessed with four grandchildren, Chester Trent Lott III, Lucie Sims Lott, Shields Elizabeth Armstrong and Addison States Armstrong.
From 1998 to present, Mr. Josephs has been the President of Investment Partners of Orlando (IPO) a Venture Capital firm with investments primarily in high technology companies. From 1999 to present, he has been the CEO of IIS, LLC a systems software company, and from 2000 to present, CEO of GlobalSys Services, Inc., an offshore programming services company.
Mr. Josephs has served on the Board of Directors of the First National Bank of Central Florida, First Nation Bank of Seminole County and First Mercantile National Bank where he served as Chairman of the Executive Committee. He has served on the board of various non-profit Orlando based organizations in leadership chair positions. He has recently been on the board of several high technology companies in Central Florida including Milcom Technology, Meshnetwork, Theseus Logic and currently Gemesis Corporation and Camgian.
Ramya Varma is a vice president on the investment team at Advantage Capital. Based out of Austin, TX, she is responsible for seeking new investment opportunities, performing due diligence, structuring transactions and managing portfolio companies.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Ms. Varma spent eight years as an investment professional at Seaport Capital, evaluating, executing, and monitoring equity investments in the media, communications, and business services industries. Ms. Varma has also held roles in marketing and business development at fintech company Personal Capital and as a consultant at startup incubator DreamIt Ventures.
Ms. Varma received her MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and her bachelor’s degree in finance and international business from New York University.