Dr. Koutsoyannopoulos, a Helic co-founder, is responsible for corporate strategy and business development. His vision of a cutting-edge technology company with a global reach has largely defined Helic's corporate identity and has contributed to multiple successful rounds of financing from institutional investors and VCs. Prior to founding Helic he has worked as an engineering consultant in technology development projects for European corporations such as ST Microelectronics, Atmel-ES2 and Infineon. Dr. Koutsoyannopoulos received his Ph.D. and Diploma in Electrical Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens and his MBA from the Athens University of Economics and Business.
Dr. Bantas, a Helic co-founder, leads technology development and is actively involved in the company's marketing and business development activities worldwide. Prior to Helic, he was a Research Engineer with the Institute of Communications and Computer Systems of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) and was involved in the design of silicon RF circuits, high-frequency integrated filters and data converters in the course of EU-funded research. Working closely with leading European semiconductor companies during his research years, he developed a deep understanding of design automation needs which he later transcribed into Helic's innovative EDA products. Sotiris Bantas holds a Ph.D. in CMOS RF filter design and Diploma in Electrical Engineering, both received from the NTUA.
Mr. Provatas has been with Helic since September 2000 and is in charge of worldwide sales and business development. Before joining Helic, he was with Citibank International plc. at the Treasury department in Athens. Previously, he had worked for various Greek companies in the areas of business administration and sales. He holds a B.Sc. in Mathematics from the University of the Aegean and an MBA from the Athens University of Economics and Business.
Mr. Liapis is the manager of EDA product development and a Helic co-founder. He has been leading the development of VeloceRF EDA tool and is the main driving force behind Helic's software engineering and EDA tool flow design. Prior to founding Helic, he worked as an IT technical consultant in EDA applications for private organizations and the Institute of Computer and Communication Systems of NTUA in Athens. Mr. Liapis studied Electrical and Computer Engineering at the National Technical University of Athens.
Mr. Raman has over 18 years of experience in high speed chip, package and board design and associated EDA tools. Prior to joining Helic Anand was with Cadence Design Systems where he worked with various industry leaders in electronic design as part of the design services organization. While at Cadence he also worked in the verification, system package board, digital IC and custom IC divisions in various capacities. Anand received his M.S. (ECE) from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and his B.Tech (EE) from IIT Bombay.
Mr. Makiyama has been in charge of Japan sales and business development since October 2004. Previously, he was the General Manager of Network Products and Business Development Group at Paltek (JASDAQ: 7587) and played a leading role in building Paltek's corporate strategy until its successful IPO in July 1998. Mr. Makiyama studied Physics at Athens University and holds a BEng in Electronics Engineering from Osaka Institute of Technology.
Mr. Argyris is the Managing Director of First Elements Ventures, the VC management company of Sharelink Financial Services ( www.sfsnet.com ). He is also a director of CyVenture Capital and has been in charge of the design and management of the first for-profit, technology Incubator in Cyprus, Athena High Technology Incubator Ltd. ( AHTI Ltd., www.athenatech.com.cy ). Prior to SFS, he spent five years as an Improvement Board Engineer with the Nicosia Improvement Boards (Cyprus), three years as Project Management Consultant and Project Analyst with Lundgren Management and Henkle-Schueler Group of Companies in the US and seven years with Hellenic Bank in Cyprus. Mr Argyris holds a Bachelor's degree with honours in Engineering from Salford University of Technology, Salford U.K. and an MBA from the Freeman School of Business, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana.
Mr. Christofides is Business Development Manager with the Sharelink Securities & Financial Services Ltd. He has been with the SFS Group since February 2000. Prior to joining the SFS Group, he worked as a Financial Engineer at Chase Manhattan Bank recording and analyzing the financial structure of bank processes. He earned his MBA from Baruch College (CUNY) in New York and his BBA (Magna Cum Laude) from Hofstra University, also in New York.
Mr. Raptis is the Chief Financial Officer of the Printec Group, a banking IT solution business with 600+ employees and operating subsidiaries in 15 countries in Southeastern Europe. Prior to Printec he was Director of Private Equity & Corporate Finance at Alpha Bank, the largest non-state-owned financial institution in Greece. Between 1993 and 1998 Mr. Raptis held various positions with Chase Investment Bank in Milan and London. Mr. Raptis holds a BA degree from Swarthmore College and an MA in International Economics and Finance from Brandeis University.
