Edward Hughes
Aculon Executive Director
Edward has over 25 years of experience managing consumer and technology businesses. Prior to joining Aculon, he was the Founder, President & Chief Executive Officer of PowerMetal Technologies Inc. located in Carlsbad California; a leading supplier of nanotechnology enabled components. In 2003, Edward was Senior VP and GM for TaylorMade-adidas Golf, heading up the North American business division and Global Marketing. Edward was part of the team that turned around TaylorMade's performance by growing sales and doubling profits. Prior to selling Maxfli Golf to TaylorMade adidas Golf, Edward helped turn around Maxfli as Vice President & General Manager. Previous roles include Director of Strategy and Group Marketing Manager at The Pillsbury Company in Minneapolis. Edward serves as President of the Harvard Business School Club of San Diego. He earned his Master’s Degree from Cambridge University, England and his MBA from the Harvard Business School, where he was a George F. Baker Scholar. Edward is currently a member of the Aculon board and serves as the Executive Director.
Eric Bruner
Aculon President & Founder
Eric Bruner founded Aculon in 2004 and runs the Specialty Business for Aculon. At Aculon he has helped develop and commercialize numerous repellency and adhesion promotion products and helped Aculon grow from a start-up into a profitable company. Eric earned his Master of Science degree in 2000 and his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Princeton University in 2002. Eric’s credits include 12 Aculon patents, numerous scientific publications in the areas of catalysis, kinetics, and surface chemistry. Prior to Princeton, Eric earned a B.S. degree in Biochemistry with Honors from UCSD, where he also distinguished himself as an 8-time All-American Swimmer and served as the President of the American Chemical Society Student Affiliates.
Rick Elkus
Aculon Board Director
Rick Elkus was most recently Vice President, Business Operations for Blackhawk Network, Rick oversaw finance, administration, I.T. and program operations for the stored-value issuing company. He has also held positions at Extrameasures (CFO and COO) and multiple divisions within Hewlett Packard including roles as VP and CFO of Phoenix Imaging, a startup professional commercial printing manufacturer (HP/Kodak joint venture). Other positions held within HP include Controller in HP’s $1.2B All-in-One Division; Financial Operations manager of the HP InkJet Supplies Business Unit, and financial management positions in Site Services and HP Printed Circuit Board Division. Rick graduated with a BA in Management Science from the University of California, San Diego, and received his MBA from the University of Oregon. He also serves on the Board of the Scripps Institute of Oceanography – Birch Aquarium and the San Diego County Honorary Deputy Sheriffs Association (President).
Steve Gregornik
Aculon Board Director
Steve Gregornik was most recently Chief Executive Officer at Capula Investment Management LLP, a London based hedge fund specializing in global fixed income markets managing in excess of $15bln of assets. Prior to joining Capula, Steve served as COO for the Rates and Currencies Division at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. He is an experienced corporate manager and start-up investor. Steve was a Founding Partner in Arlington Hill Investment Management, a $125 million hedge fund specializing in the trading of debt and currency instruments. Prior to forming Arlington Hill, he was the VP of Finance and Operations at Cognet Microsystems, a start-up company specializing in high-speed semiconductors. Cognet was sold to Intel for $250 million. Steve also spent 11 years with Merrill Lynch’s Debt Capital Markets Division. At Merrill Lynch he was instrumental in establishing three different business units. He was elevated to Managing Director at age 28, the youngest such appointment in the history of Merrill Lynch. He has been investing, advising, fund raising and working directly with start-up companies for the last 20 years having invested in more than 30 such companies. Steve is currently a member of the ACULON Board.
Jonathan Huberman
Aculon Board Director
Jonathan Huberman was most recently CEO of Ooyala, a video management and monetization solutions provider. With nearly 30 years of high-tech business leadership, he is an accomplished executive with a demonstrated track record of driving high customer satisfaction, technology innovation, and greater market value for technology companies. Previously, he served as CEO of Syncplicity, Tiburon Inc., and Iomega Corporation. Huberman graduated with a B.A. in Computer Science from Princeton University, and received an M.B.A. from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He is currently a member of the ACULON board.
David J. Malone
Aculon Board Director
David J. Malone is President and CEO of Gateway Financial, which he helped found in 1982. The company specializes in sophisticated uses of life insurance for complex needs, including generational wealth planning for high net-worth individuals and executive benefits for public and private companies. Mr. Malone earned his BS in Economics from Allegheny College and later earned the Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) and Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) designations from the American College. He is a member of various professional organizations associated with the insurance industry and is heavily involved in the community on local, regional, and state levels. Mr. Malone served as Chairman of the Pennsylvania Workforce Investment Board under two Governors from 2004 – 2014. He is a member of the Highmark Health, Highmark, Inc. and Allegheny Health Network Boards of Directors, Chairman of the Allegheny Conference Political Action Committee and serves as Director of FNB Corporation and the Western PA Surgery Center. Mr. Malone is also a Trustee of Robert Morris University and a board member of United Way of Allegheny County, the Strategic Investment Fund and the Snee-Reinhardt Charitable Foundation among many others.