PANEL SESSION

Executive Strategy Panel

Four founders and Venture Capitalists give a view of launching a semiconductor start up. They set out the why, when and how of taking an idea to market, showing why the venture matters, when to step out of the lab and how to shape a plan. We’ll also discuss where the money is coming from and the routes to access in today’s climate.

MODERATOR

David Cheskis

TriEye

David Cheskis, PhD, serves as the Senior Product Director at TriEye Ltd. where he is responsible for new SWIR imaging products. Dr. Cheskis is an expert in semiconductor, optoelectronics and communications technologies, products and markets and started the first 6-inch GaAs VCSEL wafer foundry business in 2013. Since 1996, Dr. Cheskis has led the development of semiconductor and optical technologies and products for wireless, wireline and optical products at diverse sensing and communications companies including Lumentum, LeddarTech, IQE plc, II-VI Incorporated, ANADIGICS Inc, Oclaro Inc., Sarnoff Corporation, Jazz Semiconductor, Multilink Technology Corporation, and Vitesse Semiconductor. Dr. Cheskis earned PhD and MS degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, San Diego and a BSEE degree in Microelectronic Engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE. Contact: David.Cheskis@TriEye.tech

PANELLISTS INCLUDE

Jonathan Klamkin

Aeluma

Jonathan Klamkin is CEO and Director of Aeluma, a transformative semiconductor company that has pioneered the heterogeneous integration of compound semiconductor materials on large-diameter substrates for scaling high-performance photonics and electronics components. The company's technology is applicable across mobile and consumer electronics, AI, defense & aerospace, industrial, robotics, automotive, AR/VR, and quantum. Dr. Klamkin is also a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Director of the Nanofab at the University of California Santa Barbara. Dr. Klamkin was with BinOptics Corp., a laser diode manufacturer that was acquired by Macom in 2015. He also held positions at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Boston University, and Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna. Dr. Klamkin is the recipient of the NASA Young Faculty Award, the DARPA Young Faculty Award, the DARPA Director’s Fellowship, and the PIERS Young Scientist Award. He has published more than 250 papers, holds more than 30 issued and pending patents, and has delivered more than 150 invited, keynote, and plenary presentations to industry, government, and the academic community. Dr. Klamkin holds a B.S. from Cornell University and both a M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of California Santa Barbara. 

Rebecca Levonian

InPHRED

Rebecca Levonian is a co-founder and the Chief Strategy Officer of InPHRED where she leads strategic growth and operations. She previously held leadership roles at Wayfair, driving global transformation and service operations, and began her career as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company. Rebecca holds a Ph.D. from Georgia Tech and B.S. from MIT.

Snigdha Lal

Oxford Science Enterprises

Snigdha backs Deep Tech ventures at Oxford Science Enterprises focusing on semiconductors, photonics and advanced materials domains. She brings extensive scientific expertise, having joined OSE in 2025 after earning a PhD from the University of Oxford specializing in semiconductor and optoelectronic device physics. Snigdha’s academic research has been published in leading peer-reviewed journals. In addition to scientific knowledge, Snigdha brings commercial experience from her venture fellowship at Boston-based Engine Ventures and a business consultancy role at NRI Consulting India. She holds a B-Tech from IIT Bombay and an MSc cum laude from Delft University of Technology.