About the Culture
What do you get when you bring a Professor of Information Technology, a McKinsey consultant, a former White House Information Technology Manager, a Scientist on the Human Genome Project at NIH, a Rocket Scientist, a TV Producer and a decorated U.S. Marine Officer onto one team? You get a technology company that is on the verge of creating a new industry.

Dr. Kurt Beyer   |   Dr. Yugal Sharma   |   Jeff Paul   |   Alex Baker   |   Upul Abeywarna   |   Tad Richman   |   Kelli Richards   |   Teresa Fields

	Dr. Kurt Beyer
	Eagles, Hotel California President Kurt is a co-founder of Riptopia and a former Professor of Information Technology. Originally from Long Island, NY, Kurt received his Ph.D. from the University of California-Berkeley, Masters degree from Oxford University in England, and attended the U.S. Naval Academy as an undergraduate. Kurt believes that although "ideas are a dime a dozen, what ultimately matters is execution, and the team of Riptopia is the key to our success."

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	Dr. Yugal Sharma
	Sublime, Sublime VP of Technology Yugal has been a key technology expert in evolving Riptopia’s processing infrastructure into a faster, automated, and scalable platform. He has applied principles from his work on the Human Genome Project at the National Institute of Health to allow Riptopia to process large amounts of data. Born in India and raised in the United States, Yugal obtained his B.S. in Chemistry and Cell Biology from the University of Michigan, and his Ph.D. in Biophysics from the University of Cincinnati. "Ripping a single CD is not Rocket science. Ripping hundreds and thousands of them quickly and accurately is a significant computer science problem that we have solved from the ground up."

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	Jeff Paul
	Barbra Streisand, Greatest Hits CFO Jeff has leadership experience in the banking, natural resources, apparel and consumer service industries and is a member of Tech Coast Angels, Los Angeles Chapter. He holds a bachelor's in business administration from the University of California, Berkeley and a master's in finance from the University of California, Los Angeles

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	Alex Baker
	Kasey Chambers, Wayward Angel COO Alex was a former Rocket Scientist at Intelsat before joining the Riptopia team. In a variety of roles, Alex has applied his advanced scientific and technological intelligence to his work at Riptopia. Alex believes in Riptopia because of how it has personally improved and simplified his life as a self-proclaimed iPod enthusiast. Alex resides in San Rafael, California with his wife Kelly, and two boys Finn and Cameron.

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	Upul Abeywarna
	Phil Collins, ….But Seriously Director of Operations A recent graduate of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Upul applies his degree in Information Technology in his role as Systems Administrator. Upul is responsible for deploying hardware and software solutions and technical support. Upul is originally from Sri Lanka.

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	Tad Richman
	Tom Petty, Full Moon Fever Senior Technical Consultant As a recent addition to Riptopia's technical team, Tad earned his B.S. in Computer & Systems Engineering from RPI in Troy, NY. Hired initially as a technician, Tad's technical knowledge has been a key factor in increasing the efficiency and automation of the Nirvana system.

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	Kelli Richards
	Julian Lennon, VH1 Behind the Music: The Julian Lennon Collection VP Business Development Kelli Richards is a twenty year digital music & entertainment executive focused on business development & creating new strategies and business models at the convergence of entertainment and technology. She is currently the President and CEO of The All Access Group, a company she founded in 1997. A former executive at Apple Computer, Silicon Graphics (SGI) & EMI Music, Ms Richards is the co-author of two books, including the acclaimed ³The Art of Digital Music² and is a highly sought after expert & speaker on the convergence of digital media and music. She has also been active in producing award shows, concerts, celebrity fundraisers, and conferences for over two decades. Ms Richards has her MBA from San Jose State University, serves as an advisory board member to several organizations, and is also a Certified Life Coach. Visit her site at "www.allaccessgroup.com" for more.

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	Teresa Fields
	Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth, The Main Ingredient Assistant Processor A New York City native, Teresa is a graduate of TESST College of Technology in VA. Teresa applies her skills in Network Information and A+ by assisting the Process manager and the "Tech Team" with daily orders and technical support. Teresa currently resides in The District of Columbia and is a mother of two children ages 15 and 6. Teresa lends her great energy and sparkling and outgoing attitude to the Riptopia team. "This is the kind of job that you would want to come to everyday!" says Teresa.

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