Kim Polese
Encyclopedia
Kim Karin Polese is a previous CEO of SpikeSource
SpikeSource
SpikeSource specialized in automated software testing, and tested several business models to monetize that expertise. These included the popular testgen4web tool for scripted web site testing, offering open source software that had undergone regression testing, pre-integrated open-source software...

, and was one of the most prominent Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...

 executives during the dot-com era. In 1997, she made Time Magazine's list of "The 25 Most Influential Americans".

Education

She received a BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

 degree in biophysics
Biophysics
Biophysics is an interdisciplinary science that uses the methods of physical science to study biological systems. Studies included under the branches of biophysics span all levels of biological organization, from the molecular scale to whole organisms and ecosystems...

 in 1984 from the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...

 and studied Computer Science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...

 at the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...

.

Polese is a fellow at Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....

's Center for Engineered Innovation.

Work History

After a stint at Intellicorp, Ms. Polese spent more than seven years with Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems, Inc. was a company that sold :computers, computer components, :computer software, and :information technology services. Sun was founded on February 24, 1982...

, where she was the original Java
Java (programming language)
Java is a programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java platform. The language derives much of its syntax from C and C++ but has a simpler object model and fewer low-level facilities...

 product manager who influenced the transition of its internal name of "Oak" to "Java".

After leaving Sun in 1996 she co-founded Marimba, a Java-based business, where she served as CEO until 2000, leading Marimba through its public offering in 1999 and bringing it to profitability before selling it to BMC Software
BMC Software
BMC Software, Inc. is a multinational corporation specializing in Business Service Management software, with record annual revenue in fiscal 2009 of $1.87 billion...

 for $239 million in 2004.

Since September 2004 http://www.spikesource.com/newsevents/090104.html and until recently http://www.spikesource.com/company/management/, Polese has been CEO of SpikeSource
SpikeSource
SpikeSource specialized in automated software testing, and tested several business models to monetize that expertise. These included the popular testgen4web tool for scripted web site testing, offering open source software that had undergone regression testing, pre-integrated open-source software...

, a provider of business-ready open source solutions. The company was incubated in 2003 at VC firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers by Ray Lane, and launched its first products in April 2005. Series A and B investors include Intel Capital, and Fidelity Ventures
Fidelity Ventures
Fidelity Ventures is the venture capital arm of Fidelity Investments. Based in Boston, Massachusetts and London, Fidelity Ventures invests in emerging technology companies in North America and Europe. Their focus is on the go-to-market stage, where companies have products and early customer...

 and the Omidyar Network
Omidyar Network
Omidyar Network is a philanthrocapitalist investment firm established in 2004 by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar and his wife Pam. To date, Omidyar Network has committed more than $290 million to for-profit companies and nonprofit organizations that foster economic advancement and encourage individual...

 among others.

Polese serves on the board of the Global Security Institute
Global Security Institute
The Global Security Institute is a international organization with a mission to eliminate nuclear weapons through international cooperation and security. It aims to influence national laws, seeking to accomplish its mission by focusing on nuclear arms control, non-proliferation, and...

, the Long Now Foundation
Long Now Foundation
The Long Now Foundation, established in 1996, is a private organization that seeks to become the seed of a very long-term cultural institution. It aims to provide a counterpoint to what it views as today's "faster/cheaper" mindset and to promote "slower/better" thinking...

 and the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...

 President's Board on Science and Innovation. She also serves on the executive council of TechNet
TechNet
TechNet may refer to:* Technet , a fictional group in the Marvel Comics universe* TechNet , Singapore's first Internet access provider* TechNet , an American political lobbying organization...

, a bipartisan network of executives that promotes the growth of the technology economy and the Silicon Valley Leadership Group
Silicon Valley Leadership Group
The Silicon Valley Leadership Group, founded in 1978 by David Packard of Hewlett-Packard, represents more than 340 of Silicon Valley's most respected employers on issues, programs and campaigns that affect the economic health and quality of life in Silicon Valley, including energy, transportation,...

.

Polese served on the board of Technorati
Technorati
Technorati is an Internet search engine for searching blogs. By June 2008, Technorati was indexing 112.8 million blogs and over 250 million pieces of tagged social media...

, Inc. from 2004 to 2006.

On 2010 she received the second Symons Innovator Award given annually by NCWIT to honor successful women entrepreneurs in technology.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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