The Graybeards
Robert Aronoff
Robert Aronoff
Robert Aronoff
Graybeard of Intellectual Property and Product Strategy
Mark Thomann
Robert Aronoff
Robert Aronoff
Graybeard of Brands and Consumer Products
Rick Rosenbloom
Rick Rosenbloom
Rick Rosenbloom
Graybeard of Capital Markets and Restructuring
Larry Schwartz
Rick Rosenbloom
Rick Rosenbloom
Graybeard of Revenue Optimization and Data Integration
Strategic Partners
Karl Barth
Dave Kuipers
Dave Kuipers
Investigations and Litigation Recoveries
Dave Kuipers
Dave Kuipers
Dave Kuipers
Accounting & Finance Support
Graybeard Bio: Robert Aronoff
Graybeard of Intellectual Property and Product Strategy
Rob Aronoff is the Graybeard of IP and Product Strategy, and Managing Director and founder of Pluritas LLC, a leading IP and Corporate strategy, execution and transaction advisor to operating companies, Intellectual Property (IP) owners, and investors. At Pluritas, Rob’s clients are typically looking to raise money or seeking acquisitions for companies with strong IP, or, developing, spinning-off or acquiring innovations protected by strong IP. Pluritas has advised hundreds of companies and entities on IP related transactions of all kinds, assets and monetization programs with aggregate transaction values well over $500 million USD.
Rob brings over 35 years of experience in leading product, strategy and business development activities in high technology, spanning everything from Digital Imaging to Internet Solutions, Robotics to Clean Energy, AI to Virtual Reality, Computer Hardware to Consumer Electronics, Medical Products to Fintech solutions, IoT to Industrial solutions, Cybersecurity, and more. Rob has worked in operational roles with companies like Sun Microsystems, Eastman Kodak, Brandera (a first-generation dot com company), and strategic advisory roles with KPMG, and Coopers & Lybrand. His operational areas of expertise include Product Marketing, Corporate Marketing, Product and Technology Strategy, Operations and Business Development.
Rob is also a recognized world leader in Intellectual Property strategy (an elected member of the IAM 300 Global IP Strategy Leaders every year since 2009 and has worked on behalf of startups and innovators with educational activities in Washington D.C. and Silicon Valley and has spoken on entrepreneurship and innovation-related topics around the world. Rob earned his MBA from the M.I.T. Sloan School where he received the William L. Stewart Award for outstanding contributions to M.I.T., and a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science and Economics from Brandeis University where he received the Milton Feld Economics Award.
Graybeard Bio: Mark Thomann
Graybeard of Brands and Consumer Products
Mark Thomann, partner at Spiral Sun Ventures, is a creative force and financial innovator with a long history of building brands and scaling businesses. Born outside of Boston and the son of a diplomat, he spent his high school years in Milan, Italy, where he learned to speak Italian and perfect his soccer skills. In the mid-1990’s, Mark began his career in politics. He worked as the Finance Director for two regions for the Clinton/Gore campaign and the DNC. From there he shifted into a business career in the restructuring/turn around field. In the mid-2000’s, Mark launched his own consulting firm, 363 Group Inc., and spent 10+ years as a financial advisor for distressed M&A deals and workouts. He then sold the company to the merchant bank Ocean Tomo and was appointed head of Corporate Finance.
Through this experience working in intellectual property, Mark realized that many discarded brands were not being valued properly when sold in distressed situations. Mark then became CEO of River West Brands, a firm that specialized in acquiring dormant brand assets, redeveloping and monetizing them. The brands he has worked with include Brim Coffee, Aiwa, Cross Colors, Underalls and Coleco. After a serious 2012 illness from which he fully recovered, Mark became interested in health and wellness and took on the role as the CEO of FarmedHere, the largest indoor organic farm in the US, which ran on aquaponics. He successfully improved the company’s margins and helped them win a significant contract to sell products to leading retailers, where he developed close relationships. Shortly thereafter, in 2016, Mark met Michael Kaplan, who wanted to create a venture capital firm that invested seed capital in health-focused consumer product companies. The two teamed up and formed Spiral Sun Ventures.
Mark is married, lives in Raleigh North Carolina with three children and is a proud fan of his junior tennis-playing kids. He is a Board Member of Naturally Chicago and serves on the board of several portfolio companies. He is a graduate of College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, with a BS in Political Science.
Graybeard Bio: Rick Rosenbloom
Graybeard of Capital Markets and Restructuring
Mr. Rosenbloom, founding Partner of Fuel Break Capital Partners, LLC, a national special situations investment banking and advisory firm, earned his Graybeard with over 30 years of capital markets, M&A and restructuring advisory, bankruptcy and transactional law and distressed investment experience. Mr. Rosenbloom has additional operating experience in brand marketing, corporate and entertainment licensing and technology startups including online marketing and digital entertainment.
Rick has been engaged in more than 50 middle market capital raises of various kinds, with a combined value over $2 Billion USD. He has also been engaged in several dozen M&A, restructuring and bankruptcy transactions.
Rick started his career in Chicago with Kirkland & Ellis and Schiff Hardin & Waite (now ArentFox Schiff) in their corporate bankruptcy and restructuring practices. Mr. Rosenbloom holds JD and MBA degrees from UCLA and graduated With Distinction from the Honors Program of the University of Michigan.
Graybeard Bio: Larry Schwartz
Graybeard of Revenue Optimization and Data Intelligence
Larry Schwartz is the Graybeard of Revenue Strategy and Optimization, with over 25 years of executive experience driving revenue growth, market expansion, and operational alignment across SaaS, media, and technology industries. Larry’s career is marked by innovation and transformative leadership.
As a partner at Spiras, Larry developed Revenue Bridge Solutions (RBS), a proprietary framework that transforms advanced data insights into actionable strategies, enabling scalable growth and measurable outcomes.
As Chief Revenue Officer at OTTera, he re-architected the company’s revenue and partnership strategies, achieving a 7-year high in revenue and a 300% increase in channels. He delivered a trademarked partner strategy, launched a Data-as-a-Service (DaaS) product, and integrated AI-driven sales operations to ensure transparency and reliability in revenue forecasting.
At Anthem Sports & Entertainment, Larry spearheaded the company’s digital expansion into new markets and platforms, driving a 178% YOY revenue increase. His efforts included scaling subscription and e-commerce businesses and forging partnerships with major platforms like Roku, Samsung, and Pluto.
Larry’s expertise also extends to acquisition integration, where he has led due diligence and business continuity planning, aligning global teams and safeguarding intellectual property during transitions.Larry’s leadership has also included roles in technology start-ups where he negotiated AI-optimized SaaS solutions with top-tier device and chip manufacturers. His work included 16 trips to China to solidify partnerships, navigate complex negotiations, and build strong international relationships with leading global manufacturers. He is also a patented inventor in the field of biometrics.
Certified by the Berkeley Haas School of Business in "Artificial Intelligence: Strategies and Applications for Business," Larry leverages AI and machine learning to uncover insights, predict trends, and optimize business outcomes.
Based in Los Angeles, Larry is committed to driving growth through data-driven decision-making, innovative strategies, and transformative leadership.
Strategic Partner Bio: Karl Barth
Karl Barth - Investigations and Litigation Recoveries
Karl Barth is an attorney and forensic accountant with more than 30 years of experience performing internal investigations and analyzing potential recoveries from litigation against third parties. Karl is a licensed attorney, a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Fraud Examiner and holds the distinction of being Certified in Financial Forensics from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Karl was previously a partner at the national law firm of Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP, and remains with the firm in an Of Counsel capacity.
Karl has investigated both internal accounting and financial fraud as well as
potential legal claims against various third parties for companies, investors
and as a Court-appointed receiver. He has litigated complex financial fraud
cases recovering hundreds of millions of dollars for his clients, including:
recovering more than $230 million for investors from national law and
accounting firms that he held responsible for aiding a large Ponzi-scheme;
representing a large mutual fund complex in recovering losses from fraud in
one of its investments; assisting banks with recovering losses from
defaulting commercial borrowers; and obtaining multi-million dollar
recoveries from insurers and previous legal counsel as the Court-appointed
receiver of a company previously trading on the NASDAQ.
Karl holds a JD degree from the Georgetown University Law Center and a
B.S. in Commerce (Accounting) from the University of Virginia.
Strategic Partner Bio: Dave Kuipers
David Kuipers – Accounting & Finance Support
David Kuipers is a licensed Certified Public Accountant and member of the American
Institute of Certified Public Accountants with more than 30 years of experience in
auditing, turnaround consulting, corporate accounting, and education. David started his career at Arthur Andersen LLP where, as an Experienced Manager, he was responsible for conducting audits of clients in the investment company, real estate, and not-for-profit industries. He subsequently spent several years working in the turnaround consulting business where he supported teams in helping clients navigate difficult financial circumstances. He also has deep experience in corporate accounting, especially in the private equity and real estate industries. He has helped several companies raise capital through initial and subsequent funding rounds and also served as Director of Financial Reporting in the real estate accounting department of a Fortune 500 company. David specializes in bringing order, consistency, and understanding to all types of accounting situations.
David holds an MBA degree from the University of Notre Dame and a BS in
Accountancy from Calvin University.