About ACEL360

Sanjay Puri is a global entrepreneur whose powerful connectivity in government and business places him at the forefront of though leadership and advisement.  After starting his career as a financial analyst for The World Bank, he began his entrepreneurial journey in 1994 through a grant from the National Institute of Health (NIH) where he led a team that used artificial intelligence techniques to diagnose patients with Alzheimer’s.  He founded and built a number of technology companies during the 1990s.  In 2011, his startup, Optimos, was recognized “among the top firms providing IT solutions to Federal government agencies.”  Sanjay sold Optimos in 2014 and founded ACEL360, a multi-module accelerator that helps small and medium sized businesses navigate federal processes, create pipelines of high-value prospects and build and sustain competitive advantage with cross-functional, forward-looking strategies. Sanjay also founded the Alliance for US India/International Business (AUSIB) and the US-India Political Action Committee (USINPAC).  In close cooperation with the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives, Sanjay has hosted numerous events on Capitol Hill to promote trade relations.  He has testified as an expert witness before the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs and his statements are included in Committee records.  A highly sought-after speaker and media contributor, Sanjay has presented at Harvard Business School, the Kellogg School of Management, the National War College, Wharton, Dartmouth, the China Telematics and Connected Vehicles Summit and other leading institutions and conferences.  He has been featured by The New York Times, The Washington Times, The Hindu, The Times of India, CNN, National Public Radio (NPR), BBC and more.  He has also been recognized in the U.S. Congressional Record for his advocacy and achievements.  Sanjay holds an MBA in Finance & Investments from George Washington University. To learn more about Sanjay, and the Ambassadors’ Cup at Congressional Country Club which he founded to further US-Asia trade relations, please visit at sanjaypuri.com or as AUSIB.org.

Manish Chauhan is a serial entrepreneur and seasoned leader with Cross-Functional Experience and Cross-Industry Expertise. He has over three decades of notable experience in instituting corporate responsibility, integrity, and accountability with Consulting companies, Tech companies, GovCon companies, and Non-Profit organizations.  His experience has helped him to drive corporate business strategies and lead enterprise transformation programs to accelerate new growth platforms, build new capabilities and improve ROIC and org structure. Manish has helped the companies modernize and adapt to changing consumer behaviors and needs of emerging consumer segments. He is exceptional at developing and implementing growth focused metrics, best practices, processes, and technological tools to streamline and enhance business operations. With strong track record executing multimillion-dollar projects, implementing best practices, and new product introductions, he offers expertise in aligning sales, production, delivery, talent acquisition activities to drive success, growth, and expansion and has played instrumental roles in enterprise technology transformation. Manish recently served as an Executive Director (COO/CFO) at ‘NIGP: National Institution of Governmental Purchasing’ where he was responsible for leading the strategy, technology, finance, Growth, and operations for an association of public procurement officers.

A long-time resident of Silicon Valley, with early experience in software development, Bob Drazovich has been founder, executive, board member, investor, or consultant for more than two dozen companies that have developed and marketed software products or technology-based service offerings. These companies have utilized technologies spanning artificial intelligence, big data, IoT, SaaS, cloud computing, simulation, and knowledge-based and intelligent reasoning systems to provide solutions for building automation and energy management, education, healthcare and biotech, defense, and corporate resource/portfolio management. Bob has also been founder and principal of a government contractor that developed innovative AI and data analysis technology for DARPA and other Defense agencies. The firm grew to over 200 people, spun off a successful search engine company, and was sold to a larger government contractor. In addition, Bob has assisted both early-stage and established companies by developing “go-to-market” business and product strategies, business plans, and corporate partnering and M&A strategies; obtaining financing from venture and angel sources; and bringing research technologies from academia to market. Bob has an MS degree in Operations Research from Stanford University and as a Sloan Fellow earned an MS degree in Management from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. He has published more than 45 technical papers and reports.

Harris Miller is a technology industry executive with extensive experience in the transformation of under-performing organizations and as a thought leader in innovation. He served for 10 years as president and CEO of the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) and its international counterpart, the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA). As part of his responsibilities, he oversaw the design, development, and rapid growth and expansion of the federal Systems Integration Division, which promotes U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness. ITAA programs served the needs of large-scale systems integration and platform solution providers, enterprise software firms, minority enterprise and women-owned businesses, consulting firms, information security companies, Year 2000 remediation firms. and others with a significant interest in entering or growing their presence in the federal IT space. For many years, Harris presided over publication of ITAA’s benchmark Federal CIO Survey, an annual review and analysis of market-shaping issues in the federal marketplace. He became the industry’s leading voice for such key issues as information security, critical infrastructure protection, the Y2K software conversion, the critical shortage of IT workers, global sourcing, and related issues. Harris is a successful investor and entrepreneur, having built a consulting practice involving projects in financial services, business immigration, Internet voting, free college tuition, and other areas. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh and earned a Master of Philosophy from Yale University.

Kevin Robbins supports Wolf Den’s strategic planning practice. He develops plans for clients ranging from small businesses to multi-billion-dollar defense conglomerates and covering the entire spectrum of end government customers, resulting in industry-leading growth rates for those companies. He also supports merger and acquisition engagements covering billions of dollars of completed transactions. In this role he counsels clients ranging from smaller, cutting-edge technology companies to private equity firms and larger, multi-billion-dollar defense primes, with a particular emphasis on candidate identification, strategic rationale, structuring, due diligence, and post-merger integration support. Kevin is also founder of Blue Delta Capital Partners, which makes non-control equity investments in high-growth government technology companies. This position has given him insight into and empathy for the unique issues private-equity clients confront when investing in the Federal sector. Previously, Kevin served as senior principal at SRA International, responsible for strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions, corporate spinoffs, and strategic relationships. Before joining SRA, he held a variety of positions in private equity, venture capital, and investment banking at ABS Capital Partners, General Electric’s GE Equity division, and Alex Brown & Sons. He has an AB in Economics from Dartmouth College and is a certified Six Sigma Green Belt.

As product developer, marketing communications specialist, and program director, Joan Phillips has contributed to the success of professional and executive development initiatives in government contracting, project management, strategic execution, global business leadership, and related fields. With ESI International from the company’s inception through its growth to a $60 million enterprise, she held the roles of VP Publications and VP Programs. She led teams who worked closely with ESI’s academic partner, The George Washington University School of Business, and with corporate partners, clients, and subject matter experts to build program content and products, connect with key audiences, and deliver quality learning experiences. She also played a lead role in the creation, development, and delivery of programs and products offered by IPS Learning with the Stanford University School of Engineering, and by IPS Asia, Redstone Learning, and Meridian International Center. Joan has presented professional development courses on business communication topics, developed and produced online learning products, and served as product development and marketing consultant to businesses and nonprofits in various fields. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Massachusetts at Boston and earned a master’s degree in English from Brandeis University.

David Kriegman spent more than 30 years growing and managing companies that provide professional services to the Federal government. He now leads Z2B in helping companies of all sizes achieve their strategic growth goals through services including strategic planning, account planning, capture and proposal support, corporate capability evaluations, and executive coaching. During his three-decade tenure as a senior leader at Federal service and solution provider SRA International, the company grew from $5 million to over $1 billion in annual revenues. In his book Zero to a Billion: 61 Rules Entrepreneurs Need to Know to Grow a Government Contracting Business, David draws on his experience to distill and illustrate core principles and practical, essential lessons on strategy, business development, operations, talent management, and M&A for new and mid-career managers as well as seasoned executives leading firms competing in the Federal space. He sits on several corporate boards and is a popular speaker. He has an M.S. in Mathematics from the Florida Institute of Technology.

Barry Landew founded Wolf Den to help promising companies grow their service to the Federal government through strategic planning, capture and proposal leadership, and M&A support. Since founding Wolf Den in late 2009, he has advised companies ranging from small businesses to private equity firms and large multi-national conglomerates on dozens of transactions valued at several billion dollars. He has also led capture efforts on several billion dollars of awards on behalf of Wolf Den’s clients, at over a 90 percent win rate. Prior to starting Wolf Den, he spent 29 years with SRA International, where he led strategy, M&A, and major growth initiatives. During his tenure at SRA, the firm grew from $1M in revenue to $1.4B, with an organic CAGR exceeding 20 percent. As SRA’s executive vice president for corporate development, Barry played an active role in SRA’s IPO in May 2002 and consummated nine acquisitions and three divestitures after SRA went public. Barry graduated from The Johns Hopkins University, where he majored in economics and mathematical sciences and taught modeling and simulation.

Kevin Marshall is a solution architect focused on proposal architecture and capture strategy for Wolf Den customers both large and small. His technical solution experience ranges from large infrastructure efforts to strategic cybersecurity, software development, and package software responses. Expert in graphics, technical solutions, theming, and thought leadership, Kevin has led complex proposal efforts for hundreds of acquisitions across virtually every department in the Federal space. Prior to his solution architect role, Kevin spent more than 14 years managing and executing systems implementations. Working for both commercial and GovCon companies, he has been engaged in a multitude of custom, ERP, and CRM projects as a team lead, system architect, and developer. His project history has allowed him to gain a strong understanding of the complexities and pitfalls of large system development and integration efforts. Before joining Wolf Den, Kevin held positions at PriceWaterhouse, Oracle, and SRA. He graduated from Rhodes College in Memphis, TN, with a BA in International Relations. He also has certifications in ITIL, Agile, cybersecurity (GSEC), project management (PMP), and firefighting (Pro Board).

Kim Pack is a proven business executive with more than 25 years of Federal and commercial experience in management spanning business development, IT operations, GWAC and Schedules program management, and corporate strategic alliances. Kim joined Wolf Den in 2012 and manages a portfolio of clients spanning small businesses to large systems integrators, supporting business development strategy and organizational assessment. Previously, Kim was an acting vice president at Computer Sciences Corporation, where she led a team of 20 business development executives in providing guidance, coaching, management, and organization to achieve the common growth goal of growing a $2 billion IT services pipeline. Active in industry government relations, she is an active member of ACT-IAC and has led several professional development programs. Kim is a graduate of Longwood University.

Noah Teates has helped clients solve problems across every Wolf Den line of business. He leads engagements that deliver strategic plans, capture strategy, winning proposals, and classic management consulting to diagnose and optimize growth organizations. He has helped win classified and unclassified contracts providing IT services (infrastructure support; Agile, DevOps, and continuous integration; cloud assessment and migration) as well as specialized scientific, analytic, digital, and cyber expertise. Beyond IT, he has helped win OCONUS contracts ranging from embassy operations support services to mobile and static armed guards in hostile environments. Deal size has ranged from less than $1 million to more than $3 billion, frequently with hundreds of millions of revenue at stake. His clients include Big Three management consulting firms; specialized small businesses in the Federal civilian, defense, and intelligence communities; and some of the largest defense contractors in the world. Before joining Wolf Den in 2011, Noah served as capture, proposal, and program manager for SRA International, Computer Sciences Corporation, and various small businesses.