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Karen Chakmakian
is a focused, results-oriented and highly productive
marketing professional with a passion for kick-starting
new ventures. She has more than fifteen years of experience
providing leadership and direction to early-stage
companies; her strengths are marketing strategy and
corporate communications. She worked as a consultant
from September 2000 until August 2006, when she joined
Fuzz
fulltime as VP Marketing.
Current Focus
Although she has dedicated most of her career
to working with technology companies, during her time
consulting, Karen began to shift her focus away from
technology, and towards areas of deeper personal interest,
including wine, music and the nonprofit sector. She
continues to serve on the board of directors for Little
Kids Rock, a rapidly growing nonprofit that brings
an incredible music program and free instruments into
the public schools that have lost their music programs
to budget cuts. Her work with Fuzz
brings her back into the tech sector and allows her
to help artists achieve financial and creative independence.
Pursuing Her Dreams
Karen took a travel break from September 1999 to September
2000 to pursue her dream of backpacking through various
parts of the world. She kept a detailed journal and
wrote travelogues
throughout this adventure. During this time she was
interviewed for a USA Today cover story, by National
Geographic Television, and profiled in Fast
Company magazine.
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An Entrepreneur in the Internet Arena
Karen was a founder of iPass
Inc., which solves the complex issues of mobile workforces
accessing their corporate networks, email and the Internet
from anywhere in the world. Through an easy-to-use client,
iPass enables secure access via wireless and wireline broadband,
ISDN, dial-up and other access media, over multiple computer
platforms and devices. Karen quickly positioned iPass as
the standard for global Internet roaming and corporate remote
access solutions.
Karen was involved in all aspects of developing and growing
iPass' business from January 1996 until September 1999.
She co-developed the business model, validated it through
market research, assessed the competitive landscape, identified
potential partners and wrote the business plan. She helped
raise the company's initial funding from top-tier venture
capital firms Accel
Partners, Crosspoint
Ventures and Asia
Pacific Ventures. She also helped recruit a seasoned
executive team, a strong marketing communications team,
and drove worldwide marketing communications, public relations,
demand generation and website development. Through these
efforts iPass achieved rapid growth and became the industry
leader. The company remains strong with predictable growth
today.
Marketing Consultant in Hong Kong
Prior to iPass, Karen lived in Hong Kong where she was a
consultant to International Messaging Associates, a provider
of Internet messaging solutions for business customers.
Her work there included market research, business planning
and a new product launch.
Work with Startups in the Semiconductor Industry
Karen's career began in the semiconductor industry; she
drove product marketing and marketing communications for
Ultra Clean Technology, a leading provider of semiconductor
process equipment and services; before that she was an account
manager for WaferNet, a broker of silicon wafers and related
services.
Education
Karen led consulting projects in conjunction with the MBA Consulting
Group at Santa Clara University, where she completed a Masters in Business
Administration in 1992. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology
and a minor in Spanish.
Personal Interests
Karen loves adventure travel, learning to play the guitar
and djembe, and discovering amazing wine. Her favorite sports
are kiteboarding, windsurfing, snowboarding and skiing,
but she also enjoys a number of others including mountain
biking, scuba diving and rock climbing. She also practices
yoga and works out often in her home gym.
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