Benjamin Piilani combines executive leadership with a scientific background in protocol design, network architecture, and theoretical physics. He oversees company strategy, operations, and the intellectual property portfolio, while pioneering innovations such as the Distributed Detection And Ranging Protocol (DDARP). As the architect of Piilani’s Theory of Geometric Coherence Discretization, he bridges advanced research with business execution to drive next-generation communications and grow MadHat Media into a global technology enterprise.

Donald Layden is an experienced executive with an MBA from Southern New Hampshire University and PMP certification. His career includes leadership roles at Comcast, Dyn (acquired by Oracle), and Smith & Nephew, and he was the first non-employee consultant recognized by Hewlett-Packard as a Distinguished Technologist. Having founded and sold multiple companies, he now aligns governance, finance, and strategy at MadHat Media while also advising Fortune 50 enterprises.

Alexandria B. Lynn is a corporate attorney and strategist with expertise in governance, compliance, and organizational development. As co-founder of MadHat Media, she provides legal oversight while aligning regulatory frameworks with business growth and innovation. Her leadership ensures the company’s expansion is built on a solid legal and structural foundation.

Christopher Grant is a technologist and co-founder of MadHat Media with expertise spanning full-stack engineering, distributed networks, and financial DevOps. His career includes network engineering experience at Single Digits, where he worked on complex connectivity solutions, as well as building resilient platforms in financial technology environments. At MadHat Media, Grant brings together technical execution and strategic vision, guiding the architecture and scalability of next-generation communications infrastructure. His leadership ensures that innovation translates into robust systems capable of supporting global adoption.

Craig Goodman is the founder and longtime President of the National Energy Marketers Association (NEM), a leading advocate for energy deregulation in the United States. He previously held senior policy roles under the Reagan and Bush administrations, shaping national energy and tax regulation. His deep experience with agencies such as the FCC, FERC, and DOE provides MadHat Media with strategic insight at the intersection of policy, regulation, and technology.

William (Bill) Asher is a senior partner at Choate Hall & Stewart and one of the nation’s leading corporate attorneys. A Harvard-trained lawyer, he has been recognized as Boston’s “Lawyer of the Year” in Corporate Compliance and Securities Regulation and ranked by The Legal 500 as a top middle-market M&A attorney. His experience in governance, securities, and high-stakes transactions brings MadHat Media world-class legal and financial expertise.

Staffan Ericsson is a Swedish entrepreneur and engineer who co-founded Vivo Software, one of the first companies to commercialize online video streaming. Following the company’s acquisition by RealNetworks, he became Chairman for Europe and helped scale streaming media worldwide. His pioneering work in digital media and technology adoption informs MadHat Media’s approach to innovation and global reach.

2 Companies to $100M+ Revenue with Successful Exits | $300M+ Real Estate Portfolio | Strategic Exit to SIRC

Riccardo brings the perspective of a successful operator who has built, scaled, and exited multiple businesses. His entrepreneurial track record includes founding and leading two companies to over $100M in annual revenue, culminating in successful institutional exits. As a General Partner, he has managed real estate investments exceeding $300M in asset value. Riccardo demonstrated his M&A expertise by orchestrating the sale of Future Home Power to publicly-traded SIRC, where he also managed post-acquisition integration to ensure seamless value creation.

200+ M&A transactions | Relationships with 70% of top 50 PE firms

Claudio brings over 17 years of distinguished experience in mergers and acquisitions, having successfully executed more than 200 M&A transactions across both buy-side and sell-side engagements. Claudio also held senior positions at two of the Big Four's premier M&A advisory practices, EY and Deloitte. His transaction experience encompasses landmark deals including PetSmart, the Morgan Stanley Smith Barney joint venture, Charter-Time Warner Cable, P&G's Duracell divestiture, Einstein Bros Bagel, and Bayer Animal Health.