Dave Garrod, VP Operations and IP, enjoys a long history with Voci's founders. At Carnegie Mellon, he earned his Ph.D. under Prof. Rutenbar, where he was also a classmate of Dr. Gadient. Along with Prof. Rutenbar and fellow graduate student John Cohn, he originated the analog layout automation project that ultimately led to the creation of Neolinear, a startup that Dr. Gadient ran as CEO until its successful sale to Cadence. After receiving his Ph.D. from CMU, Dave pursued a career in patent law, initially working full-time as a patent agent for the NYC law of Pennie & Edmonds, while attending Fordham Law School at night. After graduating law school, he actively practiced patent law in the NYC area. In 2008, he left the New York office of Goodwin Procter to found Bedrock Computer Technologies, an IP development company that he ran as President until its successful conclusion. In 2010, at the invitation of Gadient and Rutenbar, he returned to Pittsburgh to join the Voci team.