Management Team

Matthew Putman, Chief Executive Officer

Matthew has a Ph.D. in Applied Physics. He is now a Professor and Researcher at Columbia University. He was an owner and Vice President of Development for Tech Pro, Inc., which was acquired by Roper Industries in March of 2008. During his time at Tech Pro, Matthew lead two acquisitions, and the transformation of the instrument manufacturer into new global markets, having formed partnerships or subsidiaries in 15 nations. Matthew holds 5 patents, and has published over 20 technical papers, and in 2002 he won the ACS Best Paper Award. In addition to Columbia, Matthew has lectured at The University of Paris, USC, University of Michigan, and The Technical University of Sao Paulo.

Matthew has also produced several plays and films, and is an accomplished composer. He is a founding member of the World Science Festival. He is on the Executive Board of the Montauk Observatory, and is an Artist in Residence for Imagine Science Films.

Click to View an Interview with Co-Founder, Matthew Putman.

Michael Zigman, Chief Operating Officer & Chief Financial Officer

Michael Zigman has been advising and helping to finance high technology corporations for nearly 20 years.  Most recently, Mr. Zigman led the team that acquired a developer and manufacturer of antimicrobial technologies and products.  From 2004-2009, he was with WR Hambrecht + Co as Managing Director of technology investment banking.  From 1994-2004, Mr. Zigman was Managing Director at SoundView Technology Group, which was spun out of Gartner Group, the world’s largest information technology research firm.  At both Hambrecht and SoundView, in addition to focusing on new business, he worked closely with corporate clients to shape and present their strategy and message; to analyze markets and to plan and execute growth strategies, including strategic partnerships and acquisition opportunities; to advise clients and negotiate on their behalf in M&A transactions; and to introduce clients to the appropriate investor partners.           

Mr. Zigman has devoted his non-profit work to the advancement of the mutual goals and shared interests of science, business and education.  He serves on the boards of three institutions dedicated to science and education: (1) The New York Academy of Sciences, the third oldest scientific society in the United States, with over 25,000 members in over 140 countries; (2) The Graduate Center Foundation.  The Graduate Center is the doctorate-granting body of The City University of New York (CUNY), the world’s largest urban public university, comprised of 23 institutions serving over 260,000 students; and (3) Macaulay Honors College Foundation.  Macaulay is the highly selective honors college which draws its students from the seven senior colleges of CUNY.

Mr. Zigman holds a B.A. from Dartmouth College.

John Putman, President & Chief Technology Officer

Throughout his 40 year career, John has been both a successful entrepreneur and inventor. At the age of 16 he was the second employee at an independent polymer testing Lab, ARDL, which remains an industry leader. While at ARDL, he earned his BS in mathematics from the University of Akron. In his early twenties he started the company Polymerics, for which he invented the rubber chemical dispersion, PolyGel, which is a common component in rubber compounds. During John’s time at Monsanto, he was the engineering specialist for ROW (Rest of World) training customers throughout the world.

In 1982 John, along with his wife, Kay, formed Tech Pro, Inc. for which John was able to provide the first data acquisition systems in his industry. John continued to lead the development team, and co-authored numerous patents. Tech Pro was acquired by Roper Industries in 2008. John has remained focused on research, having authored technical papers, and presented educational symposia. John was the director of the American Chemical Society Rubber Division Educational Committee. He has been profiled for the book “Wheel of Fortune”, Rubber and Plastics News and the Washington Post. John is also an accomplished Banjoist, who collects vintage banjos from the 1910’s and 1920’s.

Click to View an Interview with John

Ivan Eliashevich, Vice President

Dr. Ivan Eliashevich started his scientific and business pursuits at the Ioffe Institute in his native St. Petersburg, Russia. He earned PhD in Electrical Engineering from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois and Executive Master in Technology Management from Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey. After a few years as a Research Scientist at Emcore Corporation, Ivan became Director of LED Chip Development at Joint Venture start-up GELcore (now General Electric Lighting Solutions). Ivan holds 25 US patents.

After a highly profitable sale of JV share to GE in 2006, Ivan joined IQE - world’s largest compound semiconductor wafer foundry. As Director of Sales and Business Development, Ivan helped to grow IQE’s global GaN HEMT wafer foundry business from the ground up to world leading position.

A few of Ivan’s favourite hobbies are globe trotting with his family in tow, genealogy, tennis and debates about military and political history.

Click to View an Interview with Ivan

Julie Orlando, Director of Technical Service

Julie brings a great deal a value to the company, having worked with Founders John and Matthew Putman previously at Tech Pro, Inc., and since gone on to run technology for the company Duramax Marine. Julie is an engineer who has also co-authored scientific papers which have appeared in both domestic and international journals, as well as presented on a number of topics in material science. Clients of Nanotronics should reach out to Julie for assistance for a range of technical needs.

Click to View an Interview with Julie

Jeff Archer, Director of Software Development

Jeff Archer has 25 years of experience developing computer systems, having lead projects in data acquisition, database utilities, Graphical User Interfaces among others. He was a leader at Tech Pro Inc, and the original designer of a system for the computerization of Rubber industry laboratories. Jeff’s work on this, nearly 25 years ago, has not only influenced future systems, but is still used by some major corporations today. After his time at Tech Pro, Jeff worked on numerous control systems, and C++ projects for automation, machine control and Production Management for the multinational company ABB.

Click to View an Interview with Jeff