COMPANY INFO
Ayar Labs, Inc. was founded in 2015 by Mark Wade, Chen Sun, and Alex Wright-Gladstein. The company has around 126 employees as of December 2023 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California. Ayar Labs operates in the computer hardware industry, focusing on solving bandwidth and power bottlenecks by using light to move data. They have developed the world's first optical I/O chiplets, revolutionizing computing by making it faster and more efficient. Their website is ayarlabs.com.
Ayar Labs, Inc. is a pioneering computer hardware company founded in 2015, specializing in using light to overcome bandwidth and power limitations in modern computing systems. With its groundbreaking optical I/O chiplets, Ayar Labs is revolutionizing computing speed and efficiency, earning a leadership position in the silicon photonics industry.
The Ayar Labs, Inc. executives bring together deep expertise in photonics, engineering, business strategy, finance, and organizational development. This diverse management team drives innovation across hardware, operations, financial growth, and talent development, underpinning Ayar Labs, Inc.’s success as it scales from a cutting-edge startup to a global leader in optical communications. The Ayar Labs, Inc. leadership is characterized by deep academic backgrounds, proven track records in technology and business growth, and a shared vision to enable the next generation of high-performance computing.
Mark Wade serves as President and CEO for Ayar Labs, Inc., where he has led the company’s breakthrough innovation in optical communications for data centers and AI infrastructure. As co-founder, Mark Wade has pioneered photonics technologies, steered the invention and commercialization of Ayar Labs, Inc.'s core optical I/O technology, and guided the company's rise to industry leadership.
He holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder and dual B.S. degrees in Physics and Electrical Engineering from Louisiana Tech University. Previously, Mark was a Research Affiliate at MIT and held other senior technical roles within Ayar Labs, Inc., including CTO and Chief Scientist. His contributions to photonics have been recognized with numerous publications and awards, including the MIT Clean Energy Prize.
Lisa Cummins Dulchinos is the transformational CFO of Ayar Labs, Inc., responsible for financial strategy, multiple successful funding rounds, and laying the groundwork for future IPO readiness. Through her leadership, she has built a resilient finance organization and established operational excellence as Ayar Labs, Inc. scaled rapidly.
Lisa holds a bachelor’s degree from UC Santa Barbara and an MBA from Saint Mary's College of California. Her previous appointments include CFO positions at Penguin Computing and Omron Adept Technologies, alongside board roles in both public and non-profit sectors. Lisa’s expertise spans capital formation, governance, and strategic financial management, supporting Ayar Labs, Inc.’s growth trajectory.
Amelia Thornton leads people operations at Ayar Labs, Inc., focusing on executive team alignment, leadership development, and cultivating a diverse, performance-focused workplace culture. Her deep experience in executive coaching and organizational performance ensures Ayar Labs, Inc. maintains agility and innovative team dynamics.
Amelia is an alumnus of the Executive Leadership Institute at Boston University. She previously founded and presided over The Thornton Group, Inc. and held senior positions at Federal Express, Ernst & Young, and Oracle. Known for her expertise in strategy execution and high-performance team development, Amelia’s leadership accelerates Ayar Labs, Inc.’s organizational effectiveness.
Scott Clark drives manufacturing and operations at Ayar Labs, Inc., overseeing supply chain management, lean manufacturing, and operational scaling. He has successfully managed production launches and continual process improvements vital to the company’s ability to meet industry demand.
Scott earned a BS in Computer Science from University of Maryland Global Campus. His career spans leadership roles at Corsair, Tascent, AOptix Technologies, and Allied Telesis, where he gained significant expertise in supply chain optimization and P&L management.
Garth Thompson leads IT infrastructure and digital transformation at Ayar Labs, Inc., ensuring global operational support and excellence in customer service. With over two decades of technical leadership, Garth’s impact lies in enabling scalable, secure, and efficient technology ecosystems.
He holds a degree in Computer Information Systems from UC Santa Cruz. Prior to joining Ayar Labs, Inc., he served as Chief Digital Officer at Penguin Computing and held senior technical roles at OpSource and Oracle, specializing in IT and technical support management.
Jesse Leiter oversees capital formation, market intelligence, and investor relations at Ayar Labs, Inc., strengthening institutional engagement and supporting funding strategies that fuel company growth.
Jesse holds a BA in China in the Global Economy and Economics from Hobart and William Smith Colleges and studied Mandarin Chinese at Peking University. He brings extensive financial expertise from previous managing director and equity research roles at Jefferies, Deutsche Bank, and J.P. Morgan.
Terry Thorn leads the commercial operations for Ayar Labs, Inc., optimizing global business processes and market strategies while enabling the ecosystem for rapid adoption. He leverages deep experience from the tech industry, notably in cloud and enterprise sales at Intel.
Terry earned an MBA and BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Alabama. With career stops in senior sales, marketing, and business development roles at Intel, he specializes in driving commercialization in data center and cloud technologies.
Chen Sun, co-founder, shapes Ayar Labs, Inc.’s technical vision by leading silicon engineering and advancing the core optical I/O technology. Chen plays a key role in defining product architectures and long-term technical strategies.
He holds Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in EECS from MIT and a B.S. from UC Berkeley. Chen gained hands-on experience through graduate research at MIT/UC Berkeley and internships at NVIDIA and Rambus, establishing his expertise in ASIC design and photonics.
Moe Benvidi leads quality and reliability engineering for Ayar Labs, Inc., ensuring that silicon and system products consistently meet industry standards for performance and compliance.
Moe has a BSEE from Wentworth Institute of Technology and training in software development and IoT/cloud computing. With over 25 years’ experience, including senior roles at AEye, Broadcom, and AMD, Moe brings a proven track record in quality and reliability leadership.
The Ayar Labs, Inc. management team combines technical innovation, operational excellence, financial acumen, and people-centered leadership. The breadth of backgrounds—from pioneering scientists and experienced technology executives to financial strategists and culture leaders—provides Ayar Labs, Inc. with a resilient and adaptable leadership backbone. Guided by its visionary founders, the Ayar Labs, Inc. executive team is well-positioned to drive growth, deliver industry-leading solutions, and capture new market opportunities in optical I/O technology.
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