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Our Vision

Who We Are
Asghar Mostafa, President and Chief Executive Officer of Entourage Systems, Inc. has spent more than 25 years creating and building category-defining technology companies. An experienced entrepreneur with an extensive business and technical background, Mr. Mostafa sees the need to break the cost and technology barriers in education to bring affordable, upgradeable, exciting textbooks and content to our students.

Previously, Mr. Mostafa served as founder, President, and CEO of Vinci Systems which designed, manufactured, and sold interoperable broadband Optical Network Terminals (ONTs). The company was purchased after two years of operation for $52.5M by Tellabs Inc. To date over two million of these ONTs have been sold to Verizon for its FiOS network. Prior to Vinci Systems, Mr. Mostafa founded Advanced Switching Communications, Inc. (ASC) in October 1997 with the goal of revolutionizing global communications network architecture. ASC completed its initial public stock offering in 2000 and successfully raised close to $200 million in cash through private investment and initial public offering. By developing and bringing to market lower cost, highly flexible broadband access solutions, ASC was breaking the bandwidth bottleneck on the "on-ramp" of communications networks.

Mr. Mostafa previously founded ISDN Systems Corporation (ISC), a leading provider of Integrated Services Digital Network and frame relay equipment. Mr. Mostafa served as president and CEO of ISC until 1995, when U.S. Robotics, now part of 3Com, acquired the company. While at 3Com, Mr. Mostafa led the company's efforts to develop next generation Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) technology. Mr. Mostafa also served as vice president and general manager of the new broadband access division of U.S. Robotics/3Com.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Mostafa was vice president of product development for the telecommunications division of Data General Telecommunication Division, where he oversaw development of T-1 multiplexing and data networking technology, and led a joint development effort to create an innovative ISDN access product for Nippon Telephone and Telegraph. Prior to Data General Telecommunication, Mr. Mostafa co-founded and served as VP of engineering for ICOM, an early entrant in the field of fixed-wireless communications and a developer of T-1 multiplexers.

Mr. Mostafa holds MS in computer science and an MS and BS in electrical engineering from George Washington University and is a long-standing member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). He has served on the board of directors of several networking and communications companies. He currently serves on the board of directors of Entourage Systems, Inc., LTI DataComm, Mostafa Venture Fund, LLC, and GWU School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) National Advisory Council.


Doug Ortega
Chief Systems Architect


Doug Ortega brings to Entourage Systems nearly 25 years of software design and development experience, much of it designing communications products. Most recently, Mr. Ortega served as the Chief Systems Architect at Vinci Systems where he designed and built the first interoperable Broadband Passive Optical Network (BPON) Optical Network Terminals (ONTs) in the emerging PON market. Prior to Vinci Systems, Mr. Ortega was a principal engineer for Advanced Switching Communications where he was responsible for the architectural design of routing components in a next-generation networking switch. Previously he was a founding member of ISDN Systems Corporation (ISC) where he was a lead software designer for ISDN-based networking products. The company was acquired in 1995 by U.S. Robotics (USR). At USR, which is now part of 3Com, Mr. Ortega was the lead software designer for several small-office/home-office modem, ISDN and DSL routers.

Mr. Ortega holds BS and MS degrees in computer science from The Johns Hopkins University and is the author of numerous patents.


Mike Giovannoni
VP of Hardware Development


Mike Giovannoni has been designing communications hardware and systems for 25 years. He held the position of Vice President of Hardware Engineering at Vinci Systems and was the chief designer in the industry leading Tellabs optical networking terminal (ONT) portfolio. He has held hardware engineering and management positions with Tellabs, Vinci Systems, Advanced Switching Communications, ISDN Systems Corporation (ISC), U.S. Robotics and 3Com. Mr. Giovannoni was a founding member of ISC, which was purchased by U.S. Robotics in 1995 for its pioneering remote access technology. While at U.S. Robotics, he held the position of Senior Manager for ADSL client products. Mr. Giovannoni was a co-founder of Vinci Systems Inc, which developed industry-leading ONTs for Fiber-to-the-Premise networks. Vinci Systems was acquired by Tellabs in 2005 for their low-cost high functionality ONT technology used in Verizon’s FiOS deployment.

Mr. Giovannoni's product design experience ranges from customer premise modems to high-speed switching systems with optical interfaces. He holds a BSEE with honors from The Johns Hopkins University and an MSEE from the University of Maryland and has been granted 3 patents.


Joe Kralowetz
VP of Software Development


Joe Kralowetz has over 25 years experience developing embedded and PC-based data networking equipment specializing in access technologies and has been a founding member of four technology based corporations. Mr. Kralowetz comes to us from Tellabs via the Vinci Systems acquisition. At Vinci Systems he served as the Vice President of Software Engineering where he help design and build the first interoperable Broadband Passive Optical Network (BPON) Optical Network Terminals (ONTs) in the emerging PON market. Prior to Vinci, Mr. Kralowetz was at 3Com Corporation where he was Director of Broadband Development and managed the development of 3Com's xDSL customer premise equipment products which had annualized revenue of over $100 million. Previous to that, he was a founding member of ISDN Systems Corporation (ISC) where, as VP of Software Engineering, he managed the development of bridge/routers, and PC-based access products. The company was acquired in 1995 by U. S. Robotics. Prior to ISC, Mr. Kralowetz was a lead software designer in the design and development of one of the first commercially available routers at Penril Data Communications, Inc.

Mr. Kralowetz has authored 8 patents and many technology reviews for periodicals. He received a B. S. in Computer Science and a Minor in Mathematics from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1982.


Doug Atkinson
VP of Marketing and Business Development

Doug Atkinson brings to Entourage Systems over 20 years of broad industry experience in a wide range of carrier marketing and sales as well as network design, operation, and regulatory issues. Mr. Atkinson served in a similar role at Vinci Systems prior to its acquisition by Tellabs, Inc in 2004, driving the partner programs and defining product strategy. At Tellabs he went on to run both the engineering and product management groups and worked to cost-reduce the ONTs by over 40% in two years.

In previous roles, Mr. Atkinson served in various customer support positions at Tellabs, Advanced Switching Communications and Newbridge Networks. His carrier operational and regulatory experience was gained while general manager of OptiLink Communications, a competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC) in five southeastern states and also with MFS DataNet, one of the first CLEC market entrants. His background also includes sales and network engineering experience gained in carrier sales and sales support roles while at Newbridge Networks. His broad background provides insight to product requirements for operational efficiency and growth in carrier networks.

Mr. Atkinson holds a BS in Transportation from Massachusetts Maritime Academy, an MA in Telecommunications from George Washington University and has been an active participant in the University’s Council of Entrepreneurial Tech Transfer and Commercialization (CET2C). Mr. Atkinson has been granted 2 patents.


David Johnson
VP of Content Integration and Web Development

David Johnson has been designing and developing large-scale computing architectures for over 17 years. As the Vice President of Information Technology at Entourage Systems, Inc., he manages the architecture and development of the company’s content management systems, web stores, and enTourage eDGe™ client-server communication platform.

In 2006 Mr. Johnson co-founded 1TouchSoftware Solutions Inc. to develop and distribute scalable, high-speed, internet-enabled point-of-sale (POS) systems for large restaurant enterprises. Prior to 1TouchSoftware, Mr. Johnson founded SecaSoft, Inc. to build scalable, full-service POS systems for wireless handheld devices. In late 2002, Mr. Johnson successfully brokered the sale of SecaSoft to Software Performance Systems, Inc.

In 1997, Mr. Johnson joined AvantGo Inc., an early stage Silicon Valley startup. Over the next 2 years, AvantGo quickly grew into the leading provider of mobile infrastructure software and services. By the year 2000, AvantGo had grown to over 350 employees and raised $66 million through a NASDAQ IPO. Through this period of extreme expansion, Mr. Johnson led the company’s core engineering team and developed communication platforms for all types of wireless devices.

After graduating from Stanford University in 1992, Mr. Johnson began his career working as an engineer for technology companies servicing commercial and federal clients. Throughout the mid-1990s, Mr. Johnson designed and developed mission-critical multi-tier financial computing systems for NASD (NASDAQ), Sun Microsystems, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.


Guy Merritt
VP of Operations


With over 20 years of high technology development experience, Guy Merritt has focused his career on project management, quality assurance, engineering management, and manufacturing operations. Before joining Entourage Systems, Mr. Merritt was the Vice President of Operations and Project Management at Rivulet Communications where he provided executive leadership for enterprise video management systems primarily for the healthcare industry. He was formerly the director of engineering at Tellabs where he provided executive oversight for the development of ONTs for fiber-to-the-home deployments; originally he was with Vinci Systems which was acquired by Tellabs. Prior to Vinci, Mr. Merritt worked at a defense contractor for communication intelligence as a senior program manager. As the Director of the Program Management Office, he established the PMO for Tellabs Operations and lead the program management and system validation activities for Tellabs. Mr. Merritt's launched his career in the USAF as a communications systems engineer working on the airborne command post for the national command authorities.  

Mr. Merritt's extensive experience in project management resulted in a collaborative writing effort for the book, "Proactive Risk Management: Controlling Uncertainty in Product Development." His book was recognized by Executive Book Summaries as one of the "Top 30 Business Books" and it was also awarded the David I. Cleland Literature Award by the Project Management Institute for being the most influential project management book. He was also a contributing author for a second book, "Field Guide to Project Management."

A frequent speaker at many industry forums and universities, Mr. Merritt has lectured on several topics which have included software fault modeling, metrics development, product development lifecycles, root cause analysis, and risk management. He has earned a BS in Electrical and Computer Technology from Herzing University and graduated summa cum laude.


Jyoti Athavale
VP of Finance and Accounting


Jyoti Athavale has over fifteen years of financial management experience in the private and public sectors. Prior to joining Entourage Systems she has worked for Tellabs, Vinci Systems Inc., Advanced Switching Communications, US Robotics, ISDN Systems Corporation, Comtek, Freddie Mac, the US Department of Treasury, and Montgomery County. Ms. Athavale has previously worked for three telecommunication start-up companies as a Controller. She was one of the key members of the professional team that was responsible for the sale of ISDN Systems Corporation to US Robotics, the initial public offering of Advanced Switching Communications' shares, and the sale of Vinci Systems to Tellabs. She has extensive experience in financial operations, financial statement generation, corporate accounting and tax preparation, budgeting and forecasting, credit management, merger and acquisition, purchase due diligence, contract review and negotiations, and internal control system development.

Ms. Athavale holds an MBA in Finance and a BA in Economics from University of Maryland, and she is a Certified Public Accountant.


Corey Podolsky
VP of Strategic Partnerships


Corey Podolsky has over 15 years of Technology and Online Product Development experience, with 10 years of experience in the Publishing Industry. Prior to joining Entourage Systems, Mr. Podolsky was the head of Technology for Oxford University Press, USA, responsible for all aspects of Technology, from digital publishing and ecommerce to back-office systems.

Mr. Podolsky brings to ESI first-hand understanding of the challenges facing Publishers and has used this knowledge to forge strong content partnerships with the Publishing industry.