Team

Chris Mather
Leveragent Principal

When you work with Leveragent, you are working with Chris Mather, Leveragent’s founder, president and principal .  We are definitely a small company! But we are a small company with big skills and background.   

When you choose to work with us, you get consistent and reliable access  to those skills and background-  every time.  Clients who have worked with us, whether directly or through an EDO or other partner have realized the benefits of Leveragent’s expertise in presentations, pitch coaching, and entrepreneurial program design.

We sometimes partner with  outside consultants for a particular skill set (some are shown below), but over 95% of our work is done directly.

More about Chris Mather, Leveragent Principal

In 2004, after 25 years of executive management and technology sales & marketing, Chris entered the world of entrepreneurial development, for what he planned to be a “2-4 year give-back gig”. He clearly flunked the time part, as he has been involved with entrepreneurial development on multiple fronts since.  

In his nearly 20 years of work in entrepreneurial development, Chris has been a very successful entrepreneurial coach, has formed entrepreneurial support structures, developed funding structures and helped lead communities to effective entrepreneurial development.  He performed in executive roles directly for NorTech and JumpStart, both nationally recognized entrepreneurial development  organizations.  In 2010, he officially formed Leveragent, working with the clients described in Leveragent’s Work Portfolio.  

For a list of entrepreneurial and economic development accomplishments, click here.

Chris’s 25-year industry career includes significant sales, marketing and executive management roles in the technology industry.  He spent 13 years in sales, marketing and management at Hewlett Packard Company, focused on the test & measurement, microprocessor development and computer businesses.  He also held sales/marketing management positions at Denmark Based Bruel and Kjaer Instruments and Analogic Corp.  

Chris held a number of executive and general management positions from 1993 through 2004.  He was General Manager of the SmartWare Division of American Power Conversion Corporation, President of the ThermoSpectra Test and Measurement Group, which included Gould Instrument Systems and a division of Nicolet Instruments, CEO of Apsco International, Ohio’s largest electronic manufacturing services provider (now a part of U.K.-based TT Electronics).  Chris raised $6.8 million in venture capital for Ion Optics Inc., which is now part of FLIR Systems.

He has served on the boards of the Ohio Fuel Cell Coalition, the Cleveland Engineering Society, CWRU’s Institute for Management and Engineering, the Nanotechnology Alliance and a number of technology companies.  

Chris holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

To download and view his resume, click here.



Mary Lou Mather
Administrative Manager

Mary Lou manages Leveragent’s administrative activities and client contact. Additionally, she is involved with investigation and implementation of new Leveragent entrepreneurial enablement solutions. 

Mary Lou has held programming and software engineer positions  at ATN Microwave, Genigraphics Inc, and MacIntosh Computer Systems.  She has performed administrative and donor database roles with WomenSafe, a non-profit domestic violence center. Her administrative management roles have been at Inficon Leybold Heraeus and at Eye Consultants.  

Mary Lou holds a B.A in Computer Science and a B.A. in Zoology, both from the State University of New York at Oswego.

Leveragent contracted consultants

When working with Leveragent, you’ll typically be dealing exclusively with Leveragent’s principal, Chris Mather. Every once in a while, however, the best way for us to deliver services is to rely upon highly qualified individual with a specific set of skills. Leveragent will continue to do this when appropriate to meet client needs.

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Government contract opportunities including SBIR/STTR
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Graphic design and marketing materials
Suchismita
Web Designer & Developer
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Strategic and consumer marketing
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IT and computer solutions

Experience in entrepreneurial and economic development

Below are some of Leveragent principal, Chris Mather’s accomplishments and experience in the entrepreneurial and economic development space.

Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Development

Created entrepreneurial support organizations

  • While at NorTech, secured state funding for, designed, staffed and managed TechLift, an organization to coach mentor and assist very early-stage technology entrepreneurs who can become “venture-ready” companies
  • TechLift assisted over 500 entrepreneurs, many of whom who have achieved significant funding events. Widely recognized as best program of its type in Ohio, and one of the best in the U.S.
  • TechLift helped create and fund several new early-stage funding structures including the Innovation Fund at LCCC, the North Coast Opportunity Technology Fund, Glengary Partners, and North Coast Angels
  • TechLift was merged into the JumpStart organization as JumpStart TechLift Advisors
  • Designed entrepreneurial support structure for the Tech Belt Energy Innovation Center to coach energy, natural resources, and advanced materials companies on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy, TBEIC and the JumpStart Entrepreneurial Network
  • Working under a JumpStart grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce, worked with entrepreneurial ecosystems across northern Indiana to improve structures and results 

Entrepreneurial Coaching (prior to Leveragent)

  • Personally coached numerous entrepreneurs through JumpStart’s evaluation and funding process, many of whom moved toward series-A venture funding
  • Have coached 30-40 energy, natural resources and advanced materials companies on behalf of TBEIC, the U.S. Department of Energy and the JumpStart Entrepreneurial Network
  • Coached companies have collectively raised over $200 million in follow-on funding
  • Recognized expert at creating and delivering effective presentations to venture and other high-growth investors
  • On behalf of JumpStart Community Advisors, worked with Northern Indiana (Gary, Ft. Wayne. South Bend, Elkhart, Warsaw) to develop a more vibrant, involved and effective entrepreneurial ecosystem
  • Wrote plan and proposal for Innovation Fund America. a program designed to replicate the successful Innovation Fund structure at Lorain County Community College. Plan was funded as a pilot by the Kauffman Foundation

Economic and Workforce Development

Sector Development

  • Co-executive in the formation of the Tech Belt Energy Innovation Center (now Brite)
  • With Nortech, analyzed the electronics industry sector in Northeast Ohio
  • Formed the NEO Electronics Cluster organization
  • Was a founder and executive Director of the Nano-Network, an organization that promoted nanotechnology development. The Nano-network model was replicated in New Mexico and other locations
  • Member of leadership team that attracted $25 million state sensor development award
  • Investigated feasibility of a Knowledge Management system for the U.S. aerospace industry
  • Member of trade delegation encouraging increased activity in the electronics sector between Ohio and Israel

Shared Resource Technology Centers

  • Acting as Chief Executive- National Initiatives at Tech Belt Energy Innovation Center (TBEIC)- DOE funded energy entrepreneurship center focused on grid connectivity
  • Leading efforts to create TBEIC’s Energy Integration Lab, a facility to provide resources to enable grid-connectivity
  • Acted as Executive Director for and investigated feasibility of the Energy Storage Validation Center at Case Western Reserve University, a utility industry center to test and validate grid-level energy storage systems
  • Acted as Managing Director for the SMART Commercialization Center for Microsystems, a shared-resource, multi-user center focused on MEMS, microsystems and sensors
  • Researched and wrote paper, “The Commercialization Center for Microsystems- a new model to drive industry development” for the Surface Mount Technology Association on behalf of the SMART Commercialization Center for Microsystems

Workforce Development

  • Designed and implemented “The New Faces of Engineering”, a program designed to encourage high school students to choose engineering as an academic and professional endeavor. The program has reached over 10,000 high school students
  • Member of a number of committees and groups to address workforce needs in the IT. electronics, aerospace and manufacturing sectors
  • Researched and wrote paper, “Training Gaps and Opportunities in Electronic Manufacturing” for the Surface Mount Technology Association on behalf of the SMART Commercialization Center for Microsystems
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