About K4 Mobility
Our History
By the summer of 2018, Michael Small and Anand Chari had dedicated a decade to pioneering inflight internet, only to find that the service was slow and expensive, hard to log on to, and the technology was difficult to understand. But, they saw that all that would change in the next decade. The launch of new satellites and the deployment of 5G technology would make mobile internet much faster and more affordable even in the most remote geographies. New digital platforms would make the service easier to use for customers and more efficient and globally scalable for company operations. Software algorithms would seamlessly select the right network for the customer. So Michael and Anand decided to give it another go ‐ this time on water, rather than in air. K4 Mobility was founded in August 2018.
Our Mission and Vision
Our mission is to build and operate a secure digital platform to harness the power of the internet for maritime, with an inspiring, clear, and convenient technology path for cutting-edge performance now and in the future.
Values and Ethics
We will realize our vision only if we live by values and beliefs that are respected by us, our customers and all our other constituencies. Our values and core beliefs are:
Act ethically and respectfully, with compassion and humility
Deliver amazing solutions with attention to detail, perfect isn't possible
Better data means better decisions
Challenge your comfort zone with new ideas and faster decisions
Scrutinize and consider the impacts of your actions on customers, investors and colleagues
Speak up and respect decisions
Use time and treasure wisely
Hire the best
Meet Our Team
Michael Small
Chairman and Co-Founder
Anand Chari
CEO and Co-Founder
Bryan Lauer
Chief Technology Officer
Rishi Potdar
Chief Financial Officer
Craig Sylla
Senior Architect
Mark Theissen
Sales Director
Bo Feely
Sales Director
Fernando Espinal
Senior Network Engineer
Robert Blackman
Operations Manager
Mark Malosh
Sr. Vice President – Operations
Justin Smith
Director of Solutions Engineering
Archie Alorro
Systems Engineer
Darryl Matfin
Sales Director
Rukmani Loganathan
Director of Engineering
Ravi Kiran Eticala
Software Architect
K4’s Overseas Development Team
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Michael Small
Chairman and Co-Founder
Michael Small is a co-founder and CEO of K4 Mobility. He is a wireless industry veteran, most recently serving from 2010 to 2018 as President and CEO of Gogo Inc, an inflight wireless company that went public in 2013 at a valuation of $1.4 billion.
Prior to that, Michael served as CEO of Centennial Communication Corp from 1999 until it was sold to AT&T for $3 billion in 2009. He has twice received the E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2005 and 2012, and the Illinois Technology Association CEO of the year award in 2013.
He has a BA in history from Colgate University and an MBA in finance from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Anand Chari
CEO and Co-Founder
Anand Chari is a co-founder and President of K4 Mobility. He is a wireless industry executive and technologist, most recently serving from 2003 to 2019 with Gogo Inc in various roles, from the first employee of the commercial aviation division to Executive Vice President and CTO.
His track record of innovation includes: over 20 patents; deployments of the first CDMA network in the US, superconducting technologies, and carrier-grade VoIP; and the design, development and deployment of air-to-ground and satellite inflight internet networks.
He has an MSEE from Iowa State University and an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Bryan Lauer
Chief Technology Officer
Bryan Lauer is the CTO of K4 Mobility. He brings over 20 years of experience in the telecom industry and has a proven track record of innovation with over 50 U.S. patents awarded.
Prior to joining the K4 team, Bryan was one of the founding employees with Gogo, Inc. where, from 2006 to 2020, he was instrumental to the design, deployment and operation of the first at-scale, global inflight Internet service.
Prior to Gogo, Bryan was an architect for Alcatel Lucent in the wireless mobility division, where he optimized the core service controller for the first widely deployed 3G wireless data system for Verizon Wireless and Sprint PCS.
Bryan has a PhD in Physics from Iowa State University. He wrote his doctoral dissertation on the search for the Higgs Particle at Fermi National Laboratory 20 years before its eventual discovery at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN.
Rishi Potdar
Chief Financial Officer
Rishi Potdar is the CFO of K4 Mobility. He is a Finance, Strategy and Operations leader in Consulting and Industry, most recently serving from 2017 to 2019 as the CFO of the $2+ Billion revenue Sears Online Division.
He held prior roles in Finance and Strategy with Gogo, United Airlines and Booz Allen.
He has a BS in Mechanical Engineering, an MS in Industrial Engineering, and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University.
Darryl Matfin
Sales Director
A seasoned business development professional, Darryl has held leadership roles in top organizations and has demonstrated continuous sales growth in the marine industry.
Using his extensive knowledge and understanding of consumer behavior, Darryl’s vast network of connections as well as his successful track record have made him an authority in the marine industry.
As such, Darryl brings a unique 360-degree perspective to developing new marine business opportunities for K4 Mobility.
Craig Sylla
Senior Architect
Craig Sylla is a Senior Architect at K4 Mobility. He has extensive experience in creating embedded systems for the telecommunications and gaming industries.
His prior experience includes two decades in the highly regulated gaming industry, where he was a leader in creating new technologies and platforms for WMS Gaming. During his time in gaming he was named as an inventor on over 100 issued patents covering gameplay, security, and reliability.
After leaving gaming Craig joined Gogo, where he was involved with the next-generation platform and the wireless seatback system in use by Delta Airlines on their new Airbus A220 regional jets.
He has a BS of Computer Science and Engineering from the Milwaukee School of Engineering.
Mark Theissen
Sales Director
Mark Theissen is a Massachusetts Maritime Academy graduate and has an international business & sailing background that he has been marrying with his passion for technology. Having lived in Germany, Croatia & USA, he loves bringing the world closer together whether in person, through industry efforts or technology.
He has been an avid industry advocate holding board, committee and advisory positions with Marine Industry Association of South Florida and Young Professionals in Yachting (YPY).
As director of K4 he is responsible for all aspects of growing the digital services and communication business units enabling our clients to harness the power of digitization through simple, reliable and powerful solutions. He is a proud father and loves spending his free time with family and friends on the water or in the mountains.
Sato Ramdas
Operations Manager
Sato Ramdas is the Operations Manager at K4 Mobility. Sato is responsible for overseeing operations related to activation, installation, and maintenance. Over the past 6 years, Sato has been working as an IT consultant- designing and implementing Wi-Fi network for mega yachts. While working in the Marine Industry, Sato saw the need for better cellular connectivity – one sim card for the entire world. He also has a vision of implementing a secure and strong Wi-Fi Network for yachts and Marinas with the ability to select different services from one platform. Sato holds a B.S. in Computer Science in Information Technology. He enjoys gardening and deep-sea fishing.
Rukmani Loganathan
Director of Engineering
Rukmani Loganathan is the Director of Engineering at K4 Mobility. She has extensive experience in defining System Architecture and delivering Software for the Datacom/Telecom and Aviation industry.
Her prior experience includes managing larger team of System Architects and Software developers at Aricent Technologies, responsible for Software deliverables to various clients in the Datacom/Telecom industries ranging from Access routers to Terabit Core routers.
After working for more than a decade on the Datacom industry joined Gogo, where she took multiple roles as Lead System Architect for Airborne Software, Director for Data Center & Proof of Concept Team, Director for Airborne Software development. During her tenure at Gogo, she has been pivotal for many key initiatives like Multi Link Balancer, Wireless Seatback interface, Connected Aircraft Service (IOT), Service Provider Integration, SW to OEM vendors like Airbus/Boeing/Bombardier, to name a few.
She has BS in Computer Science Engineering from India.
Bo Feely
Sales Director
Bo Feely is our Sales Director for Commercial Shipping at K4 Mobility. In this role, he is responsible for the growth of all aspects of commercial shipping – enabling the next generation of digitalization fleetwide via simple, reliable and powerful solutions.
Prior to K4, Boe worked for Nautilus Labs, where he led commercial strategy in deploying big-data solutions to voyage optimization. A sailor at heart, he is excited to be able to help mariners aboard ship connect with home.
Having spent more than 20 years in the maritime industry, he is an expert in resolving the problems faced by owners, vessels and their crew.
Bo is a United States Merchant Marine Academy graduate with a strong background in international shipping. He resides in Houston, TX with is wife and two sons with whom he loves to fish, ride and coach soccer.
Fernando Espinal
Senior Network Engineer
Fernando is Senior Network Engineer at K4 Mobility. He brings 17 years of experience in computer/VoIP networks and security systems. Prior to K4, Fernando managed National Computer/VoIP networks for a fortune 100 company and computer/VoIP networks for multiple non-profit charter schools.
With an AS degree in computer networking systems and BS degree in information security, he channels his passion for knowing how something works into the latest on-board network design and installations, incorporating VSAT, VLAN, PBX, VoIP, Wi-Fi and security networks into a seamless IT solution for new builds and refits.
Fernando lives in South Florida with his son, and is always tinkering/tweaking on something, ranging from car parts to network systems.
Robert Blackman
Operations Manager
Robert is an Industry Veteran with over 2 decades of experience in the IT and Communications industry. Having started his career in UK in 1999, he worked for large financial institutions & held various positions ranging from Deskside support to Network Analyst. Joe has joined the Satellite communications industry in 2010 and moved to USA in 2013. He worked on many prestigious superyachts in this role, implementing IT and Satellite communication systems.
Prior to joining K4 as an Operations Manager, Robert was serving as a Sr. TS Manager at Intellian Technologies, where he implemented new processes and scaled up the department to add service revenue to the company. He has also played an important role in setting up a new Helpdesk structure for improving response times. He is known for his major contribution for the adoption and rollout of Salesforce.com Field Service Lightning and Service Cloud.
Robert has a Bachelors in Technology degree from Bromley College of Further and Higher Education.
Mark Malosh
Sr. Vice President – Operations
Mark is an Industry Veteran with over 3 decades of experience working in the Wireless, Satellite, and IP Communications Technology industries. He has served as a COO, Sr. Vice President, and Vice President for various high growth companies.
Prior to joining K4 Mobility as the Sr. Vice President of Operations, Mark was serving as the COO at Call One Inc, a privately held company that has expertise in customized and managed IP-Based communications solutions nationwide. During his tenure at Gogo, he was responsible for the engineering, certification, installation, maintenance, and operations of 4 generations of technology on over 3,000 aircraft. His track record includes building a national network in under one year, multiple Data Centres and two Network Operations Centres.
Mark is also known for his remarkable work at his previous companies such as ATLAS Space Operations, SAC Wireless, and Nextel. He is an MSEE from University of Illinois Chicago and an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Justin Smith
Director of Solutions Engineering
Justin is a technology leader with more than 2 decades of experience. Over his long career, Justin served as a Network Engineer, Director of Core & Customer Network Engineer, and Director of Solutions Engineer for companies such as General Motors, UnitedHealth Technologies, Aston Technologies, Call One, and Peerless Network.
Prior to joining K4 Mobility as the Director of Solutions Engineering, he worked as the Director of Solutions Engineering at Peerless Network, a telecommunications firm. During his tenure at CallOne Inc, Justin successfully managed the MPLS Backbone, Voice, Enterprise, Security, and Development Teams.
Justin is a Computer Science graduate from City College of Chicago- Harold Washington College.
Archie Alorro
Systems Engineer
Archie Alorro is a hands-on expert with more than two decades of technology experience. He is known for his significant work at his previous companies such as Verizon Airfone and Gogo.
Before joining K4 Mobility as a Systems Engineer, Archie served as a Manager Systems Engineer at Gogo, where he managed the engineering field support team, a Tier III group for troubleshooting field issues and their resolution. He also successfully supported cross-functional teams in operations, manufacturing, and network performance including systems, hardware, and network engineering.
Archie pursued a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology from the University of Phoenix.
Ravi Kiran Eticala
Ravi Eticala is an expert in the Embedded and Telecom domain with more than 12 years of experience in the industry. He has served in many functional roles at various high-growth companies. He is highly experienced in containers, cloud-based technologies, monitoring tools, network optimization, load balancing, policing, and performance enhancement.
Prior to joining K4 Mobility as a <todo>, Ravi worked as a Sr. Software Engineer at Comtech EF Data, where he architected and prototyped a southbound interface with capabilities of transactions, telemetry, and transport agnostic protocol. He is technology expert in Golang, C++, YANG, ygot, docker, NATS, Satellite communications etc.
Ravi has a Master’s degree in Embedded Systems from the International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad.
