Isaac Barchas
Director, Austin Technology Incubator 

Isaac Barchas took over as the head of ATI in April, 2006. He works with companies across all of the ATI verticals - IT, Wireless, and Clean Energy. In addition, he is responsible for ATI's strategic direction and for evolving the ATI economic model. He also supports the global commercialization programs run out of the IC2 Institute.

Prior to joining ATI, Isaac worked with McKinsey & Company, an international management consultancy, for 8 years. His practice focused on business building (start-up and spin-out support) in a variety of industries, including biotechnology, software, wireless telecoms, and Internet retail. He was also one of the leaders of McKinsey's North American healthcare practice. He was a member of the McKinsey offices in Chicago, Sydney, Auckland, Dallas, and London. Isaac has also published in the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and the Chicago Tribune, among other outlets.

Isaac did his undergraduate work at Stanford University, and then went on to the University of Chicago for his master's and law degrees.

Erin Defossé
Director, ATI IT & Wireless

Erin Defossé is the Director of ATI Wireless, the wireless business acceleration program of ATI. He is responsible for identifying promising early stage companies, admitting them into the ATI, and providing them with the necessary operational and strategic business assistance to help them achieve their growth objectives. Erin works closely with companies across a variety of areas in information technology and has a special focus on those that deliver products and/or services using wireless technology.

Erin spent seven years as the Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Isochron Data Corporation, a provider of wireless data communication and enterprise software solutions for the management of remote devices and equipment. Prior to Isochron, Erin co-founded and was President of Navtrax, a developer of wireless tracking systems, and spent over five years as a spacecraft mission design engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Erin currently serves as Board Member of Monebo Technologies, Unwired Buyer, and Affinegy. He also is the Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Austin Wireless Alliance, the wireless industry association of Central Texas.

Erin holds an MBA and a BS in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas and an MS in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford University.

Joel Serface
Director, ATI Clean Energy

Joel Serface is the Director of the Austin Clean Energy Incubator, the first entity of its kind focused on renewable energy technologies. With an extensive track record as an environmental engineer pioneering “cleantech” investments and shaping public policy, Serface brings to CEI a wealth of expertise and experience in generating and nurturing clean energy innovations.

Prior to joining ATI, Joel served as Partner at Eastman Ventures, leading the company’s cleantech investments. Serface was a Director at Sierra Ventures where he led its first energy technology investments. He has also served as a management consultant with Ernst & Young and as a software industry analyst at AMR Research.

Serface focused his studies on environmental engineering while serving as a legislative assistant in the Texas Senate Natural Resources Committee and as an environmental engineer for Dow Chemical. Joel holds an M.B.A. from the MIT Sloan School of Management and a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin. He serves on numerous industry advisory boards and non-profits including: Technology Ventures Corporation, Texas Nanotech Initiative, Environmental Entrepreneurs, California Nanosystems Institute Advisory Board, and the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Nanotechnology (California).