Paul Symczak is Vice-President, Entrepreneurship for OCTANe and is also the Executive Director of the LaunchPad Small Business Development Center hosted by OCTANe. He is a seasoned senior management executive with diverse experience in the telecom, wireless, online, high tech and broadcast media industries. He was the co-founder and operator of Prism Strategic Consulting LLC and has been actively involved with the CONNECT Springboard entrepreneurial mentoring program in San Diego, CA. Previously, Paul held senior business development, strategic alliances and operational positions with Verizon, GTE and Qualcomm, working in subsidiaries focused on leading edge and innovative products and services. He has also worked with non-profit organizations, including serving as Senior Vice-President, General Counsel and Board Secretary for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in Washington DC. Paul has a J.D. degree from the George Washington University Law School and a BA in Economics from the University of Pittsburgh.