Board of Directors
The VANTOS team is comprised of seasoned executives who specialize in successfully launching new products in emerging markets at startups and enterprises alike.
Board of Directors
- Thomas Spadafore - VANTOS, Inc.
- Kevin Gabelein - Fluke Venture Partners
- Christopher Slatt - Altus Networks
Thomas Spadafore
President and Chief Executive Officer & Chairman of the Board
With over 20 years of experience leading and growing organizations to achieve their strategic objectives and revenue milestones, Thomas Spadafore has been instrumental in the successful incubation and growth of both startups and Fortune 1000 companies.
Most recently, Mr. Spadafore was responsible for global sales at Reconnex, where he accelerated sales from zero to $10 million within two years. Prior to Reconnex, he focused on technology leadership and channel development as Executive Vice President of GreenBorder Technology. As Executive Vice President, Thomas was pivotal in leading Brightmail's worldwide sales, marketing and business operations to the next stage of growth - a $370 million acquisition by Symantec. In addition, he has held executive positions at Netopia, NETCOM Communications and Apple Computer.
Mr. Spadafore received his B.S. in Computer Science and his M.S. in Computer Technology and Education from Boise State University.
Kevin Gabelein joined Fluke Venture Partners, a Pacific Northwest venture capital fund, in 1997. As Managing Director, Gabelein is responsible for sourcing new deals, performing due diligence and building value in companies post-investment at the board level. He has experience investing in the software, healthcare and business and consumer services market sectors. In addition to VANTOS, Gabelein currently serves on the boards Genoa Healthcare Holdings, LLC, Passage Events & Promotions, Inc., MedManage Systems, Inc., and Phoseon Technology, Inc.
Prior to joining FVP, Gabelein practiced corporate and securities law in the Corporate Finance Group of Riddell Williams P.S. in Seattle. He represented numerous companies ranging from start-ups to publicly traded companies in a variety of transactions, including seed financings, venture capital transactions, and mergers and acquisitions. Prior to Riddell, Gabelein was a Certified Public Accountant, and practiced with the Seattle office of Price Waterhouse LLP.
Gabelein received his B.A. in business administration in 1988 from the University of Washington and his J.D. in 1995 from the Southern Methodist University School of Law. Gabelein previously served on the Board of Trustees of CRISTA Ministries, chairing that Board from 2004 to 2006.
Christopher Slatt is the Chairman of Napera Networks, a young company that is working to build next generation network security software. Slatt, founder and former chief executive of WatchGuard Technologies, Inc., has returned to the technology world after the successful launch of Starfire Sports, a Seattle-based social enterprise dedicated to helping kids of all economic backgrounds enjoy the character-building benefits of team sports.
Prior to his work with Starfire Sports, Slatt was instrumental in founding and growing WatchGuard Technologies from a startup through its IPO to an industry-leading provider of network security appliances worldwide. Before WatchGuard Technologies, Slatt used his entrepreneurial spirit and business acumen to start Networx, Inc., an enterprise network and systems management company that was later acquired by Legent (Computer Associates).
Prior to founding Networx, Slatt served as an executive for the Boeing Company, where he spearheaded computer systems projects for NASA and New York City’s Con Edison. Slatt brings over 26 years of experience in the technology industry and proven successes in new markets to mentor VANTOS for an accelerated growth in the enterprise software space.
Mr. Slatt received his B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Notre Dame and graduated from the Executive Management Program at Yale.
