Dennis J. Cagan
Dennis Cagan has been in the high technology industry as an active and successful entrepreneur for over 35 years, having founded a dozen different companies.
Dennis has been an investor, professional board member (over 36 boards) and consultant for over 20 years. Most recently as the founder, Chairman and CEO of the Santa Barbara Technology Group, LLC, Dennis oversees all activities including monitoring portfolio investments, consulting to early-stage technology companies, and selecting new investments.
Santa Barbara Technology Group, LLC is a private investment and consulting firm engaged primarily in working with, and investing in early-stage technology companies. The firm has become an important connection for any high-tech start-up on the California Central Coast. They provide world-class management assistance, strategic guidance, and valuable connections for entrepreneurs. They provide young companies access to financing and operational and technological infrastructure.
Dennis is a nationally recognized authority on information technology, including: Internet, software, hardware, and communications, in the disciplines of strategy, sales, marketing, services, and distribution channels. He has authored dozens of articles and has spoken widely at industry conferences and to paying corporate audiences such as Microsoft.
In 1979 Dennis was the keynote speaker at the first COMDEX Show, in Las Vegas. Between 1981 and 2000 Dennis served as an investor and management consultant. Among the companies he has been involved with have been some of Santa Barbara's best-known technology enterprises including Wavefront Technologies (then Alias/Wavefront - NASDAQ, acquired by SGI), Software.com (NASDAQ, merged with Phone.com, now OpenWave: OPWV), Somera Communications (SMRA, founding investor only), Supply Solution, Commission Junction, and Bargain Network.
Dennis was previously on the board of a number of other public technology firms including The David Jamison Carlyle Corp. (he was the founder), ISOCOR (acquired by Critical Path: CPTH), MessageMedia, Inc. (acquired by DoubleClick: DCLK, he was the interim CEO), Great Bear Technologies, StarPress and Sanctuary Woods Multimedia.
Dennis is currently on the Boards of Directors of Acorn Technologies, Inc. (co-founder and former Chairman), Bargain Network, Inc., InTouch Healthcare, Inc., InQ, Inc. (Chairman), Unified Dispatch, Inc., California Coast Venure Forum (Executive Board), and several other local non-profit organizations. He is a member of UCSB's Lancaster Society, Santa Barbara City College President's Council, Santa Barbara County's United Way CEO Club, and United Way's Alexis de Tocqueville Society (Membres de la Societe).
Dennis, 60 years old, is a native Californian, and attended the University of California at Los Angeles where he majored in economics. He has an honorable discharge from the USMC. Dennis and his wife Angelia live in downtown Santa Barbara.