Leadership Team

• Dinakar Munagala CEO

  Dinakar Munagala co-founded Blaize^® and serves as CEO. He brings more than 22 years of experience successfully leading global teams building graphics chips and has been recognized for technical excellence, new initiatives, and a results-focused approach. Starting with a bootstrapped development effort to create a more energy efficient processor architecture for the needs of a new generation of computing, Dinakar has led Blaize in delivering a transformational compute solution that unites silicon and software to optimize AI at scale from the edge to the core. Under his leadership, the company has brought together marquee investors to back the vision of the founding team, grown to ship products to multiple customers across automotive and other sectors, and continues to hire exceptional talent to join its US, UK, Japan, India, and UAE offices.

  Prior to co-founding Blaize, Dinakar spent 12 years at Intel where he held pivotal roles in graphics processor micro-architecture and design and feature ownership in the mobile and graphics engineering group, as well as with the Intel Centrino platforms. Programs included Intel’s next generation multi-core, multi-threaded graphics chips, and the architecture for Intel’s first integrated CPU/GPU product family.

  Dinakar holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree, Electrical and Computer Engineering, from Osmania University, India, and a Master of Science degree, Electrical and Computer Engineering, from Purdue University, USA. He is credited with 5 IP/Patent filings.

  Actively engaged in community service initiatives, Dinakar has for 10 years taken a leadership role in fundraising for CRY (Child Relief and You)/Vibha (Sacramento Action Center), a non-profit that supports educational projects for underprivileged children, and is an active supporter of Kiva & Vittana initiatives, empowering students and entrepreneurs globally to achieve their goals via non-profit micro-finance loans.

• Satyaki Koneru Chief Technology Officer

  Satyaki Koneru co-founded Blaize^® and serves as Chief Technology Officer, bringing more than 20 years of experience in next-generation system-on-a-chip design. Overseeing Blaize’s research and development efforts, Satyaki is the chief architect of the innovative programmable graph computing vision at the core of the Blaize Graph Streaming Processor (GSP), designed to efficiently compute the new and more varied data structures associated with the emergence of edge computing, IoT and AI.

  Prior to co-founding Blaize, Satyaki held Architect/Micro-Architect and Design Engineer positions at Intel and Nvidia. At Intel, Satyaki was instrumental in defining the first DX9 compliant programmable graphics core in Intel chipsets, and was closely involved in the development of the motion-estimation engine for video encoding for second generation Core-i Sandybridge processors. He also was part of the design team for the Ultra-Mobility Group next-generation SoC (Medfield).

  Satyaki holds a Bachelor of Technology degree, Electrical Engineering, from I.I.T., Bombay, India, and a Master of Science, Computer Engineering from Iowa State University, Ames. He is credited with 6 IP/Patents and 10 filings.

• Ke Yin Chief Scientist and VP of Engineering

  Ke Yin co-founded Blaize^® and serves as Chief Scientist and Vice President of Engineering, bringing more than 22 years of experience in graphics and video processor architecture and micro-architecture. A noted expert in multi-thread, multi-core, and SIMD/MIMD processor architecture, Ke defined the Blaize core architecture and developed multiple algorithm innovations in the area of graphics, video processing and network graphics, with multiple patents pending. He also created the Blaize core simulator, a transaction-accurate model with bit-accurate precision that validates the correctness of the Blaize architecture and provides performance and power projections.

  Prior to co-founding Blaize, Ke was at Intel for 12 years in a variety of Architect/Micro-Architect and Design Engineer roles across multiple key Intel products and initiatives. This included architecture work on the Intel Gen graphics core where he led a power reduction effort resulting in a more than 30% power saving.

  Ke holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from the University of Texas, Austin. He is credited with 6 IP/Patents and 6 filings.

• Val G. Cook Chief Software Architect

  Val G. Cook is Chief Software Architect at Blaize^®. An AI visionary and authority on the design of graphics and visual computing architectures, Val possesses two decades of experience in graphics and multimedia algorithms and software architecture. He is responsible for the Blaize Graph Streaming Processor software programming environment.

  Prior to joining Blaize, Val was at Intel in a variety of software and 3D graphics architecture positions associated with high profile projects. This included responsibility for advanced development activities around Intel bit-precise GPU simulator, and overseeing the software architectural design of the simulator and its enhancements. He also defined the initial ISA for Intel’s family of GPUs, and was the technical lead in developing the world’s first programmable GPU.

  Val holds a Bachelor of Science degree, Electrical Engineering, and a Master of Science degree, Computer Science, from Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah.

• Harminder Sehmi Chief Financial Officer

  Harminder Sehmi is the Chief Financial Officer at Blaize^®, as well as company Secretary and Treasurer, overseeing all Finance, Legal and HR functions. With 20 years’ experience in scaling organizations from early stages through hyper-revenue growth, Harminder works closely with Blaize’s CEO in managing funding relationships with existing and new investors, and with the management team to develop profitable revenue streams.

  Prior to joining Blaize, Harminder was CFO at Truphone, a global mobile start-up where he collaborated with the CEO to raise over $525m in equity and convertible debt and oversaw rapid revenue growth in a multi-country footprint. He also held senior finance positions at Yahoo Europe and Vodafone, and established a track record in delivering value and profitable business solutions.

  Harminder is a Chartered Accountant (CPA equivalent) from the UK with a Master of Business Administration degree from Cranfield Business School, Bedfordshire.

• Doug Burns Chief People Officer

  Doug Burns serves as the Chief People Officer at Blaize^®. With over 20 years of experience, he specializes in global talent expansion and retention for technical enterprises in the FinTech, cyber security, infrastructure and semiconductor industries. He is dedicated to driving corporate growth by creating trust-based cultures of team-first collaboration where every member feels valued.

  Doug's career is centered around prioritizing the well-being of employees. He is committed to fostering employee development and engagement and focuses on building and executing strategic staffing plans that support significant organizational growth while maintaining team quality and culture. Doug brings clarity, simplicity, accountability, and humanity to all aspects of the employee experience. By implementing tailored development initiatives and recognition programs, he has cultivated cultures of trust and connection, ultimately enhancing employee engagement. Doug has a proven track record of supporting early-stage, high-growth, and post-M&A tech companies like Figure, SoFi, and Palo Alto Networks. He is a trusted leader who drives meaningful change by prioritizing the people who propel organizations forward.

  Doug holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master of Science from the MIT Sloan School of Management. He currently resides in California.

• Tiffany Tan Chief of Staff

  Tiffany Tan is the Chief of Staff at Blaize^®. Leveraging ten years of experience in the semiconductor industry, Tiffany works directly with the CEO and CFO to develop the company’s strategy and financial plan.

  Prior to joining Blaize, Tiffany held senior finance positions at Intel, supporting the Client Computing Group and the Gaming/Esports Group. She led the long-range planning process, managed multi-million dollar budgets, and shaped roadmap strategy for executability and profitability. She has an established track record in executing strategic plans and leading cross-functional teams.

  Tiffany holds a Bachelor of Science in Management Science from UC San Diego and a Master of Business Administration degree from UC Davis Graduate School of Management.

• Dmitry Zakharchenko Chief Software Development Officer

  Dmitry Zakharchenko is Vice President of R&D at Blaize^®, with a proven record of executing Cloud, mobile and AI capabilities and inventing first-to-market products and features. He brings to Blaize R&D function more than 21 years of experience in strategic planning, technology commercialization, customer engagement, and ideating products that solve customer problems.

  Dmitry’s expertise is in connecting advanced technology to revenue by delivering a predictable cadence of releases and clear roadmap that ensures a smooth flow of product from rapid prototypes to final commercialization. Prior to joining Blaize, Dmitry was at Intel where he managed specialized data science and product engineering teams in the field of cognitive computing to deliver AI products for financial, manufacturing, health and defense customers. Before Intel, he held a range of product management positions at Motorola Mobility, delivering differentiated mobility offerings and desktop software solutions.

  Dmitry holds a Master of Arts degree, Philology & Linguistics, from Peoples’ Friendship University, Moscow; a Master of Business Administration degree, Management Science, from California State University, Hayward; and a Master of Science degree, Computer Information Systems, from Northwestern University, Evanston.

• Alex Tinsley Senior VP of Sales

  Alex Tinsley is the Senior Vice President of Sales and Business Development at Blaize. With over 25 years of experience in various sales leadership roles in the semiconductor industry, he has served customers across various industries such as Data Centers, eCommerce, Fintech, SaaS, Automotive, Industrial, Communications, IoT, and Defense. Alex is well-versed in multiple technologies, including microprocessors, microcontrollers, programmable systems on a chip, analog, storage and memory, AI and data analytics, FPGAs, and cloud-native open-source software.

  Alex strongly believes in leadership's impact on an organization's success. Throughout his career, he has focused on building strong teams by investing in personal development and helping team members achieve their goals and aspirations. He emphasizes creating an environment encouraging learning, excellence, and doing what is right for the team and company. He has established global sales teams, focusing significantly on the Americas and teams in Asia, Japan, and Europe.

  Alex earned a degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Kansas and has spent a significant portion of his career based out of Chicago. He resides in Northern California with his wife and two children and is most passionate about family, golf, and coaching his daughter’s basketball team.

• Santiago Fernandez-Gomez PhD, VP of Platform Engineering

  Santiago Fernandez-Gomez is Vice President of Platform Engineering at Blaize^®. With more than 25 years of management, organizational, and strategic planning experience, Santiago leads the company’s Systems Engineering, SoC, and Operations groups and is responsible for the development and manufacture of Blaize’s Plug & Code AI Platform™ used for application development.

  Prior to joining Blaize, Santiago led efforts in developing multiple ground-breaking products across the computing industry. These include the first NGS DNA Sequencing platform at Roche Sequencing Solutions, the first five generations of iPhone/iPad/iPod products at Apple, high-performance Micro-Processors at AMD, the first CMOS-based Pixel sensor at Pixim, and the first high-volume integrated graphics North-bridge at ATI, among others.

  Santiago holds a Master of Science degree, Telecommunications Engineering, from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, and a PhD. in Electrical Engineering from Universidade de Vigo. He is an active member of several advisory boards, and collaborates with the University as a former Consulting Faculty at Stanford University.