Our Team

Shaun is the Founder and CEO of Castle Innovations LLC. He graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts, minor in Science and Technology, and is pursuing a Masters of Public Policy with a concentration in Business. Shaun is a certified Range Safety Officer and enlisted servicemember in the Air National Guard. Shaun is the primary inventor of the CASTLELOCK™.

Dan is Castle Innovation LLC's first advisor. He completed his undergraduate at Dartmouth College where he received a degree in Engineering Science and went on to earn his Masters at Cornell University in Computer Science. Dan’s professional background in digital imaging and his passion for photography ultimately guided him towards founding Shutterfly, Inc (SFLY).

Chris is an accomplished business leader with 30 years of experience, the past 20 of which are in C-suite executive-level roles at various public and private technology companies. He brings extensive strategic and operational expertise. Chris has successfully raised over $1B in financing, led 4 NASDAQ IPOs, completed $1.4B in mergers and acquisitions, and served as the founding Managing Partner of a diversified venture fund with over $250M assets under management.

Jim has over 40 years of industry experience in building and managing businesses. He received his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and Masters of Engineering from Cornell University. Jim was an executive at Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC). Currently, he is a Member of the Board of Directors of the Santa Cruz County Bank and is a business advisor for social good companies.

Captain Dom, former naval officer and aviator, was an instructor and pilot at the Navy Fighter Weapons School (Topgun), commanding officer/flight leader of the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron (Blue Angels), commander of Carrier Air Wing Seven embarked in the USS Eisenhower and USS John F. Kennedy, and division chief on the strategic planning staff of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. He graduated from Duke University with a degree in Economics and Naval Science with graduate studies in National Security Strategy at the National Defense University. He is currently the COO of ACI Jet.

Barry is an expert in digital marketing, business development, operations, and go-to-market execution. He founded and led a national marketing services firm working with clients including Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO), HP (NYSE: HPQ), Oracle (NYSE: ORCL), IBM (NYSE: IBM), and Northrup Grumman (NYSE: NOC). He helps businesses grow by implementing processes to achieve their expansion goals. Barry is an Entrepreneurship Professor at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and General Partner in  Central Coast Ventures.

Dr. Mackin served as an American Society of Mechanical Engineers Executive Office Fellow in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. He was the White House Liaison and Technology Policy Analyst for the National Nanotechnology Initiative. He was the Founding Director of the Illinois Homeland Security Research Center. He became a faculty member at the Center for Homeland Defense and Security at the Naval Post Graduate School (NPS). Dr. Mackin was also an on-screen and technical expert for the Discovery Channel.

Ian holds Firearms Instructor certifications from multiple law enforcement agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI). For over 20 years, he has been a California Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) and National Rifle Association (NRA) certified Rangemaster. Ian is a factory-trained and certified Sheriff's Armorer for major firearms manufacturers. His knowledge of firearms and laws enabled him to become a recognized Firearms Expert by the California Superior Court.

Sophia graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a double minor in Economics and Entrepreneurship. Sophia specializes in customer development, marketing, human behavior sciences, and research with a business application. 

Angeliki graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism with a concentration in Public Relations and a minor in Entrepreneurship. She specializes in intellectual property, public relations, customer development, and marketing.

Mitch is graduating from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Entrepreneurship. He specializes in online sales and marketing. Mitch utilized his skills to create an online sales channel that grossed over $100,000 in sales within a year.

Sterling is graduating from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. He specializes in mechanics of materials and rapid prototyping through additive manufacturing. He worked on battery packs for an all-electric airplane at AVL and battery management systems at AMP. Sterling gained engineering experience at Relativity Space, a private aerospace company valued at $4.2 billion.

Sydney graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a concentration in Marketing Management. She specializes in digital marketing, search engine optimization, marketing automation software, content creation, and communication.

Ret. Captain Grice has over 30 years of experience between his industry experience as a mechanical engineer and his field experience as a US Army Captain. He graduated from Duke University and was the Chief Technical Officer at All Systems Broadband, later acquired by Amphenol (NYSE: APH). Michael leads a team in Raleigh, NC for Castle Innovations LLC spearheading technical development, manufacturing, and research and development.

Paul founded an intellectual property law firm specializing in patent preparation, prosecution, infringement and invalidity, trademarks, and copyrights. He has extensive experience in a wide range of technologies including electrical, mechanical, encryption, semiconductor fabrication, and energy systems. His current representative clients include technology companies such as Dell (NYSE: DELL), Calix, Figure AI, and various other smaller start-up companies including FELT which was featured on Shark Tank.

Tom, a Partner at Fitch Even, has over 30 years of experience serving clients in preparing and prosecuting patent and trademark applications, including appeals, post-grant review, and interferences. He also offers counsel in intellectual property and business strategy, licensing issues, and copyright matters. Tom has handled sophisticated, high-stakes patents across a wide spectrum of technologies and industries including digital electronics, control systems, and firearm devices.