Mark DeYong
Sr VP Engineering Operations
Mark has 30 years of senior technical executive level experience in positions ranging from VP New Product Introduction to VP Engineering to CTO.
While finishing his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Mark founded IRSI in 1991 and served as VP Engineering. IRSI developed AI, machine vision and robotic systems for government and commercial markets based on technology Mark developed at NMSU. IRSI was sold to Photon Dynamics (now Orbotech) in 2001.
Mark then served as VP Research and Development for Photon Dynamics until 2003, where he led due diligence evaluations of automated machine vision companies and integrated the acquired products, resulting in a 60% reduction in system costs.
In 2004, Mark joined Xtera Communications as VP New Product Introduction, moving to Senior VP Corporate Engineering in 2008, and Chief Scientist in 2012. Xtera Communications specializes in optical telecommunications networks, and during his time there, Mark transitioned prototypes into hardened commercial products in large-scale production, integrated and refined product lines from multiple acquisitions, and developed business units for ultra-high bandwidth data center to data center networks and specialized military subsea networks. Mark cut product costs by 80%, increased inventory turns by 10X, all while consistently improving product performance and quality.
Mark then formed Barchetta Investments with Jon Hopper in 2017, where he acted as CTO. Barchetta Investments focused on very early stage, high-tech companies. Mark vetted both the technology and business case of candidate companies. He then developed business plans for selected companies including business operations; production, distribution, and support; market entry and growth trajectory; and financial models.
In 2020, Mark joined the DON EXWC as a Senior Physical Scientist, where he managed large-scale subsea telecommunications and power distribution network development and deployment. While with the Navy, Mark ran a $23 million dollar project involving multiple government agencies, maintaining all budget and schedule objectives despite insufficient funding and incomplete requirements. Under his leadership, the team developed capabilities far beyond the highest expectations, while cutting costs to meet available funding.
In summary, Mark has extensive experience in developing, producing, and fielding high-tech hardware and software products, while bringing insight and structure to both technical and business operations.
