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Entrepreneur, educator, angel investor and business executive with roots in information…
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Michael Panesis shared thisHappy to host Diogo Forte, CEO of European Innovation Academy, who kindly guest lectured on "How to Start Before You Feel Ready and Build Your Startup in Europe". We finished the day with a wonderful dinner that included Diogo, Gerhard Apfelthaler, Carmina Bech, MBA, students who recently attended EIA Marlee Peña Leslie Iraheta Mateo Sonaglia David Pahud Khasanjon Bobokhojaev (two-timer!), and alumna Andrea Brimmer, whose startup, Rivida, started at EIA in Porto. CLU students, we'll be taking applications for scholarships to EIA early next year. Cal Lutheran School of Management Steven Dorfman Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
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Michael Panesis shared thisSo proud of my colleagues in the Cal Lutheran School of Management, winners of the Dean's Advisory Council Awards: Ran Lu-Andrews, Ph.D., CFA, for service Kristin Bell, staff member of the year (especially proud!!!!) Matthew Fienup, for research Mark D. Orlando, for teaching I'm perpetually amazed by how much our small but mighty team accomplishes! Steven Dorfman Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
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Michael Panesis shared thisThis is going to be so much fun. Don't miss it!Michael Panesis shared thisFrom childhood, Cal Lutheran alumna Fernanda Barragan was fascinated by makeup and beauty products, making her career choice inevitable. Fernanda began her career in international marketing and product development for a major cosmetics brand, eventually developing an interest in manufacturing. She struck out on her own, starting BBeauty Consultancy, cultivating a world-class client list. Fernanda recognized an opportunity: many emerging cosmetics brands needed manufacturing in small batches, a service that most large manufacturers did not offer. She acquired her own manufacturing plant and started offering small batch manufacturing services, as well as offering her own brands. Come hear Fernanda tell her story and share her plans for the future. Register now: https://ow.ly/bt1P50ZPOeV 📆Wednesday, September 30, 2026 ⏰6:00 pm - 8:00 pm 📌Lundring Events Center #clusom #callutheransom #EntrepreneurSpeakerSeries
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Michael Panesis posted thisThe Officers of our student American Marketing Association Club are visiting #NYC and are looking to line up some company visits on Monday, October 26, in either Manhattan or Brooklyn. If you're up for hosting some motivated, bright students for an hour or two, or you know of a company that might be, please DM me.
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Michael Panesis reposted thisMichael Panesis reposted thisDon’t go bananas this Saturday—come to the Banana Festival! 🍌 Enjoy free land and boat tours, a classic car show, delicious banana-themed dishes from every food vendor, and a fantastic lineup of live bands to keep your ears happy! Bring your family and friends for a bunch of fun at the Port of Hueneme! You can find me hanging around the beer booth all day—I’m not missing the banana beer this year! 🍻
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Michael Panesis shared thisI've been interviewed by the press many times over the years. I'm especially happy to be interviewed by our student reporters at California Lutheran University's The Echo. They always are professional and insightful. Check out a story entitled "College is a Good Time to Start a Small Business at https://lnkd.in/giPVFt93. Incidentally, journalism majors do some of the best customer discovery. They know how to keep asking questions until they get to the truth! Thanks, Madelyn Busby, for the interview!
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Michael Panesis shared thisSuper excited for our next Entrepreneur Speaker Series event featuring California Lutheran University alumna Fernanda Barragan, who will be speaking about her career in the beauty industry as a consultant and entrepreneur. Fernanda is a former student of mine, and I couldn't be more proud of what she's accomplished. Come hear for yourself! The event will be on Wednesday, September 30, from 6pm to 8pm at the Lundring Events Center in the Gilbert Sports & Fitness Center on the Cal Lutheran main campus. We'll have a light dinner and networking first, followed by the event. Please sign up at https://lnkd.in/g9BahCAs. #StartSomething Cal Lutheran School of Management Steven Dorfman Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
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Michael Panesis reposted thisVentura County has what it takes to be a center for AG Innovation. If you’re interested in learning more don’t miss today’s Take Flight Friday at the HIVE Autonomous Innovation Center. #BusinessForwardVC #EconomicVitalityMichael Panesis reposted thisVentura County has a deep agricultural legacy. What does the future of the industry look like? At tomorrow's Take Flight Friday, we're taking a closer look at the ag-tech ecosystem with two founders approaching industry challenges from two different perspectives. 🌾 Oliver Ruiz, Founder & CEO of Farm Insights, is building technology that helps growers connect the data, tools, and workflows they already rely on. 🏭 Kat Miranda Vasquez, incoming CEO of Oxnard Pallet Co., is transforming a decades-old operation through AI, automation, and new revenue streams, bridging agriculture, climate, manufacturing, energy, and more through one legacy business she's rebuilding from the ground up. As HIVE explores how we can support innovation in this space, we're excited to learn more about the challenges and opportunities, hear what it takes to introduce new technology into established operations, and connect with more of the people shaping our region's agricultural ecosystem. 🔗 Register here: https://lnkd.in/guzyNeBh
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Michael Panesis reposted thisMichael Panesis reposted thisYesterday, I spent the morning at the HIVE Autonomous Innovation Center's Investor Showcase and left with a page full of notes and a lot of optimism about what's being built. 10 companies took the stage and the common thread was clear: autonomy, sensing, and AI aimed at hard, real-world problems in agriculture, oceans, health, wildfire, security, and manufacturing. Here's who pitched: 🌽 Numanac, Daniel Lee: voice-powered farm management building the foundation for autonomous agronomy 🐳 @Leviathan Systems, Nathan Krajewski: coastal intelligence technology advancing marine conservation 🔬EarlyDiagnostics, Jasmine Zhou, MD: turning a single blood draw into molecular insights for earlier disease detection 🏭Roboze, Alessio Lorusso: advanced materials, industrial robotics, and AI powering decentralized manufacturing 🌳@Nature Guards, Aram Ter-Martirosyan: autonomous sensor networks and edge AI for early wildfire detection 🍽️Robert L. Kay: bringing Raman spectroscopy mainstream for on-the-spot foodborne contaminant detection 🖥️OASIS Technology (IPS Titan), @Robert Hudson: real-time network protection that isolates malicious activity 🧑🏽🌾Farm Insights, Oliver Ruiz: connecting farm records, field data, weather, and imagery for real-time grower decisions 📊Trackable Health AI, Greg Hayward: real-time AI and wearable data for earlier health insights in high-stakes environments 🤖Sensate Robotics, Nicholas Wettels: giving robots a sense of touch across agriculture, aerospace, defense, and manufacturing Congratulations to every founder who pitched, and thank you to Elaine Vo and the HIVE team for putting together a showcase with this much substance. If you're an investor, operator, or potential customer in any of these spaces, these are teams worth a conversation. #HardTech #Autonomy #Robotics #AgTech #ClimateTech #StartupEcosystem #InvestorShowcase
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Congratulations! 🎉
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Michael Panesis liked thisMichael Panesis liked thisWhat happens when a student's perfect marketing plan meets a real client? This semester, my students are working with their first one. Watching them takes me right back to mine. I had a plan. I had frameworks. I thought I had the answer. Then the client asked a question I hadn't prepared for. That's when I figured out a few things I hadn't learned anywhere else: 1. The plan I loved didn't fit the budget they had 2. The audience I'd defined on paper wasn't the one they were actually trying to reach 3. Nobody was waiting for the perfect answer. They were waiting for me to have a point of view My students are wrestling with those same three things right now. But getting them right only gets you a strategy. That's just the beginning. In a 2025 survey of about 100 brand and marketing agencies, 61% of clients who ended agency relationships cited dissatisfaction with delivery. (Source: Setup, Marketing Relationship Survey 2025) A strategy that isn't delivered and executed puts you at risk of getting fired. The strategy is the start. The delivery is the job. What do you remember most about your first client? #MarketingCareers #ClientRelationships #PersonalBranding
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Michael Panesis reacted on thisMichael Panesis reacted on thisNico from MolecularWorks and I won the Golden Brezel Award at Bits & Pretzels yesterday. I still can't believe it! 🥨 Bits & Pretzels tried a new format this year: angel investors could choose one portfolio company, and the founder and investor would pitch together. I called Nico from our portfolio company MolecularWorks. He was immediately in. 🙌 We wrote the script and made the slides together, then practiced briefly the day before. I was excited walking on stage for the pre-round. Making it to the final already felt amazing. And then we won the whole Golden Brezel Award! 🥨 What I loved most was working with Nico Eichhorn. Standing next to a founder and pitching together is such a unique experience. I’m usually on the investor side, listening. Now I have even more respect for every founder who gets on stage. 😳 Thank you to the jury Anna Fedulow, Filip Felician Dames, Jan Reichelt, Inga vom Holtz. 👏 Congratulations to all the other finalists: 🚀 Hubertus Bessau & Yamen Mohisn 🚀 Kristian Segerstrale & Jack Alderman 🚀 Finn Persson & Tomas Karlsson #bitsandpretzels #startups #venturecapital
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Michael Panesis liked thisMichael Panesis liked thisFATHOMWERX- AEROSPACE AND DEFENSE INDUSTRY Thank you Erick Went and Isabel Seuberling for hosting my Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth LLP partners Ryan Azlein, Jaye Heybl and I during tour of FATHOMWERX’s facilities at Port of Hueneme located in County of Ventura. Fascinating facility supporting R&D work for aerospace and defense companies, including unique testing capabilities for aerial, ground, surface and subsurface drone technologies. Great to also meet Stu Penrose and James Penrose of Locust during our tour and seeing the “air swarms” AnD technology the company is working on. Our law firm and I look forward to working with organizations like FATHOMWERX, HIVE Autonomous Innovation Center, NAVSEA Warfare Centers (NSWC/NUWC) aNAVSEA Warfare Centers (NSWC/NUWC) and Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) in building the aerospace and defense and space industries in our region. We believe Stradling’s aerospace and defense practice group has the broad capabilities and experience to help assist these industries. https://lnkd.in/g39gjTY5
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Michael Panesis liked thisMichael Panesis liked thisWhat a great way to start the week! The California Lutheran University Center for Nonprofit Leadership, lead by Dena Jenson, hosted an incredible event for nonprofit leaders across Ventura County focused on the financial health and resilience of the sector. Across campus I then had the opportunity to greet seniors who were visiting campus, attending classes, meeting faculty, and exploring labs from the Center for Advanced Research at Thousand Oaks HS. To me these events showcase so many great things about CLU and the shared commitment to our mission grounded in Lutheran liberal arts: vision, community engagement, leadership, service, research, outreach, and the commitment of our faculty, staff, and administration to engaging the needs of our region through growing and supporting meaningful partnerships. My thanks and congrats to everyone involved in pulling together these showcase events! Lisa Buono Brewster King Sophia Coffaro John Arthur Nunes Leanne Neilson Brandy Yee, PhD Nadia Hefni Foster Sommer Barwick Andrea Sell, Ph.D Peter Carlson Ran Lu-Andrews, Ph.D., CFA Mary Oksala Tasha Beaudoin Felix McGinnis
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Michael Panesis liked thisMichael Panesis liked thisIt starts with a story. At this week's Take Flight Friday, we're welcoming Vinnie Shahzad, VP of Startup Banking at Silicon Valley Bank and co-founder of Bruin Angels Investor Network, for a workshop on how storytelling can strengthen your pitch and fundraising strategy. Vinnie will share how founders can communicate what they're building, why it matters, and review pitch decks for founders to receive real-time feedback. SVB is also co-hosting "Face to Face with Investors" with TCA Los Angeles and UCLA Anderson School of Management during LA Tech Week in October, making this a great opportunity to sharpen your story ahead of future conversations with venture partners and ecosystem leaders. Whether you're preparing to raise, gearing up for an upcoming pitch, or simply looking to refine your startup story, we hope to see you this Friday! 🔗 HIVE TFF: https://lnkd.in/guzyNeBh 🔗 Face to Face with Investors: https://lnkd.in/greci6Ca
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Michael Panesis liked thisMichael Panesis liked thisI met Malala. Growing up in England, I remember her name and story being everywhere on the news. It seemed like it was all anyone could talk about. Having the opportunity to meet her and hear her speak at California Lutheran University this past spring was a full-circle moment I’ll never forget. Her story of resilience, courage, and the power of education has inspired millions around the globe, including myself. It’s also a reminder of why I love working in higher education. Every day, I get to help tell the stories of our students, celebrate their accomplishments, and create opportunities for them to find their voice and discover what they’re capable of. I’m incredibly grateful to be part of that work. “One child, one teacher, one book, and one pen can change the world.” — Malala #highereducation #malala #callutheran
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Michael Panesis reacted on thisMichael Panesis reacted on thisShortly after Hub101 first opened its doors, Michael McCrary, a solopreneur walked into our brand new startup community space and started to work on what was little more than an idea. He became a trusted member of our startup community, hired interns from Cal Lutheran, found his first team members at Hub101, and received his first round of funding for his company, PureSpectrum. Fast forward to today - the company employs close to 400 people globally, and it has become a major player in its industry, with many Cal Lutheran alumni working for him at all levels - from intern and entry-level to C-level (a total of five Cal Lutheran students are part of PureSpectrum's latest cohort of six summer interns at the Westlake Village Office). Michael also mentors Cal Lutheran students and serves on the advisory council for the Dorfman Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. In July, the company moved its headquarters to a new location in Westlake Village. We are grateful for Michael's continued support and the special shoutout he gave to Cal Lutheran, especiallly Hub101 at the grand opening. #CLUSOM #CallutheranSOM
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Michael Panesis reacted on thisMichael Panesis reacted on thisI wasn’t the only one excited about my first week at OUAI ✨🧁 This past week was my first week as a Brand Marketing Intern at OUAI, and of course I had to share a little look into what my days have been like. I posted a few moments from the week and was blown away by the amount of support. My content received 75,000+ views, with my LinkedIn post alone reaching nearly 30,000 people, 90% of whom were outside of my existing network. Even Jen Atkin, founder of OUAI, reposted my content to her Instagram! I also gained over 300 new connections on LinkedIn and received messages from more than 100 students wanting to learn more about my marketing journey and asking for advice on breaking into the industry. It’s been such a fun reminder of why I love sharing my career journey online. Getting to connect with other students who are just as excited about marketing and want to learn more has easily been one of my favorite parts. Only one week in, and already so much to be excited about 🤍 #Marketing #Internship #ContentCreation
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Michael Panesis liked thisMichael Panesis liked thisConnecting with current and emerging leaders at the #ConejoValleyChamberofCommerce Business Expo this week was a blast! Congratulations to #DanielleBorjaCEO and her amazing team:#CindyGiordano,#HeatherMacaulay,#EricHunzeker,#JenniferBradbury, and #MadiBodhidatta for extending your longstanding tradition of greatest hits!
Experience & Education
Licenses & Certifications
Volunteer Experience
Patents
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Building sensor network for monitoring environmental conditions
Issued US 10948379
See patentSystems and methods for sensing water device run time, transmitting this data via a network to a database which analyzes, records and reports the individual run times and the aggregate use over any given timeframe. Sensors used to measure device use time do not directly measure flow rate, and may sense device run time by sensing water flow, through electronic signals, vibration, etc. The sensors may be battery powered and transmit discrete data packets via radio frequency to powered node units.…
Systems and methods for sensing water device run time, transmitting this data via a network to a database which analyzes, records and reports the individual run times and the aggregate use over any given timeframe. Sensors used to measure device use time do not directly measure flow rate, and may sense device run time by sensing water flow, through electronic signals, vibration, etc. The sensors may be battery powered and transmit discrete data packets via radio frequency to powered node units. A system of node units communicates with a central internet gateway which uploads the data packets to a cloud-based database which organizes, analyzes, stores and reports the information. The system allocates the cost of water flowing through a common water meter to a plurality of individual units within a collection of geographically proximate units. The systems are useful in multi-unit buildings or complexes having stacked plumbing.
Honors & Awards
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Valley 200 Most Influential Leaders
San Fernando Valley Business Journal
I've been on every annual list since 2016.
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Dorfman Gift
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In 2021, we received a $6M gift from Steve Dorfman, former President of Hughes Aerospace, to fund the growth of our Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
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Hewlett Grant
Hewlett Foundation
Awarded grant for travel to Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers (GCEC) conference to give presentation.
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Hewlett Grant
Hewlett Foundation
Awarded grant for travel to VentureWell international entrepreneurship conference to give presentation.
Organizations
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IEEE
Senior Member
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Ventura County Greek Festival
Steering Committee Member
- PresentLed finance, marketing and technology for one of the largest cultural events in Ventura County. Currently a dedicated volunteer!
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