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CANESTA, INC.
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SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – April 17, 2002 – Canesta, Inc., the pioneer of electronic perception technology, announced today that Joep van Beurden has joined the company as senior vice president of sales and marketing, a new position. Van Beurden, 41, was most recently managing director and vice president of business unity connectivity for Philips Components. His initial responsibilities at Canesta will include developing major corporate customers and strategic partnerships, particularly in the mobile and wireless markets, as Canesta readies its technology for OEM applications. Electronic perception technology is a recently-announced breakthrough designed to "sight-enable" machines and ordinary electronic devices with low cost sensors. These sensors image the world around them as 3-D contour maps, enabling the devices to react and interact with people and the environment in totally new ways.
"We're on the verge of a new era in electronic devices," said van Beurden. "For the first time, it has become practical to design applications and interfaces that work through sight, rather than restrictive mechanical devices such as keyboards or controllers." Van Beurden indicated that original equipment manufacturers in the mobile and wireless areas are particularly eager to use the new technology. "Imagine a cell phone that reacts to gestures, or projects its own 'virtual' keyboard on any convenient surface," he said. "Canesta has quietly but aggressively been working on such technology for well over three years, and decidedly has the leadership position." Over time, added van Beurden, electronic perception technology will have broad applications in entertainment, security, automotive, and numerous other markets. "It's only a question of time," he said.
While at Philips, Mr. van Beurden helped establish the company's leading position in the fast growing market of wireless and wired connectivity, deploying cutting edge technologies such as Bluetooth, 802.11b, 802.11a and GPRS. Prior to joining Philips Components, van Beurden spent five years at McKinsey & Company in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. While there, he served as a management consultant, responsible for projects addressing the strategic and critical operational issues of major corporations and governmental organizations. In addition, van Beurden worked as a crude oil trader for Royal Dutch Shell in Rotterdam, as well as lecturer in physics and electronics at the University of Zambia in Lusaka. He holds a master's degree in applied physics from Twente University of Technology in Enschede, the Netherlands.
Nazim Kareemi, president and CEO of Canesta said, "Joep brings unique experience to Canesta. He has the strategic vision to understand the widespread implications of electronic perception technology. Additionally, he brings significant hands-on experience in introducing technologies to major companies in a broad base of industries, including mobile and wireless industries – a key to our strategy in the near term. We are very pleased to have him join our talented team."
Canesta is the inventor of a revolutionary, low-cost electronic perception technology that enables ordinary electronic devices to perceive and react to nearby objects or individuals in real time.
When sight-enabled with Canesta's unique electronic perception chips and software that sense the environment as 3-dimensional moving images, consumer, automotive, industrial, and medical products will gain functionality and ease of use not possible in an era when electronics were blind.
Canesta was founded in April 1999, and is located in San Jose, CA. The company has filed or has been granted in excess of 20 patents. Investment to date exceeds $20 million, by Carlyle Venture Partners, Apax Partners, JP Morgan Partners (formerly Chase Capital Partners), TechFund Capital, and Thales Corporate Ventures (formerly Thomson-CSF Ventures.) Canesta has over 35 employees. Canesta's Web site: www.canesta.com
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