Michael Madison

Michael Madison is the founder and Managing Director of Cocoon Ventures, a venture firm focusing on early-stage cross-border investments between Japan and the US, as well as university-oriented venture models.1 He has an MBA from UC Berkeley, an MS in electrical engineering from Stanford University, and a BS in computer engineering from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.1

Madison's career highlights include:

1. Founder of Pangea Force (previously World TASCForce®)23
2. Managing deal flow and portfolio company problem-solving at The Angel's Forum/Halo Funds1
3. Statistical Analyst and QA Tools lead at Tellme Networks (acquired by Microsoft)1
4. Founder of Noble Science, a virtual surgery company1

He has experience in various technical fields, including particle physics, medical simulation, videogames, flight simulation, supercomputer management, and semiconductor design.1 Madison started writing software in the 2nd grade and contributed to NASA Langley's supercomputer management systems in junior high.1

Madison is active in mentoring and advisory roles, including:

• Mentoring students at UC Berkeley's EWMBA program1
• Advisory board member for UMBC's College of Engineering and Information Technology1
• Board member for the Level Playing Field Institute and the Silicon Valley Association of Startup Entrepreneurs (SVASE)1

He was named in the Silicon Valley Business Journal's 2009 Top 40 Under 40 list and is a member of Kauffman Fellows Class 12.1