Reese Jones is the founder of Netopia, developing wireless broadband Internet gateways and carrier-class service delivery platform management software. Netopia established distribution relationships with international telco carriers and broadband service providers worldwide. In November 2006, Motorola agreed to acquire Netopia.
Reese serves as strategist for the Current Communications Group, evolving a more ecological electrical power grid, including providing consumer broadband Internet access via users' electrical power utility services (BPL).
As an inventor, private venture investor, and business strategist, Reese has served on the boards and advises a number of private companies, including Brightstar (T), Convergence (CCBL), Dantz (EMC), Jobvite, LiveBooks, Mediabolic, Rotani, and others involved in broadband, media, and Internet communications.
Interested in human/Internet interfaces and evolution, from synthetic biology to biomedical to astrobiology and theoretical biologies, Reese is working on a personal project regarding long-range evolutionary forecasts for life forms on this planet.
In 1985, Reese founded Farallon, which first commercialized telephone wiring use for computer networking (PhoneNET, twisted pair), first commercialized digital sound recording and editing in computers (MacRecorder, pre MP3), and developed the first cross-platform realtime peer-to-peer networking software (Timbuktu), multi-transport Internet routing products, network management, media technologies, first screen-casting, and other cool stuff. Reese is a strategic partner in several venture capital groups, including Telesoftvc, Accel, and August.
Reese serves on the boards of nonprofit organizations, including the Chabot Space / Science Center, an $80 million science center facility in the Bay Area serving more than 100,000 people per year in space / science education, including one of the world's best realtime digital full-dome theater systems, capable of large audience realtime navigation through massive scientific and entertainment digital data sets, from atomic to molecular to terrestrial to astronomical to cosmological scale.
While a grad student at UC Berkeley in 1984, Reese started and ran BMUG, a nonprofit computer group, which became the largest computer user group of its kind. He has long been involved in user-oriented telephone / 2600 / homebrew technology experimentation and public education.
Reese holds a BA in Biophysics from the University of California, Berkeley, and spent five years toward a Ph.D. in Biophysics, researching biomedical imaging of the brain chemistry defects in schizophrenia. He holds several communications patents related to telephone / computer integration, voice / data / entertainment/ broadband / networking / communications, and smartphone applications.
Reese is a Lester Fellow in Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, and is currently active in CITRIS, QB3, BWRC, and other interdisciplinary departments at Berkeley, LBL, and USCF. Reese is based in San Francisco and has three teens.
