The Palo Alto Consulting Group

Stephen Taylor, Managing Partner

Mr. Taylor has over 25 years of high technology experience as a venture capitalist, management consultant, investment banker, and software industry executive and engineer.

Since 1989, Stephen has advised over 200 software, Internet, communications, computer, and semiconductor companies. These assignments include interim marketing and business development positions at Symantec (Internet tools division), State of the Art/Sage Software (middle market financial application software), Verity (search and portal software), InterFax (enhanced fax messaging software), Vertex Design Systems (AutoCAD-based application software), Auspex Systems (storage systems), Informix Software (data warehouse division), Berkeley Design Automation (EDA software), StructuredRisk (SaaS risk management software), NewsTin (global news services), RivalWatch (SaaS business intelligence), and Intacct (SaaS accounting software).

From 1984 to 1989, Stephen was a partner at Xerox Venture Capital where he financed and advised 10 privately-held companies that had successful IPOs or were acquired: Sequent Computer Systems, Catalina Marketing, Cymer, NetFrame Systems, MicroLinear, Read Rite, and ParcPlace Systems went public and Netwise (by Microsoft), Imagen (by QMS), and Advanced Forming Technology (by Precision Castparts) were acquired. As a consultant, Stephen has helped start, finance, or advise more than 22 clients that went public (Be, Blaze Software, COM21, Concero, Nuance Communications, SDL, TGV, Talarian, Tut Systems) or were acquired by public companies (Alldata, Bridgestream, Great Plains Software, Marimba, Morphics, Odesta, PathScale, PlaceWare, ReportSmith, State of the Art, Velocity11, Ventura Software, Vicinity).

Harold Shattuck, Managing Partner

Harold Shattuck has over 35 years of management, investment, and boardroom experience in the computer industry. Harold’s many accomplishments include managing the design, development, and manufacturing of Amdahl’s first four mainframe computer systems; President and CEO of Systems Industries, a publicly-traded storage company; a partner at Montgomery Securities and Xerox Venture Capital; and six years as a consultant to over 20 high technology companies, including Tut Systems, Digital Island, Ampex, Dialpad, YottaYotta, Rosum, State of the Art, Consensus, and Innova.

Harold began his career at IBM where he held management positions in marketing and systems planning. He then joined Amdahl in its first year as Director of Marketing and rose to become the Vice-President of R&D and Strategic Planning and then Senior Vice-President of Operations. In 1982, Harold left Amdahl to become the CEO of Systems Industries, a public storage systems company. He then started his career in venture capital, first at Montgomery Securities and later with Xerox Venture Capital. As a venture capitalist, Harold financed many successful companies including Symantec, Silicon Graphics, Plaxis, Ballard Technology, Cymer, NetFrame Systems, and Innova. Before focusing on consulting in 1996, he founded and managed MC Tecinvest Inc. on behalf of Motor Columbus, a Swiss holding company that invested in U.S venture capital partnerships.

Harold earned a BSEE from North Dakota State University and is a graduate of the Stanford summer executive program. Harold is also an active member of Silicon Valley's Band of Angels.