CognitiveScale pairs humans and machines to augment human potential.
CognitiveScale is an enterprise AI software company with solutions that helps customers win with intelligent, transparent, and trusted AI/ML-powered digital systems. Our Cortex software and industry AI accelerators enable businesses to rapidly build, operate, and evolve intelligent, transparent, and trusted AI systems on any cloud.
The company’s award-winning software is being used by global leaders in banking, insurance, healthcare, and digital commerce to increase user engagement, improve employee expertise and productivity, and protect brand and digital infrastructure from AI Business risks.
Headquartered in Austin, Texas, CognitiveScale has offices in New York, London, and Hyderabad, India, and is funded by Norwest Venture Partners, Intel Capital, IBM Watson, Microsoft Ventures, and USAA.
Leadership Team

Most recently, Manoj was General Manager of IBM Watson (2011-14), where his team built the first cognitive systems. Manoj currently serves on the boards of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Communities In Schools, and the Saxena Family Foundation. Holder of six U.S. patents for AI and web services technologies. Saxena holds an MBA from Michigan State University, and a master’s in Management Sciences from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science in Pilani, India.


Previously, Shay was the global leader for Smarter Care at IBM. He successfully led and managed the acquisition of Curam Software to establish IBM’s leader- ship at the intersection of Social Programs and Healthcare. He has a BS & MS degree in Electrical & Computer Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from the Acton School of Entrepreneurship.




With more than twenty-five years as an executive in the high-tech industry and private legal practice, Pati has developed a keen sense of the dynamic IT industry. Her previous experience serving as general counsel for high-tech companies ranges from managing IP-related matters and negotiating complex IT contracts, to handling patent infringement litigation and managing securities litigation and assisting in the preparation of SEC requirements and filings. In 2010, Pati received the Global Counsel Award for general commercial. Pati holds a Bachelor of Art from Indiana University and a Juris Doctor degree from Pace University School of Law.


Gopal earned his BS and MS degrees in Computer Science from the University of Ottawa, Canada, and New Mexico Tech respectively. He also completed his BS and MS degrees in Mathematics from University of Madras, India.

Kendall has over 16 years of global people experience across both large enterprises and small companies. Most recently, she led People & Culture for the Americas at Snow, an enterprise software company focused on Software Asset Management. Prior to that, she had tours of duty at Flex, where she was responsible for global HR strategy, and Dell, where she was the HR Program Manager on the Dell and EMC merger responsible for integrating the two businesses. She cut her teeth on all things people over an 8 year period as a Human Capital Management Consultant at Deloitte.
Kendall holds a Master’s in Organizational Psychology from the London School of Economics and a Bachelor’s in Psychology from Hendrix College.
Board of Directors

Most recently, Manoj was General Manager of IBM Watson (2011-14), where his team built the first cognitive systems. Manoj currently serves on the boards of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Communities In Schools, and the Saxena Family Foundation. Holder of six U.S. patents for AI and web services technologies. Saxena holds an MBA from Michigan State University, and a master’s in Management Sciences from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science in Pilani, India.


Previously, Shay was the global leader for Smarter Care at IBM. He successfully led and managed the acquisition of Curam Software to establish IBM’s leader- ship at the intersection of Social Programs and Healthcare. He has a BS & MS degree in Electrical & Computer Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from the Acton School of Entrepreneurship.

Recent liquidity events in Promod’s portfolio include cyber security leader FireEye (Nasdaq: FEYE); Skybox Imaging, a commercial high-resolution satellite imagery, high-definition video and analytics services company that was acquired by Google for $500 million; and API management leader Apigee (Nasdaq: APIC), which celebrated its initial public offering in April 2015. In addition, NTT Communications acquired Virtela for a total transaction price of $525 million. Promod was the founding investor and Chairman of the Board of Virtela, which is a company that Norwest incubated.

CO-LEAD DIVERSITY FUND
Trina Van Pelt is Vice President of Intel Capital and Managing Director of the Internet of Things and Automated Driving Groups at Intel Corporation. She directs the team of equity investment, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and strategic business development professionals who identify, evaluate, lead, and negotiate strategic transactions in businesses focused on the Internet of Things (IoT) and autonomous driving segments. She is responsible for fostering strategic thinking and growth initiatives that link Intel’s business strategy with strategic transactions.
Van Pelt also co-leads Intel Capital’s Diversity Fund, which invests in businesses founded and/or managed by women, under-represented minorities, U.S. military veterans, physically disabled, and the LGBTQ community.
Van Pelt has over 20 years of experience in technology M&A, investments, strategic planning and business development. She has led more than 70 technology acquisitions and investments worth >$30B over the course of her career, spanning the computing, communications, software, IoT and mobile industry segments.
She joined Intel Capital in 2004. Before joining Intel, Van Pelt was a director of corporate development at CNET Networks and an investment associate at TA Associates. She began her career in investment banking at Lehman Brothers and Ernst & Young’s financial advisory services group.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Michigan and earned a master’s degree in management from the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University.


Robert resides in Austin, and serves on the University of Texas Department of Computer Science Advisory Council. Originally from Toronto, Canada he has a BSC and an MBA from the University of Toronto.
Robert is an avid golfer, car enthusiast, and owner of Standardbred Racing horses.
Advisory Board


Tom has served on three public boards and multiple private company and non-profit boards. He has a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Illinois, and a Masters of Management from Northwestern University’s J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, where he graduated with Distinction with concentrations in finance, organizational behavior, and international business.
Tom resides in Austin, Texas and enjoys the mountains, the water, chess, golf, and time with his family.



World-renowned Internet commerce pioneer and Artificial Intelligence expert. Former consulting professor of Computer Science, Stanford.
