Meet the Team

Chris Berkner, Founder / CEO

Chris’s passion for software startups dates back to early in his career when he served as the VP of software engineering at Telli.com (like Yelp before there was Yelp). He then founded Analyviz, a 7-person software consulting firm that did dashboard development for clients like Pfizer, Avery Dennison and AIG. In 2007, he co-founded a climate tech venture capital firm, One Earth Capital, to help drive innovation in that critical sector. He ended up being a turnaround CEO at a hardware/software start-up that developed the first iPhone app for agriculture.

In 2013, Chris started Berkner Group, an executive and technical search firm, to provide climate tech companies with reliable search services to take their teams to the next level. Since the firm’s inception, he and his team have recruited dozens of software engineers for a wide range of companies, from startups to Big Tech.

Beginning in early 2021, Chris started spending his free time getting back into software development in deep learning, dabbling in PyTorch and fast.ai. As he carefully followed the development and launch of chatGPT, Bard and Claude, it became clear that the AI wave was upon us. Intent on riding that wave rather than getting crushed by it, Chris founded neuradev.ai to help businesses and developers thrive in the new and rapidly emerging reality of AI.

Dave Edwards, Advisor

Dave Edwards is Co-founder of Artificiality, a research and services firm which empowers AI change leaders with AI strategy and complex change management. He is a frequent speaker on AI and complexity and advises companies around the globe. He previously co-founded Intelligentsia.ai (acquired by Atlantic Media) and worked at Apple, CRV, Macromedia, Morgan Stanley, and Quartz. At Apple, Dave was head of software application product marketing with responsibility for products including iTunes, iPhoto, Keynote, GarageBand, Logic, and Final Cut Pro. He was also a lead technology research analyst at Morgan Stanley covering groundbreaking sectors including the internet and cleantech, a product manager at Macromedia, head of consumer strategy at SunPower, and a partner at Charles River Ventures and ThinkEquity Partners.

Abby Pates, Technical Recruiter

Abby has an extensive technical background that includes a BS in Computer Engineering. She’s always had a passion for software engineering but has primarily worked in the recruiting space. It’s her keen understanding of the technology that gives her recruiting interviews greater depth. In addition to her work with Berkner Group and neuradev, Abby has built her own projects and closely follows everything in the AI space.

Katy Lillig, Executive Assistant to the CEO

Over the past ten years, Katy has managed communications and marketing, operations, business development, and event planning for values-driven organizations. She now brings these skills to her role as Executive Assistant, striving to bring peace of mind to the CEO and team.