Datacap Management Team

 

Scott Blau, Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer

Since 1988, Mr. Blau has led Datacap to create numerous industry innovations, including significant advances in such areas as component-oriented architecture, open workflow, vertical market products, and GUIs. He is closely involved with new product development and frequently works with key customers to ensure that new offerings meet the market’s needs. In the past 15 years, his strategic guidance has helped some of the world’s most sophisticated organizations enhance their data and document input workflow solutions, including Dow Jones, Bridgestone-Firestone and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, to name a few.

Instrumental in many of the company’s relationships and technology alliances, he has engineered agreements with some of the foremost companies in recognition technology, imaging systems, database applications and systems integration, including Oce, Recognition Research, Pixel Translations, Kofax and Kodak.The depth of Mr. Blau’s knowledge has made him a respected industry trend and technology commentator. He is a frequent presenter and a sought-after contributor to many of the industry’s leading publications such as Today, KM World as well as a featured speaker for numerous industry conferences and trade shows.

Mr. Blau holds two graduate degrees in Political Science from Columbia University. While a graduate at Hampshire College in Amherst, Blau received fellowships to study in Hungary and Romania. He also worked for the United Nations Economic and Social Council in Geneva, Switzerland. He is fluent in Hungarian.

 

Noel Kropf, Co Founder, Chief Technology Officer

Mr. Kropf manages Datacap’s Research & Development, customer support, and internal IT systems. He brings to the task special expertise in digital image processing, character recognitiontechnology, database management, 3D modeling and display, and software development.While at Datacap, he co-developed the pioneering capture software Paper Keyboard (R), and created the first commercial hand-printed character recognition (ICR) and check box recognition (OMR) engines to run on desktop computers.

Prior to co-founding Datacap, Mr. Kropf was a freelance programmer and computer consultant.Among his many accomplishments, he developed or co-developed a text management system and search engine for pharmaceutical abstracts, a hierarchical database system for the Columbia University Dept. of Cardiology, a hospital operating room scheduling program for IntelliMed Corp., and a system driver and user interface for Abaton - one of the first desktop image scanners. He also taught the “C” programming language, and consulted on text indexing and searching.

From 1976 to 1981, he was employed by Columbia University, in a Computer Graphics research facility sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. In addition to managing the facility, he developed C/Unix system and application programs for molecular and neuroanatomical 3D modeling, reconstruction and display. He co-authored a chapter in a book about three-dimensional neuroanatomical reconstruction, and co-taught a course on this topic at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.

Mr. Kropf graduated with honors from Dartmouth in 1976, majoring in Mathematics. While at Dartmouth, he worked as a Systems Programmer on the Dartmouth Time Sharing System (DTSS). Among his accomplishments there he wrote a language parsing and knowledge representation system, and co-authored a database system “add-on” to the Basic programming language, and an airlines reservation system built on that database, which was later commercialized and sold by DTSS Inc. He also co-authored a handwriting recognition program, co-developed the Dartmouth Chess program and participated in two international computer chess competitions.

 

Steve Kaye, Vice President of Sales and Marketing

Steve joined the Datacap management team in July of 2008 and he brings more than twenty years of experience in software-based sales, marketing, strategy and business development. Most recently, Steve served as Senior Vice President of Sales, Services and Marketing for Optio Software. There he was an integral part of the management team and played a key role in the company’s Initial Public Offering (IPO). Optio was acquired by Bottomline Technologies in 2008.

Over the course of his career Steve has created, built and managed strategic relationships with Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, SAP, Unisys, Novell and other major vendors focused on outbound OEM licensing, channel development and equity investments.

Prior to his stint at Optio, Mr. Kaye was Vice President of Global Alliances for Lombardi Software, a leading provider of Business Process Management Solutions. He also served as Vice President, Marketing for Softlab GmbH (a BMW Company) in the 90s, as well as Sr. Vice President of Business Development and Marketing for KnowledgeX, Inc. KnowledgeX was acquired by IBM. For several years, he served as Vice-President of Products & Technology for the Deloitte & Touche Consulting Group/ICS and was responsible for their SAP line of products.

Steve has been a featured speaker at numerous events focused on Competitive Intelligence, Knowledge Management and Document Management. He was also a contributing editor for Millenium Intelligence published by Wiley & Sons.

 

Tom Stuart, Vice President of Solutions

Mr. Stuart directs Datacap’s pre-sales engineering activities, which provides streamlined solutions for expediting implementation of capture systems. He is responsible for developing easy-to-replicate techniques that help customers rapidly deploy complex data capture applications, most of which are integrated with other business applications. Mr. Stuart is also closely involved with refining prototype solutions.

Prior to Datacap, he directed staff development for Datastorm Technologies, developer of Procomm Plus, a leading communications software package. he helped initiate Datastorm’s early development of Internet compatibility, enhancing its market position and ultimately leading to the company’s acquisition by Quarterdeck.

Mr. Stuart’s dual background in education and product development gives him unique perspective on the theory and practical application of data capture and data processing practices. He is widely quoted on technical issues and frequently addresses industry conferences.

 

John Mott, Controller

John H. Mott joined Datacap in January 2007 as the Controller. Mr. Mott was co-founder and CFO of a technology start-up company. He secured the initial funding to launch the company and was pivotal in developing the business strategy and plan. Mr. Mott spent three years in a turnaround situation as the controller for the Process Manufacturing software division of MAI Systems. Mr. Mott also spent 14 years as the VP and Controller, with responsibility for Finance, Accounting and MIS, of Dorian Drake International, Inc., an international sales and marketing company. During his tenure, the company grew revenues 13 fold.

Mr. Mott is a Magna Cum Laude graduate from Pace University, with a BBA degree in Management Accounting and is a Certified Management Accountant.

 

Bob Lastorka, Director of Channel and Business Development

Bob joined Datacap in November 2008, bringing more than 25 years direct and channel sales experience in software and hi-tech.  Bob is responsible for Datacap’s domestic and international partner relationships as well new business opportunities and OEM relationships. In the course of his career, Bob has developed several successful channel programs and established relationships with OEM, ISV, Distributor, Reseller and Referral partners globally. 

Prior to joining the Datacap team, Bob was Director of Channel Sales for Bottomline Technologies, where he focused on integrating varied channels, amassed through acquisition, into a single successful unit.  Bob came to Bottomline with the acquisition of Optio Software where he served as Director of Channel Sales and Western US Sales for two years.  Among his accomplishments at Optio, he created a distribution channel, significantly grew partnerships for the company, and helped win some of Optio’s largest software installations.

Bob has also held channel and direct sales, sales management pre-sales and consulting positions with StreamServe, Exagrid, Auspex Systems, Data General, and Wang Labs. Before starting his sales career, Bob was a datacenter manager for SITA and Goldman Sachs.