Efficient and Sustainable Technology
Havenshine Technologies, Inc. was founded by a team of entrepreneurial engineers in the Chicagoland area.
At Havenshine, we are building a world where autonomous technology is not a luxury for the few, but a mainstream solution.
Our team is innovating toward an efficient world free of job-related injuries, toxic emissions, and noise pollution. One where, enabled by the implementation of autonomous technology, people have more time to focus on fulfilling and stimulating tasks. Simply put: we want to live in a world where technology gives us back our most valuable resource: Time.
Meet the Team
Ilya Sagalovich
Founder, Chief Executive Officer
Ilya founded Havenshine Technologies with the idea that humans can automate certain tasks to become more efficient and also make our world more sustainble. Ilya played a key role in the early strategic and technical growth of Havenshine Technologies.
Prior to founding Havenshine, Ilya worked as a Senior Software Engineer and Product Owner at HERE Technologies. In that role, Ilya led key initiatives in improving quality and reducing costs of backend cloud services for Connected Autonomous Vehicles. Before HERE Technologies, Ilya worked on safety-critical systems, robotics, vehicle software, and embedded hardware at Navistar, Qualcomm, and Broadcom.
Ilya holds a Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Waterloo and has 5 patents in map data processing, vehicle systems, and embedded controls.
Daniel García
Co-founder, Lead Engineer
Daniel joined Ilya in his journey to revolutionize off-road autonomous systems as a Co-founder and Lead Engineer. Prior to Daniel's transition to full-time, he worked with Ilya & Havenshine as a designer and iOS Engineer.
Prior to joining Havenshine, Daniel worked as a software engineer at Graycor Inc. In that role, Daniel has designed and developed several front-end and back-end enterprise applications across a wide-range of platforms. In addition to his skills in Software and Design, Daniel also has experience in Infrastructure, DevOps, Cloud development, and technical consulting with various companies.
Daniel holds an Associates Degree in Computer Information Systems/Computer Science from the College of DuPage and has departed early from Lewis University to pursue entrepreneurship.
Michael Bigda
V.P. of Business Development
With over 15 years of experience in business development, Michael has a proven track record of successfully building partnerships and driving revenue growth for companies of all sizes. Prior to joining Havenshine, Michael held senior positions at several leading companies where he was responsible for driving new business and establishing strategic partnerships with key industry players. At Havenshine, Michael is responsible for identifying new market opportunities, developing strategic partnerships, and driving growth for a more automated, cleaner future.
His extensive network and expertise in business development make him an invaluable asset to the team. In his free time, Michael enjoys hiking, reading, and spending time with his family.
Matt Pawelski
Lawn Technician and Mechanic
Meet Matt, a talented landscaper and technician at Havenshine Technologies. Matt has been working in the landscaping industry for over a decade and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our team.
As a landscaper and mower technician at Havenshine, Matt's role is multi-faceted. He's responsible for operating and managing our autonomous lawnmower fleet to ensure they're delivering top-notch cut quality. He also assists in the fabrication of components for our mowers.
Matt's expertise in landscaping has been invaluable to our startup, as he's able to provide insight into the specific needs of different types of lawns and landscapes. He's also been instrumental in educating our team on the latest landscaping trends and techniques.
Prior to joining Havenshine, Matt’s career included leadership roles in residential and commercial lawn care, construction industry, forklift maintenance industry, and logistics. Matt joined Havenshine because his fascination with the idea of applying robotics to the lawn care industry.
When Matt isn't tinkering with lawnmowers, you can find him spending time with his family or playing golf. He's an avid hiker and camper and loves to explore new trails and natural wonders.
Advisors
Ryan Walsh
Advisor | Co-founder & CEO of Valqari
A natural-born innovator and entrepreneur, Ryan has been an integral part of Havenshine’s early-stage business success. His expert advice helped Havenshine secure strategic partnerships and raise initial investment.
As CEO of Valqari, Ryan has played a key role in the creation of Valqari’s patented Drone Delivery Station. In addition to product development, Ryan also manages Valqari’s intellectual property and strategic partnerships in an effort to ultimately reshape the future of the global logistics industry.
Ryan’s focus and determination stems from his six years in the US Army where he served three tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan with the 75th Ranger Regiment. Ryan learned how to lead elite teams through new and challenging situations with limited resources, and still uses these principles today.
Over the past several years, Ryan has built a solid team of dedicated and creative individuals, ranging from executives to engineers. Under his leadership, Valqari has secured multiple strategic partnerships including T-Mobile/Sprint, becoming the first smart mailbox to connect to their HTC 5G Hub. In addition, Valqari was named among “Top 50 Startups to Watch in 2020” by Built in Chicago. And most recently, the company won the 2020 Timmy Awards as “Best Tech Startup in North America,” which recognizes members of the tech community for their resilience, agility and exceptional leadership.
Ryan has been featured in FOX Business, The Wall Street Journal, Chicago Business Podcast, Unmanned Airspace and more.
He has an MBA in Management from North Central College and BS in Economics from Northeastern Illinois University.
Mark Ritzman
Advisor | Attorney at Peregrine, Stime, Newman, Ritzman & Bruckner Ltd.
A resourceful problem-solver with a knack for creative solutions, Mark was drawn to Havenshine from his very first conversation with llya about the automation of lawnmowers and other off-road vehicles. The concept of an efficient “green” solution to an age-old problem was what appealed to Mark most, along with the numerous opportunities for alternate application such technology presents.
By day, Mark is a Chicagoland-based attorney whose practice consists primarily of municipal law, corporate law, non-profit law and real estate and business transactions. By night (and weekends), Mark is an avid outdoorsman, canoeist, husband, father and writer. He holds a B.A. in Business Administration from the University of Iowa and a J.D. from the John Marshall Law School in Chicago.
During law school Mark earned his LEED Green Associate credential in order to better assist clients interested in “green” solutions and developments, which is exactly what his role as an advisor to Havenshine allows him to do.
Marty Leamy
Advisor
Marty is thrilled to join Havenshine’s Advisory Board helping them achieve substantial growth and profits. Leamy is a software executive with proven track record with 30 years of strong execution & strategic capabilities in software companies.
Extensive experience working with Private Equity/Investors. For the past 15 years, Marty has been working with Monterro, a Stockholm-based growth PE firm, where he led all operations in North America. Most recent companies including Axiomatics, EpiServer (acquired by Accel-KKR -- now Optimizley, Orc Software (acquired by Nordic Capital – now Itiviti), and Pointsec (acquired by Check Point Software). Leamy was involved in all of these successful exits.
Marty earned a BS in Computer Science from Bradley University. Husband, father of two grown children, traveler, avid reader, and runner.