Dustin Rector

Founded in 2000 by Andrew Schroepfer, Tier 1 Research is an independent research firm located in New York City with additional offices in Bethesda, Maryland, Plymouth, Minnesota and San Francisco. The firm is a subsidiary of the 451 Group. Tier 1 Research focuses on the financial and industry implications of developments affecting public and private companies within the information technology, communications and Internet sectors. They are particularly interested in consumer, enterprise and carrier information technology services, hosting, content delivery, Internet services, software-as-a-service and enterprise services. The firm's clients include institutional investors and technology vendors, as well as, end users and venture capitalists.

ightLine Partners LLC (SightLine Partners) is an independent venture capital and private equity firm founded in 1992 by Buzz Benson and Maureen Harder. The firm is headquartered in Bloomington, Minnesota.