TekLaunch Inc.                          

TekLaunch Inc. conducts consulting, due diligence, and venture formation for both technology start-ups as well as large corporate venture groups.   TekLaunch also develops new technology concepts, prototyping, and assists in spin-out company formation. 

Our Business

TekLaunch provides consulting services and venture formation assistance.

Who We Are

CEO - Dr. Richard E. Twogood

Dr. Twogood is the President and Chief Executive Officer of TekLaunch Inc., which he founded in 2003.  TekLaunch’s focuses include 1) technology and strategic consulting for corporate clients in aerospace, national security, and renewable energy, and 2) early-stage venture formation from unique deal sources including DOE national labs and large corporations.  

Dr. Twogood has a broad range of technical and senior management experience, including over 32 years in the U.S. national laboratory system.  While at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California, he managed large organizations and programs in national security research and development, laser programs and Department of Defense programs.  From 1996 to 2000, Dr. Twogood was Deputy Associate Director for Electronics Engineering, with management responsibility for that 750-person department at LLNL.  He also served as Deputy Associate Director for New Initiatives in the Engineering Directorate.  In that role he had overall responsibility for program development and commercialization activities for Engineering at LLNL.  From 1988 to 1996 he was Program Leader of the Imaging and Detection Program in the Lasers Directorate, where he was responsible for projects including non-acoustic anti-submarine warfare, laser guide stars, micropower impulse radar, strategic defense and other technologies.  He held three division leader positions in Electronics Engineering from 1983 through 1988 spanning R&D, defense systems and laser programs.

Since departing LLNL in 2005, Dr. Twogood has been active in consulting, management and venture activities for both well-established and early stage companies and has held several corporate officer and board seats for start-up companies in the security and corporate venturing arenas.  Examples of selected recent activities include:

• Serves as a consultant and member of the Senior Review Panel for The Boeing Company, reviewing Boeing’s Phantom Works corporate R&D portfolio and providing project-specific assistance as needed.
• Provided a strategic blue-print for Boeing’s thrust into solar energy in 2006.  Boeing adopted TekLaunch’s recommendations and embarked on a $70M (half from the Department of Energy)  program in Multi-Junction Concentrated PhotoVoltaics (CPV).  In early 2010, Boeing consummated a successful exit by licensing the commercial rights (not government) to NTR PLC, which also owns Stirling Energy Systems.
• As an adjunct to Boeing’s MJ CPV program, TekLaunch developed an independent Silicon CPV concept.  Boeing funded TekLaunch in its successful 3 KW prototype, and TekLaunch owns all the IP and commercialization rights of this technology.
• As CEO of TekLaunch Inc., conducts and oversees consulting work for large businesses as well as prototype development in technologies such as renewable energy.  
• Provided technology, due diligence, and strategic support to Omron Corporation from 2005-2008 through their venture arm, Omron Silicon Valley.
• Founding CEO, and is now Chairman of the Board, of Livermore Instruments Inc. (LII).  LII has exclusive rights to the Bio-Aerosol Mass Spectrometry technology developed at LLNL and other institutions, and is now completing a commercial version with applications in security, medical, environmental and scientific applications.  
• Founded and serves as Chairman of the Board for Quicklaunch Inc., a company dedicated to reducing launch costs to space using hydrogen gas-gun launchers.  Quicklaunch has exclusive access to what was the world’s largest light-gas gun, developed at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
• Founder, and currently Chairman of the Board, of Tri-Valley Technologies Inc.  (TVT). TVT is a successful technology incubator/accelerator in California’s East Bay region.  Several start-up companies spun out from LLNL have been incubated at TVT.
• Managing Director, Tipping Point Ventures LLC.  TPV makes early-stage investments in technology companies, with an emphasis on unique deal flow to which its partners have preferential access and/or can help drive to success with hands-on participation at the board or even founding stage.

In addition to his exceptionally broad and deep understanding of the U.S. national labs, Dr. Twogood has broad contacts and experience in the national defense, national scientific R&D,  technology transfer and venture capital communities.  He has testified twice before the U.S. Congress on matters of national security; once before the House Armed Services Committee, and once before U.S. Senate’s Judiciary Committee.  Dr. Twogood has a Ph.D. in electronics engineering from the University of California at Davis and has over 30 publications in the field of digital signal and image processing.