Pluto founder to head up SGI's Kasenna streaming media subsidiary

Pluto Technologies founder Mark Gray has left his position as an Avid executive to become the chairman, president and CEO of Kasenna, an SGI (Mounatin View, CA) subsidiary targeting the streaming media market.

Gray became head of Broadcast Business Development at Avid after the company announced it was acquiring Pluto Technologies, a Boulder, CO-based server technology company in September, (see IBC: Avid acquires Pluto Technologies). After only several months at the company, however, Gray has decided to take over the reins of a start-up, once again.

"Mark is a veteran of the video industry-he brings tremendous perspective and top-level management experience in this industry," said Steve Krausz of U.S. Venture Partners, a Kasenna investor. "His background in video technologies and the broadcasting industry is a perfect fit for Kasenna as it seeks to capitalize on the emerging markets created by the convergence of high-quality IP video and broadband networks."

Prior to founding Pluto in 1995, Gray was president of Sony Communications Products Company, which included Sony Broadcast. He is also former president of Chyron Corp., and former COO of Pinnacle Systems.

Edited by Tom Butts