About Sonatus
We are hyper-focused on empowering automakers to build a competitive advantage with their digital dynamics by transforming the vehicle E/E architecture to become Software-Defined. A collection of talented architects of the modern data center, Sonatus provides in-vehicle and cloud platforms that seamlessly work together to strengthen current connectivity solutions and empower automakers to innovate more quickly and boldly with their vehicles and services.
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Our Values
Respect
for people, truth, and the roletechnology plays in improving lives
Intelligence
that aims to break barriers, provideactionable insights, and fuel innovation
Collaboration
with those who are committed to makinga difference that goes beyond self
Excellence
that far exceeds expectations and continuallystrives to improve the customer experience
Our Leadership Team
Before Sonatus, our leadership team built billion-dollar products for some of the world's most innovative and successful technology companies.
Our expert knowledge within the IT/data center space and the automotive industry provides a uniquely specialized perspective to manage the digital disruption of the automobile.
Jeff Chou >
CEO & Co-Founder
Over his distinguished career in Silicon Valley, Jeff has gained perspective and experience from innovating at multiple startups recognized and acquired by Cisco, Brocade, and others. His efforts resulted in creating products and solutions that were central in driving various transformations in the IT datacenter. He has pioneered new technologies as an engineer and as a co-founding CEO. Having been in the middle of disruption in finance, media, and cloud industries, Jeff identified the digital transformation of the automotive industry. The key to unlocking the digital automobile is in advanced infrastructure based on the modern software-defined data center itself. In 2018, Jeff and Yu co-founded Sonatus with the vision to simplify and accelerate the digital transformation of the automobile.
Jeff earned his BSEE in Computer Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and his MSEE in Computer Engineering from Stanford.
Yu Fang >
CTO & Co-Founder
A seasoned entrepreneur, technologist, and executive, Yu brings over 20 years of experience leading high-performance teams to build cutting edge technologies and products for data center, eCommerce, and automotive markets. Before founding Sonatus, as Head of Mobile Engineering at Nauto, Yu led a team that built AI-based software on mobile platforms to improve commercial fleets' driving safety. Before that, as SVP Engineering at Tanjarine and CTO at Cardfree, Yu led the development of mobile and cloud-based eCommerce platform serving tens of thousands of stores and tens of millions of customers. Previously at Nuova (acquired by Cisco) and Sanera (acquired by Brocade), Yu led the development of multiple innovative, high-performance, highly scalable and robust server, storage, and networking systems. Earlier, Yu was a lead designer of multiple modules in one of the industry's first multi-core microprocessors at Sun Microsystems.
Yu holds a BS in Applied Physics from Tsinghua University, an MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Rochester, and an MBA from Haas School of Business, University of California Berkeley.
Troy Trenchard >
Chief Product Officer
Troy has extensive experience developing, managing, marketing, and selling a broad range of innovative, customer-centric solutions and services for Enterprise, SMB, Consumer, and Service Provider customers globally. After designing integrated circuits at Hewlett-Packard, he transitioned to product management at Apple, and then grew and managed billion-dollar product lines at Cisco. Subsequently, Troy took on senior executive management roles at leading software, communications, and IT services companies like Citrix and Avaya, launching a long list of innovative, successful products. More recently, he has applied his broad and deep experience in more entrepreneurial ventures. As a lifelong automotive enthusiast, Troy was excited to join Sonatus in 2019 to lead the company's strategy and management of software products with the shared vision of simplifying and accelerating the transformation of the automobile.
Troy earned a BS in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from UC Berkeley, as well as an MBA from the Haas School of Management at UC Berkeley.
Wallie Leung >
Head of Go to Market
Wallie joined Sonatus in October 2019 with a wealth of experience in go-to-market strategy, technical sales management, and pre-sales engineering acquired during his successful tenures with 3PAR/HP, F5 Networks, and Diamanti. Over his career across diverse technology categories, he has achieved an exceptional track record of building successful teams of account executives, sales engineers, and solutions architects. Adept at supporting sales teams to navigate complex organizations, develop targeted strategies, close deals, and acquire new clients. Wallie is charged with managing Sonatus' front line customer engagements to build advocacy for our software-defined vehicle solutions and expand our leading OEM customer base.
Wallie earned a BA in Physics from Colby College.
Michael Cory >
Head of Marketing & Communications
Sonatus is Michael's first venture in Silicon Valley. Although he began his career in pharma and healthcare technology sales, as a lifelong car nut, he decided to "shift gears" to the auto industry in 2007, joining Toyota North America. During his tenure there, Michael developed a solid understanding of the complexities of the automobile industry, from development through after-sales, through the roles he held across multiple divisions of the organization. In 2014, he expanded his auto industry experience to the supplier side, founding North American Sales & Marketing teams with Bang & Olufsen and, most recently, Harman International, working with several OEMs around the world. In June 2020, driven to be at the leading edge of where the automobile is headed in the digital era, Michael enthusiastically accepted the opportunity to join Sonatus.
Michael earned a BA in Business Administration and Economics and a minor in Spanish from Illinois Wesleyan University and an MBA from Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business.
Kathleen Pearl >
Head of Business Development
A seasoned and top producing Silicon Valley sales leader in several technology categories, Kathleen joined Sonatus in December 2019 to head Business Development strategy and execution for Sonatus. She leverages her exceptional successes in market expansion, new account development, business retention, and growth strategies with several leading technology companies, SanDisk and Texas Instruments among them, to strategically expand Sonatus' network of distinguished technology partners.
Kathleen earned a BS in Commerce and Marketing from Santa Clara University.
Alison Lam >
Head of Operations
Alison joined Sonatus in June 2019 with a wealth of experience in senior engineering management. Beginning her career in building and leading development test teams, Alison expanded on this foundation to become exceptionally adept at managing and finding solutions for complex, high visibility customer-facing issues at Cisco and, most recently, Ciena. Alison's laudable track record of successful releases over her career is supported by her expertise in the engineering process, project management, quality metrics, product life cycle management, and budget planning. At Sonatus, she applies all of these skills and more while wearing many hats and running a tight ship to ensure that our commitment to a nimble and customer-focused partnership experience holds strong.
Alison earned a BS in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University.