ABOUT US
ABOUT US
Mission Statement
Elevate’s mission is to serve our semiconductor and system test customers by providing world class test integrated circuits (ICs) that address the industry’s most complex ATE challenges. We strive to exceed our customer’s expectations, now and well into the future, through designing the lowest power/highest density solutions, with the goal of providing the lowest possible cost of test.
Connect with our team
Jan Gaudestad, Chief Executive Officer
Jan Gaudestad is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ElevATE Semiconductor, a fabless semiconductor company based in San Diego, California, specializing in the development of integrated circuits for the Automated Test Equipment (ATE) industry. His journey with ElevATE began in 2018, when he played a pivotal role in the company’s acquisition by private equity firm Presidio Investors, serving as an independent board member until his appointment as CEO in April 2024.
Prior to leading ElevATE, Jan spent six years as Vice President of Business Development at Wooptix, a Canary Islands, Spain-based company pioneering inline semiconductor optical metrology solutions. During his tenure, he was instrumental in securing strategic venture funding from TEL Venture Capital, the investment arm of semiconductor equipment maker Tokyo Electron. Before Wooptix, he held a business development role at a Silicon Valley virtual reality technology startup, and earlier, he managed strategic accounts for motion sensors at InvenSense/TDK, working closely with major mobile phone manufacturers.
Jan’s career began in 2001 when he transitioned his graduate research project from the University of Maryland’s Physics Department to Neocera, a deep-tech company specializing in high-temperature superconductors and backed by Intel Capital. His research led to the development of a commercial semiconductor fault isolation tool, which was later adopted by major semiconductor manufacturers. Over 14 years at Neocera, he led global sales, business development, and applications development, helping to commercialize cutting-edge semiconductor failure analysis equipment solutions.
Academically, Jan holds an MBA with a focus on finance from Santa Clara University (2009). He earned dual master’s degrees in physics—one from the University of Maryland, College Park (2001) and another from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, Norway (2000) both focused on superconductivity.
With a deep technical background and extensive leadership experience in semiconductors, metrology, and emerging technologies, Jan continues to drive innovation and strategic growth in the semiconductor industry.
Patrick Sullivan, Founder + Chief Technology Officer
Mr. Sullivan holds a Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering from The University of Wisconsin – Madison. He has designed analog chips for A.T.E applications for almost 30 years while working at Brooktree, Edge Semiconductor, Semtech, Planet ATE and Intersil. Mr. Sullivan was a cofounder of Edge Semiconductor and Planet ATE. Mr. Sullivan currently sits on the board of directors of IQ Analog.
Patrick Sullivan, Founder + Chief Technology Officer
Mr. Sullivan holds a Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering from The University of Wisconsin – Madison. He has designed analog chips for A.T.E applications for almost 30 years while working at Brooktree, Edge Semiconductor, Semtech, Planet ATE and Intersil. Mr. Sullivan was a cofounder of Edge Semiconductor and Planet ATE. Mr. Sullivan currently sits on the board of directors of IQ Analog.
Jesse Elder, Vice President of Finance
Jesse Elder was appointed Elevate’s Vice President of Finance in February 2025 and oversees Elevate’s Finance, Accounting, Tax and Treasury functions. Jesse brings broad expertise in financial planning, accounting and operations with over 20 years focused in the semiconductor industry. Prior to joining Elevate, Jesse served in a variety of senior financial and accounting leadership roles at Qualcomm from 2009 to 2024 and led corporate accounting and mergers and acquisitions at NextWave Broadband from 2006 to 2009. Jesse began his career as a CPA in public accounting at Moss Adams in 2001 and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from San Diego State University.
Tim Bakken, Vice President of Global Sales
Tim has held senior leadership and engineering positions in the semiconductor industry for over 30 years. Prior to joining ElevATE, he led sales teams for Samsung Semiconductor and applications teams for Texas Instruments. Tim began his career in engineering and held various design positions at Teradyne and IMC Semiconductor before moving into sales. He holds bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California.
Tim Bakken, Vice President of Global Sales
Tim has held senior leadership and engineering positions in the semiconductor industry for over 30 years. Prior to joining ElevATE, he led sales teams for Samsung Semiconductor and applications teams for Texas Instruments. Tim began his career in engineering and held various design positions at Teradyne and IMC Semiconductor before moving into sales. He holds bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California.
Anil Kodali, Vice President, Operations and Quality Assurance
Dr. Anil Kodali leads ElevATE’s global supply chain as the Vice President of Manufacturing and Quality Assurance. He is responsible for all aspects of business strategy and end-to-end execution of manufacturing and test. He also manages an engineering team working on problem-solving product quality and process technological issues. Prior to taking on his current role, Anil served as Senior Director of Quality with responsibilities for developing quality systems, resolving customer quality issues, and improving manufacturing yields.
Anil spent 12 years in technical and leadership roles in quality assurance and process development at companies like Intel, Maxim Integrated, Tower Semiconductor, and Visionworks before joining ElevATE. He received Bachelor of Technology degree at Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University and his Master of Science and PhD from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. During his graduate studies, he authored several research articles for leading scientific journals and was honored with the 2010 Tomas B. Hirschfeld Scholar award for spectroscopy research work. Throughout his career in the industry, he has been instrumental in developing scalable, reliable operations and in optimizing semiconductor manufacturing processes. At ElevATE, Anil brings this vigor and experience to his role in continuously driving manufacturing and test capability improvements.
john Docherty, board member
John boasts an impressive 40+ years in the semiconductor industry, including holding key Senior Executive positions at AMD Global Operations and Global Foundries. He has lived and worked in various parts of the world, including Europe, Asia, Canada, and the United States. was most recently the Chairman of a privately held Singapore automation company. He currently spends his time as a member of the Global ECP advisory group and the UK-based Techworks board.
john Docherty, board member
John boasts an impressive 40+ years in the semiconductor industry, including holding key Senior Executive positions at AMD Global Operations and Global Foundries. He has lived and worked in various parts of the world, including Europe, Asia, Canada, and the United States. was most recently the Chairman of a privately held Singapore automation company. He currently spends his time as a member of the Global ECP advisory group and the UK-based Techworks board.
Isaura Igaeta, Board Member
Isaura Gaeta brings over 40 years of global technology experience, encompassing general management, manufacturing, product scaling, and risk management in the semiconductor sector. She recently retired from Intel Corporation, where she drove multi-billion-dollar R&D product investments and served as Head of Operations for the 25,000-member Platform Engineering Group. Isaura has received the prestigious Intel Achievement Award five times. Isaura serves on the board of Stearns Bank, N.A., and chairs the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley. She holds BS and MS degrees in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University.
Heather Kirkby, board member
Heather Kirkby brings over 25 years of global leadership experience across technology and life sciences. She has held significant roles at Intuit and Siebel (acquired by Oracle), with strong roots as a Product Leader and most recently as Chief People Officer for Recursion Pharmaceuticals, a $2 billion-dollar public startup leading the tech-enabled drug discovery industry. Heather’s achievements have been recognized with numerous accolades, including Intuit’s prestigious CEO Leadership Award in 2017, Women Tech Council Leadership Finalist in 2020, and an MBA from Harvard University.
Heather Kirkby, board member
Heather Kirkby brings over 25 years of global leadership experience across technology and life sciences. She has held significant roles at Intuit and Siebel (acquired by Oracle), with strong roots as a Product Leader and most recently as Chief People Officer for Recursion Pharmaceuticals, a $2 billion-dollar public startup leading the tech-enabled drug discovery industry. Heather’s achievements have been recognized with numerous accolades, including Intuit’s prestigious CEO Leadership Award in 2017, Women Tech Council Leadership Finalist in 2020, and an MBA from Harvard University.
OUR
Investment Partner
In 2018 Presidio partnered with ElevATE to accelerate business growth and expand its product offering in the ATE market.
Presidio Investors, a private equity firm based in San Francisco, CA with an office in Austin, TX, was founded in 2007 to pursue exceptional lower middle market investments. The firm’s experienced investment professionals specialize in growth-oriented buyouts in the Business Services, Consumer Services and Financial Services industries. The entire Presidio Investors team also has substantial operating experience, and works side-by-side with management teams to help achieve the best possible outcome for all stakeholders.
Presidio Investors, a private equity firm based in San Francisco, CA with an office in Austin, TX, was founded in 2007 to pursue exceptional lower middle market investments. The firm’s experienced investment professionals specialize in growth-oriented buyouts in the Business Services, Consumer Services and Financial Services industries. The entire Presidio Investors team also has substantial operating experience, and works side-by-side with management teams to help achieve the best possible outcome for all stakeholders.
OUR
Investment Partner
In 2018 Presidio partnered with ElevATE to accelerate business growth and expand its product offering in the ATE market.
Presidio Investors, a private equity firm based in San Francisco, CA with an office in Austin, TX, was founded in 2007 to pursue exceptional lower middle market investments. The firm’s experienced investment professionals specialize in growth-oriented buyouts in the Business Services, Consumer Services and Financial Services industries. The entire Presidio Investors team also has substantial operating experience, and works side-by-side with management teams to help achieve the best possible outcome for all stakeholders.
Presidio Investors, a private equity firm based in San Francisco, CA with an office in Austin, TX, was founded in 2007 to pursue exceptional lower middle market investments. The firm’s experienced investment professionals specialize in growth-oriented buyouts in the Business Services, Consumer Services and Financial Services industries. The entire Presidio Investors team also has substantial operating experience, and works side-by-side with management teams to help achieve the best possible outcome for all stakeholders.
