Our Team
Cofounder, Chief Executive Officer
Shondip is co-inventor of Banyan’s optics technology, and leads strategy and operations for the company. Prior to Banyan, Shondip was a management consultant with Monitor Group working with global technology companies to build high growth businesses. Shondip has a BA in Physics from Harvard University and an MBA from UC Berkeley.
Cofounder, Chief Technology Officer
David is co-inventor of Banyan’s optics technology, and leads technical efforts for the company. Prior to Banyan, he was a design engineer in the aerospace and defense industries. David has a BS in Materials Science and Mechanical Engineering from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from UC Berkeley.
Vice President of Operations and Manufacturing
David has 25 years of manufacturing and operations experience. His career spans many industries ranging from semiconductors to wireless products. David has a MBA from Washington State University and a MA and BA in Economics from Madurai University.
Director of Engineering
Chris has extensive experience in materials sciences and electro-mechanical systems engineering. As a post-doctoral researcher at the Berkeley Composites Laboratory, he investigated the fatigue behavior of multi-scale reinforced composites with an emphasis on modeling and lifetime prediction. Chris has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan and an MS and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from UC Berkeley.
Research & Development Engineer
Hunter leads scientific efforts to troubleshoot process and materials challenges. As a postdoctoral researcher in the Combustion Analysis Laboratory at UC Berkeley, he investigated the effect of next-generation fuels in high efficiency engines. Hunter has a BA in Physics from Hendrix College, a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis, and an MS and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from UC Berkeley.
Engineer
Ken has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from UC Berkeley. His areas of focus include energy conversions, dynamic systems and feedback, and mechanical vibrations. Ken has been a part of research and development on solar powered ventilation systems, high pressure membrane materials, and PV and solar thermal system simulations.
Rusty Schmit
Vice President of Business Development
Rusty leads customer development and relationship management for the company. He is a 30-year veteran of the solar industry and a globally recognized leader in the field, with substantial earlier experience in solar technology development at Motorola and Texas Instruments. Prior to Banyan, he was the President and CEO of CleanSwitch, a leading solar engineering and installation company based in Albuquerque.
Jed Hsu
Test and Reliability Engineer
Jed leads the company’s reliability program. He performs module performance studies and is responsible for testing our modules beyond the rigor of IEC specifications. Prior to Banyan, he worked as a reliability engineer in the solar industry. Jed has a BS in Chemical Engineering from UC Berkeley.
Anthony Petti
Office Manager
Anthony administers general operations for the company including accounting, module build inventory, and facilities management. He has a BA in Environmental Economics and Policy from UC Berkeley.