I'VE DONE THIS 20+ TIMES.
HERE'S HOW IT STARTED.
18 years of fractional executive practice across telecommunications, industrial IoT, edge computing, and autonomous systems.
In 2015, five of the world's most competitive technology companies had a shared problem — and no shared leader.
Cisco, Intel, Microsoft, Dell, and Arm all saw the same technical horizon: computing needed to move from the cloud to the network edge. But agreeing on a common standard meant sitting across the table from your competitors, aligning on intellectual property, and moving fast enough to matter before the window closed.
That's the call that came to me.
Over 18 months, I built what became the OpenFog Consortium — a working industry alliance that produced the fog computing reference architecture now standardized as IEEE 1934. Not an advisory group. Not a committee. A functioning body that shipped a standard, attracted members across three continents, and shaped the technical direction of edge computing globally.
I didn't start with a playbook. I started with a phone and a clear view of what needed to happen.
I've done that 20+ times across 18 years of fractional executive practice in telecommunications, industrial IoT, edge computing, and autonomous systems — walked into a leadership gap, assessed the situation, built the team and the structure, executed on the mission, and handed off a functioning operation.
Sometimes that meant turning around an Italian IIoT startup when most investors still thought industrial IoT was science fiction (Wi-Next, 2014–2017). Sometimes it meant leading the Autonomous Vehicle Computing Consortium for eight years, coordinating GM, Toyota, DENSO, Bosch, and Continental toward a common technical future (AVCC, 2017–2025). Sometimes it meant navigating carrier qualification at NTT Laboratories in Japan for a broadband semiconductor company, or leading a telecom GTM spin-out from Infineon in Germany. Sometimes it meant helping a founding team raise their first $10M, or their last $100M.
MOST PROBLEMS ARE
EXECUTION PROBLEMS
Most leadership problems in deep-tech companies are not strategy problems. They are execution problems, operating system problems, and "who owns this" problems. This is true in every one of the four verticals I work in: whether you are navigating carrier qualification in telecommunications, scaling an IIoT platform through OT/IT convergence, deploying edge computing infrastructure against IEEE 1934, or positioning an autonomous systems product for OEM production.
I build the operating system. I create the "who owns this" clarity. I establish the reporting rhythm that lets a board trust the company it is funding. And when the company is ready for a full-time leader in that role, I run the search for my own replacement.
That is fractional leadership. That is PVentures.
30+ YEARS OF HIGH-TECH
LEADERSHIP
From design engineer at National Semiconductor to C-suite roles across multiple companies and four continents.
Designed the first EPON OLT/ONU and GPON OLT/ONU systems. Led broadband access GTM at Marvell, Ikanos, and Lantiq. Achieved NTT Laboratories approval in Japan. Led Lantiq product GTM following Infineon spin-out in Germany. TIA Board member; EIA Board member.
Founded OpenFog Consortium with Cisco, Intel, Microsoft, Dell, Arm, and Princeton University. OpenFog Reference Architecture became IEEE Standard 1934 — the global edge/fog computing standard.
CEO of Wi-Next (Italian industrial IoT startup) 2014–2017. Led the company through the early IIoT market, building commercial operations when most investors were still skeptical.
President of the AVCC (2017–2025). Direct relationships at GM, Toyota, DENSO, Bosch, Continental, ARM, NVIDIA, NXP. Brokered the SEMI–AVCC alliance.
$100M+ raised across Seed to Series C. Scaled startups to 100+ team members within one year.
NTT Laboratories approval (Japan); Lantiq/Infineon GTM (Germany); Wi-Next CEO (Italy); engagements across Brazil, Israel, China, India, and the UK.
MBA, Santa Clara University; MSEE and BSEE in Electronics and Computer Engineering; Senior Member IEEE.
WHY FRACTIONAL —
MY OPERATING PHILOSOPHY
I started my fractional practice in 2008, before the term was common. The model was not a compromise — it was a deliberate choice about how to create the most impact.
A full-time executive optimizes for one company. A fractional executive, done correctly, brings the accumulated pattern recognition of multiple engagements to each new situation. I know what a functioning consortium governance structure looks like because I've built two — one in edge computing, one in autonomous systems. I know what carrier qualification feels like from the inside because I've navigated it in Japan and Germany. I know what the first 90 days of an executive transition looks like because I've executed many.
The companies I work with do not get a generalist. They get someone who has been in their specific vertical — telecommunications, industrial IoT, edge computing, or autonomous systems — and who has a proven model for resolving the problems those verticals actually produce.
THE ALIGN™ FRAMEWORK
Every engagement follows the same five-phase model, adapted to the specific vertical and mandate.
ASSESS
Leadership Gap Report delivered in the first two weeks. Written, specific, actionable.
LEAD
Embedded in the C-suite from Day 1. Real authority. Real accountability.
INTEGRATE
Build the operating system, the KPIs, the ecosystem relationships.
GROW
Execute. Pipeline, alliances, capital milestones.
NAVIGATE THE TRANSITION
Run the search for my own full-time replacement. Hand off a functioning operation.
HOW I OPERATE
Embed, don't advise.
I join your team and represent your company. I fill an immediate leadership role and run an operational area — in telecommunications, IIoT, edge computing, or autonomous systems — without the burden of onboarding a very expensive full-time executive.
Own the outcome, not the tenure.
My goal in every engagement is to build something that runs without me — and then hire my own replacement. Permanent dependency is a failure mode, not a success metric.
Domain credibility is non-negotiable.
I work only in the four verticals where I have operational experience: telecommunications, industrial IoT, edge computing, and autonomous systems. I will tell you if I am not the right fit.
Confidentiality as a baseline.
Every engagement operates under an NDA. Information shared in the strategy session and throughout the engagement is treated with the same protocols that apply to a full-time executive.
Transparency about fit.
If PVentures is not the right solution for your company's situation, I will say so in the first conversation — and try to point you toward what is.
ABOUT PVENTURES — FAQs
PVentures is Armando Pereira. I am a solo practitioner. When you engage PVentures, you engage me — not a team of associates. For situations that benefit from additional specialist resources, I can coordinate and manage external experts, but the executive accountability and strategic ownership remain mine.
I typically manage 2–3 active engagements simultaneously, with scope and time commitment balanced to ensure each client receives meaningful executive bandwidth. Potential conflicts are disclosed upfront and managed through engagement agreements.
I am based in Alamo, California (San Francisco Bay Area). I work with clients remotely and on-site, including in Japan, Germany, Italy, and the UK by arrangement.
English and Portuguese. Elementary French and Spanish. Client engagements are conducted primarily in English, with Portuguese-language work available for Brazilian and Portuguese clients.
LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR SITUATION.
30 minutes. No obligation. Clarity on your next steps.