Ben most recently led business development at Next Thing Co, a computer hardware startup that builds open-source hardware and software solutions that make it easier to build connected devices. He has over nine years of electronics supply chain and global business development experience across the U.S., the UK, and East Asia. In the past two years, he co-created one of the world’s most popular open-source single board computers, built supply chains from the ground up, led the development of a custom microprocessor, and negotiated a sales distribution deal with the world’s largest electronics distributor. Previously, Ben spent eight years in Shenzhen, China. He ran global business development at Allwinner Technology, a semiconductor company in China, closing deals of up to $60 million and negotiating a world-first strategic partnership with another U.S. semiconductor company. Before that, he led product development at Hatch, a supply chain management company based in Shenzhen. Ben speaks, reads, and writes fluent Mandarin Chinese.