Management Team

Jack Martin is Vydrogen's Executive Officer and Founder. Jack guides the firm’s strategic operations and leads efforts to foster ideas and innovation. Driven by challenge, he enjoys partnering with entrepreneurs and inventors, working as their trusted advisor, sharing his expertise, and helping them build businesses by creating explicit value and long-term benefits.

A lifelong entrepreneur, Jack has gained a great deal of real-world business experience over his 28-year career, building seven profitable startup companies. He works with business ventures from idea concepting through mature business operations, and he’s an expert in strategic planning, business management, process improvement, and startup and expansion funding. He knows how to help people address new and untapped market needs, capitalize on innovations, and build successful businesses.

Jack began his career working in the family business building custom homes on the east coast. When he relocated to Denver, he founded Jack Martin Construction, and in 1996 he founded COCAT, a Denver-based disaster restoration and construction company. Under his leadership, COCAT grew from a one-man operation into one of the largest and most respected reconstruction companies in the country. In 2006, he sold a majority interest in COCAT to a private equity group. He remains an active shareholder.

Jack is passionate about evaluating promising startups and about partnering with talented people to bring smart ideas to life. His sweet spot is helping new businesses dominate existing and new markets and verticals. In working with hundreds of companies and thousands of customers, he has learned that it’s not just about finding the next big idea, it’s about driving people’s focus to produce enterprise value and stimulate business growth. For Jack, it’s about seeing the future—for Vydrogen and for his valued clients—through the lens of possibility.

When Jack isn’t working, he enjoys spending time with his son, traveling, sailing, and playing golf and racquetball. He’s also an avid fan of the arts.

Startup and emerging businesses are Gregory Tanner's passion. His expertise spans startups and business expansions, organizational development, mergers and acquisitions, financial planning, and alignment of technology and business strategies. He has entrepreneurial vision and drive, and he thrives on developing marketing and sales strategies in intensely competitive environments. More importantly, he's dedicated to collaborating closely with entrepreneurs to give life to startup ventures and build successful world-class companies.

Over the past 17 years, Gregory has started 13 successful businesses. He is Founder and CEO of Core Network Security, Founder and Director of the Triathlon Experience, Founder of FitBeats.com, Founder of TannerGonzalez - The World's First Hispanic Luxury Brand, and Managing Partner of Thunderbolt Venture Company, an incubator for minority and women-owned businesses. Further, he is the author of Top Techie, a strategic guide to rising to the top of technical organizations.

Gregory was also Founder and CEO of Jupiternetwork, which was named 2007 Minority Business of the Year by the Rocky Mountain Small and Disadvantaged Business Opportunity Council, as well as Cherry Creek Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year. The company was recently sold to leading business and IT firm 3t Systems.

Gregory studied Nuclear Engineering at the University of New Mexico and has an Executive Certificate in Management and Leadership from MIT's Sloan School of Management. He's a graduate of the Hoya Program, a business mentoring program sponsored by the State of Colorado. He's also a Six Sigma Green Belt.

When Gregory isn't working, he enjoys swimming, cycling, and running. He is passionate about triathlons and rugby.

Ted Menadier's focus is on driving innovation and entrepreneurship through creativity, and passion. Ted uses his experience and education in marketing and business management to reveal strategies for business success. He is constantly looking for innovative ideas and practical solutions to existing and future challenges.

Ted has a diverse background with experience in management, leadership, marketing, and entrepreneurship. He co-founded Friction an art, clothing, and furniture gallery in Baltimore Maryland, and has worked with startups in industries that include the bicycle, natural food, entertainment, and hospitality industries. With an extensive background at the highest level of hospitality management that encompasses food, wine, and event management and planning, Ted understands and can use his insight into customer wants and needs to enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty in virtually any industry. He also incorporates systems thinking and problem recognition to find and target problems that inhibit business success.

Ted holds an MBA and a BS in Marketing from Daniels College of business. He leverages his academic background to create business solutions rooted in proven strategies and analytical problem solving. A primary focus Ted's graduate business education was on sustainability, business ethics, and social responsibility.

When Ted isn't working or spending time with family and friends he is pursuing his wide-ranging interests that include outdoor adventure and fitness. While he enjoys being active, he is also an epicurean and an oenophile with a passion for cooking and experiencing the artistry of talented chefs and winemakers.

Catherine d'Aragon brings a decade of public relations experience to Vydrogen, where she develops publicity strategy, visibility programs, and drives Vydrogen's new partnership announcement process. Catherine began her career in health and wellness marketing and public relations with companies such as The Wild Oats Wellness Center and Quest Diagnostics. Developing physician credibility programs and executing "push" marketing campaigns became her specialty years ago. Her public relations campaigns have been featured on 9News, in specialty publications and have been the topics of various webinar series for health care administrators. Catherine's most notable health care work was in streamlining U.S.-based telemedicine and early detection cardiac diagnostics. She has director-level experience with both large and small-scale budget campaigns, building successful advertising and sales campaigns for new market entries focused on dual B2B and B2C business platforms.

Catherine's diverse interests in business have made for an easy transition from the health care sector into venture capital. Catherine thinks the best public relations and marketing campaigns are specific, integrated and progressive. After investing eight years in academia at Regis University and University of Colorado at Denver studying economics, communications and art history, she now spends her free time with family, spinning at the gym and working on her own business ideas.