Josh Williams and Mark Frohnmayer of GarageGames will both present, and later in the day will demo GarageGames’ new 3D gaming platform, InstantAction.
GarageGames began shaking up the multi-billion dollar games industry when it was founded in 1999. They offer the professional-quality Torque Game Engine development suite to developers and educational institutions at hundreds of dollars per license when comparable technology suites cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. They are a game developer and publisher focused on creating fun, innovative titles and offering developer-friendly terms in an industry whose typical publishers are considered as notoriously draconian as the music industry’s labels.
GarageGames launched InstantAction in early 2008. InstantAction is a web-based games platform that enables 3D graphics and action-oriented multiplayer games to run in popular web browsers. InstantAction games combine the rich artistry and viscerally engaging interactive experience of high-end games with the web’s ease of access and social connectivity.
Josh Williams is the CEO and CTO of GarageGames. He started with GarageGames as an intern in 2004, working for free, and quickly moved on to managing technology development and then business development and operations, becoming CEO of the rapidly growing company at the age of 25. He is an avid gamer, and is passionately devoted to fostering innovation and change that benefit developers in the games industry and gamers around the world.
Mark Frohnmayer’s passion for game software development began at the age of 7 when his parents bought the family an Apple II computer. After graduating from Berkeley with a degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, he began a career in games, eventually co-founding Garage Games in 1999. He is currently incubating several startups that range in purpose from electric vehicle design, game production, next generation communication software and indoor plants. Mark is also involved with progressive Oregon politics as a volunteer and Lane steering board member of the Oregon Bus Project.
Greg Rau is the Co-Founder & Principal of the StepChange Group, an online product design and development firm based in downtown Portland. StepChange brings together expertise in product development with market engagement. Prior to starting StepChange, Greg spent 6 years as Vice President of Sales & Consulting for Unicru, a human resource software company, which was acquired by Kronos in 2006. Greg is a Portland refugee from the great San Francisco “crash” of 2000, following 5 years in the Web 1.0 startup world including stints at BigWords & Computec Media. 
Hideshi Hamaguchi, COO of LUNARR, has been known on both sides of the Pacific as one of the leading minds in creative concept/strategy building and decision management. Before starting LUNARR, Hideshi was Director of New Business Planning Group, Matsushita Electric Works (known for their Panasonic and National brands) in Japan, and Executive Vice President of Panasonic Electric Works Laboratory of America, Inc (R&D company in US). Also, From 1998 to 2000, he served as a strategist at Ziba Design in Portland.
