Proto has announced that Todd Bouman has taken the role of CEO. The electronics industry veteran was handpicked by Proto inventor, and founding CEO, David Nussbaum, who steps up into the new position of Chairman.
Bouman was most recently President, CEO and Chair of Sharp/NEC Display Solutions, Americas. There he crafted a transformative strategy that established the company as a dominant player in the global electronics and software display industry resulting in sizable increases in revenue and doubling of profits. Under his continued leadership, Bouman was instrumental in leading the joint-venture integration of the America’s business with Sharp Electronics.
Bouman is tasked with driving exponential growth for hologram-sector creator Proto, drawing from his vast experiences working at global tech companies in the consumer and commercial hardware and services industry to drive exponential growth for Proto.
Nussbaum will continue to be the company’s visionary, shaping strategy and driving more of the innovation that created an entire industry of hologram communications and no-headset spatial compute. He will focus on fundraising, brand development, strategic alliances, content collaborations, and elevating Proto’s presence through thought leadership and presentations at top industry events.
The change comes at an extraordinary time for Proto after a record year for revenue, the successful launch of its next generation hologram devices – the full-size Proto Luma and desk-top sized M2 – and rapidly increasing adoption of its AI tools across many industries including finance, enterprise, healthcare, education, retail, hospitality, sports and entertainment. Proto is launching its Series B fundraise in Q2 to accelerate new development initiatives and market growth.
“As the founder, Proto is like a child to me,” said David Nussbaum, Founder and Chairman of Proto Inc. “Entrusting it to someone else wasn’t a decision I took lightly. I needed absolute confidence that the new leader had the experience and proven ability to take my vision for Proto to the next level. Todd Bouman is that person. With his dynamic leadership, I’m confident he’ll help fulfill my mission of making Proto Hologram technology an essential part of daily life. Proto has already accomplished more than I could have dreamed when I was back in my living room trying to invent something people said would only happen in the future. Todd is the kind of transformational leader who can make sure that future is now.”
In addition to his successful transformation of Sharp/NEC’s display business, Bouman possesses a wealth of experience from previous roles with Samsung and HP in bringing new technologies to market, driving exponential growth and pioneering strategic shifts across global tech landscapes. At Samsung, Bouman led key product growth initiatives propelling Samsung into the consumer and commercial notebook market and accelerating brand growth in the B2B industry. At HP, Bouman was instrumental in managing and growing HP’s ultralight notebook product category into key commercial verticals. His proven track record in executive leadership, business development, and technology integration makes him an ideal fit for Proto’s ambitious goals.
“Proto is poised as an industry leader to revolutionize the way we interact with digital content,” said Todd Bouman, CEO of Proto Inc. “I am thrilled to lead this extraordinarily innovative company as it scales its transformative technology to new heights. My experience in driving growth and innovation will help us accelerate Proto’s mission – and David’s original futuristic vision – of making holographic technology accessible to everyone.”
Proto has had a steady flow of news in recent months including the beginning of the first ever actual doctor-patient hologram appointments, announced at UC Berkeley and already expanding across the network of clinics run by West Cancer Center. The deployment of the first hologram ad network at 30 premier Simon mall locations and growing to 100 by Q4 also made headlines. Proto has been singled out as one of the most important companies at CES, NRF and AWS re:Invent, where it demonstrated another first, an autonomous conversation between AI hologram agents.
In addition, Proto continues to grow its business with all the pro sports leagues; expansion into more top universities; massive media saturation including projects that reach super-influencer MrBeast’s following of nearly 500 million; and deepening partnerships with companies such as AARP, Accenture, BestBuy, CBS, Christie’s, HPE, PwC, and Verizon.
“Proto is all about bringing people together – giving them real presence when they can’t be together across space or time – remember, William Shatner called Proto a Time Machine,” said Nussbaum. “We’ve got our Series B raise approaching, exciting collaborations with some of the most well known companies on earth, and a roadmap of development that will make Proto the solution for even more needs. Whether you’re a partner, customer, investor or just someone who is excited by discovering what’s changing the world next, we’ll keep hustling to impress you.”
