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About: Stephen T. Zarrilli

Stephen T. Zarrilli

As Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Safeguard Scientifics, Steve leverages more than 25 years of strategic, financial and operational experience in raising capital, managing diverse organizations and developing innovative financial and corporate strategies, skill sets which greatly benefit Safeguard’s shareholders and partner companies. During the course of his career, Steve has demonstrated an ability to successfully grow and manage a number of entrepreneurial and mature enterprises. He has raised more than $200 million of growth capital through both venture sources and public offerings for a number of businesses, and launched two businesses during the last 15 years, one of which went public in 1999 and the other which currently operates to serve middle market enterprises in strategy, capital development and operational management.

At Safeguard, Steve is responsible for all corporate financial and administrative matters. He focuses on developing longer term asset management strategies for the company, directly participates in providing strategic oversight and support to Safeguard's partner companies, and participates in the development of Safeguard's long-term business strategy. In addition, Steve is responsible for analyzing and helping to identify the value-add that each partner company brings to Safeguard and its shareholders. Steve's public company experience complements Safeguard’s rich history and ensures a strong, disciplined financial infrastructure which drives excellence and accountability.

Prior to joining Safeguard, Steve held a number of financial, operating and board roles in both venture-backed and publicly traded companies. Today, in addition to his responsibilities at Safeguard, he is also the non-executive Chairman of the Penn Valley Group, a middle-market management advisory firm which launched in 2005 to assist middle market companies in capital development, financial and organizational management and corporate strategy. Prior to the creation of the Penn Valley Group, Steve served as the Chief Financial Officer of Fiberlink Communications Corp., a leading provider of remote access VPN solutions for large enterprises. Steve’s prior experiences also include serving both as the Chief Financial Officer and then Chief Executive Officer of US Interactive, Inc. where he led the company’s initial and secondary public offerings. Steve also served as Chief Executive Officer of Concellera Software, Inc., orchestrating the sale of its proprietary technology to Hewlett Packard, and spent over a decade with Deloitte & Touche, where he was responsible for developing an emerging business practice for the firm in Philadelphia.

Lessons Learned: Prudent Management of Corporate Cash
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Much has been written recently about the amount of cash companies are accumulating through their operations. In an August 2011 report, the Wall Street Journal noted that “non-financial companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index were holding...

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Keeping Up With Tech Convergence: 5 Key Themes for Business Leaders
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It’s no surprise that much has been written on the changes and challenges faced by 21st century organizations. The rapid evolution of technology and macro global economic factors only further challenge management to access and adapt to the changing...

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The New Mainstream in Business Technologies
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While developing a perspective on future trends is always a tricky business, there are few moments when the direction of things seems obvious, such as with the development of the Internet. The convergence of mobile computing, social media and cloud computing...

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Do Europe’s Problems Really Impact Us?
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We are constantly being reminded of the economic challenges impacting members of the European Union. It is no surprise that the economic upheaval in Greece and Italy, in particular, are accelerating and impacting other countries worldwide. The prospective...

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5 Ways the Investment Community Can Solve the Unemployment Crisis
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U.S. job creation may have been stagnant in August, but partner company Beyond.com reports that in spite of obvious challenges, there has been strong hiring activity in some industries. Beyond.com’s Employment Data Report analyzes those key challenges...

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3 Tips for CFOs to Weather the Storm of Today’s Economy
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The job of a CFO in a weak economy has become increasingly difficult with each passing quarter, pushing the CFO further into the line of fire.  Revenue demands, financing uncertainty and cost management limitations require the focus of an expert tactician...

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