Brian Bauer
Managing Partner
Étape Partners LLC

Brian Bauer is the founder and Managing Partner at Étape Partners LLC, and is responsible for business development and overall company strategy. As a former Chief Technology Officer for multiple Wall Street firms including Banks, Hedge Funds and Financial software firms, Brian has long been at the forefront of designing and implementing advanced systems for computational processing and communications. Brian has lived and worked in numerous countries around the world including: London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Sydney and New York.

Brian has a long history of introducing new technologies in novel ways. Brian’s theory of “contextual innovation”, or bringing mature technologies from one industry into a new industry for the first time, has allowed Étape Partners LLC to become a thought leader in technologies including immersive internet, and advanced text analytics. This commitment to cross-pollinization between industries allows Étape Partner clients to benefit from the best ideas, regardless of industry or source.

Throughout Brian’s career he has been both a buyer of technology, and a provider of technology. Whether designing and writing new computer programs, defining the requirements for business operations, or building data centers, having served as both a “buyer” and a “seller” of technology allows Brian to see technology in both technical and business terms. This hard-won circumspection provides the medium through which innovation becomes implemented reality.

Looking forward to Virtual Worlds and an Immersive Internet, Brian is keenly aware that innovation must be revolutionary, but also practical to real business customers. Adoption of new technology in the real life operations of large corporations is quite often a simple function of direct business value supplied in a quantifiable way, and the usability of the new technology. Brian is committed to designing innovative technology solutions, but is also evenly committed to seeing value delivered to the customer based on sound Return on Investment principals.