Alex Fielding

Alex Fielding started his career as an engineer at Cisco Systems and Apple Computer.

Shortly after departing Apple, he worked at Exodus Communications for Ellen Hancock. Exodus' CEO who was Apple's former CTO.

He co-founded Wheels of Zeus with Apple's co-founder Steve Wozniak in 2001. It was sold to Zontrak in 2006.{{Cite news |title= Wozniak shuts down Wheels of Zeus: Not everything turns out to be Apple |author= Michael Kanellos |date= March 16, 2006 |work= CNet News |url= http://news.cnet.com/Wozniak-shuts-down-Wheels-of-Zeus/2100-1047_3-6050677.html |accessdate= October 25, 2013 }}

Fielding became CEO of encryption products company Ripcord Networks in 2004 with former Apple CEO Gil Amelio, CTO, Hancock, and Wozniak on its board.{{Cite web |title= Ripcord's Board |date= August 4, 2004 |work= Cult of Mac blog |author= Leander Kahney |url= http://wiredblogs.tripod.com/cultofmac/index.blog?entry_id=395766 |url-status=dead |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20040828202030/http://wiredblogs.tripod.com/cultofmac/index.blog?entry_id=395766 |archivedate= August 28, 2004 |accessdate= October 25, 2013 }}

The company existed through about 2009 when its assets were purchased in an undisclosed transaction.{{Cite web|title=Ripcord: Company Management |work=Old company web site |url=http://www.ripcord.com/management.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080917080531/http://www.ripcord.com/management.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 17, 2008 |accessdate=October 25, 2013 }}

He was then chief technology officer at Power Assure from 2009 to 2013, and then vice president at Vigilent until 2014.{{Cite web | title= Alex Fielding Vice President of Operations, Power Assure Inc. |url=https://www.futureinreview.com/leaders/alex-fielding/ |accessdate=October 18, 2021}}

Started working with NASA in 2010 with CTO Chris C. Kemp and started what might be another company of the same name, Ripcord, Inc while in a partnership at the agency in 2014.

Fielding later was named an advisor to space startup Astra where Kemp is CEO.{{citation needed|date=September 2021}}

Ripcord announced $180 million in funding in March 2017 from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Lux Capital, Legend Star (part of China-based Legend Holdings{{Cite web |url= http://www.legendholdings.com.cn/en/Biz/IncubatorInvest.aspx |url-status= dead |archive-date= March 26, 2017 |title= Legend Star: Incubator of great technology |work= Legend Holdings web site |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170326051424/http://www.legendholdings.com.cn/en/Biz/IncubatorInvest.aspx |access-date= September 22, 2021 }}), and Steve Wozniak.{{Cite web|url=https://venturebeat.com/2017/03/23/apple-cofounder-steve-wozniak-joins-9-5-million-investment-into-robotic-digitization-startup-ripcord/|title=Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak joins $9.5 million investment into 'robotic digitization' startup Ripcord|date=2017-03-23|website=VentureBeat|access-date=2017-03-25}}{{Cite web |url= https://techcrunch.com/2017/03/23/ripcord-digitization-services/ |title= Ripcord gets $9.5 million Series A for its corporate file digitization service |date= March 23, 2017 |last= Heater |first=Brian |website= TechCrunch |access-date= September 22, 2021 }}{{Cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-23/ripcord-removes-the-pain-of-paper-cuts-with-robot-digital-filers|title=Ripcord Removes the Pain of Paper Cuts With Robot Digital Filers |date= March 23, 2017 |work=Bloomberg.com|access-date=2017-03-25}}

Ripcord is utilizing vision guided robotics, industrial automation, and advanced sensors to digitize paper records. Once digitized, Ripcord provides a software as a service records service called Ripcord Canopy.

Further funding was announced later in 2017 and in 2020, including investor CDK Global.{{Cite web |title= Ripcord lands $145M for dealership digitization |publisher= Pitchbook |date= February 26, 2020 |url= https://pitchbook.com/newsletter/ripcord-lands-45m-for-dealership-digitization |access-date= September 22, 2021 }}

In September, 2020, Ripcord announced a joint venture with Fuji Xerox.{{Cite news |publisher= IDC |date= September 8, 2020 |title= Ripcord and Fuji Xerox Joint Venture Positioned to Support a Hybrid Workforce and the "Next Normal" |author= Holly Muscolino and Allison Fantony |url= https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=lcUS46836820 |access-date= September 22, 2021 }}

In August 2021, he was replaced at Ripcord by William Kurtz, former chief financial officer while the company prepared for a public offering.{{Cite web |title= Bill Kurtz: Interim Chief Executive Officer |work= Ripcord web site |url= https://www.ripcord.com/team/bill-kurtz/ |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210129190835/https://www.ripcord.com/team/bill-kurtz/ |archive-date= January 29, 2021 |access-date= September 22, 2021 }}

Fielding joined the board of directors of the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education in 2017.{{Cite news |title= Two Leading High-Tech Entrepreneurs and Champions of Open Educational Resources to Join ISKME's Board |url= http://www.iskme.org/media/press-releases/leading-high-tech-entrepreneurs-join-iskme-board |work= Press release |publisher= Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education |date= January 13, 2017 |access-date= September 22, 2021 }}

He was on the boards of the CodeWarrior Foundation, and California Women Empowering Women, a 501c3 non-profit. He is an advisor to TEDMED and TED WED. He is a donor to UNICEF. Fielding is a former member of Mensa International and Silicon Valley Association of Startup Entrepreneurs. He is a contributing member of two NIST working groups on the Security Content Automation Protocol (SCAP).

Fielding is listed as an inventor on the following robotics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence patents:

• US Patent No. 11,048,732: "Systems and methods for tagging based on a specific area or region".[http://ip.com/pat/US11048732 US Patent No. 11,048,732], US Patent & Trademark Office, Patent Full Text and Image Database.
• US Patent No. 11,030,199: "Systems and Methods for contextual retrieval and display of search results"[http://ip.com/patent/US11030199 Systems and Methods for contextual retrieval and display of search results] US Patent 11030199, US Patent & Trademark Office, Patent Full Text and Image Database.
• US Patent No. 10,778,858: "Systems and methods relating to document and fastener identification"[http://ip.com/patent/US10778858 Systems and methods relating to document and fastener identification] US Patent 10778858, US Patent & Trademark Office, Patent Full Text and Image Database.
• US Patent No. 10,142,167: "Computer Vision based document and fastener identification"[http://ip.com/patent/US10142167 Computer Vision based document and fastener identification] US Patent 10142167, US Patent & Trademark Office, Patent Full Text and Image Database.
• US Patent No. 10,387,456: "Region based machine learning for records tagging"[http://ip.com/patent/US10387456 Region based machine learning for records tagging] US Patent 10387456, US Patent & Trademark Office, Patent Full Text and Image Database.
• US Patent No. 10,198,479: "Utilizing machine learning and NLP for contextual retrieval and display"[http://ip.com/patent/US10198479 Utilizing machine learning and NLP for contextual retrieval and display] US Patent 10198479, US Patent & Trademark Office, Patent Full Text and Image Database.

{{Reflist}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20120309070437/http://mitworld.mit.edu/video/400 iWoz: From Computer Geek to Culture Icon: How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-Founded Apple, and Had Fun Doing It - Listed In Thank Yous]
• Mitnick, Kevin; Simon, William L. (October 2003). The Art of Deception: Controlling the Human Element of Security. Wiley Books. {{ISBN|978-0-7645-4280-0}}. Listed In Thank Yous
• Mitnick, Kevin; Simon, William L. (December 27, 2005). The Art of Intrusion: The Real Stories Behind the Exploits of Hackers, Intruders & Deceivers. Wiley Books. {{ISBN|978-0-7645-6959-3}}. Listed in Thank Yous.
• Simon, William L. (April 14, 2006). iCon Steve Jobs: The Greatest Second Act in the History of Business. Wiley Books. {{ISBN|0471787841}} - Quoted in emails from Steve Jobs.
• Lopez, Thomas Michael (May 28, 2018). "If I Were Rich, I Would Travel Everywhere With A Mariachi Band": A Savage Voyage Through Silicon Valley And The Information Age -The Anonymityville Horror-. LockKnox Publications / Amazon Books {{ISBN|978-1718067271}}. Supporting Character, known as Field of Dreams.
• [https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/290465 His Parents' Good Deed Shaped How One Founder Runs His Company - Diversity and Inclusion]

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Category:Living people

Category:21st-century American inventors

Category:Apple Inc. employees

Category:Mensans

Category:American technology chief executives

Category:American chief technology officers

Category:1978 births