Mark Sagar (Co-Founder and CEO):
Double Academy Award winner Dr. Mark Sagar is the CEO and co-founder of Soul Machines and Director of the Laboratory for Animate Technologies at the Auckland Bioengineering Institute.
Mark has a Ph.D. in Engineering from the University of Auckland, and was a post-doctoral fellow at M.I.T. He has previously worked as the Special Projects Supervisor at Weta Digital and Sony Pictures Imageworks and developed technology for the digital characters in blockbusters such as Avatar, King Kong, and Spiderman 2. His pioneering work in computer-generated faces was recognised with two consecutive Scientific and Engineering Oscars in 2010 and 2011, and Mark was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2019 in recognition of his world-leading research.
Mark is responsible for driving the technology vision of Soul Machines and sits on the Board of Directors.
Greg Cross (Co-Founder and CBO):
Greg Cross is one of the original tech nomads, who has spent his career travelling to and living in every major technology market in the world. He now lives in New Zealand but creates businesses that compete on the international stage.
Prior to teaming up with Dr. Mark Sagar to create Soul Machines, Greg co-founded one of the world’s leading wireless power companies, PowerbyProxi, which was sold to Apple in 2017. Through an early career in multiple technology companies, Greg has made his mark as a business leader with a career that includes launching BellSouth NZ, one of the biggest start-up technology investments made in New Zealand, and leading Microsoft New Zealand as Managing Director. Greg was also CEO of Advantage Group before leaving for the USA to pursue various business opportunities including a role as Entrepreneur in Residence in Silicon Valley for an international VC firm.
Since his return to New Zealand Greg has taken on multiple Chair positions including the Icehouse, NZ Trade and Enterprise’s Global Beachhead programme, and SLI Systems. Greg is also the Sir John Logan Campbell Executive in Residence at the University of Auckland Business School, and was inducted into the New Zealand Hi-Tech Hall of Fame in 2019. Greg is responsible for growing and building the business and sits on the Board of Directors of Soul Machines.
