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Velodyne to Sponsor After Party Featuring Grammy Nominee Ashanti Floyd at CoachArt Children’s Benefit, Set for Earth Day

MORGAN HILL, Calif. (April 16, 2015) – With the accent on violin virtuosity for a very good cause, audio technology innovator Velodyne Acoustics, Inc. today announced that the company will sponsor  the After Party at the CoachArt Children’s Benefit set for April 23, Earth Day, at Terra Gallery in San Francisco.  Headlining the event: five-time Grammy-nominee (and Velodyne Brand Ambassador) Ashanti Floyd, known as “The Mad Violinist” (https://youtu.be/Azg7stPf5nE).

Honorees include celebrated Oakland Raider (and Velodyne Brand Ambassador) Rod Streater (https://youtu.be/9t5o5NQpBn4) and Selina Tobaccowala, President and CTO of SurveyMonkey.  Proceeds from the event will benefit CoachArt’s programs for chronically ill children.  Terra Gallery is located in SOMA, at 511 Harrison Street.

The event will kick off at 6 p.m. with a cocktail reception and interactive student performances, followed by a gala dinner at 7:30, which will include presentation of awards to CoachArt Champions Streater and Tobaccowala, along with the Volunteer of the Year Award.  Special musical performances and tribute videos will feature CoachArt youth. The After Party gets under way at 9 p.m., complete with a sponsored bar, live music, desserts and coffee.  Fans of the Mad Violinist can catch him in a rare intimate performance, and attendance at the benefit is not required for admission to the After Party.  Tickets are $25.

CoachArt (www.coachart.org) is a non-profit organization serving chronically ill children and their families across California.  Children suffering from chronic illness such as cancer, asthma, diabetes, sickle cell anemia and more are eligible to participate in the program. Recognizing that illness affects the entire family, CoachArt extends its services to siblings.  According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 15 percent of U.S. families have a child with a chronic illness.

“This promises to be an amazing, inspirational evening,” said Marta Hall, Velodyne president.  “We’re delighted to be able to participate, and to join in honoring individuals in the community who are leaders in their professional lives and who are committed to improving the lives of those afflicted with chronic childhood illness.  I’m especially looking forward to witnessing Ashanti’s artistry – he’s a remarkable talent, and we’re so excited that both he and Rod are Velodyne Brand Ambassadors.”

Ashanti Floyd ranks as one of the nation’s top violinists and string arrangers, an acknowledged master of genres that range from pop and hip hop to R&B, jazz and alternative music.  A multi-instrumentalist and producer with more than 30 albums to his credit, he picked up his first violin at the age of three with strong inspiration from his mother.  He has contributed to such platinum hits as “The Show Goes On” by Lupe Fiasco, Nicki Minaj’s “I’m the Best,” Lil Wayne featuring Drake “Right Above It.”  More recently, he appears with Will.I.Am on Nicki Minaj’s album, “The Pink Print.”

Floyd has performed live with B.B. King and currently tours with Lupe Fiasco.  He has appeared at the BET Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, on Ellen Degeneres, and on BET’s 106 and Park.  Originally from Tallahassee, Floyd has taught at the Summer Stars Foundation, and, at 19, served as Musical Director/ Instructor of the Britney Spears Camp. From there, he became a teacher and mentor at The American Idol Kids Camp, Fifty Cent’s G-Unity Foundation, and The Jonas Brothers Foundation.

Third-year pro Rod Streater, who joined the Raiders as an undrafted rookie free agent wide receiver out of Temple University, started playing football when he was nine years old.  It wasn’t that much later that he decided he wanted to play football forever.  He took his talents to Temple University in Philadelphia, a short distance from his hometown of Bremerton, N.J., after transferring from Alfred State.  Despite being overlooked, the Raiders liked what they saw and, as a rookie, Streater was running plays with the first team.

“I’m a quiet person,” Streater says. “I like to just leave it all on the field.  My game speaks for me.  I play hard every play. I’m a pretty explosive receiver.”  He describes his parents as his biggest influence. “They’ve been there, pushing me, since I began.  They told me everything was possible and just to follow my dreams.  Whatever gets in my way, just conquer it and never let anybody stop me from achieving my goals.”  In his first three seasons, Streater’s stats include 108 receptions for 1,556 yards.  He re-signed with the Raiders earlier this month.

Selina Tobaccowala, President and CTO, joined SurveyMonkey, the popular market research platform, in October 2009.  Previously, she was Senior Vice President of Product and Technology at Ticketmaster’s Europe division, where she managed the 200-person Product, Technology and Operations team. Prior to that, Tobaccowala was Vice President of Online Product and Technology at Entertainment Publications, where she led the company’s online sales and technology initiatives.  In 1997, she founded Evite.com, an online invitation service that lets users organize an offline event online, and which currently sends over three million invitations per month.  Tobaccowala holds a B.S. degree in Computer Science from Stanford University.

Three Decades of Innovation
Velodyne’s award-winning on-ear headphones offer the perfect canvas for the company’s 35 flexible, artist-designed silicon-based skins, enabling music lovers to match the style of the headphones they wear to the fashions and sounds they prefer.  Widely recognized as the leading manufacturer of high-performance, low distortion powered subwoofers prized primarily by men, Velodyne was the first company to envision a set of headphones as an artistic canvas and to offer custom-designed skins as accessories with headphones that appeal to both men and women.

For more than 30 years, Velodyne has been recognized as the leading manufacturer of high-performance, low distortion powered subwoofers that fit any budget – from the Velodyne Impact-Mini 6.5-Inch Subwoofer ($459) to the powerful Velodyne Digital Drive PLUS 18-Inch Subwoofer ($5,799) and plenty of options in between – and all will be on view at PrimeTime.  Newest on the shelf are the Velodyne Wi-Q® Wireless 10-inch and Wi-Q® Wireless 12-inch subwoofers, which are the culmination of three decades of leadership in subwoofer technology.  With no clumsy wires, it can be quickly integrated into any entertainment system – in any location within 50 feet (15 m) – or concealed in custom cabinetry. 

About Velodyne Acoustics
Founded in 1983 and based in California’s Silicon Valley, Velodyne Acoustics is a diversified technology company known worldwide for its high-performance audio equipment and real-time LiDAR sensors.  The company is widely recognized as the leading manufacturer of high-performance, low-distortion, powered subwoofers and an expanding line of technically innovative in-ear and over-ear audio products, which include interchangeable, custom-designed skins that enable audiophiles to personalize the look of their headphones. Velodyne products are available online at www.velodyne.com and from a select group of authorized dealers, custom installers and distributors worldwide.  Since 2007, Velodyne’s LiDAR division has emerged as a leading developer, manufacturer and supplier of real-time LiDAR sensor technology used in a variety of commercial applications including autonomous vehicles, vehicle safety systems, 3D mobile mapping, 3D aerial mapping and security.  For more information, visit www.velodynelidar.com.   For the latest information on new products and to receive Velodyne’s newsletter, register here.

Media Contact
Ken Greenberg
Edge Communications, Inc.
(323) 469-3397
[email protected]

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