About Us

President

For more than 15yrs I have worked in a variety of environments that have provided invaluable management experience in enterprise software development, architecture, and testing.

At Sparksoft, I am devoted to supporting our vision of an innovative Health IT service provider. I work to position us for growth, securing and fortifying strategic client relationships, and working with our leadership team to manage resources.

Through my career I have moved through programming, development, and managing positions, giving me hands-on insight into processes and program needs on the ground. Integrating my practical experience into Sparksoft business process has contributed to our largest periods of growth, and acquiring our largest contracts. My understanding of program, client, and technical team needs provides me with a unique perspective that I use to drive Sparksoft’s innovative approach to Health IT.

Chief Operating Officer

Venky Iyer is the Chief Operation Officer (COO) at Sparksoft Corporation. He has been providing technical and managerial expertise in the Information Technology Industry for more than 20 years. At Sparksoft, Venky is a driving member of the Executive Team, and is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations at Sparksoft. Under his leadership, his team ensures that delivery on existing prime contracts, subcontracts, and GWACS/IDIQs is up to the company’s high standards. In parallel, he and the members of his team are continuously pursuing new technologies in areas where Sparksoft believes they can contribute to the mission success of it’s customers. Venky defines delivery strategies, business and technical plans, and leads development and implementation of end-to-end solutions. Venky is a critical member of the Sparksoft family and is responsible for the financial health of each prime and subcontract. His critical decision making has led to Sparksoft’s impressive organic growth across all programs.

Throughout Venky’s IT career, he has spearheaded multiple initiatives that are still in practice at CMS today, specifically in the Healthcare Insurance Marketplace domain. These initiatives include the fundamental practices and key infrastructure designs on programs such as Marketplace Advisor Systems Integrator (MASI), Data Services Hub (DSH), Federally Facilitated Marketplace (FFM) Testing, and other CMS Healthcare.gov contracts. Venky takes great pride in developing innovated solutions and building high performing cross-functional teams as he did on the implementation of the Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug (MAPD) program, where he managed over 500 resources in support of the complex rollout of the system. As a result of Venky’s commitment of leading large government programs and improving healthcare, he has had the honor of receiving multiple government and industry awards.

While Venky isn’t driving key decisions that impact the growth at Sparksoft, he is camping and hiking with his wife and two daughters, fine tuning his Cricket skills, and dominating on the Sparksoft ping pong table. It is because of leaders like Venky that Sparksoft is an environment that employees enjoy working in.

Chief Executive Officer

Mike Finkel is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Sparksoft Corporation. He has spent over 25 years in the IT industry and more than 20 years managing the delivery of large complex IT programs such as HealthCare.gov. As the CEO, Mike is responsible for establishing the vision and long-term strategy for the company. Mike is also accountable for building on the strong cultural foundation and effectively managing the cultural health and development needed for the future success of Sparksoft. Through Mike’s leadership and drive, Sparksoft has been the recipient of numerous Federal contracts and honors. His relentless pursuit to provide Federal and Commercial Customers with industry leading IT Solutions has catapulted Sparksoft to be a premier IT Enterprise. Mike’s commitment to the growth of the United States Healthcare system in partnership with the Federal Government is evident in his reputation amongst Federal Healthcare Stakeholders and fellow IT Integrators. This reputation has also earned Mike multiple Government and Industry related awards such as United States Congress Excellence Honors and CMS Industry Achievement Award.

Besides growing businesses, Mike takes pride in all the charities he supports through Sparksoft and his personal time. He is the chair of the Maryland walk for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation. In this role Mike has helped raise awareness of the diseases related to IBD and has raised tens of thousands of dollars for the foundation. Because of the support shown from Mike and Sparksoft, the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation presented Sparksoft and Mike with the 2021 Corporate Impact Award. Additionally, on an annual basis, Mike supports several other worthy causes such as St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, The Ulman Foundation, The Head Strong Organization and other local charities. Mike has also been a member of the Howard County Chamber of Commerce for the past 6 years driving their GovCon committee to help establish the presence of government contracting companies in the county. He similarly led the Cyber Committee for the last 4 years for the Chamber. In this position Mike led the organization and growth of the Howard County Cyber Conference which brought nationwide cyber experts together to discuss the leading-edge solutions to combat cyber threats in both the Government and Private sectors. Due to his commitment to the Howard County Chamber, Mike received the prestigious 2022 Service and Contribution Award for his dedication.

In Mike’s spare time, he enjoys smoking different meats on his Big Green Egg and loves to go camping with his wife and two kids. For Mike, family is everything which is why he has incorporated the family culture into Sparksoft.

Chief Growth Officer - PMP, CSM, SAFe Agilist

As a member of the Executive Leadership Team, I support Customer Delivery, Corporate Operations, and Business Growth across the Federal, State and Commercial Health IT markets. I bring 20 years of in-depth experience in all aspects of the Systems Development, Program Management, and Business Development Life Cycles on $200M+ dollar contracts with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). I play a strategic role in leveraging Sparksoft’s mature capabilities, stellar performance, and family culture to drive innovative and modern digital services and solutions for our existing and prospective customers.

I am a proven and trusted leader with the charisma to fuse business acumen, technical savvy, relationships, and political climate to accomplish mission-critical objectives and capture new business through superior execution on programs of national import. As a practicing Scrum Master, and a certified PMP and SAFe Agilist, I have managed a workforce of 100+ highly motivated and performing professionals with diverse business and technical capabilities on Big Data systems for complex Health IT analytics and workflows such as STARS with General Dynamics, Fraud Prevention System (FPS) with Northrop Grumman, and One Program Integrity (One PI) with Optum.

I’ve had the privilege to serve on the frontlines of Medicare’s transition from the traditional fee-for-service pay-and-chase fraud prevention strategy, and the Agency’s shift to quality and value-based pay-for-performance purchasing models. In this role I contribute to an even greater impact on preserving the Medicare Trust Fund, reducing Provider burden, improving clinical quality and access, and protecting Patients’ safety, which has fueled my passion for building innovative solutions for healthcare stakeholders across all domains.

Chief Financial Officer

For over 20 years I have been an entrepreneur focused on technology innovation. I have mentored many startups over the years. I currently serve on the board of TiE DC, an organization that helps promote technology innovation. I am eager to bring my passion for IT innovation to Sparksoft.

As the Chief Financial Officer of Sparksoft, I will oversee the daily financial operations of the company. My background in finance and technology allows me to effectively manage the day to day financial needs of Sparksoft.

DoD Strategic Advisor

Ed has led a diverse career during his thirty-plus years with the military including numerous deployments along with multiple duty stations. Ed’s last military assignment was Garrison Commander at Fort Meade in Maryland. After retiring in 2014, he was appointed to be the Economic Developer for Anne Arundel County before founding ERA Advisory LLC. ERA Advisory LLC is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business focused on giving back to the community. As Principal with ERA, Ed works with several businesses and organizations in the Baltimore-Washington area focused on business, marketing and leadership development. Most recently, Ed served as Executive Director for the BWI Business Partnership, a non-profit organization that focuses on economic and transportation requirements and development in the central Maryland region. In 2018, Ed was elected for a four-year term as a Carroll County Commissioner where he is focused on serving the county community. In addition, Ed serves on multiple boards of directors for non-profits within the region and state, along with having served on the Carroll County Veterans Advisory Council. Ed has an Education Degree from Lock Haven University, Pennsylvania and a Masters in Human Resources from Webster University along with a Masters in National Resource Management from Eisenhower School for National Security. At Lock Haven, Ed was a member of the Division I wrestling team and commissioned through the ROTC Program. Ed resides in Eldersburg, Maryland with his wife Audrey and two children Emily and Sam. In his spare time, Ed enjoys running, golf and other outdoor activities.