Learn more about our transformative ideas

Team Biographies

mariposa-technology-mickal-p-adler

Mickal P. Adler

Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Mickal P. Adler is a Co-Founder of Mariposa Technology and serves as its Chief Executive Officer and General Counsel. As a key leader for the company’s vision and mission, Mickal keeps the executive team focused on the critical path for both product research and development, and on markets and customer service. His extensive business experience includes actively managing several start-ups in addition to fulfilling executive, C-Suite roles in mature businesses with revenues ranging from $3.5MM to $20MM per year. 

Critically, his knowledge and experience in identifying, registering and managing intellectual property (IP) assets and negotiating and managing IP licensing contracts are core disciplines for Mariposa Technology. As a legal professional, Mickal has been licensed for 28 years and, in addition to being admitted to numerous state and Federal courts, he has been recognized by Martindale Hubble, the attorney rating service, as AV rated which is the highest level for both competency and ethics. Mickal was born and raised in the New Orleans area, and resides in Metairie, LA with his family.

mariposa-technology-john-k-roberts

John K. Roberts, III

Co-Founder & Chief Knowledge Officer​

John is a Co-Founder of Mariposa Technology and serves as its President/Chief Knowledge Officer.  As CKO, John ensures the company manages knowledge as a strategic asset by identifying which classes of knowledge deliver value, and require attention and development.  John brings a professional obsession for examining unnoticed details across a range of businesses in his thirty years as an entrepreneur. He brings analytical expertise to the team by having negotiated multiple contracts with Fortune-500 companies, as well as investment deals and agreements with large partners, vendors and financial institutions across a range of industries.  John considers his greatest accomplishment to have successfully built multiple teams across his businesses, all of which were fiercely loyal to each other and the team’s mission.  In 2018, John successfully exited his retail store chain after growing to annual revenues of $30MM and 100+ team members.  Over the last twenty years, John has been recognized by Forty Under Forty, earned LA DEQ licenses, contracted as a professional services expert to DOTD, and was licensed by the state board of contractors while successfully investing in housing and real estate.  John has several startup investments and is currently working full-time on Mariposa Technology.

John has experience serving on BODs in leadership positions for large business associations, such as the 800-member Jefferson Chamber of Commerce, and was the youngest President of the Gulf Coast Shell Board.  His charitable endeavors include Raintree Children and Family Services (Board Member & Audit Chair) and the successful community-based Front Porch Project (Board) & Stop The Tolls (Board).  John is sometimes chided for being a “professional” networker, often participating in multiple events on a weekly basis.  John is a graduate of Tulane University (B.A. History) and Isidore Newman High School in New Orleans.  Married with three sons, John calls New Orleans home.

mariposa-technology-dr-james-guenther

Dr. James Guenther

Chief Science Officer

Dr. James Guenther serves as the Chief Science Officer for Mariposa Technology, where he is helping develop the Artificial Intelligence algorithms necessary for this technology, assisting in research and development, and preparing funding proposals. Dr. Guenther is originally from New Orleans and attended Southeastern Louisiana University before pursuing a doctorate in Biochemistry at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. As a research scientist, he has authored peer-reviewed publications in multiple fields; plant membrane protein structure and function, plant defense responses, lung disease, and inflammasome mediated inflammation responses.

After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, he moved back home to help rebuild and rebrand New Orleans as a technology and innovation center. As such, he developed and directed a biotechnology program at a local community college while serving as the Principal Investigator (PI) on a National Science Foundation Advanced Technology Education (NSFATE) proposal. Over the years, working with the NSFATE broadened his understanding of technology-driven industries on a global scale and allowed him to interact with national program fields like advanced manufacturing technologies, agricultural and biotechnologies, energy and environmental technologies, engineering technologies, information technologies, micro- and nano-technologies, security technologies, and geospatial technologies.

These experiences have helped him transition to serving both academic and private industry development needs as a consultant for business development specializing in Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) funding in conjunction with community college programs. In December of 2018, Dr. Guenther was appointed as Chapter Director for StartupGrind New Orleans. StartupGrind and its partnership with Google for Startups is the largest independent business entrepreneurial community, actively educating, inspiring, and connecting more than 2,000,000 entrepreneurs in 600+ chapters and 125+ countries.

mariposa-technology-michael-j-dalle-molle

Michael J. Dalle Molle

Chief Operating Officer

Michael serves as the Chief Operating Officer for Mariposa Technology, where he is responsible for overseeing the daily business operations, communications, and brand management. He is an entrepreneur, teacher, business advisor and environmentalist with almost a decade of professional experience as a sustainability advocate in the design and construction industry. He is a co-founder and the former Director of local Design+Build firm, GoodWood NOLA, where he won multiple awards for team-building and workplace culture, and industry leading sustainable business practices before his exit in 2020.

He currently serves as the Board President for the Green Project, a Louisiana non-profit focusing on waste diversion and environmental education, and is a founding member of the Board of Advisors for Glass Half Full, a local non-profit focusing on glass recycling and environmental education in Southern Louisiana. Michael also serves as an Adjunct Professor and Shop Director for the Tulane University School of Architecture. He holds a degree in Communications and Media Studies from Tulane University, is an alumnus of the Goldman Sachs 10KSB program, a 2019 Woodworking Network 40-Under-40 Honoree, and has multiple OSHA certifications in Safety and Health Programs for General Industry.

mariposa-technology-brett-long

Brett Long

Advisory Chief Financial Officer

Brett is a Certified Public Accountant and serves as Advisory CFO to Mariposa Technology. He has been on the founding team of multiple technology startups and has advised several other firms in the energy, healthcare, education, and food-services sectors. In this capacity, he has served as a leader in sales, finance and operations, bringing a diverse set of insights to his partners.

As a CPA, he has worked with hospitals, family offices, universities, school boards, restaurants, and various real estate development projects. He has closed business deals with multiple Fortune-500 companies and served on non-profit boards working in education and coastal restoration. A graduate of Tulane University and Harvard University, Brett resides in his native New Orleans.

mariposa-technology-debborah-agboola-2

Deborah Agboola

Content Editor

Deborah Agboola is a huge fan of the versatility within the cannabis industry. She has made it her primary mission to help society understand the value of this special plant, and to empower workers and professionals with the profitable knowledge needed to expand the industry at large. Deborah is an internationally published writer with works in diverse realms of the industry, from food processing and cultivation to science and technology.

Board of Advisors