We make your colocation experience awesome
Our 80 combined years of colocation, data center, and IT infrastructure experience are here to help, 24/7
Management Team
We launched Colovore in 2013, but we’ve been running colocation facilities and data centers for Silicon Valley web giants since the late 1990s
SEAN HOLZKNECHT
PRESIDENT & CO-FOUNDER
Sean has been leading and managing colocation facilities and data centers in the Bay Area since 1997. Prior to co-founding Colovore, Sean was VP of Operations at Evocative, Inc, a leading retail colocation provider in the Bay Area and winner of numerous Inc. 5000 awards for its impressive growth. Sean ran all day-to-day sales and operations activities. Prior to Evocative, Sean founded and ran Emerytech Data Center, and served as Western Region Operations Manager for both Navisite and Colo.com. Sean started his career at Pacific Bell, managing multiple central offices in San Francisco.
BEN COUGHLIN
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER & CO-FOUNDER
Ben has a long history as a communications-focused private equity investor, providing advisory services to and serving on the Boards of Directors of numerous growing technology companies. Prior to co-founding Colovore, Ben was a Partner at Spectrum Equity Investors, a leading private investment firm with $5 billion in capital and specializing in communications, digital media, and technology-enabled businesses. Over his 13 years at Spectrum, Ben was involved with investments totaling nearly $3 billion in equity and debt capital.
PETER HARRISON
CHIEF TECHNICAL OFFICER & CO-FOUNDER
Peter has built the core web infrastructure for several of Silicon Valley’s internet titans and is CCIE-certified, among many technical accomplishments. Most recently, Peter worked at Google where he helped manage global data center demand and capacity planning; the Google Fiber FTTH program and its initial data center infrastructure rollout; and YouTube’s CDN server deployment and maintenance. Prior to Google, Peter was an Operations Director at eBay, where he helped build Shopping.com’s search engine grid infrastructure, and a Network Manager at Netflix, where he helped launch Netflix’s streaming Internet Video technology.
DAVE SMITH
VICE PRESIDENT OF DESIGN & ENGINEERING
As Principal and Vice President of Critical Facilities Design at Ecom Engineering Inc, Dave brings Colovore a unique blend of data center and electrical critical facilities design and construction management experience. For the past eleven years Dave has overseen the design, construction and commissioning of multiple data center projects including Fortune Data Centers. Prior to Ecom, Dave spent three years as MEP engineering manager at Equinix overseeing the design, construction and commissioning of seven IBX projects and also spent seventeen years as a senior project manager for one of the largest design-build electrical and engineering contractors in California.
Board of Directors
BRIAN HIGGINS
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
Brian Higgins is the Co-Founder, Managing Partner and Co-Portfolio Manager of King Street. He is based in New York and is the Chair of the Management Committee, Global Investment Committee and Real Estate Investment Committee, and a member of the Risk Committee and the Operating Committee. Prior to co-founding King Street in 1995, Brian worked at First Boston in the Special Situations Fund and the Distressed Securities Group. Brian began his career in 1987 with First Boston’s Merchant Banking Group. Brian received a B.S. in Business Administration from Villanova University.
MARK VAN ZANDT
BOARD MEMBER
Mark Van Zandt is a Managing Director on the US Real Estate team at King Street. He is based in New York and is a member of the Real Estate Investment Committee. Prior to joining King Street in 2022, Mark was a Managing Partner of BGO and the Portfolio Manager for BGO’s US Value-Add Funds. Before joining BGO’s predecessor, GreenOak, Mark held investment roles at Morgan Stanley and LaSalle Bank. Mark received a B.S. in Finance from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
SEAN HOLZKNECHT
BOARD MEMBER
Sean has been leading and managing colocation facilities and data centers in the Bay Area since 1997. Prior to co-founding Colovore, Sean was VP of Operations at Evocative, Inc, a leading retail colocation provider in the Bay Area and winner of numerous Inc. 5000 awards for its impressive growth. Sean ran all day-to-day sales and operations activities. Prior to Evocative, Sean founded and ran Emerytech Data Center, and served as Western Region Operations Manager for both Navisite and Colo.com. Sean started his career at Pacific Bell, managing multiple central offices in San Francisco.
SHARIN VALIA
BOARD MEMBER
Sharin Valia is a Director on the Capital Markets team at King Street. He is based in Palo Alto. Prior to joining King Street in 2021, Sharin was a Partner and Co-Founding Member at Structural Capital, where he provided equity and growth capital loans to later stage technology companies. Prior to Structural Capital, he held roles at Goldman Sachs, Silver Lake Sumeru and TriplePoint Capital. Sharin holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, College of Business.
