Robert Tobias
About Robert Tobias
Robert Tobias (age 61) has served as an independent director of Datavault AI Inc. (DVLT) since February 2020. He is CEO, Chairman and President of HDMI Licensing Administrator Inc. (since Jan 2017) and previously led licensing and compliance at HDMI Licensing LLC. He holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from UC Davis and an MBA from Santa Clara University, and serves as Chair of the UC Davis Engineering Faculty Dean’s Executive Committee and as a UC Davis Foundation Trustee .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| HDMI Licensing LLC (Lattice Semiconductor subsidiary) | President | Sep 2015–Dec 2016 | Led marketing, licensing and compliance for HDMI IP |
| MHL | President | Not disclosed | Led licensing/standard ecosystem; strategic industry relationships |
| Silicon Image | Sr. Director, Strategic Product Marketing & Business Development | Not disclosed | Drove product strategy/business development in consumer electronics |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| HDMI Licensing Administrator Inc. | CEO, Chairman & President | Jan 2017–Present | Oversees licensing, compliance and enforcement for ~2,000 licensees; >12B HDMI products worldwide |
| UC Davis Engineering Faculty Dean’s Executive Committee | Chair | Not disclosed | Academic leadership/industry liaison |
| UC Davis Foundation | Trustee | Not disclosed | University governance/advancement |
Board Governance
- Independence: DVLT’s Board affirmed Robert Tobias as an independent director under Nasdaq rules. He meets independence standards for the Compensation Committee and the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee .
- Committee assignments:
- Compensation Committee: Member (committee chaired by Sriram Peruvemba) .
- Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee: Chair (member alongside Dr. Jeffrey M. Gilbert) .
- Attendance: In FY2024, the Board held four meetings; no incumbent director attended fewer than 75% of Board/committee meetings for which they were a member .
- Lead Independent Director: The Company does not have a lead independent director .
- Hedging: Insiders (including directors) are prohibited from engaging in hedging transactions per DVLT’s insider trading policy .
Fixed Compensation
| Year | Cash Retainer (USD) | Equity Grant Fair Value (USD) | Total (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $20,000 | $44,090 | $64,090 |
Notes:
- DVLT did not disclose meeting fees, committee membership fees, or chair fees for directors .
- Compensation Committee does not use an independent compensation consultant, which may affect benchmarking rigor .
Performance Compensation
DVLT did not disclose performance-based director pay metrics; director equity grants in 2024 were time-vested restricted stock, without stated performance conditions .
| Grant Type | Grant Date | Shares | Vesting Start | Vesting Frequency | Vesting End |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restricted Common Stock | Jun 7, 2024 | 4,616 | Sep 20, 2024 | Equal installments every 3 months | Sep 20, 2027 |
| Restricted Common Stock | Jul 30, 2024 | 7,541 | Dec 20, 2024 | Equal installments every 3 months | Dec 20, 2027 |
| Restricted Common Stock | Nov 12, 2024 | 7,422 | Mar 15, 2025 | Equal installments every 3 months | Mar 15, 2028 |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company Type | Organization | Role | Public Company? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licensing/Standards | HDMI Licensing Administrator Inc. | CEO/Chairman/President | No (not disclosed as public) |
| Academic | UC Davis (Engineering Committee; Foundation) | Chair; Trustee | No |
- No current public company directorships disclosed for Tobias; no shared directorships with DVLT competitors/suppliers/customers were disclosed –.
Expertise & Qualifications
- Technical/Industry: Deep consumer electronics standards, licensing, IP enforcement, and global compliance expertise (Asia-focused relationships) .
- Education: B.S. Electrical Engineering (UC Davis); MBA (Santa Clara University) .
- Governance: Chairs DVLT’s Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee; experienced in board composition, evaluation, and governance frameworks .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned | % of Shares Outstanding | As-of Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Tobias | 120,362 | <1% | Oct 14, 2025 |
- Breakdown: No options reported; equity grants comprised restricted shares vesting per schedules above .
- Pledging/Hedging: Hedging prohibited by policy; no pledging disclosed –.
Governance Assessment
- Alignment: Modest cash retainer and meaningful time-vested equity suggest alignment via share ownership; no performance metrics tied to director equity could reduce pay-for-performance linkage .
- Independence & Roles: Tobias is independent and chairs Nominating & Corporate Governance—positive for board refresh and evaluation. Membership on Compensation Committee adds oversight of executive/director pay .
- Attendance & Engagement: Meets the ≥75% attendance threshold; governance documents describe active risk oversight and committee responsibilities –.
- Conflicts/Related Party: No related-party transactions identified for Tobias; notable related-party items exist for other directors (Bradley/EOS; Kristensen/Hansong; Howitt/Meriwether) but none implicate Tobias –.
RED FLAGS
- No independent compensation consultant for DVLT’s Compensation Committee—may raise benchmarking and pay rigor concerns .
- No lead independent director—could weaken independent board leadership, particularly amid significant capital structure changes and potential dilution dynamics at the company level (share authorization and Scilex warrant context) –.