Michel is the co-founder and CEO of iVoltage, he also leads development of the designer’s tools, Sparks. Born in Moscow, Michel was raised in Paris where he developed an early passion for Computers, Video Games and artists. His passion for artistically beautiful gaming can be traced through his many jobs in which Michel developed unique tools to allow designers to express brilliant ideas without the usual technical frustrations.

After graduating from Epitech where he lead the development of Zion (a 3D modeler assisted by virtual reality gloves) Michel moved to London joining the BBC to research and develop the first running prototype of a Flash Player on satellite receivers (DSAT). The project converted designers’ modifications inside Flash to a vectorial animation instantly visible on the TV screen. It generated attention within the BBC and started a long-term partnership between Adobe and the BBC. His concept is now central in the current digital content broadcasting chain.

Although he loved working for the BBC, Michel wanted to produce, not just broadcast and he therefore returned to his passion: Video Games & Cinema. He joined MKO Games, an MK2 funded Animation Company, to work on the CGI movie Skyland & a poetic game based on a famous French story which is still in development. As a Lead Tools Developer he led the development of a collaborative framework for artists allowing multiple designers to work on the same level simultaneously with a real-time visual feedback. This is where Michel met iVoltage CTO Emmanuel Briney.

Then, in 2008, Michel went to the Game Developers Conference in San Fransisco and bought an iPhone. Realizing the object he had been dreaming of since 12 was actually in his pocket and seeing the Business model of Apple, iVoltage was born.