LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 19, 2025--
Firebolt, the data infrastructure for AI applications, announced the appointment of Carlos Román as Vice President for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). In this role, Mr. Román will oversee Firebolt's go-to-market strategies and customer-facing operations across the EMEA region, further solidifying the company's commitment to global growth and innovation.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250319698262/en/
Mr. Román brings over 25 years of experience leading sales and demand generation within enterprise and digital-native organizations. His extensive background includes key leadership roles at Oracle and Confluent, where he drove exceptional revenue growth and market expansion.
At Confluent, Mr. Román served as Vice President for Digital Native and Emerging Markets in EMEA, leading go-to-market strategy with AWS, Google and Microsoft. Under his leadership, the cloud consumption business experienced unprecedented growth. Previously, Mr. Román held leadership positions at Oracle across Europe, Asia Pacific and the Americas.
Mr. Román’s appointment aligns with Firebolt’s ambitious global expansion strategy, following the recent addition of Hemanth Vedagarbha as President, who oversees global go-to-market initiatives and customer-facing operations.
“Carlos is exactly the kind of leader we need to accelerate our growth in EMEA,” said Mr. Vedagarbha, President at Firebolt. “His proven ability to scale businesses, drive aggressive market expansion and build high-performing teams is second to none. The EMEA region is a critical market for us, and with Carlos at the helm, I have no doubt that Firebolt will quickly become the leading solution for the fastest and most efficient AI-driven applications.”
“Businesses today need a data platform that not only stores information but drives decision making with real-time insights,” said Mr. Román. “Firebolt is designed to address the challenges of real-time data analytics for AI applications, enabling organizations to process vast amounts of data at scale while optimizing costs. That’s a game-changer for organizations looking to scale AI-driven applications, enhance customer experiences and unlock new revenue streams. I’m excited to join the Firebolt family to help businesses across EMEA leverage Firebolt to drive tangible business outcomes.”
Firebolt is expanding its footprint in key verticals such as financial services, e-commerce, gaming, delivery and technology, where real-time analytics and lightning-fast performance are critical for data intensive solutions. Firebolt’s strong presence in key markets including the United Kingdom, Germany and Israel will be expanded to cover fast growing EMEA markets including France, Nordics, Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa.
About Firebolt
Firebolt is the data infrastructure platform designed to handle the speed, scale, and flexibility of AI applications. By delivering ultra-low latency, high concurrency, multi-dimensional elasticity, and flexibility, Firebolt empowers organizations to build data-intensive AI applications that perform at scale. Built across five years of relentless development, it reflects continuous feedback from users and real-world use cases. Data engineers can now deliver customer-facing analytics and data-intensive applications more cost-effectively and with greater simplicity. Firebolt's innovative approach to data infrastructure is setting new benchmarks in performance and cost efficiency.
For more information, visit www.firebolt.io and follow on LinkedIn.
Try Firebolt Today
Experience the power of Firebolt with our free trial. Sign up now and see firsthand how Firebolt can transform your data strategy.
Carlos Román, EMEA VP, Firebolt
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to invoke an 1807 law and deploy troops to quell persistent protests against the federal officers sent to Minneapolis to enforce his administration's massive immigration crackdown.
The threat comes a day after a man was shot and wounded by an immigration officer who had been attacked with a shovel and broom handle. That shooting further heightened the fear and anger that has radiated across the city since an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot Renee Good in the head.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, a rarely used federal law, to deploy the U.S. military or federalize the National Guard for domestic law enforcement, over the objections of state governors.
“If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E., who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT, which many Presidents have done before me, and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place in that once great State,” Trump said in social media post.
Presidents have invoked the law more than two dozen times, most recently in 1992 by President George H.W. Bush to end unrest in Los Angeles. In that instance, local authorities had asked for the assistance.
“I’m making a direct appeal to the President: Let’s turn the temperature down. Stop this campaign of retribution. This is not who we are,” Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, said on X.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said he would challenge any such action in court. He's already suing to try to stop the surge by the Department of Homeland Security, which says officers have arrested more than 2,500 people since Nov. 29 as part of an immigration operation in the Twin Cities called Metro Surge.
The operation grew when ICE sent 2,000 officers and agents to the area early in January. ICE is a DHS agency.
In Minneapolis, smoke filled the streets Wednesday night near the site of the latest shooting as federal officers wearing gas masks and helmets fired tear gas into a small crowd. Protesters responded by throwing rocks and shooting fireworks.
Demonstrations have become common in Minneapolis since Good was fatally shot on Jan. 7. Agents who have yanked people from their cars and homes have been confronted by angry bystanders demanding they leave.
“This is an impossible situation that our city is presently being put in and at the same time we are trying to find a way forward to keep people safe, to protect our neighbors, to maintain order,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of three people who said they were questioned or detained in recent days. The lawsuit says two are Somali and one is Hispanic; all three are U.S. citizens. The lawsuit seeks an end to what the ACLU describes as a practice of racial profiling and warrantless arrests. The government did not immediately comment.
Homeland Security said in a statement that federal law enforcement officers on Wednesday stopped a driver from Venezuela who is in the U.S. illegally. The person drove off then crashed into a parked car before fleeing on foot, DHS said.
Officers caught up, then two other people arrived and the three started attacking the officer, according to DHS.
“Fearing for his life and safety as he was being ambushed by three individuals, the officer fired a defensive shot to defend his life,” DHS said. The confrontation took place about 4.5 miles (7.2 kilometers) from where Good was killed.
Police chief Brian O’Hara said the man who was shot did not have a life-threatening injury. O’Hara's account of what happened largely echoed that of Homeland Security, which later said the other two men were also in the U.S. illegally from Venezuela.
The FBI said several government vehicles were damaged and property inside was stolen when agents responded to the shooting. Photos show broken windows and insults made with paint. A reward of up to $100,000 is being offered for information. The FBI’s Minneapolis office did not immediately reply to messages seeking more details.
St. Paul Public Schools, with more than 30,000 students, said it would begin offering an online learning option for students who do not feel comfortable coming to school. Schools will be closed next week until Thursday to prepare for those accommodations.
Minneapolis Public Schools, which has a similar enrollment, is also offering temporary remote learning. The University of Minnesota will start a new term next week with different options depending on the class.
Madhani reported from Washington, D.C. Associated Press reporters Sophia Tareen in Chicago; Bill Barrow in Atlanta; Rebecca Santana in Washington; and Ed White in Detroit contributed.
Federal immigration officers confront protesters outside Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Law enforcement officers at the scene of a reported shooting Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
A woman covers her face from tear gas as federal immigration officers confront protesters outside Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
A protester throws back a tear gas canister during a protest after a shooting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Federal immigration officers confront protesters outside Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
Minneapolis City Council Member Jason Chavez, second from left, blows a whistle with other activists to warn people of federal immigration officers Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Tear gas surrounds federal law enforcement officers as they leave a scene after a shooting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
A child and family are escorted away after federal law enforcement deployed tear gas in a neighborhood during protests on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
A protester holds an umbrella as sparks fly from a flash bang deployed by law enforcement on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
Monica Travis shares an embrace while visiting a makeshift memorial for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer last week, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
A protester yells in front of law enforcement after a shooting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Tear gas surrounds federal law enforcement officers as they leave a scene after a shooting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Protesters shout at law enforcement officers after a shooting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Law enforcement officers stand amid tear gas at the scene of a reported shooting Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
