Best Startup
At Best Startup US we track over 1,000,000 US startups and over 3 million people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top California based Partner operating in the Consulting space. If you think a Partner is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on editor@beststartup.us.
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Dennis Henner
Operating Partner of Blackstone Group
Dennis Henner is an Operating Partner in Blackstone Life Sciences group, having joined Blackstone as part of its acquisition of Clarus in December of 2018. Prior to joining Blackstone he was co-founder and Managing Director of Clarus for 12 years beginning in 2005 with the firm’s inception. Dr, Henner has over 30 years of direct industry and investment experience within the healthcare sector, and has led investments in the biopharmaceutical sector including partnerships with pharmaceutical companies. Prior to Clarus, Dr. Henner was a General Partner at MPM Capital, a healthcare venture capital firm. From 1981 to 2001, he was an executive at Genentech where he held various positions including Senior Vice President of Research, and was a member of Genentech’s executive committee. Dr. Henner is currently a member of the Board of Directors for Forty Seven Inc. (NASDAQ: FTSV) and Imago BioSciences. Dr. Henner received his PhD from the Department of Microbiology at the University of Virginia and did postgraduate training at the Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation. Dr. Henner is a member of the Board of Trustees of Reed College.
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About Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Blackstone Group: Blackstone is an investment and advisory firm providing financial solutions for investors and clients.
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JD Ross
General Partner of Atomic
JD is a co-founder focused on developing better experiences for home sellers and buyers. He has led the company’s growth team and product teams. Previously, as VP Product at Addepar, he launched products that brought over $100 billion in assets onto the technology platform.
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About Atomic, Royal: Atomic Inc is a consulting firm .
Courtney Reum
Co-Founder and Partner of M13
Courtney Reum is an innovative eco-entrepreneur with a background in building consumer product brands. Prior to starting VEEV Spirits with his brother Carter, Reum began his career as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs. Today, VEEV is one of the pioneering artisanal brands in the spirits industry. The Reum brothers have been honored by several entrepreneurial groups including Inc. (“500 fastest-growing private companies in America”) and, most recently, the Goldman Sachs Builders and Innovators 100 (“Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs”). Reum is an active member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) and a periodic contributor to the Huffington Post and CNBC.
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About M13, Plus Capital: M13 provides strategic counsel and operational expertise to help founders grow their companies.
Anna Barber
Partner of M13
Anna Barber is a Partner at M13 and The Fund. Anna is a former managing director at Techstars, GM and VP of Partnerships at Finerpring, and Co-Founder and CEO of Scribbles Press.
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About M13: M13 provides strategic counsel and operational expertise to help founders grow their companies.
Carter Reum
Co-Founder and Partner of M13
Carter Reum is the co-founder of M13, which he and his brother Courtney Reum founded after selling their spirits company VEEV. He co-founded VEEV around the idea of creating a better way to drink, all the while becoming one of Inc. Magazine’s 250 fastest growing companies. Carter serves on the board of Daily Harvest and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art has been recognized as one of Goldman Sachs’ Builders + Innovators Top 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs and was selected as an Executive in Residence by the City of Los Angeles in 2017 to support the city’s branding initiatives. Carter co-authored Shortcut Your Startup with brother Courtney. He began his career as an investment banker in Goldman Sachs’ Industrials division and attended Columbia University for his Bachelor’s.
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About M13, Plus Capital: M13 provides strategic counsel and operational expertise to help founders grow their companies.
Lizzie Francis
Partner of M13
Elizabeth is currently a Founding Partner at Brilliant Ventures, an early-stage VC firm in Los Angeles, California. Prior to that she was Chief Marketing Officer of Gilt. In this role, she was responsible for the company’s new customer generation and retention programs across all channels as well as creative direction, overall brand positioning, research and analytics. Elizabeth marketing and advertising experience—building and scaling emerging brands—in fashion, consumer packaged goods, and financial services companies- is known for her innovative, go-to-market strategies. She joined Gilt from Intelligent Beauty, a leading e-commerce and brand-building incubator where she was CMO. In addition to her responsibilities as Intelligent Beauty’s CMO, she was also President of JustFabulous (now TechStyle), an online fashion and accessories brand and an Intelligent Beauty venture. Prior to Intelligent Beauty, Elizabeth was a Vice President at Alena, a Fox Interactive Company, and also spent several years at LowerMyBills.com. Elizabeth holds a Bachelor of Arts from Cornell University.
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About Brilliant Ventures, Data & Marketing Association, Fashion Group International, M13: M13 provides strategic counsel and operational expertise to help founders grow their companies.
Roger Roman
Founder & Partner of Push Consulting & Marketing
Roger Roman is the Co-Founder at AfriBlocks.
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About 101 Custom Kicks, AfriBlocks, Fleeting, Push Consulting & Marketing, Republic, Rythm Interactive, Score 3 Ventures, Streamlytics: Push Consulting & Marketing is a full-service digital agency specializing in marketing and brand development.
Grace Kim
Founding Member & Director of Strategy & Partnerships of GOODcorps
Grace is a founding member and Director of Strategy and Partnerships. In her time at GOODcorps, Grace has worked with large organizations including Pepsi, Microsoft, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and The California Endowment, on major social impact initiatives. Prior to GOOD, Grace designed marketing strategy for Fortune 500 companies and led a domestic poverty awareness program for Habitat for Humanity. A UCLA graduate, she pursued graduate studies in International Relations at Institut d’Etudes Poliques in Paris. In her free time, she advises purpose-driven organizations and co-produces TEDxSkid Row. She is a UCLA Anderson Riordan Fellow, Los Angeles Junior Chamber of Commerce RVLDP Fellow and former Rotary Foundation ambassador.
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About GOODcorps: GOODcorps is a social impact consultancy partnering with organizations to imagine bold opportunities that align performance goals.
Kerry Francis
Partner , Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP of Deloitte
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About Deloitte: Deloitte provides audit, consulting, financial advisory, risk management, tax, and other related services.
Wendy Jackson
Partner of Deloitte
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About Deloitte: Deloitte provides audit, consulting, financial advisory, risk management, tax, and other related services.
Barrett Daniels
Partner, US IPO Services Co-Leader and West Region SPAC Leader of Deloitte
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About Deloitte: Deloitte provides audit, consulting, financial advisory, risk management, tax, and other related services.
Mehdi Khodadad
Partner of Sidley Austin
MEHDI KHODADAD’s practice focuses on representing leading technology and life sciences companies and their private equity and other investment sponsors. He counsels corporate clients, entrepreneurs and investors on a wide variety of transactions, including private and public financings, corporate restructurings, mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buy-outs and related private equity transactions, cross-border and other structured corporate transactions. Mehdi also regularly advises the boards of directors, management and special committees of corporate clients and their investors on a wide variety of securities law and corporate governance matters. Mehdi was recognized by the American Lawyer as a “Dealmaker of the Year” in 2015 for his work on one of the 20 most significant transactions that year. In 2015 he was also named one of the Daily Journal’s “Top 20 Lawyers Under 40.” Mehdi earned a J.D. from the Santa Clara University School of Law, where he was awarded the High Tech Law Certificate in intellectual property law and served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Santa Clara Computer & High Technology Law Journal. He received a B.A. in Economics from the University of California at Berkeley.
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About Sidley Austin: Sidley is a law firm providing legal advising services for businesses.
Vijay Sekhon
Partner of Sidley Austin
VIJAY SEKHON is a partner in Sidley’s Century City office and a member of the M&A, Private Equity and Securities practice groups. His practice focuses on mergers, purchases, sales and reorganizations of public and private companies, public equity offerings, public debt issuances, private placements of debt, and equity for public and private companies, and general corporate and securities law. His client list includes: Franklin Templeton Investments, The Blackstone Group, L.P., Cerberus Capital Management, L.P., Levine Leichtman Capital Partners Inc., Fast Retailing Co., Ltd., Universal Studios Japan, Domino Printing Sciences plc, Z Capital Partners, L.L.C., Siris Capital Group, LLC, Glendon Capital Management LP, Castle Creek Capital LLC, ZelnickMedia Corp., HoldCo Asset Management LP and Paladin Healthcare Capital LLC. Vijay served as senior counsel in the Office of the General Counsel of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission from 2009 to 2011, and is an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law. He was a judicial intern for former Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist in the United States Supreme Court and the Honorable Ellen Segal Huvelle in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Vijay has published numerous articles related to law, business and finance in respected academic and practitioner journals, including the Stanford Journal of Law, Business & Finance, the Berkeley Business Law Journal, the Securities Regulation Law Journal, the Real Estate Finance Journal, and Pratt’s Journal of Bankruptcy Law, and has been recognized as a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers Magazine each year since 2013. Vijay earned his J.D. from Stanford Law School, and received his B.A., summa cum laude, from the University of California at Berkeley. Vijay is also a licensed real estate broker in the state of California and a member of the Financial Lawyers Conference.
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About Sidley Austin: Sidley is a law firm providing legal advising services for businesses.
Robert Carlson
Partner of Sidley Austin
Robert Carlson is a partner in Sidley’s Palo Alto office where he focuses his practice on mergers and acquisitions, public and private securities offerings, joint ventures and other strategic transactions, representing corporations as well as private equity and venture capital funds. Rob’s practice also includes representation of private equity fund sponsors and investors in connection with the formation and operation of private equity funds, and representation of issuers and underwriters in public offerings and private placements of debt and equity securities. He also counsels boards of directors and committees on corporate governance matters. His industry focus includes working with companies and investors in the medical device, biotechnology, software, e-commerce, payments, telecommunications and gaming industries. Rob has been featured in Best Lawyers in America for Corporate Law (2016), Northern California Super Lawyer (2016) and in Who’s Who Legal for Mergers and Acquisitions (2016). He earned his J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School and his B.A., magna cum laude, from the University of California, Berkeley.
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About Sidley Austin: Sidley is a law firm providing legal advising services for businesses.
Jared Jensen
Partner of Sidley Austin
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About Sidley Austin: Sidley is a law firm providing legal advising services for businesses.
Pam Martinson
Partner of Sidley Austin
Pam Martinson is Partner @ Sidley Austin LLP.
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About Sidley Austin: Sidley is a law firm providing legal advising services for businesses.
Jared Jensen
Partner of Sidley Austin
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About Sidley Austin: Sidley is a law firm providing legal advising services for businesses.
Todd Rovak
Managing Partner, CEO of Fahrenheit 212
Todd Rovak is the founder of Carefull.
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About Carefull, Fahrenheit 212: Fahrenheit 212 is an innovation consultancy that drives top-line growth by creating transformational new products, brands and businesses.
Michael Roub
Managing Partner of Inflection 360
Michael Roub, California native, is a seasoned business executive with expertise in operations, finance, and development. He has demonstrated tremendous amounts of success within executive roles in start-up entities. Previously, he served as an investment banker where he honed his tangible skills in financial management and consulting. Starting of his professional career in the financial industry, he laid the foundation for the rest of his professional career. Moving forward, he was able to capitalize on countless opportunities in the private business sector.
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About Inflection 360: Consulting Firm
Michael Levit
Managing Partner of Dragonfly Partners
Michael is a serial entrepreneur working on his fifth startup, Spigot Inc., which he co-founded in 2008. Prior to Spigot Michael ran the business side of Vendio, an eCommerce platform, where he grew transactions to $1.5+ billion/year before selling the business to Chinese giant Alibaba. Michael’s previous experience includes starting AOL’s Broadband division, running sales and marketing at Hearme and Paltalk, co-founding and overseeing Business Development at Bluelight.com a venture between Softbank, Martha Stewart, Kmart and Yahoo, and working in Accenture’s technology and strategy consulting practice where he co-founded the Internet Center in Palo Alto some 16 years ago.
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About Dragonfly Partners, Founders Den, Pure Digital Technologies: Boutique advisory service for cross-border transactions with a focus on M&A in China.
Mark McLaughlin
General Partner of Alkeon Capital
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About Alkeon Capital: Alkeon Capital Management is a service that assists investors with their financial endeavors.
Deepak Ravichandran
General Partner of Alkeon Capital
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About Alkeon Capital: Alkeon Capital Management is a service that assists investors with their financial endeavors.
Eric Kutcher
Senior Partner and Chief Financial Officer of McKinsey & Company
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About McKinsey & Company: McKinsey & Company is a global management consulting firm and trusted advisor by businesses, governments, and institutions.
Hsiao Lee
Partner of McKinsey & Company
Hsiao-Lu received her PhD in Chemistry from Stanford University, where she applied single-molecule super-resolution cellular imaging to study live mammalian and bacterial cells in Nobel Laureate W.E. Moerner’s group. Her work imaging dynamic ion channel distribution on live neuronal cells was recognized by the PicoQuant Young Investigator award. Her work resolving mammalian cytoskeleton in 3D made the cover of Applied Physics Letters. As a postdoctoral fellow in Stem Cell Biology & Regenerative Medicine at the Stanford Medical School, Hsiao-Lu modeled Parkinson’s disease using human stem cells and stem cell-derived neurons. A passionate entrepreneur as well as scientist, Hsiao-Lu is a graduate of the Stanford Business School Ignite program and has been involved in several successful startups, both venture-backed and privately-funded, in roles ranging from co-founder to key executive of the leadership team. She is currently a consultant at McKinsey & company.
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About McKinsey & Company, McKinsey & Company: McKinsey & Company is a global management consulting firm and trusted advisor by businesses, governments, and institutions.
Alberto Torres
Partner of McKinsey & Company
Adjunct Professor at IE Business School. Partner at McKinsey & Company.
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About IE Business School, McKinsey & Company: McKinsey & Company is a global management consulting firm and trusted advisor by businesses, governments, and institutions.
Venkat Atluri
Senior Partner of McKinsey & Company
Venkat is a leading expert on technology and the Internet of Things (IoT): the vast and emerging opportunities created by the network connectivity of devices, systems, and people. He draws on this expertise to guide clients through the design and deployment of the systems that power network-based businesses. Since joining McKinsey, in 2001, Venkat has partnered with top executives in a broad range of industries to set strategy, improve sales and marketing approaches, and develop new products and services. He also builds new businesses and guides them to the IPO stage. Keenly interested in the future of technology, Venkat has a special focus on cross-sector opportunities at the intersection of new technologies and existing business models. He also advises venture and private-equity investors, is a founding member of McKinsey’s New Ventures group, and leads McKinsey’s global IoT efforts. Examples of his work include: • building an IoT-based business for a technology leader • leading a business transformation to drive a step-change improvement for a global leader in enterprise technology • helping venture groups scale up businesses based on wireless technology • building a cross-sector business for an advanced electronics company • developing software-based business models for a consumer and industrial company Before joining McKinsey, Venkat held global leadership positions in digital business. He also worked in product development and management in Japan and at General Electric and 3M in the United States.
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About McKinsey & Company: McKinsey & Company is a global management consulting firm and trusted advisor by businesses, governments, and institutions.
Tarek Elmasry
Senior Partner and Global Co-Leader, Tech, Media & Telecom Practice of McKinsey & Company
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About McKinsey & Company: McKinsey & Company is a global management consulting firm and trusted advisor by businesses, governments, and institutions.
Lenny Mendonca
Senior Partner Emeritus of McKinsey & Company
Lenny Mendonca is the Chief Economic and Business Advisor to Governor Gavin Newsom of California. He is a Senior Partner Emeritus of McKinsey & Company and a Lecturer on Inequality at the Stanford Business School. He founded McKinsey’s U.S. state and local public sector consulting practice. He also oversaw their knowledge development, Chairing the McKinsey Global Institute and the Firm’s communications, including the McKinsey Quarterly. He served for a decade on the McKinsey Shareholder Council (its Board of Directors). He retired in from McKinsey in 2014. He was formerly the Chair of New America and Children Now, co-Chair of California Forward, and co-founder and Chair of Fusecorps. He was the Vice-Chair of Common Cause. He is the Chair Emeritus of the Bay Area Council and their Economic Institute, and was vice-chair of the Stanford GSB Advisory Council. He was a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development. He served on the boards of Fidelity Charitable, Western Governors University, UC Merced, The Educational Results Partnership, The College Futures Foundation, California Competes, The Opportunity Institute, Commonwealth Club, National Association of NonPartisan Reformers, and The Guardian.org. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Board of Trustees for Junior Statesmen of America, and the Advisory Boards of Y Analytics, QB3, the Haas Center at Stanford, Third Sector Capital, The CA Community College Chancellor’s Office, and the Public Policy Institute of California. He received his MBA and certificate in public management from Stanford. He holds an AB, magna cum laude, in economics from Harvard. He lives on the Half Moon Bay coast with his wife, Christine. They raised their two daughters, Allie and Rebecca, there and are the founders and owners of the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company, The Inn at Mavericks and the Pacific Standard Taproom. He is also Chair and primary owner of the Coastside News Group (Half Moon Bay Review).
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About McKinsey & Company: McKinsey & Company is a global management consulting firm and trusted advisor by businesses, governments, and institutions.
Mark Patel
Senior Partner of McKinsey & Company
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About McKinsey & Company: McKinsey & Company is a global management consulting firm and trusted advisor by businesses, governments, and institutions.
Venkatesh Anant
Partner, Digital McKinsey of McKinsey & Company
Venky Anant joined McKinsey & Company’s Palo Alto office in 2011 and is a member of Digital McKinsey. His focus in the firm has been primarily around cyber-security, software/ startups and next generation infrastructure topics e.g., Cloud. Venky also co-leads the healthcare CISO roundtable, a group of 50+ CISOs who meet regularly to discuss key security related topics. Venky holds an M.B.A. from INSEAD, France, and a Masters in computer science.
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About McKinsey & Company: McKinsey & Company is a global management consulting firm and trusted advisor by businesses, governments, and institutions.
Robert Schiff
Senior Partner of McKinsey & Company
Robert is a Partner in McKinsey’s San Francisco Office and co-leads Customer Experience in Banking.
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About Bay Area Council, McKinsey & Company: McKinsey & Company is a global management consulting firm and trusted advisor by businesses, governments, and institutions.
Brian Gregg
Senior Partner of McKinsey & Company
Brian leads the Marketing & Sales Practice on the West Coast and co-leads the Consumer Digital Excellence group. Brian has worked with multichannel retailers, consumer brands and online e-commerce players across categories such as fashion, electronics, apparel, footwear, financial services and grocery. He has deep experience in unearthing consumer insights, connecting these insights to an organization’s strategy, and operationalizing them quickly. Most recently Brian has helped his clients develop next generation CRM capabilities, build e-commerce and digital marketing strategies, and design 21st century marketing organizations. He has served clients in the United States, China, and Europe—and has worked across the consumer/retail value chain.
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About McKinsey & Company: McKinsey & Company is a global management consulting firm and trusted advisor by businesses, governments, and institutions.
Alexis Krivkovich
Senior Partner of McKinsey & Company
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About McKinsey & Company: McKinsey & Company is a global management consulting firm and trusted advisor by businesses, governments, and institutions.
Marc Singer
Senior Partner of McKinsey & Company
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About McKinsey & Company: McKinsey & Company is a global management consulting firm and trusted advisor by businesses, governments, and institutions.
Fidel Hernandez
Associate Partner of McKinsey & Company
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About McKinsey & Company: McKinsey & Company is a global management consulting firm and trusted advisor by businesses, governments, and institutions.
Michael Chui
Partner, McKinsey Global Institute of McKinsey & Company
Michael Chui is a San Francisco-based partner in the McKinsey Global Institute, where he directs research on the impact of disruptive technologies, such as big data, social media, and the internet of things, on business and the economy. Previously, as a McKinsey consultant, Michael served clients in the high-tech, media, and telecom industries on multiple topics. Prior to joining McKinsey, he was the first chief information officer of the City of Bloomington, Indiana, and was the founder and executive director of HoosierNet, a regional internet service provider. Michael is a frequent speaker at major global conferences and his research has been cited in leading publications around the world. He holds a BS in symbolic systems from Stanford University and a PhD in computer science and cognitive science and an MS in computer science, both from Indiana University.
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About McKinsey & Company: McKinsey & Company is a global management consulting firm and trusted advisor by businesses, governments, and institutions.
Jaana Remes
Partner of McKinsey & Company
Dr. Jaana Remes is an economist and a partner at the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI), McKinsey & Company’s business and economics research arm, based in San Francisco. Since 2003, Jaana has led MGI’s research on urbanization, productivity, competitiveness, and growth. Her latest research maps the deployment of smart city solutions and sizes the potential benefits to urban citizens’ health, safety, commute times, and other factors impacting quality of life. Jaana leads MGI’s Urban World research series that includes mapping of economic power of cities, identifying global consumer groups shaping global demand, and mapping of the global company landscape; as well as the patterns of urban growth across the Americas. Her long term research interests also include productivity prospects in the digital age, global growth prospects in an era of demographic decline, analyses of how different policies have contributed to industry competitiveness and growth; as well as in-depth assessments of the barriers to competitiveness and growth across a range of economies, including the US, Mexico, Brazil, Canada, UK, Finland, Sweden, and South Korea. She has led MGI’s research on energy, with a focus on understanding the microeconomic underpinnings of global energy demand and the opportunity to reduce energy consumption through higher energy productivity. She advises global business and government leaders on related topics and frequently contributes to policy debates through articles and conference presentations. Jaana has a Ph.D. on applied economies from Stanford University and an MSc degree in economics and philosophy from the University of Helsinki, Finland. She is a nonresident senior fellow at the Strategic Foresight Initiative of the Atlantic Council. She also serves on the Board of directors of Girl Scouts Heart of Central California.
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About McKinsey & Company: McKinsey & Company is a global management consulting firm and trusted advisor by businesses, governments, and institutions.
Marie Claude Nadeau
Partner of McKinsey & Company
Marie-Claude is a Partner in the San Francisco office of McKinsey & Company. She leads McKinsey’s Digital Payments service line for North America.
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About McKinsey & Company: McKinsey & Company is a global management consulting firm and trusted advisor by businesses, governments, and institutions.
Olivia White
Partner of McKinsey & Company
Olivia is a Partner in the San Francisco office of McKinsey & Company and a core member of the Firm Financial Services and Risk Management practices. She has worked extensively on financial inclusion topics in emerging markets as well as with a broad range of financial institutions in the US and Europe. She is co-leader of McKinsey Financial Inclusion Practice, and has experience working on financial exclusion topics in a range of countries including Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, India, Pakistan, China and Nigeria. She is an author of the recent McKinsey Global Institute publication, Digital Finance for All: Powering Inclusive Growth in Emerging Economies. She is a member of the Executive Committee of the Better Than Cash Alliance and on the Advisory Committee for the ProInspire Fellowship in Digital Finance. Olivia is also a leader in McKinsey risk practice, where she is a leader in our work on risk and financial technologies leads our service line in Enterprise Risk Management in North America. Olivia client work includes customer experience transformations in retail and small business financial services, strategy and diligence work for investors in digital financial services, and examination of sales practices in retail banking. She has also contributed to major research efforts looking at both the economics and risks associated with digital payments in emerging markets. These include an empirical analysis of the economics of mobile money in East Africa, an examination of the economics of payment systems around the world to understand implications and opportunities for financial inclusion, and an investigation into the risk associated with digitally-enabled payments in the developing world.
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About McKinsey & Company: McKinsey & Company is a global management consulting firm and trusted advisor by businesses, governments, and institutions.
Eros Resmini
Partner, Sales And Marketing of 9+ Program
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About 9+ Program, The Mini Fund: 9+ offers a funding and mentoring program for product entrepreneurs with concepts in mobile, tablet, big data, gaming and wearables.
Gareth Chang
Founder & Managing Partner of GC3 & Associates International
Gareth Chang is the Chairman of the Board of Directors and Managing Partner of GC3 & Associates International LLC (a private investment and consulting firm). Gareth is also a Senior Advisor to Baring Private Equity Asia and Chairman of the Board of Directors at Novo Tellus Capital Partners. Gareth is currently also serving as a Member of the Board of Directors at Neustar (NYSE). Prior to his present portfolios, Gareth was the Founding Chairman of the Board of Directors at D5 Studio and Alpha Media in Beijing producing 3D animation, TV dramas and feature films for China and the international market; the Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer at Towona, the leading mobile TV in China; Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors at Netstar Group; Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors at McDonnell-Shanghai Aircraft group during which he pioneered (1979) the first US-China multi-billion high-tech joint venture producing FAA certified DC9/MD80/MD90 commercial jetliners in China. Throughout Gareth’s illustrious career, he has served as a Member of the Board of Directors at Apple Computer, Comscore, News Corporation, Palm Inc., DirecTV, Agile Software, SRS Labs and the Advisory Council of Nike Inc. Gareth has over 40 years of experience in developing leading technologies and media businesses in the U.S. and worldwide. Gareth has served as a Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive of News Corp.’s StarTV Group in Hong Kong, President of Hughes (Aircraft) Electronics International, President of DirecTV International, Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors at DirecTV Japan, Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors at Hughes-JVC Technology and Corporate Vice President of McDonnell Douglas Corp. The recipient of many awards in recognition of his outstanding contributions in business, science and community affairs – including being named by Fortune as one of the top 125 Thinkers of the World – Gareth also received honorable mention at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival for producing the short film AUGUST 15. Gareth holds a B.A. degree in Mathematics / Physics, an honorary Doctorate of Science from California State University and an MBA from Pepperdine University. Gareth is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Communications in Beijing, a Visiting Professor at the Tsinghua University, Honorary Professor at the Chinese University of Astronautics and Aeronautics and Visiting Professor at Portland State University. Gareth is a Board Member of the Committee of 100 and serves on the Board of The East West Players in Los Angeles and the UCLA Public Policy Advisory Board, as well as being a Member of the Council on Foreign Relations in New York.
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About Communication University of China, GC3 & Associates International: GC3 & Associates International is a management consulting and private investment firm.
Tom Serres
Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Animal Ventures
Founder of Rally, Founder of Animal Ventures, Managing Partner at Warburg Serres. Spending my days investing in legendary founders.
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About Animal Ventures, Rally, Warburg Serres Investments: Partnering your company with the hottest startups and emerging tech companies coming onto the market.
Matthew Hatch
Partner and Americas FinTech leader of Ernst & Young
Matt Hatch, Partner & Americas FinTech Leader, Ernst & Young LLP As a partner and the Americas FinTech leader at EY, Matt has over 18 years of experience serving clients in the financial services and technology industries. He’s passionate about helping my clients succeed in a rapidly changing technology and financial services environment. Matt is committed to uncovering opportunities and empowering EY clients as they improve technologies and customer experiences, lower costs, increase scale and manage risk. Matt has a breadth and depth of experience leading complex advisory and assurance projects, including internal audit co-sourcing and outsourcing, financial audit, FinTech innovation, payment processing, governance risk & compliance implementations, IT risk management, and controls optimization efforts. He has served Fortune 500 companies and high-growth startups in the financial services and technology sectors throughout his career, most recently working on engagements focused on improving and scaling processes, systems integration, internal audit assessments and large transformation initiatives.
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About Ernst & Young: Ernst & Young is a provider of assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services.
Andrew Sale
Partner of Ernst & Young
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About Ernst & Young: Ernst & Young is a provider of assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services.
David Chan
Partner of Ernst & Young
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About Ernst & Young: Ernst & Young is a provider of assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services.
David Connolly
Partner of Ernst & Young
David Connolly leads the EY Digital Enterprise Transformation practice. He and his global team work with insurance carriers to help them capitalize upon the power of technology to re-visit business models, acquire customers through new channels and create the essential user experiences. Through relationships with both emerging InsureTechs, as well as those who are established, EY applies technology to the needs of insurance carriers in a business-driven and strategic manner. The primary InsureTech areas of focus include Blockchain, Intelligent Process Automation, Advanced Analytics, Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, and Sensors, Telematics & Wearables.
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About Ernst & Young: Ernst & Young is a provider of assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services.
Scott Porter
Partner, Advisory Services of Ernst & Young
Scott Porter is a Partner in EY’s Advisory practice, He works with public and privately held companies in the Media & Entertainment and Technology sectors and brings over two decades of experience leading complex projects and integrated global teams. Throughout his career, Scott has contributed to the development of several innovative methodologies and client service solutions, and delivered assurance, business consulting and business risk services to companies across diverse industries. As the Entrepreneur Of The Year Greater Los Angeles Program Director, Scott helps to identify and celebrate game-changing entrepreneurs. In addition to that, Scott currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Los Angeles World Affairs Council and the Advisory Board for the New York City High School of Economics and Finance. He is Chairman of the USC Marshall Partners and has served as a past President of the USC Accounting Circle Board.
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About Ernst & Young: Ernst & Young is a provider of assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services.
Jonathan Cantwell
Partner of GP Bullhound
Jon is a Director in GP Bullhound’s San Francisco office, focused primarily on Software M&A and Advisory transactions. He has over 10 years of technology investment banking experience and has completed over 35 transactions with public and private emerging growth tech companies, including many cross-border deals. Prior to GP Bullhound, Jon worked at Pacific Crest Securities and Pagemill Partners in Silicon Valley. He started his career at Ernst & Young in New York and holds a CPA license. Jon has a B.S. degree from the Marshall School of Business, Leventhal School of Accounting at the University of Southern California.
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About GP Bullhound: GP Bullhound is a technology advisory and investment firm that provides transaction advice and capital to entrepreneurs and founders.
Alec Dafferner
Partner of GP Bullhound
Alec is head of GP Bullhound’s San Francisco office. With over twenty years of technology investment banking experience, Alec has executed over 100 transactions for emerging growth companies in the U.S. and abroad, raising over $10 billion in capital and advising on over $4 billion in mergers and acquisitions. Prior to joining GP Bullhound in 2008, Alec was an Executive Director at UBS in the Global Technology Investment Banking group where he focused primarily on the Internet, Digital Media and Software sectors. Prior to joining UBS in 2001, Alec worked at Volpe Brown Whelan & Company in San Francisco where he focused on Internet, Communications and Software-related technology companies. Alec is a graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
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About GP Bullhound: GP Bullhound is a technology advisory and investment firm that provides transaction advice and capital to entrepreneurs and founders.
Pat Robertson
Partner of Dragoneer Investment Group
Partner at Dragoneer Investment Group in San Francisco.
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About Dragoneer Investment Group: Dragoneer is an investment firm that focuses on disruptive businesses and experience at the intersection of public and private markets.
Eric Jones
Partner of Dragoneer Investment Group
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About Dragoneer Investment Group: Dragoneer is an investment firm that focuses on disruptive businesses and experience at the intersection of public and private markets.
Jared Middleman
Partner of Dragoneer Investment Group
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About Dragoneer Investment Group: Dragoneer is an investment firm that focuses on disruptive businesses and experience at the intersection of public and private markets.
Christian Jensen
Partner, Co-Head of Private Investments of Dragoneer Investment Group
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About Dragoneer Investment Group: Dragoneer is an investment firm that focuses on disruptive businesses and experience at the intersection of public and private markets.
Prabhu Goel
Managing Partner of Green Span Ventures
Prabhu began his career by joining IBM’s EDA organization at East Fishkill where he was involved with many developments in the area of chip test automation. At IBM he developed the Podem algorithm and other technologies that earned him 4 patents and several awards. He left in 1981 to join Wang Labs where he was exposed to the commercial EDA industry. He left Wang in 1982 to start Gateway Design Automation – the company that delivered the now industry standard Verilog-XL to the market. In 1989 he sold Gateway to Cadence and continued at Cadence for 2 more years. He left Cadence to become a private venture capitalist. Since 1992, he has been an investor and a Director in a number of private companies. In 1996 he sold one of his companies, Frontline Design Automation, to Avant Corporation for a second venture success. Several of his present investments are in the EDA industry. Prabhu completed his graduate studies from Carnegie Mellon.
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About Green Span Ventures: Greenspan ventures limited is a private limited company Offering technical advice to both private and institutional investors.
Louis Samson
Partner of Platinum Equity
Louis Samson leads Platinum Equity’s New York-based investment team, manages the operations of the New York office, and is a member of the Investment Committee. In his role, Louis Samson oversees all financial, operating, tax, and legal aspects of M&A transactions executed by his team. Additionally, together with the Operations Team, he provides oversight to the portfolio companies for which he led the acquisition. Louis Samson and his team led the acquisitions of American Commercial Lines, Maxim Crane Works, The San Diego Union-Tribune, PBH Marine Group (the successor company to Genmar), NESCO, BWAY, BlueLine Rental (formerly Volvo Rents), MACtac and PAE. Louis Samson and his team also led a number of add-on acquisitions to these platforms, including Ropak (BWAY), Triton Boats (PBH Marine Group), Penske Utility (NESCO), Crane Rental Corp, assets from Barnhart Crane & Rigging and LJ Crane (Maxim Crane Works), AEP River Operations (American Commercial Lines), Trico Lift (BlueLine Rental) as well as a number of refinancings. In 2008, Platinum Equity won the “Deal of the Year” award for its acquisition of Maxim Crane Works and in 2010, won the “Financing of the Year” award for its refinancing of The San Diego Union-Tribune from The M&A Advisor Magazine. Louis Samson has 20 years of Mergers and Acquisitions experience and has completed transactions in a variety of industry sectors. Prior to joining Platinum Equity in 2007, Louis Samson was a Managing Director in the Mergers & Acquisitions Group at CIBC World Markets and was an M&A lawyer with Stikeman Elliott. Louis Samson is a graduate of Ottawa University Law School and Le Petit Seminaire de Quebec College.
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About Platinum Equity: Platinum Equity is a private equity investment firm that focuses on leveraged buyout investments of established companies.
Jacob Kotzubei
Partner of Platinum Equity
Jacob Kotzubei is a Partner and member of Platinum Equity’s Investment Committee, leads a Los Angeles-based investment team and has oversight responsibility for investment teams in Europe and Asia. In addition, Mr. Kotzubei plays a substantial role in raising capital from limited partners for the firm’s investment funds. Jacob Kotzubei and his team led the acquisitions of or investments in SourceOne Healthcare (formerly Diagnostic Imaging), CompuCom Systems, Turf Care Supply (formerly a division of Lesco), ESM Group, PNA Group, SDI, Canwel Building Products (formerly Broadleaf Logistics, a division acquired from Weyerhaeuser), Ryerson, Keystone Automotive, SCM Metal Products and Ecka Granules, Ahern Rentals, Canvas Systems, KEMET Corporation, Pomeroy, Schutt Sports, Aquilex, Neovia Logistics (formerly Caterpillar Logistics Services) and Artesyn Embedded Technologies (formerly Emerson Embedded Power and Computing), including related financings and refinancings. Jacob Kotzubei is a member of the board of directors at both KEMET Corp. (NYSE: KEM) and CanWel Building Materials Group Ltd. (TMX: CWX). Jacob Kotzubei has more than 20 years of M&A experience, including substantial complex carve-out and public-to-private experience, in numerous industries and countries. Prior to joining Platinum Equity in 2002, Mr. Kotzubei was a Vice President of the High Tech Group at Goldman Sachs and was head of the East Coast Semiconductor Group. Previously, he was an M&A attorney with Sullivan & Cromwell in New York. Jacob Kotzubei received his B.A. from Wesleyan University and his J.D. from Columbia University School of Law. He is a retired member of the New York State Bar
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About Platinum Equity: Platinum Equity is a private equity investment firm that focuses on leveraged buyout investments of established companies.
Robert Wentworth
Partner of Platinum Equity
Robert Wentworth participates in senior level merger and acquisition activities for Platinum Equity and is a member of the Investment Committee. Robert Wentworth was previously President and Chief Executive Officer for the North American operations of Platinum portfolio company NextiraOne, where he led its formation and served as its CEO since its inception in 2001. Prior to joining Platinum Equity in 1997, Robert Wentworth was President and Chief Executive Officer at Alden Electronics, Inc. where he also served as the company’s Chief Financial Officer. Previously, Robert Wentworth served as a certified public accountant for fourteen years with Ernst & Young. Robert Wentworth grew up in Massachusetts and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting at Bentley College.
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About Platinum Equity: Platinum Equity is a private equity investment firm that focuses on leveraged buyout investments of established companies.
Mark Barnhill
Partner of Platinum Equity
Mark Barnhill manages functions connected to capital raising, fund administration, investor relations and corporate and external affairs for Platinum Equity and Platinum Equity Capital Partners.Mark Barnhill is responsible for strategic planning and administration of the firm’s private equity fund vehicles. Mark Barnhill leads Platinum’s capital raising activities and is its senior relationship manager with investors, who comprise a diverse cross-section of public and private pension funds, financial institutions, foundations and family offices in North America, Europe and Asia. Mark Barnhill is responsible for working with the firm’s M&A&O® teams on the capital structure and drawdown of investment capital for individual transactions. Mark Barnhill also oversees functions related to quarterly and annual reporting and audit, compliance with contractual and regulatory matters related to the funds, and coordination with the funds’ Limited Partner Advisory Committees. In addition to his fund responsibilities, Mark Barnhill holds leadership functions connected to strategic planning, recruiting and retention, transaction sourcing, corporate communications and external affairs for Platinum Equity and its operating companies. Mark Barnhill was formerly a Senior Partner at Fleishman-Hillard Inc., where Mark Barnhill directed the firm’s corporate practice in Los Angeles and managed both domestic and international accounts. Before that he was a senior executive at the Los Angeles Daily News, where Mark Barnhill served as Assistant Managing Editor, City Editor, and Washington Bureau Chief. Mark Barnhill also spearheaded development of the newspaper’s interactive business and first online site.
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About Platinum Equity: Platinum Equity is a private equity investment firm that focuses on leveraged buyout investments of established companies.
Bob Wymbs
Partner of Platinum Equity
Bob Wymbs leads two M&A teams at Platinum Equity, both of which are key differentiators for the firm.On the buy side, Bob Wymbs is head of Platinum Equity’s Lower Middle Market (LMM) M&A group that targets businesses with up to $250 million in annual revenue across North America and Europe. The LMM team is nested inside Platinum Equity’s broader organizational structure and draws upon the entire firm’s experience, track record, capital base and operational resources. Bob Wymbs also leads Platinum Equity’s dedicated, in-house sell-side team. In that capacity, he is responsible for managing a broad range of strategic divestiture opportunities throughout Platinum Equity’s portfolio. As part of his sell-side responsibilities, Bob Wymbs has led and negotiated numerous transactions, including full or partial sales of NextiraOne, Clipper Windpower, AEES, Contego, Alliance Entertainment, Acument, and many others. Bob Wymbs is a member of the Board of Directors at Megapath Corporation.Prior to joining Platinum Equity in 2000, Bob Wymbs spent four years at the Los Angeles Dodgers and three years at McKinsey & Company, a management consulting firm. At the two firms, he held various positions in strategic development, business development, project management, operations and marketing. Bob Wymbs earned a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Rutgers University and a Master’s of Business Administration from the Wharton School.
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About Platinum Equity: Platinum Equity is a private equity investment firm that focuses on leveraged buyout investments of established companies.
David Webster
Partner, Executive Portfolio Director of Product Design of IDEO
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About IDEO: IDEO is a global design and innovation consultancy firm providing design-based marketing solutions for the public and private sectors.
Dennis Boyle
General Partner of IDEO
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About IDEO: IDEO is a global design and innovation consultancy firm providing design-based marketing solutions for the public and private sectors.
Brendan Boyle
Partner of IDEO
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About Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford ( d.school ), IDEO: IDEO is a global design and innovation consultancy firm providing design-based marketing solutions for the public and private sectors.
Martha Josephson
Partner of Egon Zehnder
Martha Josephson, based in Palo Alto, focuses on technology and communications and leads Egon Zehnder’s global Digital Media Practice, a pioneering specialty she launched in 1996. Martha serves many of Silicon Valley’s best-known and emerging enterprises, with a focus on hyper-growth digital media companies. She is especially engaged in sourcing digital talent for consumer and other non-digital companies seeking to evolve digitally. She conducts both senior management and board director searches, and provides board effectiveness consulting. In 2011, Martha was named to Fortune Magazine’s Executive “Dream Team” Start-up group. She was acknowledged in “How Google Works” (2014) by Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg as “not technically a Googler, but as true a partner as can be found.” Martha is also an official and enthusiastic Commentator for “The Information”, an online publication taking deep-dives into technology and media. Martha was previously a consultant for McKinsey & Company, based in New York, where she focused on major turn-around efforts and post-merger integration for Consumer companies. Other past roles include Managing Editor of the “Asian Venture Capital Journal,” a media and conference company based in Hong Kong, and Executive Director, Hong Kong Venture Capital Association, a business networking group. Martha earned an AB from Princeton University, graduating Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude, and an MBA from Columbia Graduate School of Business. She serves on the Advisory Board of “Pave”, a company devoted to mentorship and financial support for very high potential people, early in their lives. Martha is also an Advisor to “CollegeFeed,” a networking platform that connects companies to college students beginning their careers.
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About Egon Zehnder: Egon Zehnder is a true professional services firm, passionately devoted to your success, ethical in our actions
Francois Chopard
General Partner of Starburst Ventures
François has over 20 years of experience in strategy consulting, entrepreneurship and business development. He has founded Starburst Accelerator, the 1st incubator/accelerator dedicated to aerospace start-ups. François specializes in the Aviation Aerospace and Defense industries featuring high stakes technology and has developed a wide experience of innovation-related issues. This has led him to speak about innovation at the World Economic Forum in Davos. He works now on topics like future trends, product strategy, open innovation for companies mainly from the aerospace industry as well as investment funds. Previously to joining Impulse Partners, François was a Paris-based partner at Oliver Wyman. He was also founder and CEO of Arendi Consulting. François received his MS in Electrical Engineering from the Ecole Supérieur d’Electricité (Supélec) in Paris, France. He has started his career as an Airbus Engineer and spent two years in a US Airforce research lab.
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About Starburst Ventures: Starburst Ventures is a global aviation, space, and defense focused venture capital fund.
Wendy Grad
Expert Partner, Head of ADAPT EMEA of Bain & Company
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About Bain & Company: Bain & Company is a management consulting firm that provides solutions on change in management, strategies, and technology.
Quinn Solomon
Partner of Bain & Company
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About Bain & Company: Bain & Company is a management consulting firm that provides solutions on change in management, strategies, and technology.
Lori Sherer
Partner of Bain & Company
Lori Sherer is a partner in Bain & Company’s San Francisco office. She is a leader in Bain’s Advanced Analytics and Digital practices. As an expert in the field of applying advanced analytics to address business challenges, Lori brings a global perspective on state-of-the-art analytical methodologies and opportunities to her clients. At Bain, Lori leads case teams and collaborates with clients across a number of industries including retail, banking, insurance, telecommunications, media and technology. Her work addresses a variety of topics from strategy and organizational development to building and deploying analytics. She has also worked on projects focused on delivering decision science models for marketing, customer experience enhancement, loyalty, revenue enhancement, customer service, collections and risk management. Lori has more than 20 years of experience in the field of advanced analytics and decision science as an adviser, practitioner and entrepreneur. Prior to joining Bain in 2014, Lori co-founded and led McKinsey’s Insurance Solutions which designs, builds and deploys analytics solutions across the customer value chain. Lori honed her decision science experience as General Manager of the Enterprise Management division at FICO, a global analytics software and services company, and as Chief Strategy and New Applications Development Officer at RMS, a leading catastrophe risk modeling company Lori earned an MBA in marketing and finance from Babson College and graduated summa cum laude from New England College with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and public administration.
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About Bain & Company: Bain & Company is a management consulting firm that provides solutions on change in management, strategies, and technology.
Lori Sherer
Partner of Bain & Company
Lori Sherer is a partner in Bain & Company’s San Francisco office. She is a leader in Bain’s Advanced Analytics and Digital practices. As an expert in the field of applying advanced analytics to address business challenges, Lori brings a global perspective on state-of-the-art analytical methodologies and opportunities to her clients. At Bain, Lori leads case teams and collaborates with clients across a number of industries including retail, banking, insurance, telecommunications, media and technology. Her work addresses a variety of topics from strategy and organizational development to building and deploying analytics. She has also worked on projects focused on delivering decision science models for marketing, customer experience enhancement, loyalty, revenue enhancement, customer service, collections and risk management. Lori has more than 20 years of experience in the field of advanced analytics and decision science as an adviser, practitioner and entrepreneur. Prior to joining Bain in 2014, Lori co-founded and led McKinsey’s Insurance Solutions which designs, builds and deploys analytics solutions across the customer value chain. Lori honed her decision science experience as General Manager of the Enterprise Management division at FICO, a global analytics software and services company, and as Chief Strategy and New Applications Development Officer at RMS, a leading catastrophe risk modeling company Lori earned an MBA in marketing and finance from Babson College and graduated summa cum laude from New England College with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and public administration.
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About Bain & Company: Bain & Company is a management consulting firm that provides solutions on change in management, strategies, and technology.
Amber Grewal
Managing Director & Partner, Global Talent of The Boston Consulting Group
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About The Boston Consulting Group: The Boston Consulting Group is a global management consulting firm and an advisor on business strategy.
Jody Foldesy
Partner & Managing Director of The Boston Consulting Group
Strategic advisor on topics of growth strategy, digital strategy, and M&A for leading global enterprises seeking to achieve breakout growth and deliver superior returns.
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About The Boston Consulting Group: The Boston Consulting Group is a global management consulting firm and an advisor on business strategy.
Zia Yusuf
Senior Partner & Managing Director – Silicon Valley of The Boston Consulting Group
Zia Yusuf is the Senior Partner & Managing Director at Boston Consulting Group (BCG)
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About The Boston Consulting Group: The Boston Consulting Group is a global management consulting firm and an advisor on business strategy.
John Perkins
Managing Director & Senior Partner of The Boston Consulting Group
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About The Boston Consulting Group: The Boston Consulting Group is a global management consulting firm and an advisor on business strategy.
Meg Kedrowski
Managing Director & Partner of The Boston Consulting Group
Meg Kedrowski is the Managing Director and Partner at Boston Consulting Group.
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About The Boston Consulting Group: The Boston Consulting Group is a global management consulting firm and an advisor on business strategy.
Zach Suchin
Founding Partner & CEO of Brand Knew
Zach is an entrepreneur and investor based out of Los Angeles & New York. Born and raised in Los Angeles to a family deeply immersed in the entertainment industry, he absorbed pop-culture and took great interest in the media and technology sectors. Throughout high school, he worked for executive management at Sony, 20th Century Fox, ICM and The Firm. He earned bachelor degrees in both Political Science and Film at Emory University, while marketing high-profile weekly events for college students, featuring recording artists such as Akon, Jermaine Dupri, Ludacris, Outkast and Jeezy. In 2006, Zach moved back to Los Angeles with an increased knowledge of digital marketing and developed College Tonight with Jason Schutzbank, which in its first 12 months of operation, won the Mashable award for Best Event-Based Social Network and was published in Generation MySpace as one of the top 15 social networking sites on the Internet. What started as a conduit between local businesses and college students, became a more robust collegiate platform. The Quad consisted of a retail outfit, collaborative tools and Greek community features. Suchin led the company through a substantial venture round, eventually taking the small-cap company public in late 2007. This made Suchin the youngest CEO of a publicly-traded company in the United States. With Zach at the helm, the company grew past a market capitalization of over $100 million. He and Jason sold their share of the company in early 2009. The duo then co-founded Brand Knew to help both start-ups and veteran brands better navigate the digital landscape. Suchin is credited with having invented the developmental venture equity model now popularized by boutique digital agencies, guest lectures in new media at UCLA and Boston University, and has been a technology contributor on BloombergTV. Zach sits on the board of directors for several portfolio companies and the steering committees for various non-profit organizations, serving as the Digital Chair for YaLa Academy. He remains intimately involved in the creative direction of Brand Knew’s clients and chairs both the Brand Knew Opportunities conferences and the Causathon event series.
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About Brand Knew: Creative Collective & Strategic Advisory
Roberta Gamble
Partner and VP of Frost & Sullivan
Roberta Gamble has over 17 years expertise consulting Global 1000 companies on market entry and expansion strategy, brand and demand, geographical expansion strategies and new market entry. She oversees a team of analysts and consultants with expertise across the energy and environment value chain, including oil & gas, power generation, power grids, energy storage, buildings, and water infrastructure. Her own research and expertise has focused on: •Thee convergence of IT and OT across oil & gas and power •Digital transformation of power grid and manufacturing •Smarter cities Roberta has headlined numerous key industry events and has been quoted and interviewed in national publications including the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and NPR. She is a Partner and Vice President at Frost & Sullivan, and Global Business Unit Leader for the Energy and Environment team, which has over 100 analysts and consultants worldwide covering global energy, environment and infrastructure markets.
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About Frost & Sullivan: Frost and Sullivan is a business growth consultation company focused on increasing brand demand.
Reenita Das
Partner of Frost & Sullivan
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About Frost & Sullivan, Frost & Sullivan: Frost and Sullivan is a business growth consultation company focused on increasing brand demand.
Ben Smith
Managing Partner of Chancebending Ventures, Inc
Ben is an early Google and YouTube exec who created many first of its kind social media partnerships on the web and lead YouTube’s efforts with Hollywood for years. He helped bridge the gap between Hollywood and Silicon Valley, leaving YouTube HQ to be the company’s first businessperson in LA.
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About Chancebending Ventures, Inc: Consulting/Advising/Investing
Steve Klinenberg
Partner of Chancebending Ventures, Inc
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About Chancebending Ventures, Inc, Gravillis Inc: Consulting/Advising/Investing
Anil Advani
Founder and Managing Partner of Inventus Law
Anil Advani is the Managing Partner of Palo Alto and San Francisco based law firm, Inventus Law. His practice focuses on representing early stage start-up companies, from 2-3 “guys in the garage” through the life-cycle of the venture, negotiating angel and venture financings, customer and licensing transactions, and mergers and acquisitions. He has also represented a number of angel investor groups. Over the last 12 years working at powerhouse law firms like Cooley Godward and Orrick Herrington, Mr. Advani has represented over 800 startups and founders (including many backed by the premier Silicon Valley incubator Y Combinator), and been involved in almost 200 financing and M&A transactions valued at over $1 billion in aggregate.
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About Inventus Law: Inventus Law is a Silicon Valley based premier law firm that represents high growth startup companies, founders, angel investors.
Lyon Kassab
Founder & Managing Partner of BoCG Ventures
Lyon Kassab is currently the Co-Founder and General Managing Partner at BoCG Ventures; a fund focused on funding and operating antifragile, blockchain-based portfolio companies through an innovative venture operating model. Alongside venture development, Lyon focuses on early- and mid-stage venture development to stay at the forefront of innovation. Current portfolio companies include Sansbank, Vescense and Byblos Design. Sansbank is a blockchain based alternative lending platform focused on democratizing real estate investing. Vescense manufactures and distributes clean and natural functional fragrances through an innovative referral marketing platform. Byblos Design introduces modern design technology to luxury real estate development. Lyon is a dynamic and industry-agnostic Executive with a career spanning Consumer Packaged Goods, Management Consulting, and Automotive Industries. He specializes in Strategy and Operations and has spent more than two decades linking Strategy, Operations, Finance and Technology.. His Executive Management experience spans billion-dollar companies, such as Herbalife ($HLF), Visalus Sciences ($VIS) and Avon ($AVP) and also early-stage ventures such as Fast Toys Club, an exotic car club, BeautyTheory, an anti-aging manufacturer and MealLife, a meal delivery service. He also serves as a mentor to business students at Pepperdine University where he is able to bridge the gap between entrepreneurship in higher education with real world strategy, operations and finance. One of Lyon’s past ventures, Fast Toys Club, was recently featured as a capstone case to Pepperdine University MBA students.
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About BoCG Ventures, Bothnia Consulting Group, HV, Sansbank: Creating market leading, antifragile brands.
Shivani Sopory
Partner of KPMG International Limited
Shivani Sopory is the Partner at KPMG.
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About KPMG International Limited: KPMG is a network of independent member firms offering audit, tax and advisory services.
Scott Jones
Partner of KPMG International Limited
Scott is a Partner in KPMG’s Strategy group, leads the firm’s Semiconductor Practice for Advisory and has nearly 20 years of experience working with semiconductor and other high tech companies. He began his career at Intel in finance and later became a program manager in the Enterprise Product Group. After departing Intel he covered the Semiconductor sector at JPMorgan for the #1 ranked equity research team on Wall Street. Later he joined AlixPartners to lead their Semiconductor Practice and the Digital Transformation for the Technology, Media and Telecom sector. Scott is recognized as a thought leader in the Semiconductor industry with a series of publications on R&D Efficiency, Portfolio Management and Operations. He has also led numerous panels and delivered presentations on advanced technology topics such as 3D/2.5D TSV, EUV, 3D NAND, and AI at industry and client events. He has worked with a large group of clients across the high-tech landscape including: Intel, Qualcomm, GlobalFoundries, ARM, Western Digital, Xilinx, Lam Research, VMware, HP Enterprise, Microsemi, Allegro Microsystems, Microchip Technologies, KKR, CVC, Veritas Capital, One Equity Partners and others.
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About KPMG International Limited: KPMG is a network of independent member firms offering audit, tax and advisory services.
Lindsay Farnsworth
Partner of KPMG International Limited
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About KPMG International Limited: KPMG is a network of independent member firms offering audit, tax and advisory services.
Jim Adams
Partner, National Aerospace and Defense Leader at KPMG LLP of KPMG International Limited
Jim Adams is a principal with KPMG in the Industrial Manufacturing Strategy practice bringing over 20 years of experience in aerospace & defense, energy, technology, and highly engineered products and services. He specializes in strategy-based transformation, corporate strategy / corporate development, acquisition support, and improving company and product competitiveness, including operations / margin improvement Prior to joining KPMG, Jim was with PwC Strategy& (formerly Booz & Company) for over 12 years. His most recent role was the U.S. Aerospace and Defense strategy practice leader for Strategy&. Previously, Jim worked at Boeing for about ten years with roles in engineering, operations, and program management. He also spent two years with Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory where he assisted in design and manufacture of ultra-violet sensors for space-based observation. Jim also had a short tenure with Toyota Financial Services in the Treasury group as a Senior Derivatives Analyst. Jim earned a MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management and a MS in Engineering from UCLA (he was a Hughes Fellowship recipient for his MS in Engineering). Jim’s undergraduate degree is from the University of California Berkeley with a BS degree in Engineering. Jim is also a U.S. Army veteran.
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About KPMG International Limited: KPMG is a network of independent member firms offering audit, tax and advisory services.
Lisa Daniels
Managing Partner KPMG & Risk Consulting Partner of KPMG International Limited
Lisa Daniels is the Managing Partner KPMG & Risk Consulting Partner at KPMG.
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About KPMG International Limited: KPMG is a network of independent member firms offering audit, tax and advisory services.
Michael Mackiewicz
Partner of KPMG International Limited
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About KPMG International Limited: KPMG is a network of independent member firms offering audit, tax and advisory services.
Jacob Pszonowsky
Principal (Partner) of KPMG International Limited
Jacob Pszonowsky is the Partner Advisory Board member (volunteer) at Ping Identity.
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About KPMG International Limited, Ping Identity: KPMG is a network of independent member firms offering audit, tax and advisory services.
Jacob Pszonowsky
Principal (Partner) of KPMG International Limited
Jacob Pszonowsky is the Partner Advisory Board member (volunteer) at Ping Identity.
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About KPMG International Limited, Ping Identity: KPMG is a network of independent member firms offering audit, tax and advisory services.
Harry Langenberg
Founder & Managing Partner of Optima Tax Relief
Harry Langenberg is the Managing Partner at Optima Tax Relief.
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About Debtmerica, LoanNow, Optima Tax Relief, SuperMoney: Founded in 2011, Optima Tax Relief has helped thousands of Americans nationwide resolve their IRS and state tax issues.
Jesse Stockwell
Co-Founder & Managing Partner of Optima Tax Relief
Jesse Stockwell is the Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Optima Tax Relief.
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About LoanNow, Optima Tax Relief: Founded in 2011, Optima Tax Relief has helped thousands of Americans nationwide resolve their IRS and state tax issues.
Brian Kilcourse
Managing Partner of Retail Systems Research
Brian Kilcourse is a recognized thought leader in the United States on how businesses innovate to deliver differentiating and sustainable value through the power of information. Brian is a managing partner at Retail Systems Research LLC (“RSR”), a company focused on helping companies develop winning strategies with its industry leading research focused on the extended retail industry. At RSR, Brian has authored studies on digital commerce and “omni-channel” strategies, business intelligence & analytics and the value of “big data”, pricing strategies, cross-channel fulfillment, supply chain strategies, mobile technology in Retail, and consumer data privacy & security, among other topics. Before co-founding RSR in 2007, Brian was President & Chief Executive of Retail Systems Alert Group, a B2B media company focused on the retail ecosystem. From 2002-2005, Brian advised several technology companies. He is currently a member of the Executive & Advisory Board of UK-based IORMA (International Omni Retailing Markets Association). Brian was the SVP & CIO at Longs Drug Stores, a $5B enterprise with markets in the U.S. West Coast and Hawaii, from 1993 through 2002. One of the top retail CIO’s in the United States during his tenure, Brian was named one of the Premier 100 IT Leaders by Computerworld magazine and by Information Week as leader of the #1 retail IT shop in 2001. He led pioneering efforts in the areas of BI & Analytics, Price Optimization, E-commerce, Electronic Payment Systems, Category Management, Computer Assisted Store Ordering, Workflow Automation, and Warehouse Robotics. He was a retail industry leader in the development and adoption of technology standards in the area of in-store point-of-sale. A long Northern California resident, Brian holds a BA degree in Management from St. Mary’s College of Moraga, CA.
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About Retail Systems Research: Retail Systems Research provides insight into business and technology challenges facing the retail industry ecosystem.
Mark Zawacki
Founder & Managing Partner of 650 Labs
Mark has founded two successful strategy consulting firms: Milestone Group (2001) and 650 Labs (2012). He has advised more than 300 clients globally on a myriad of growth and revenue-related initiatives including business strategy, innovation, new product development, acquisition targeting, business and corporate development, alliances/partnering, go-to-market strategies and international expansion. His clients have included Tata, NTT, Microsoft, McDonalds, MasterCard, Cisco, JPMorgan Chase, Intel, SAP, British Home Stores, GSMA, SMART, Volvo, Novartis, AstraZeneca, SITA, Norsk Hydro, Occidental Petroleum, Union Bank of Switzerland, Swisscom, Rabobank, VeriSign and Symantec as well as a number of private equity and venture capital firms. Prior to 650 Labs and Milestone Group, Mark spent nearly a decade as a strategy consultant with the CSC Index, the strategic management consulting division of Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC). Variously based in Amsterdam, London, Sydney and San Francisco, Mark’s work at CSC Index focused on corporate strategy, organizational change and leveraging technology for business advantage. Mark has consulted in 50+ countries around the world and traveled to more than 70+ countries to date. Mark holds a B.Sc. Marketing from the University of Colorado and an MBA from the University of Rochester, William E. Simon Graduate School of Business.
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About 650 Labs, INSEAD, Milestone Group, Vertical Farms: 650 Labs work with ambitious multinationals globally
Timothy Spangler
Partner, Financial Services Group of Dechert
Timothy Spangler focuses his practice on the intersection of alternative investment management and financial technology innovations. Mr. Spangler assists clients with the formation, structuring and negotiation of private investment vehicles across numerous jurisdictions around the world. He regularly advises fund sponsors and promoters on the structuring and launch of hedge funds, private equity funds and venture capital funds, as well as with respect to their co-investment arrangements, internal partnerships and personal investments. On a selective basis, he advises potential investors in private investment funds. Mr. Spangler also has particular experience counseling clients on the ongoing compliance obligations of investment management firms operating in a rapidly evolving global regulatory landscape, including the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 and the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive. Dividing his time between the firm’s Orange County and Silicon Valley offices, Mr. Spangler also advises clients on the impact of blockchain, cryptocurrencies and digital assets on the financial services industry and the innovation economy. Mr. Spangler was recently recognized by The Legal 500 (US) in the area of alternative/hedge funds, and has been recognized in Chambers Global in the area of USA Investment Funds: Hedge Funds, Foreign Expert for UK. He is listed in The Legal Media Group Guide to the World’s Leading Lawyers for Investment Funds in both the United States and the United Kingdom. He is also “Recommended” for his work with Investment Funds in The PLC Cross-Border Investment Funds Handbook and is mentioned in The International Who’s Who Legal for Private Funds.
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About Dechert: Dechert is a global specialist law firm delivering practical commercial insight and judgment for its clients’ most important matters.
Raja Kapadia
Partner of Stride
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About Stride: Stride provides timely, accurate and actionable bookkeeping and accounting, HR administration and compliance.
Thomas Archer
Partner of PwC
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About PwC, PwC: PricewaterhouseCoopers is an accounting firm that provides tax, HR, transactions, performance improvement, and crisis management services.
Leslie O’Harrow
Partner of PwC
Leslie O’Harrow is a tax partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). She provides tax consulting to large Technology, Media and Entertainment companies and manages a collaborative team of accountants, attorneys and technologists. In her role, she has championed the digitalization of tax services through the recruitment of diversity technology professionals, the upskilling, development and training of existing staff, and collaboration with technology companies and vendors on software development projects. A recognized thought leader and subject matter expert, Leslie is a sought-out speaker, lecturer, and advisor on tax technology and diversity and inclusion. Leslie is also a member of PwC’s LGBT National Board. Through her board membership, she is responsible for setting the strategy and making policy recommendations for how PwC can best attract, retain and advance LGBT+ professionals. Leslie’s mission is to raise the visibility of successful LGBT role models and lead the local office LGBT networks to better engage, support, and advance PwC’s diverse professionals. Leslie has worked in PwC’s New York and London offices, and is currently based in Los Angeles. She has a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and a Masters in Tax from the University of Alabama.
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About PwC: PricewaterhouseCoopers is an accounting firm that provides tax, HR, transactions, performance improvement, and crisis management services.
Jeanette Calandra
Entertainment, Media and Internet Technologies Partner of PwC
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About PwC: PricewaterhouseCoopers is an accounting firm that provides tax, HR, transactions, performance improvement, and crisis management services.
Amit Verma
Principal (Partner) of PwC
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About PwC: PricewaterhouseCoopers is an accounting firm that provides tax, HR, transactions, performance improvement, and crisis management services.
Greg Vlahos
Partner of PwC
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About PwC: PricewaterhouseCoopers is an accounting firm that provides tax, HR, transactions, performance improvement, and crisis management services.
Hervé Kieffel
Partner of PwC
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About PwC, Stanford University: PricewaterhouseCoopers is an accounting firm that provides tax, HR, transactions, performance improvement, and crisis management services.
Seth Siegel
Partner, Artificial Intelligence of Infosys Consulting, Inc.
Seth Siegel is the Partner, Artificial Intelligence at Infosys Consulting.
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About Infosys Consulting, Inc.: Infosys Consulting is a global advisor to leading companies for strategy, process engineering and technology-enabled transformation programs
