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 United States based CEO’ operating in the Consulting space. If you think a CEO’ 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.
Joshua Browder
Founder and Chief Executive Officer of DoNotPay
Joshua Browder is the Founder and CEO of DoNotPay.
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About DoNotPay: DoNotPay is an online robot lawyer that allows anyone to automatically claim asylum in the U.S, U.K, and Canada for free.
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Eric Ries
Founder & CEO of Long-Term Stock Exchange
Eric is the author of New York Times bestseller The Lean Startup, The Startup Way, and The Leaders Guide (funded by one of the top Kickstarter book campaigns of all time). He’s also the creator of the Lean Startup methodology, practiced by individuals and companies around the world and the inspiration behind the LTSE. He has founded a number of startups, including IMVU, where he served as CTO, and has advised on business and product strategy for startups, venture capital firms, and large companies across many industries.
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About IDEO, Long-Term Stock Exchange, Pivotal: The Long-Term Stock Exchange designs an SEC-regulated national securities exchange that aligns great companies and long-term investors.
David Foley
Sr. Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Blackstone Energy Partners of Blackstone Group
David I. Foley is a Senior Managing Director in the Private Equity Group and Chief Executive Officer of Blackstone Energy Partners. David Foley is based in New York and is responsible for overseeing Blackstone’s private equity investment activities in the energy & natural resource sector on a global basis. Since joining Blackstone in 1995, David Foley has been responsible for building the Blackstone energy & natural resources practice and has played an integral role in every private equity energy deal that the firm has invested in, including: Premcor, Kosmos Energy, Foundation Coal, Texas Genco, Sithe Global Power, OSUM Oil Sands, PBF Energy, Global Offshore Wind, GeoSouthern, Alta Resources, Moser Baer, Cheniere and LLOG Exploration. Before joining Blackstone, David Foley worked with AEA Investors in the firm’s private equity business, and prior to that served as a consultant for the Monitor Company. David Foley received a BA and an MA in Economics, with honors, Phi Beta Kappa, from Northwestern University and received an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School.
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About Blackstone Group: Blackstone is an investment and advisory firm providing financial solutions for investors and clients.
Stephen Schwarzman
Chairman, CEO & Co-Founder of Blackstone Group
Stephen Schwarzman is Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder of Blackstone. Schwarzman has been involved in all phases of the firm’s development since its founding in 1985. The firm is currently the world’s largest independent alternative asset manager with $218 billion Assets Under Management, as of March 31, 2013. Schwarzman is an active philanthropist with a history of supporting education and schools. Whether in business or in philanthropy, he has always attempted to tackle big problems and find transformative solutions. In 2013, he founded an international scholarship program, “Schwarzman Scholars,” at Tsinghua University in Beijing, to educate future leaders about China. At $300 million, the program is modeled on the Rhodes Scholarship and is the single largest philanthropic effort in China’s history coming largely from international donors. In 2007, Schwarzman donated $100 million to the New York Public Library, on the board of which he serves. Schwarzman is also committed to supporting education locally, sending over two hundred students per year to parochial schools in the New York area. Schwarzman is a member of The Council on Foreign Relations, The Business Council, The Business Roundtable, and The International Business Council of the World Economic Forum. He serves on the boards of The Asia Society, The Board of Directors of The New York City Partnership and The Advisory Board of the School of Economics and Management at Tsinghua University, Beijing. He is a Trustee of The Frick Collection in New York City and Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Directors of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In 2007, Schwarzman was included in TIME’s “100 Most Influential People.” In that same year, he was awarded the Légion d’Honneur of France and promoted to Officier in 2010. Schwarzman holds a B.A. from Yale University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. He has served as an adjunct professor at the Yale School of Management, is on the Harvard Business School Board of Dean’s Advisors and Harvard University’s Global Advisory Council. In 2012, he was awarded an Honorary Degree from Quinnipiac University.
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About Blackstone Group: Blackstone is an investment and advisory firm providing financial solutions for investors and clients.
Charles Besson
Chief Executive Officer of Questel
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About Questel: Questel specializes in intellectual property and innovation management solutions.
Srikrishna Ramakarthikeyan
CEO of Hexaware Technologies
R Srikrishna, a Director at Xurmo Technologies, is also the CEO of Hexaware Technologies. He was previously President at HCL Technologies. An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology (Chennai) and Indian Institute of Management (Kolkata), Srikrishna is an accomplished business leader who has conceptualized and pioneered many hi-tech offerings in network infrastructure management. He is credited at HCL with having broken new ground for the company many times over, in introducing new technology products and services and in opening new billion-dollar markets. R Srikrishna was honoured as a Young Global Leader for 2011 at World Economic Forum at Davos.
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About Hexaware Technologies: Hexaware Technologies Limited is an information technology and business process outsourcing service provider company based in India.
P R Chandrasekar
CEO and Vice Chairman of Hexaware Technologies
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About Hexaware Technologies: Hexaware Technologies Limited is an information technology and business process outsourcing service provider company based in India.
Alexander Gurevich
Chief Executive Officer of Continental Finance
Alexander Gurevich is a real estate developer and investor who is the CEO for Continental Finance Corporation. With past experience as a real estate attorney Alexander has developed a skill set and experience that aids him with his investments to this day.
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About Continental Finance: Continental Finance is in the business of private equity funding, real estate development, management, and legal services.
Dilip Keshu
CEO of BORN
Dilip Keshu is Chief Executive Officer at BORN Group (BORN). BORN is the new name for two agencies that were merged – GROUP FMG and POD1. BORN is a global provider of high impact marketing & media solutions; a new-age agency that integrates creative design, media/content production services and commerce enablement. BORN also offers digital marketing services, campaign management, support&Maintenance and analytics. BORN is headquartered in New York and London, with additional offices in Singapore and Chennai. BORN has delivered ecommerce flagships and creative design work clients such as Ethan Allen, DKNY, Tom Dixon, Glanbia, Red Bull, Fossil/Skagen, John Hardy, Mia Suki, Tom Dixon, Walgreens’ Beauty.com, Ferragamo, Erno Lazlo, Bulgari, Tag Heuer. Its media production services cut across various platforms including: print, mobile, tablets, interactive magazines, e-books, catalogues, e-commerce solutions, digital shop fronts, portals, websites, videos and loyalty programs. Its clients for such services are John Lewis, Random House, Haymarket, Sears, Staples, Pepsi, Boots, Harrods, Boden; Disney, Reader’s Digest, Penguin, Harper Collins, BBC, AMI; IBM, Yahoo!, Microsoft, Sony, Virgin Holidays, Sandals. BORN is funded by IVFA, a leading private equity fund, and Zodius Capital, a growth capital and build-out company.The management comprises of an international team of entrepreneurial leaders with deep experience of creating large global businesses. Prior to joining BORN, Dilip was a member of the Management Board of Xchanging plc., and also its Group Chief Customer Officer running all of sales, relations, service and marketing functions, in addition to the oversight of seven of the companys most strategic global customers. In this capacity he delivered $1.14 billion in top line revenues in 2010. His team of sales, service and relations comprises 146 people in the US, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Singapore and Australia. He was the executive sponsor for all big ticket sales to strategic customers and pioneers new deals/new platforms (which are usually acquired through Xchanging’s unique “Enterprise Partnerships” commercial structures where back office captive units are transformed to market utilities). As chief marketing officer he managed 3rd party influencers and a network of spotters and hunters who are C-Level opinion leaders. He also managed all digital assets such as websites, portals and social media initiatives. Prior to this he was a Board Member, President, ITO and Chief Strategy & Corporate Development Officer of Cambridge Solutions, a young publicly listed company with operations in 9 countries and offices in over 56 locations. Prior to that role Dilip led the company as its CEO including its listing in March 2005. By 2008, Cambridge was tracking at a profitable US$ 324m, at which point it was acquired by Xchanging. Prior to Cambridge, Dilip worked as the head of the Asia Pacific region for a corporate learning and development firm called DA Consulting Group, Inc. (DACG). It listed on the NASDAQ in 1998. Dilip acquired the e-business division of the firm in May 2000 and became an entrepreneur. A part of his firm was then acquired by Cambridge Solutions in 2003 and he joined Cambridge to lead its listing. As an entrepreneur, he raised money from Softbank and Newscorp and expanded his company from Asia to the UK and then the US. Prior to this, he served as Managing Director and Vice President, Baan Asia Pacific where he ran a successful P&L operation covering the Far East and south Asia. He was widely acknowledged for his substantial contributions in significantly growing the company’s market share and revenue in this region. Prior to Baan, he ran the Asian operations of Cincom Systems where he won several awards (Gold Circle, Quixote Club Award which is reserved for the firms top performers) and was given the firms top ‘AAA’ rating for performance. Before his tenure at Cincom, Dilip ran the Manufacturing Solutions Division of a large systems integration firm, which sold and implemented ERP and CAD/CAE/CAM and PLM products. He started his career as a management trainee in a large aerospace firm where he distinguished himself by winning the company’s top awards, the Chairman’s Gold Medal and Wilkinson Sword for high performance. He is a Charter Member of TiE which is one of the largest not for profit organization organized to help entrepreneurs. He is an Industrial Advisory Board Member of their Professional Science Master’s Program. Dilip holds a Master of Technology degree from IIT (M). He is an American citizen and lives in Princeton, New Jersey, USA. He has written two books (The Land of The Free, Home of the Brave, a booklet on America and The Nine Dots, a handbook for young leaders).
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About BORN, Fidovia LLC, Group FMG: BORN is an award winning global agency that focuses on enterprise, commerce, and experience design.
Eric DeMarco
President & CEO of Kratos Defense and Security Solutions
Eric DeMarco is President and Chief Executive Officer of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS). Eric DeMarco joined the Company in November 2003 as President and Chief Operating Officer, and assumed the role of CEO in April 2004. Since joining Kratos, Eric DeMarco has been instrumental in leading the Company’s efforts to grow and build, both organically and through strategic acquisition, a leading Product and Technology Based National Security focused business. Prior to Kratos, Eric DeMarco was the President and Chief Operating Officer of the Titan Corporation, which was later acquired by L-3. Under his leadership, Titan grew from approximately $150 million in annualized revenue to $1.5 billion, with a backlog of over $4 billion. Eric DeMarco efforts were instrumental in creating one of the largest government information technology companies in the United States. Before Titan, Eric DeMarco served in a variety of public accounting positions primarily focusing on large multinational corporations and publicly traded companies. He holds a Bachelor of Science, Business Administration and Finance, summa cum laude, from the University of New Hampshire.
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About Kratos Defense and Security Solutions: Kratos Defense & Security Solutions provides mission critical engineering, IT services, and war fighter solutions.
David P. Rowland
Interim CEO of Accenture
David Rowland is Accenture’s chief financial officer with responsibility for the company’s Corporate Controllership, Treasury, Tax, Investor Relations, Client Finance and Commercial Directors, Finance Operations, Corporate Development and Transaction Services and Strategic Planning & Analysis functions. Mr. Rowland is a member of Accenture’s Global Management Committee and serves on the board and as Audit Committee chair for Avanade, a joint venture of Accenture and Microsoft. Prior to being named CFO in July 2013, Mr. Rowland served for more than six years as Accenture’s senior vice president—Finance, with responsibility for the company’s Finance Field Operations organization, which includes client finance, country controllership and group finance activities. Earlier in his career with the company, Mr. Rowland held a number of finance leadership positions including managing director—Finance Operations and finance director for Accenture’s two largest operating groups, Communications & High Tech and Products. Mr. Rowland began his career with Accenture in 1983 in the Consulting group and spent several years serving clients across a variety of industries. He has served on a number of management committees and has also played significant leadership roles in a number of company-wide initiatives, including the global implementation of the SAP enterprise software system. Throughout his professional career, Mr. Rowland has served on several civic and charitable boards. He currently serves on the Advisory Board for the College of Management at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Mr. Rowland holds a bachelor of science degree in industrial management from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
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About Accenture: Accenture is a professional services company, providing services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations.
Merritt Dake
CEO of Greyfinch
Merritt Dake is the Chief Executive Officer at Rock Dental Brands.
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About Greyfinch, Rock Dental Brands: Greyfinch is an orthodontic practice management software.
Heather Morgan
Chief Executive Officer of Salesfolk
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About Demandpath, Forbes Magazine, Inc. Magazine, Salesfolk: Salesfolk helps B2B companies accelerate their sales processes with persuasive copywriting.
Nathan Sportsman
Founder and CEO of Praetorian
As the Founder and CEO of Praetorian, Nathan is responsible for championing the vision, maintaining the culture, and setting the direction of the company. He also holds the additional duties of CTO where he is responsible for overseeing the innovation and development engine of the company keeping the firm well positioned to defeat the ever evolving cybersecurity threat. Prior to bringing in professional management to help run the company, Nathan managed the day-to-day operations of the firm from its 2010 beginnings as a bootstrapped start-up to its current YoY hyper-growth. Since Praetorian’s founding, Nathan has successfully instilled a “customer first” mentality that has become part of the DNA of the company which has led to unprecedented customer satisfaction reviews as reflected in a historical net promoter score of 86%. This reputation for delivering value to the customer has resulted in a three year growth rate of 214%. Under Nathan’s leadership, the company has earned national recognition on the Inc. 5000 list multiple times, the Cybersecurity 500, CIO Top 20, and locally on Austin’s “Fastest 50” growing firms. Prior to founding Praetorian, Nathan worked in various technical roles at industry-leading companies such as Sun Microsystems, Symantec, and McAfee. His experience has cross cut most industry sectors, and customers have ranged from Wall Street and Silicon Valley to government intelligence agencies and renowned educational institutions. Nationally recognized as a leader in the cybersecurity field, Nathan is a frequent public speaker, is a contributing author to the world’s best-selling computer security book, Hacking Exposed, is a U.S. patent holder, and has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Texas at Austin (nationally ranked #5 for Computer Science and Engineering). Nathan holds a BS in electrical & computer engineering from The University of Texas at Austin.
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About Praetorian: Praetorian is a cybersecurity company whose mission is to make the world safer and more secure.
Jake Dunlap
CEO of Skaled Consulting
My passion and continued focus is in building organizations and sales / outreach processes. Over the past 10 years, I have led and developed high performing sales and operations organizations in professional sports, advertising, and SaaS organizations. My mission is to build large scale, flat organizations that do not rely on one person at the top to drive success. In addition, replacing the “blocking and tackling” nature of account management with interesting, new ways to think about continued client engagement. Specialties: Extensive US and International experience working with Global 2000 executives on human resources, brand, marketing, and real time decision making. Building initial client experience, operations, and sales processes/organizational structure for start ups
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About Skaled Consulting, Stage 2 Capital: Skaled is a modern sales-consulting firm that helps startup and established companies scale more efficiently.
Steve Kimble
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Deloitte Tax LLP of Deloitte
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About Deloitte: Deloitte provides audit, consulting, financial advisory, risk management, tax, and other related services.
Joe Ucuzoglu
Chief Executive Officer of Deloitte
Joe Ucuzoglu is the chief executive officer at Deloitte US.
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About Deloitte: Deloitte provides audit, consulting, financial advisory, risk management, tax, and other related services.
David S. Kidder
Co-Founder and CEO of Bionic
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About Alt Option Return, Alt Option Return, Bionic, GoodAdds Foundation, Maxwell Health, New to Big, The Intellectual Devotional: Bionic ignites growth revolutions within the world’s largest companies as they face disruption.
Will Harris
CEO, Sales Trainer & Motivational Speaker of Willpower Consultation
Willpower Harris is managing director of Willpower Consultation, which specializes in strategic sales training and management consultation. The author of the books “Willpower Now” and “Power Prospecting,” he consults with top-tier organizations including Avaya, Intel, Motorola, ScanSource, Verizon and the U.S. Department of Energy, and trains an average of 250 direct, channel and inside salespeople each year in the U.S. and the U.K. Harris created the Willpower Humanitarian Foundation, which leads efforts for the empowerment of women, child education and peace efforts.
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About Willpower Consultation: Willpower Consultation
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.
Olivier ATTIA
CEO of Gershon Consulting
Olivier Attia is a leading technological entrepreneur and responsible for creating a host of breakthrough technologies throughout his career. His last title was Chief Executive Officer of Audionamix, the leading provider of audio source separation technology focused on providing the entertainment industry with innovative solutions. Bringing over 20 years of technological management and consulting experience to the role, he has been instrumental in establishing Audionamix’ position as a pioneering force in the sound technology sector. With offices in Paris, Los Angeles and New York, Audionamix services allow content owners to unlock dormant assets and unleash creativity. In 2011, the company worked with Hans Zimmer on building the musical themes for “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.” Audionamix was also featured in Forbes magazine New York Times for its work on the classic musical “West Side Story.” In collaboration with the Bernstein Foundation, Audionamix removed the entire musical score allowing for a live orchestra to accompany the film and creating a new theater cinema event that was performed in Los Angeles, New York and most recently Chicago. In 2010, ADX’s proprietary services were used to eliminate the Vuvuzela from broadcasts of the FIFA World Cup. Under Attia’s leadership, Audionamix has also built an ecosystem of strategic partnerships to further enhance its position as the leader in source separation solutions in both Los Angeles and New York. Some of these partnerships include APM Music, XTracks, Deluxe Audio, and the Production Plant. Building alliances with these key post- production facilities and music-licensing firms in the entertainment industry, gives Audionamix a competitive advantage in attaining more market share. Some of Audionamix’ clients include: Warner Bros. Studios, NBC/Universal, CBS, MGM, Warner Music Group, and Warner Bros. Animation. In 2006, Attia founded ClickOVA, a mobile platform for automatic backup of mobile phone content. After one year in research and development, ClickOVA was launched and distributed, over a two-year period with over 260,000 active users in 193 countries. Attia attained his knowledge of the mobile carrier market during his years at SCANBUY Inc., a software company that he founded in 2000, and acted as the Chief Executive Officer until 2006. At SCANBUY, Inc., he created and launched the world’s first barcode scanning software technology, integrated for camera-based cellular phones named Breakout Company of 2005 by Fortune Magazine and Top 100 Companies of 2006 by Red Herring. During his tenure at SCANBUY, Attia was interviewed on FOX News, ABC, NBC and Bloomberg TV about mobile technology. As an expert in his field, he has spoken at several conferences including CTIA Wireless, NextMedia and Forbes Conference speaking about new challenges in wireless technology. Even in his early career, Attia worked at the forefront of technological innovation as an Internet specialist, providing consultation services to industry professionals and organizations from 1994. He was a Principal Manager in the National Internet Practice division at PricewaterhouseCoopers in New York, where he provided consulting and strategic services focused on high profile e-commerce strategic engagements from 1997 to 2000. Prior to this role, Attia was a consultant at ATOS Group, where he specialized in the integration of new technologies. During his tenure, he developed the first online banking system for a major established bank, participated in the development of several projects in South America including telemedicine and sales force application for Mobile Operators and developed an expertise in control quality. Attia lived in Mexico two years and helped TELMEX to implement a complete carrier-class sales management platform. Attia holds both a Master’s degree in Marketing and an Engineering degree in Information System Management from University Paris, Dauphine. He also earned an honors degree in Physics and Computer Science from University Paris, Pierre et Marie Curie.
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About Gershon Consulting: Professional Consulting Services for European companies interested by the US market.
Patrick Gallagher
President and Chief Executive Officer of Gallagher
J. Patrick Gallagher, Jr. began his career with Gallagher as an intern in 1972, started working for the company full time in 1974 as a Production Account Executive and was promoted to Vice President-Operations in 1985. He was elected to the Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Board of Directors in 1986. In 1990, he was named President and Chief Operating Officer and, in 1995, was appointed Chief Executive Officer by the Board of Directors. In 2006 he was appointed Chairman of the Board. Mr. Gallagher joined the Board of Trustees of the American Institute for Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters in 2003, and serves on the Board of Founding Directors of the International Insurance Foundation and the Board of Directors of InnerWorkings, Inc. In addition, he serves on the Advisory Council of Boys Hope/Girls Hope and the Board of Advisors for Catholic Charities, and is a member of The Economic Club of Chicago, the Executives Club of Chicago and the Commercial Club of Chicago.
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About Gallagher, Gallagher: Gallagher is an international insurance brokerage and risk management services firm.
Shinjini Das
CEO and Founder of The Das Media Group
Shinjini Das became a media proprietor at 26. She is on a mission to bridge the content gap between intellect and pop culture in the media. As the CEO and Founder at Das Media Group, an empowering media production agency, engineer, TV personality fluent in Spanish, she is a digital entrepreneurship expert with the U.S. Department of State. Shinjini was voted 1 of 100 Most Influential Creatives of 2017 with Rihanna and Warren Buffett by C. Hub Magazine, a leading magazine focused on breaking African news in entertainment and in business. Her agency has built innovative digital and live experiential interactive branded experiences, driving millions of digital impressions in brand awareness for clients such as Chase for Business and Intuit. Shinjini has a reach of 5MM+ a month with digital venture growth and scale strategy interviews on/in ABC, FORBES, NBC, INC, C-Suite Radio, iHeartRadio, Business Insider Deutschland, Hispanic Executive. She published her first memoir at 26 to empower her exploding fanbase of go-getters. Shinjini speaks on scaling digital businesses, creating AI/AR/VR media monetization models, empowering men, women, children to be go-getters, and diversifying representation in Hollywood and Silicon Valley.
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About The Das Media Group: The Das Media Group, a boutique digital strategy consulting firm.
Shawn Dougherty
Founder, CEO of EXOIO
Shawn co-founded mophie in June 2005, just prior to the release of the first iPhone. It grew to become the #1 selling battery case manufacturer for mobile devices in North America. Working as a founder, COO, President & Board Member, mophie created the first juice pack battery case for the first-generation iPhone in North America and built an exclusive partnership with Apple. I led a team which built a solid business structure at mophie, allowing the company to thrive and withstand rapid growth, both in the U.S. and internationally. Shawn became a skilled operator and raised millions of dollars in multiple rounds of capital and debt facilities. Under Shawn’s guidance and strategic vision, the company grew from 3 employees in her barn in Kalamazoo, Michigan to a multimillion dollar business, mophie sold products into 38,000 retailer partners in 130 countries with 300+ employees with facilities in California, Michigan, China, Hong Kong and Amsterdam. As a leader, I established longstanding relationships with national and global retail partnerships and collaborations with top industry icons including Apple, Amazon, Verizon, AT&T, Best Buy, Product Red, Valentino, and Supreme. I am passionate about developing products and growing a business from the ground up was one of the most challenging yet satisfying experience of my life. By 2015, mophie revenue has reached $250+ million, and resulted in company being sold in February of 2016 to a strategic acquirer. Shawn was also a seed investor, Board Member, and Co-founder of Paw Paw Brewing company in Paw Paw, Michigan. The company was originated in 2010 and Shawn exited in March 2017. Since the sale of mophie Shawn has catching her breath, tending to personal relationships, and has also started a new company called EXOIO that allows her to spend time networking, consulting, and acting as an advisor to company of all sizes.
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About EXOIO: We help accelerate growth.
Peter Cameron
CEO of The Lenox Group
Peter Cameron is currently the CEO of Lenox Corporation, an American manufacturer of fine china. Cameron previously served as CEO of Waterford Wedgwood plc, a manufacturer of fine china and crystal products, and from 1997 to 2003 he held the position of CEO and president of All Clad Holdings, a manufacturer of cookware products that was acquired by Waterford during his tenure. He is also currently vice chairman and owner of Acuity Management Inc., an investment management company that owns and operates several commercial real estate investments. From 1988 to 1995 he served in various senior level management capacities within Hanson plc, including chairman of U.S. Industries Housewares Group, and president and CEO of Farberware, Inc. Prior to that, Cameron was CEO and president of Revereware, a leading manufacturer of branded cookware to department store and mass merchant channels. Cameron has also held senior management positions at Polaroid Corp., Bowmar Instrumental Corporation, and Starcraft. He graduated with a B.S. in economics from Northeastern University, and serves on the boards of Northeastern University, Chapel Hill, The International Housewares Charity Foundation, Acuity Management, Farberware Licensing Co., Hartmann and Lenox. He formerly served on the Board of Directors, New York Botanical Garden Association, International Housewares Association, and Bronx Green-up.
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About The Lenox Group: The Lenox Group is a family-owned businesses and entrepreneurs with sound corporate advisory services.
John Haley
CEO of Willis Towers Watson
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About Willis Towers Watson: Willis Towers Watson is a global advisory and solutions company that helps clients around the world turn risk into a path for growth.
Dan Wagner
Founder & CEO of Civis Analytics
Dan Wagner is ambassador for the firm’s external partnerships, representing the company’s vital, core interests as it engages client business opportunities. Dan served as the Chief Analytics Officer on the 2012 Obama campaign, overseeing a 54-person team of analysts, engineers and organizers that provided analytics and technologies for voter contact, digital, paid media, fundraising and communication. His department’s work was credited with “reinventing how national campaigns are done” and has been highlighted in Time Magazine, MIT Technology Review, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, The Los Angeles Times, and Harper’s. Dan began his work in politics as the Deputy Voter File Manager for Barack Obama during the 2008 Iowa caucuses, which defined the relevance of data, and client comprehension of data, in his career. That led to roles as the Great Lakes Targeting Desk and National Get Out the Vote (GOTV) Targeting Director, followed by the National Targeting Director at the Democratic National Committee for the 2010 election cycle. Dan previously worked with the FTI Consulting Economics Practice. He graduated from the University of Chicago with a degree in economics and public policy. Dan is originally from Birmingham, Michigan, where he grew up imitating Michael Jackson’s “Billy Jean” performance. He remains the first one on any dance floor. He is fluent in Spanish and, according to two sources with knowledge of the incident, cried during “Like Water for Chocolate.” He used to play congas – not to be confused with the bongos – in a DC funk band.
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About Civis Analytics: Civis Analytics is a software company that helps public and private sector organizations make data-driven decisions.
Harsha Pamulaparthi
Founder and CEO of Standav Corp.
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About Standav Corp.: Standav offers CRM, CPQ , API Integration delivery and Contract Analytics
Tim Sullivan
CEO of Oceanic Partners
Tim Sullivan joined Oceanic Partners as CEO in 2014. Timothy Sullivan has is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Ancestry.com and has serves as a director since September 2005. Prior to joining Ancestry.com, Mr. Sullivan was Chief Operating Officer and then President and CEO of Match.com from January 2001 to September 2004. From May 1999 to January 2001, Mr. Sullivan served as Vice President of E-commerce for Ticketmaster Online-Citysearch, Inc. From June 1991 to May 1999, Mr. Sullivan held multiple positions at The Walt Disney Company, including Vice President and Managing Director of Buena Vista Home Entertainment Asia Pacific from July 1997 to May 1999. Mr. Sullivan holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and was a Morehead Scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
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About Emerson Equity LLC, Oceanic Partners, Tilana Systems: Venture Capital Investment Firm
Tim Sullivan
CEO of Oceanic Partners
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About Oceanic Partners: Venture Capital Investment Firm
Donna Wells
Founder and CEO of Valencia Ventures
A nationally-recognized technology executive with an exceptional track record in driving strategic innovation and rapid growth in Fortune 500 and start-up environments. Ms. Wells is a former software company CEO and led US marketing for two Fortune 500 companies. She holds degrees from Wharton and Stanford and teaches entrepreneurship at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Ms. Wells is an Audit Committee Financial Expert and has served on public, private and SPAC boards since 2010. She was named Board Director of the Year by the Women in Information Technology organization in 2021.
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About Stanford Graduate School of Business, Valencia Ventures: Valencia Ventures offers strategic board, investment and advisory aervices for companies seeking to define and hold the leading edge.
Kewsong Lee
Co-Chief Executive Officer of The Carlyle Group
Kewsong Lee is based in New York, joined Warburg Pincus in 1992 and leads the firm’s investments in the consumer, industrial and services sectors. He also helps drive the firm’s financial services investments and capital markets activities. Mr. Lee is a member of the firm’s executive management group. Previously, Mr. Lee was a consultant with McKinsey & Company. He is currently a director of Aeolus Re, Aramark, Arch Capital Group, Consolidated Precision Products, MBIA, The Neiman Marcus Group and Total Safety. Mr. Lee serves on the board of Lincoln Center Theater, where he is a member of the executive committee, and also is a trustee of Choate Rosemary Hall. Mr. Lee received an A.B. in applied mathematics in economics from Harvard College and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
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About RenaissanceRe Holdings, The Carlyle Group, TradeCard: The Carlyle Group is a global private equity firm that caters to early and later stage companies.
David Snider
Founder & CEO of Harness Wealth
David Snider is the Founder & CEO of Harness Wealth, an early stage consumer fintech company with a mission of helping people reach their best financial future. The business will provide a unified data platform for people to manage their wealth and connect with a highly curated set of top advisors to manage their financial well-being. David incubated Harness Wealth as an executive-in-residence at Bain Capital Ventures. Previously he served as COO & CFO of Compass, a real estate tech company that he helped grow from pre-launch to a valuation of $1.8 billion. David was an investor at Bain Capital private equity, where he completed investments worth over $2 billion as well as the IPO of Sensata on the NYSE. He is the author of Money Makers: Inside the New World of Finance and Business published by Macmillan. David received an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B.A. from Duke University.
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About Harness Wealth: Harness Wealth provides the next generation of builders confidence in their best financial future.
Piyush Goel
Founder & CEO of Beyond Key Systems Pvt Ltd (Beyond Key)
Piyush brings more than 15 years of leadership, business development, and marketing experience to BeyondKey. As the CEO of the company, he makes sure that we deliver solution of high value and customer focus and adopting latest technology is his main focus area, he is responsible for driving BeyondKey’s global growth initiatives.
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About Beyond Key Systems Pvt Ltd (Beyond Key), uRead: World-class software development and IT consulting company
Derek Zanga
Co-Founder and CEO of Zone & Company Software Consulting LLC
Derek Zanga is the CEO and Co-Founder at Zone & Company Software Consulting.
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About Zone & Company Software Consulting LLC: NetSuite sales, implementations, services, and custom development
John Hall
CEO of Intapp
John Hall is the CEO of Intapp. Since joining the company in 2004, he has built Intapp into a global leader in business applications and services for professional services firms, serving 700 organizations. He is a regular presenter at industry events, covering topics such as technology and law firm innovation, and how innovation can enable client success. Prior to joining Intapp, John co-founded VA Linux Systems and helped lead the company from its start-up phase to its IPO. He is based in Palo Alto, California.
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About Intapp: Intapp is a provider of industry-specific, cloud-based software solutions that enable connected professional and financial services.
Joseph DeVivo
CEO of InTouch Health
Joseph M. DeVivo, Chief Executive Officer of InTouch Health, brings a proven track record of 30 years of extensive business leadership and 25 years of medical device experience, ranging from small startups to large corporations. Prior to joining InTouch Health, Joseph served as President, Chief Executive Officer and Director at Angiodynamics (NASDAQ: ANGO) from September 2011 through the summer of 2016. Joseph also held positions as Global President of Smith & Nephew Orthopedics (NYSE: SNN) between 2007 to 2011, President and Chief Executive Officer and Director of RITA Medical Systems, Inc. from 2003 to 2007, President, Chief Operating Officer and Director of Computer Motion Incorporation (CMI) from 2002 to 2003, and Vice President, General Manager at U.S. Surgical/Davis (USS/DG), a division of Tyco International’s Healthcare Business, from 1993 through 2002. Joseph received his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the E. Clairborne Robins School of Business at the University of Richmond in 1989. Active in industry leadership as well as philanthropy, Joe is a member of the board of Mauna Kea Technologies, (EPA:MKEA) and St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital raising over $1,000,000 for the benefit of the Hospital.
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About AngioDynamics, AngioDynamics, Computer Motion, Inc, InTouch Health, RITA Medical Systems, Inc, SurgiQuest: InTouch Health is the leader in Acute Care Telemedicine solutions.
Steven J. Demetriou
President & Chief Executive Officer of Jacobs
Steve Demetriou is the Financial Controller at Inventis Ltd.
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About Inventis, Jacobs: Jacobs leads the global professional services sector delivering solutions for a more connected, sustainable world.
Carmine Di Sibio
CEO of Ernst & Young
Carmine is responsible for global business performance, day-to-day operations of the organization and executing a global strategy in the market. In his role, he brings together geographies, service lines and markets functions to provide exceptional service to our clients. Carmine is Senior Advisory Partner for many of our largest financial services clients.
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About Ernst & Young: Ernst & Young is a provider of assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services.
Mark M. Whelan
CEO of Future Center Ventures and Co-Founder of Digital Asset Analytica
Mark M. Whelan is a renowned futurist and innovator known for his pioneering contributions to technology, innovation, and social entrepreneurship. Educated at the University of Nottingham, Oxford and INSEAD He is the founder of the forecasting and innovation agency end futurist collective: Future Center Ventures and Co-founder of Digital Asset Analytica, the world’s first digital asset due diligence suite. He is the author of the best-selling futurist series: How Deep Fakes and Propaganda Are Reshaping Reality, How to Use Science Fiction for Future Forecasting, A Brief Introduction to Unravelling Complexity and Emerging Trends & Tech. He’s also the creator of the science fiction forecasting methodology practised by individuals and companies around the world.
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About Future Center Ventures: Future Center Ventures is a forecasting and innovation agency and futurist collective
About Digital Asset Analytica: Digital Asset Analytica is a due diligence suite for the emerging asset class.
- Future Center Ventures :
- Website
- Crunchbase
- Digital Asset Analytica:
- Website
- Crunchbase
Manan Patel
CEO & Co-Founder of VOLANSYS TECHNOLOGIES
Manan has diverse and rich work experience of over 20+ years in various industries across multiple disciplines. At Volansys, as a CEO and Founder, Manan is responsible for defining Business Strategies and Company’s Overall Direction, Engineering Function, Technology Management, Talent Nurturing and Leadership Enabling & Team Building. His expertise lies in identifying optimum technologies for solutions, architecture and design of solutions encompassing complete life cycle in the areas of Audio / Video and Convergence, Web Based Technologies, Renewable Energy, Consumer Electronics, Streaming Media & Surveillance Systems. During his last tenure, Manan held technology leadership roles in one of India’s leading Electronic Design Services Companies. As a founding team member, he grew the company to 700+ people with revenue in excess of USD 18M. He established and grew the Embedded Division to 250+ team members with revenues exceeding USD 8M+ in three years. He was instrumental in building Streaming Media and Surveillance practices. Manan holds Bachelor Degree in Computer Engineering from Gujarat University, INDIA.
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About VOLANSYS TECHNOLOGIES: VOLANSYS is a Digital Transformation and Product Realization company offering an integrated portfolio of IoT services, solutions and IPs
Tom Blaisdell
Founder & CEO of AlignPact
Tom Blaisdell is the Founder & CEO at AlignPact.
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About AlignPact, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College: AlignPact is a management consulting firm that advises and supports entrepreneurs in creating companies designed to make a positive impact.
Xiao Guo
President and Chief Executive Officer of Thoughtworks
Xiao Guo has been the Chief Executive Officer and President at ThoughtWorks, Inc. since June 2013. He served as China Managing Director, General Manager of China Operations and Director of Technology of ThoughtWorks, Inc. from 2004 to June 2013. Xiao Guo has helped to create and grow ThoughtWorks’ China branch, and has served as Deputy General Manager for this region. He is focused on growing ThoughtWorks’ business in the Chinese market, building its thought leadership in the Chinese IT industry, and delivering business value to its clients in China and worldwide. He joined ThoughtWorks in 1999 as a Senior Consultant. He has spent 8 years of his career implementing distributed, multi-layer, multi-tier enterprise solutions. Xiao Guo has helped a number of clients to build large scale, mission critical, globally deployed applications with high scalability, availability and reliability.
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About Thoughtworks: Thoughtworks is a community of passionate individuals whose purpose is to revolutionize software design, creation, and delivery.
Tim Vanderhook
Co-Founder & CEO of Viant
As the Co-Founder, President and CEO of Viant, Tim sets and drives the overall direction and business strategy for the company and each of its brands. In 1999, Tim, along with brothers Chris and Russ identified the high growth potential of digital advertising and founded the interactive advertising platform Specific Media during those early stages of internet advertising. Tim’s vision led the development of behavioral targeting technology that created ground-breaking interest-based digital advertising practices. He led the company’s evolution from a small family business to an industry-leading multinational corporation.
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About Myspace, Viant, Viant, XUMO: Viant is an advertising software company enabling the execution and measurement of digital advertising through a cloud-based platform.
Gary Fish
Founder / CEO / Chairman of Fishtech Labs
Gary Fish is the Founder / CEO / Chairman of Fishtech.
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About DataLocker, FireMon, Fishtech Labs: Fishtech Labs is a technology accelerator focused on finding
Nitin Khanna
CEO of MergerTech Advisors
Nitin Khanna is the CEO of MergerTech, a Mergers and Acquisitions Advisory firm that works closely with the selling process of technology companies. He is also the Founder and Chairman of Saber Corp., one of the largest providers of state government solutions in the country. Khanna started Saber in July 1998 and helped grow it to $120 MM in revenue. Saber’s growth was celebrated by an Inc. 500 award in both 2006 and 2007, the Deloitte Fast 500 award, and the #1 spot on Oregon’s Fastest Growing Companies list in 2007. This dramatic growth led to a significant investment by Accel-KKR Private Equity in 2005 and to the eventual sale of the company for $460MM to EDS in December 2007. Nitin then assumed leadership of EDS’ government business operation that included Saber. Saber was later sold for four times its revenue in 2008. Mergertech is a mergers and acquisitions company focusing on the sales side of technology companies, helping them to partner with the best financial buyers. Khanna is a frequent investor in the cannabis industry. He operated as the CEO of CuraCannabis Solutions until May of 2018. Curacann works with Select Oil, Select CBD, and Cura CS in hopes of becoming the leading provider of cannabis oil to consumers and premium brands all throughout the United States. Prior to Saber, Nitin held a number of positions in Consulting and Education at Oracle Corporation. He holds a Master’s and a Bachelor’s of Engineering degree from Purdue University in Portland. Aside from his career, Khanna enjoys live music and DJ’ing.
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About Hoist Fund LLC, Maxonic, MergerTech Advisors, None: MergerTech’s mission is to enable small and medium-sized technology companies to realize the value of their business.
Patrick Burns
CEO and Co-Founder of Spruce Holdings
Patrick Burns is a Co-Founder at Spruce Holdings.
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About Spruce Holdings: Spruce Holdings aims to improve title insurance assessment and issuance to reduce the time needed to close a real estate deal.
Mathew Caldwell
Founder, CEO of Rocket Power
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About Rocket Power: RocketPower provides recruiting, staffing, and flexible outsourcing solutions to solve any critical talent challenges.
Grant Michael Leingang
President / CEO of BLVCK DIVMOND
Grant Michael Leingang is President and CEO for BLVCK DIVMOND in Las Vegas. He has been a digital entrepreneur since the age of 15 and holds a true passion for technology. BLVCK DIVMOND focuses on developing organizations, businesses, and foundations. Their work passion is simple and derived from a belief that BLVCK DIVMOND’s company operations will be a different experience. Leingang has created assets for many high-end brands like CORE Hydration. He has been known to utilize software and deliver original entrepreneurial visions using creative cost-effective methods that result in a positive ROI.
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About BLVCK DIVMOND, Illest, PDX ADVERTISING, WE’RE A CULT, INC.: Creative direction, web design and development. Project direction and management. Graphic design. SEO. Social media development. UX design.
John J. Bowman, Jr. Accountant
CEO of Bowman & Associates
John J. Bowman, Jr. Accountant is an experienced tax and finance professional based in Pittsburgh, PA. He holds an extensive educational background from attending both Pittsburgh’s Robert Morris University and Harvard Business/Law School. Following his enrollment there, John J. Bowman Jr. got his start, and began to develop the skills needed to be both a successful accountant and legal professional. During his time at Robert Morris University, his studies concentrated on tax and he was an active member of the Young Lawyers Organization. John J. Bowman Jr. graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Robert Morris University, and moved on to begin his successful career. Following his graduation, John made the decision to continue his education and further refine his skills at Harvard Business/Law School; he then enrolled in the Owner/Management Program. The Owner Management Program at Harvard helped develop John’s skills and increased his knowledge on subjects such as business and law conduct, management, and expertise. This also gave John the ability to connect with other professionals within the finance and accounting industry; providing him with a much larger network. John J. Bowman Jr. is a dedicated and focused professional who continues to offer his experience and insights to the financial and civil sectors. Over the years, John’s extensive knowledge of tax law and finance have propelled him forward and upward in his career. His advice is frequently sought after by various organizations including the Presidential Business Commission. His efforts even helped to protect the Republican majority in congress.
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About Bowman & Associates: Bowman & Associates handles tax law and accounting needs
Earl Robinson
CEO and Founder of Consequent Capital Management
Earl Robinson is CEO and Founder of Consequent Capital Management, boards of managers of the firm and the firm’s parent company. He leads the firm’s alternatives, real estate, and special situations investment practices. He is a member of the firm’s Investment Committee. Earlier in his career, Earl helped launch a $700 million distressed debt and special situations investment firm. He also served as a Senior Vice President in the leveraged buyout and special situations verticals at a $2 billion private equity and pension fund investment advisory firm. At JPMorgan Investment Management – Americas, he acted as Operations Officer with $440 billion in assets under management and, prior to that, as a Vice President. He began his career as an investment banker at Morgan Stanley. Prior to founding Consequent, Earl was the CEO of the New Orleans Startup Fund and PowerMoves.NOLA. He secured significant financial and strategic support from Morgan Stanley, the Knight Foundation, the Case Foundation, the Surdna Foundation, and others to execute a national, inclusive venture capital ecosystem strategy. Under Earl’s leadership, PowerMoves.NOLA companies and alumni gathered more than $30 million in startup and growth capital in less than two years. Earl is a member of the development team and equity investor group for the Four Seasons Hotel in New Orleans. The $384 million project is the largest real estate development effort in New Orleans since the development of the Super Dome in 1976. The Four Seasons New Orleans team made the largest commitment to Minority Business Enterprises and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises in the city’s history. Earl serves on the board of Ebony Media Holdings, LLC. Earl received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Wesleyan University and a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance from Columbia Business School. He attended Columbia as a Robert Toigo Foundation Fellow.
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About Consequent Capital Management: Consequent is a registered multi-strategy Investment Management and full-service Investment Consulting firm
Andreas Gruson
Chairman and CEO of FleetGenius
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About Compology, FleetGenius: FleetGenius provides logistics and asset management services using cutting-edge technology.
Aram Shumavon
Co-Founder & CEO of Kevala
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About Kevala: Kevala provides data-driven insights for an evolving energy market by combining proprietary analytics with advanced grid mapping.
Brian Proctor
President and CEO of Mente Group
Brian Proctor is a founder and President of Mente Group, LLC and has been serving private aviation clients for 10 years. Having been involved in over $3.5 billion in aircraft transactions and over $5 billion in aviation business planning, Brian’s experience is sought by corporations and individuals, worldwide. After serving for six years in the US Army as an infantry Ranger and intelligence officer, Brian left the military to pursue a career in the private sector. After working at Transamerica Corporation, Mr. Proctor served as consultant, COO and President of CAAP and later Leading Edge. Brian serves on several industry boards and is involved with the Frontiers of Flight Museum in Dallas. He holds a BA degree in International Studies in Politics and Diplomacy from the University of Richmond and an MBA from Southern Methodist University.
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About Mente Group: Mente Group is an aviation advisory firm that provides unmatched, valued counsel to large corporations, growth companies.
Jack Durburg
Global Chief Executive Officer – Global Workplace Solutions (GWS) of CBRE Group
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About CBRE Group: CBRE Group is a holding company that conducts all of its operations through its indirect subsidiaries.
Mike Sha
CEO, Co-Founder of SigFig
Mike Sha is co-founder and CEO at Wikinvest and at SigFig. Formerly, Mike was an advisor and consultant to many internet and mobile startups and held key positions at Amazon.com where he launched and ran the Amazon Visa Card business, headed up product development in the Global Payments team, led a technology team focused on building new strategic partnerships and initiatives, and built sophisticated fraud detection models. He received a BA in Applied Math and a MS in Computer Science, both from Harvard University.
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About SigFig: SigFig is financial services firm that dedicates in making high-quality investment advice to investors of all wealth levels.
Michael Bush
CEO of Great Place to Work Institute, Inc
Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place to Work, is responsible for the growth and management of our global network’s U.S. business. He joined the company at a time of rapid growth, and brings over 30 years of experience in growing consulting organizations and increasing efficiencies of innovative business units. Michael has served as President of 8 Factors, an online learning organization, CEO of Clark Sustainable Resource Developments, and CEO of Tetra Tech Communications which he grew from $40 million to $300 million in revenues. His first book, A Great Place to Work for All: Better for Business, Better for People, Better for the World, is available everywhere in March 2018 (Berrett-Kohler).
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About Great Place to Work Institute, Inc: Great Place to Work Institute, Inc is an institute of consulting that studies work environments by collecting and analyzing information.
Guy Marion
CEO & Founder of Brightback
Guy Marion is Chief Marketing Officer at Autopilot, where he spearheads Autopilot’s go-to-market strategy and operations. Guy has spent the past decade at the forefront of the shift towards all things Cloud & SaaS, having helped grow several enterprise companies into successful businesses. Prior to joining Autopilot, Guy served as Senior Director at Zendesk where he helped rapidly grow Zendesk’s core SaaS business. Prior to Zendesk, Guy grew and eventually sold his own company, Codesion, to CollabNet Inc., where he served as VP/GM of Cloud Services. Guy holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Stanford and Ph.D in Paleoceanography from The University of Queensland.
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About Brightback: Brightback offers entreprenurial advice to subscription-based businesses on customer lifetime value.
Thiru Ganesan
President & CEO of Kyyba, Inc. of Kyyba Inc.
Thiru Ganesan is the President & CEO of Kyyba, Inc., a Global IT Services company specializing in software development, staff augmentation, TurnKey solutions and business process outsourcing. Thiru, the co-founder and former Chief Operating Officer of Kyyba, Inc. was instrumental in building the company’s business when he joined in 2007. He carried the overall responsibility for the Strategy and Operations, Development, Marketing, Infrastructure Support, Training and HR operations of the organization. Prior to Kyyba, he worked as Lead IT Consultant in Principal Financial group and Nationwide Financial. Thiru is PMP certified from Nationwide Financials and has extensive experience in converting legacy application system to a GUI front end. He has received numerous accolades during this career in Principal and Nationwide.
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About Kyyba Inc.: Staffing, IT, Engineering
Suman Radhakrishna
Chief Executive Officer of ThoughtFocus
Chief Executive Officer at ThoughtFocus .
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About TF Payments Inc., TFAvionics, ThoughtFocus, ThoughtFocus: ThoughtFocus is a US based, privately held consulting, software engineering and business process management company.
John-Michael Scott
CEO of GreenData.IO
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About BloxNexus, Future Think Labs, GreenData.IO, MonstRpreneur, NoLoBlox, Sandalwood Ventures: Venture Builder bringing Corporations & Startups expertise in startup mindset & operational execution, creating the Data Driven Enterprise.
Jacqueline Hinman
Chairman, Chief Executive Officer of CH2M Hill
Jacqueline (Jacque) Hinman brings more than 30 years of experience in the engineering and construction industry to her role as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CH2M, a Fortune 500 company with approximately $5.5 billion in annual revenue and 25,000 employees operating in approximately 90 countries. CH2M is a recognized global leader in consulting, engineering, construction, procurement, program management and operations for public and private clients serving the energy, water, environmental, transportation, and facilities markets. As CEO, Jacque views success as equal parts strategy and connection: keeping a sharp focus on what sets the company apart in a changing marketplace, delivering relentlessly, and keeping in close touch with the people who energize the strategy—CH2M’s clients, employees and shareholders. Her goals for the firm are market leadership, operational excellence, and exceptional client service. To achieve these goals, she prioritizes safety, sustainability, innovation, diversity, ethics, and collaboration as drivers for CH2M’s success—all elements that underpin CH2M’s unique culture. As Jacque observes, “Our culture is really what sets us apart in the marketplace, and it comes to life through our people. Our people are at the heart of what makes us valuable to our clients and communities.” CH2M is consistently recognized as one of the world’s top engineering firms by Engineering News-Record and was recently named one of the “World’s Most Ethical Companies” for the seventh consecutive year by the Ethisphere Institute. The company has also been ranked as a Fortune “Most Admired Company” and a “Best Place to Work”. Before becoming CEO, Jacque served as the president of CH2M’s International Division, which represents approximately 12,000 employees outside the U.S. Her main focus areas included Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Canada, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Singapore, and China. In earlier roles, Jacque served as president of CH2M’s 7,000-person Facilities and Infrastructure Division and oversaw CH2M’s Major Programs group, responsible for the delivery of large engineering, technology, construction and operations programs worldwide, including the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Panama Canal Expansion, and the MASDAR sustainable city in Abu Dhabi. During this time, she also served as director of Mergers & Acquisitions, responsible for overseeing the firm’s acquisitive growth strategies worldwide and for completing the 2011 acquisition of Halcrow Group, a UK-headquartered engineering firm with US$1 billion in annual revenue. In 2012 she served as Halcrow’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer prior to its integration into CH2M. Prior to her current tenure with CH2M, Jacque was the Chief Executive Officer of a management consulting firm that provided financial risk analysis and budgeting services to government, defense and industrial infrastructure owners. That firm was acquired by Tyco’s infrastructure division, and she worked for several years on its leadership team. Jacque also worked at CH2M earlier in her career, managing civil/ environmental engineering and construction projects. Jacque is the Chairman of CH2M’s Board of Directors and has served on CH2M’s board since 2008. She is also a Board member of the nonprofit Catalyst organization. She previously served on the Advisory Board of Catalyst Europe, the Metro Denver Sports Commission, and the World Economic Forum Global Advisory Council on Infrastructure. Jacque has a bachelor’s degree in civil/ environmental engineering from Pennsylvania State University, and received the university’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2015. She also completed the Stanford Executive Program. She is a registered professional engineer and is accredited under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program (LEED AP). In 2014, she was named one of the “100 CEO Leaders in STEM” by STEMconnector® and is a recipient of WorldDenver’s 2014 Women Leading Change Award. She was recognized by the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) as one of the “Women Who Move the Nation” for her contributions in leading and advancing America’s transportation infrastructure.
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About CH2M Hill: CH2M Hill is a global engineering services company that offers a diverse range of environmental and engineering consulting services.
Madan Kalakuntla
Founder, Chairman & CEO of USM Business Systems
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About USM Business Systems: USM Business Systems is a global IT services and staffing company.
Rick Trainor
Chief Executive Officer, Business Services of LexisNexis Risk Solutions
Rick Trainor is Chief Executive Officer, Business Services and Content for the risk solutions business of LexisNexis®. Named to this position in July of 2009, Trainor directs the unit’s strategy, market and product direction, and manages the sales and vertical marketing teams for the business unit’s banking, receivables management and corporate/emerging markets. In addition he manages the company’s content acquisition, bulk content fabrication, sales and licensing, along with managing our two specialty businesses: VitalChek and Signature Information Solutions. Previously, Trainor served as Senior Vice President of Content and Data Services. In that capacity, Trainor was responsible for all content acquisition, along with bulk content fabrication, sales and licensing. Prior to joining LexisNexis, Trainor was Vice President of Content for Seisint, a privately owned Boca based company, which was acquired by LexisNexis in 2004. In this position, he was responsible for all content acquisition. Prior to 2001, Trainor served as Vice President of Contracts and Program Management for Diveo Broadband Networks, where he managed significant vendor financing agreements and the contract management aspects of building out world-class data centers and fixed wireless networks across Latin America. Trainor serves on the Board of Directors for Zoo Atlanta. He earned his BS in Accounting and MS in Finance from Boston College.
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About LexisNexis Risk Solutions: LexisNexis Risk Solutions provides information to assist customers in industry and government in assessing, predicting, and managing risk.
Bill Madison
CEO – Insurance Solutions of LexisNexis Risk Solutions
Bill Madison is Chief Executive Officer, Insurance, for the risk solutions business of LexisNexis, a position he has held since October 2006. Madison is currently responsible for all insurance transactional business including solutions for underwriting, claims, analytics, and international markets; as well as pursuing new market initiatives in life, telematics, auto rental. Madison has played a key role in the integration of data services into multiple channels, and in transforming Insurance Data Solutions from being a data provider to providing a holistic approach to risk analysis, underwriting, and claims processing that includes process enhancement. These innovative solutions have helped insurance carriers achieve significant improvements in performance. Madison joined the organization in 1989 as part Equifax’s acquisition of Innovative Research, Inc., where he was a member of the leadership team that developed several products that revolutionized auto insurance underwriting. When the Insurance Services team was spun off from Equifax to create ChoicePoint, he was instrumental in transitioning the organization into a standalone unit. During his tenure, Madison has served in a variety of roles including customer sales representative in the Personal Lines (Auto and Home) market, then later as Vice President of Sales for the Insurance Data Services division where he was responsible for the National Accounts Program, in addition to all ChoicePoint data sales activity. Madison earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Economics from Bridgewater College in Bridgewater, Virginia. He lives in the Atlanta area with his family.
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About LexisNexis Risk Solutions: LexisNexis Risk Solutions provides information to assist customers in industry and government in assessing, predicting, and managing risk.
Ben Wright
Founder & CEO of Velocity Global
Ben Wright is the Founder & CEO at Velocity Global, LLC.
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About Velocity Global: Velocity Global is a global employment solutions provider that has reinvented the way companies expand overseas.
Brandon Gaille
CEO of ByReputation
Brandon Gaille is the chief executive officer of [ByReputation](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/byreputation), a marketing and design firm. His personal blog, BrandonGaille.com, receives over 500,000 monthly visitors. Gaille lives in Houston, Texas.
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About ByReputation: ByReputation is a highly accredited US Internet marketing company specializing in reputation management, SEO, social media.
Shimon Elkabetz
CEO & Co-Founder of Tomorrow.io
Shimon served in the Israeli Air Force for 11 years in several managerial and commanding positions. Multiple near-death weather-related experiences during his service stoked a fascination with the weather, that little thing that affects us all. He’s also passionate about soccer and can recall any statistic whether you ask him to or not. Shimon holds a BA in economics from Ben Gurion University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
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About Tomorrow.io: Tomorrow.io is a weather intelligence platform that provides real-time weather forecasts.
Mark Osmanski
President & Chief Executive Officer of ATEK Companies
Mark Osmanski joined ATEK Companies as President & CEO in 2011.
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About ATEK Companies: ATEK Access Technologies, LLC designs and manufactures automatic door and industrial safety systems.
Tom Gores
Founder and CEO of Platinum Equity
Tom Gores founded Platinum Equity in 1995 and his guidance, core philosophies, and strong principles drive the strategic development and direction of both the firm and its portfolio.Early in his career, Tom Gores was an active investor in smaller businesses, where companies often trade principally on their good word and ability to follow through on what they promise. Here he developed his principles of empowerment, hard work, and integrity. As Tom Gores delivered on commitments made to deal partners, investment bankers, and lenders, Tom Gores’s ability to continually execute larger transactions grew exponentially and made Platinum Equity one of the premiere private equity firms in the world, recognized as one of Forbes’s “Largest Private Companies” within just 4 years of being founded. Believing that a team of outstanding people could meet almost any challenge,Tom Gores began selecting the best and brightest he came in contact with to join him. The result is the Partners and Principals who lead Platinum Equity today. Strong relationships, trust in people, and open communication remain key to Tom Gores and Platinum Equity’s momentum. When it comes to his business, Tom Gores applies philosophies of swift and thorough diligence, sound acquisitions, effective management, and driving value through honest, intelligent operational improvement rather than financial engineering. M&A&O®, his pioneering vision of combining traditional M&A with operational insight, was the direct result of the combination of these philosophies. Top business publications have recognized Platinum Equity as one of the most important private companies in America, most recently ranking 25th on the 2013 Forbes list of America’s Largest Private Companies and #5 on the 2013 Los Angeles Business Journal list of LA’s Largest Private Equity Companies. Mr. Gores appears on both the Forbes list of the World’s Billionaires as well as the Forbes list of Richest Americans, and is among the youngest individuals ever to appear on either. Tom Gores was born in 1964 and resides primarily in Beverly Hills with his wife and children. When not serving in his role as Chairman and CEO of Platinum Equity, Tom Gores is on either a soccer field or a basketball court coaching youth teams, applying the same principles of hard work and inspiration that Tom Gores does to his business. Tom Gores also maintains active interests in the arts, serving on the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s Board of Trustees and pursuing interests in music. Tom Gores holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Michigan State University.
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About Platinum Equity, York Ventures: Platinum Equity is a private equity investment firm that focuses on leveraged buyout investments of established companies.
Anil Dharni
Co-Founder/CEO of Sense
Anil Dharni is the Senior Vice President, Studio Operations at GREE International Inc. Anil was the President & COO of Funzio, which was acquired by GREE in May 2012. Before Funzio, Anil co-founded mobile game company, Storm8. He oversaw Storm8’s business operations including marketing, customer support, business development, legal, and human resources. Before Storm8, Anil was the VP of Products and UED at hi5 Networks, Inc., where he drove the product roadmap and key product initiatives including hi5 coins (virtual currency), games, and platform.
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About Sense: Sense is a smart talent engagement and communication platform that helps companies find, recruit, and deploy talent.
Kyle Stoner
Founder and CEO of Abode
Kyle is a seasoned entrepreneur with a proven background starting and growing multiple companies. He co-founded Pangea Money Transfer and Alpha Lead. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Kyle worked as an investment banker focused on mergers and acquisitions for JP Morgan and Robert W. Baird. Prior to that, he focused on lean manufacturing as an Industrial Engineer for Delphi Automotive and General Motors. Kyle earned an MBA from Columbia University and is a Purdue Industrial Engineering alum.
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About Abode: Abode is a user-friendly app that eases the home buying process and is especially helpful to first-time buyers.
William Lansing
CEO of FICO
William Lansing is the Chief Executive Officer and a Member of the Board of Directors (February 2006) at FICO since January 2012. A 30-year veteran of the technology industry, William Lansing most recently served as Chief Executive Officer and President at InfoSpace, a position he held from February 2009 to November 2010. Previously, William served as Chief Executive Oficer and President of ValueVision Media. William also served as a Partner of General Atlantic Partners, a global private equity investment firm. Prior to his work at General Atlantic, William served as Chief Executive Officer at NBC Internet, an integrated Internet media company. William has also held several leadership positions in organizations including Fingerhut Companies, General Electric, Prodigy and McKinsey & Company. William has served as a Member of the Board of Directors at FICO since February 2006 and he has served as a Member of the Board of Directors of other public companies, including Digital River and RightNow Technologies. William holds a B.A. degree from Wesleyan University and a J.D. from Georgetown University. William resides in California with his wife and three children. In his off time he enjoys snowboarding, running, mountain biking and traveling.
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About FICO: Fair Isaac Corporation enables businesses to automate, improve, and connect decisions to enhance business performance.
Ivan Koon
Co-Founder & CEO of Dot Dot
Ivan Koon is a Business Coach (pro bono) and Investor.
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About Birchmere Ventures, Dot Dot: Dot Dot Inc. provides actionable advice to entrepreneurs – never superficial, nor generic, nor based on general business principles.
Arkadiy Dobkin
CEO & Co-founder of EPAM Systems
Mr. Dobkin is the Co – Founder & CEO & President of EPAM Systems. Under his direction EPAM has grown to become one of the world’s leading software development outsourcing services companies. After earning an MS in Electrical Engineering from the Byelorussian National Technical University, Mr. Dobkin began his career in Minsk, Belarus, where he worked for several emerging software development companies. After immigrating to the United States, he held thought and technical leadership positions in Colgate-Palmolive and SAP Labs. A recipient of numerous awards, in June 2008 Ernst & Young named Mr. Dobkin winner of The Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2008 award in New Jersey, Information Technology Consulting category. In 2006, Consulting Magazine named him to “Top 25 Most Influential Consultants”. In 2004, along with the CEOs of Wipro Technologies and CGI Group, Mr. Dobkin was spotlighted as a key industry influencer in the Foreign Relations category of CRN’s “Top 25 Executives” issue. Through EPAM, Mr. Dobkin has been instrumental in opening the vast talent pool of the former Soviet Union region and Central and Eastern Europe to the global business community. He continues to actively promote this region across the US and Western Europe by presenting at noted international industry and technology events, such as Gartner Outsourcing Summits, Forrester’s GigaWorld IT Forum Europe, Russian Outsourcing & Software Summits, SAP TechEd, and others.
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About EPAM Systems: EPAM leverages its core engineering expertise as a leading global product development and digital platform engineering services company.
Rahul Sahgal
Founder, President & Chief Executive Officer of Annik
Rahul is the founder and CEO of Annik, one of the leading Data Analytics outsourcing companies in India. Having spent 10 years in the US working with some of the Global Leaders in Market Research, he started the company upon his return to India. Initially providing software development services, he started offering data services in 2002 after which the company quickly grew from less than 20 to over 200 in a couple of years. Today, with over 1000+ employees, Annik is recognized as a pioneer in the KPO space. Having grown up in different countries and having attended various international schools, he has an appreciation for different cultures. He is fluent in English, Hindi and French. Rahul holds a Master’s Degree in Physics from the University of Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA and a Bachelor’s Degree in the same subject from Hindu College, University of Delhi.
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About Annik, LiquidHub, QoreNext: Annik, now LiquidHub Analytics, is the global data management and analytics solutions wing of the customer engagement solutions firm.
Jim Kaiser
Founder, President and CEO of J-Curve Technologies
James (Jim) A. Kaiser is Founder, President and CEO of J-Curve Technologies with responsibility for the overall vision, leadership, strategic direction and business management of the company. Jim is a serial entrepreneur and recognized corporate leader with proven success. He is experienced in driving results for nearly twenty years in start-up companies and capital ventures as well as contributing to the success of a Fortune 100 market leader. Jim is considered a valuable expert in the area of Sales, strategy, executive leadership, business development, operations, turnarounds and change management. Before launching into his entrepreneurial efforts, Jim was one of MCI WorldCom’s (now Verizon) initial employees and became an Executive Director of the company during his twelve year tenure with profit and loss responsibility for nearly $500M in revenue. Prior to Founding J-Curve in 2005, Jim was Co-Founder of a teleservices firm taking the organization from start-up to profitability with three facilities and over 350 employees later leveraging the sale of his equity interest in the company. Jim is frequently requested as a guest speaker at corporate events, panels and universities. He is often asked to provide his expertise on business topics including Sales strategies, executive leadership and change management. Jim earned his Bachelors of Arts degree from Arizona State University in Marketing and Organizational Communications and currently serves on several corporate and community board of directors such as; Rio Salado Community College, University Sales Education Foundation, J-Curve Technologies, Kaiser Companies, Camp Soaring Eagle and North Scottsdale Little League.
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About J-Curve Technologies, Kaiser Companies: J-Curve Technologies provides customer care, technical support, and provisioning support to UCaaS, education, healthcare, streaming media.
Mary Miele
Founder and CEO of The Evolved Education Company
Mary E. Miele is the founder and president of The Evolved Education Company (EEC), an innovative private tutoring and education consulting service that focuses on the total education process and prioritizes the complete assessment of all aspects of the student’s Evolved Education Paradigm, which involves examining each student’s academic history, learning style, school and home environment and social, emotional, and physical development to ensure the very best possible school support. As an educator, parent, consultant, tutor, and activist, Mary Miele is involved in every aspect of the New York City educational system, both public and private sectors. Since 1998, she has taught students in areas of math, reading and writing. Mary Miele supervises special education residents at Hunter College and maintains a vast network of business-to business relationships with like-minded companies and educators. Currently as president of EEC, Mary Miele works closely with teachers and specialists to support them in their roles with families while also working with many students, families and schools within executive function coaching, education consulting and test preparation programming. Mary Miele’s passion lies in the behind-the-scenes work that parents and educators do with children to ensure academic, emotional, social and physical health and success, and as such, she also works closely with parents, helping them to support their children’s education. Mary Miele is the author of Supporting School: A Guidebook for Parents and Educators. She holds a BS and MA from New York University Steinhardt School of Education and is a certified K-12 Special Education Teacher and Reading Specialist in New York State and New York City. She is a recipient of a Curriculum Grant Award from The Spence School, an Impact II Grant Award as well as a speaker at The NYU Women’s Initiative, NYC Admissions Solutions, Theraplay NYC, and various NYC Parent Associations.
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About The Evolved Education Company: Provides tutoring and education consulting services for students in PreK through College using a whole child approach.
Rafi Kronzon
Co-Founder & CEO of Cartwheel
Rafi Kronzon is the CEO and co-founder at Cartwheel. Prior to this, he founded Gotham Broadband and was once a consultant at Merrill Lynch. He bears a degree in computer science from University of Wisconsin-Madison.
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About Cartwheel: Cartwheel provides full service technology support, systems management and consulting services for mid-sized businesses.
Justin Tisler
Co-Founder, CEO, and President of Car Capital Technologies
Justin Tisler is the Co-Founder, CEO, and President of Car Capital Technologies.
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About Car Capital Technologies: Car Capital Technologies provides car dealers with capital and technology to support regulatory and compliance requirements and servicing.
Deanna Oppenheimer
Founder and CEO of Cameo Works
Deanna is the founder and CEO of CameoWorks. Recognized globally as one of the most influential leaders in financial services, she’s a turnaround strategist known for her ability to transform entrenched institutions into forward thinking, customer-centric champions. Previously, Deanna worked at Barclays, starting as chief executive of the UK business before becoming Vice Chair, Global Retail Banking, sharing best practices across Europe and Africa. Her final role was CEO of UK and Western Europe Retail Banking. In 2010, she added the role of chief executive of Europe Retail and Business Banking. From 1985-2005, she served in a number of positions at Washington Mutual, Inc., with her last role as president of Consumer Banking, where she helped to transform the lender from a regional to national player.
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About Bain & Company, Cameo Works, Thomson Reuters, West Monroe Partners: CameoWorks is a consumer-focused boutique advisory firm comprised solely of global executive and non-executive leaders.
Pam Kostka
CEO of All Raise
Pam Kostka is the CEO of All Raise, a startup nonprofit on a mission to accelerate the success of female founders and funders to build a more prosperous, equitable future. Pam is a seasoned CEO with over 25 years of experience as a startup operator. Her specialties are defining go-to-market strategies and implementing operational processes that allow startups to effectively scale to successful exits. Most recently, she was CEO of Loop, a local community mobile app. Previously, she served as CEO of Bluebox Security, interim CEO and CMO at VirtuOz, SVP of Marketing and Sales for Sabrix, and CEO and Co-founder of Visiline, Inc. She has also held executive and senior marketing roles at software companies such as Arena Solutions, Connect, and Extensity. Pam earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in economics, summa cum laude, from College of the Holy Cross, and her MBA from Harvard Business School. A lifelong cyclist, runner, and outdoor adventure seeker, she enjoys Bay Area trails with her husband, Yuri, and daughter, Rae.
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About All Raise: All Raise is a nonprofit on a mission to accelerate the success of female founders and funders to build a more prosperous equitable future.
C. Hartz
CEO of Hartz Mountain Industries
Recognized as a pioneer in leading transformational business solutions for Fortune 500 global enterprises, Scott has worked with more than 70% of the global Fortune 500 through his career with Price Waterhouse and PricewaterhouseCoopers. He is CEO of the Hartz Group and serves on the Boards of the Erie Insurance Group and Alien Technology. Scott’s MBA is from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
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About Fortune 500 Global Enterprises, Hartz Mountain Industries, Price Waterhouse: Hartz Mountain Industries is a company that provides office space rental services.
Dennis Lacey
CEO of RGS Energy
Dennis Lacey came to RGS Energy with over 25 years of executive leadership experience. Prior to RGS Energy, he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Imperial Bancorp, a $6 billion publicly traded commercial bank. Before Imperial Bancorp, Dennis was president and Chief Executive Officer of Capital Associates, a publicly traded equipment leasing company. His experience also includes serving as Chief Financial Officer for CKE Restaurants and TeleTech, one of the largest customer experience management companies in the United States, and as head of capital markets for a private alternative asset investment and management firm.
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About RGS Energy: RGS Energy customers making a positive impact on the planet by choosing a cleaner energy source that gives them real savings.
Jay Le
Chief Executive Officer of HYPE Agency
Jay is an entrepreneur, angel investor, and philanthropist. He has started several successful start-ups that are making well over $300,000,000 in revenue.
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About HYPE Agency: HYPE Agency is a digital marketing agency that provides marketing services for all business types.
Rich Lesser
President and Chief Executive Officer , New York of The Boston Consulting Group
Rich became the sixth president and chief executive officer of BCG in January 2013. Based in New York and Beijing, he has been on the firm’s Executive Committee since 2006. Before becoming CEO, Rich was BCG’s chairman for North and South America since 2009 and head of the New York Metro office system starting in 2000. His client work has focused on innovation, strategy, and large-scale transformation in the health care and consumer sectors. In 2009, Consulting magazine named him one of the industry’s most influential consultants. Prior to joining BCG in 1988, Rich worked as a process development engineer and group leader at Procter & Gamble. He holds an MBA with high distinction from Harvard Business School, where he was a Baker Scholar, and a bachelor’s degree summa cum laude in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan. Read Rich’s recent “Boss Talk” interview with The Wall Street Journal.
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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
Spectacular Smith
Founder & CEO of Adwizar
Upon turning after school candy sales into a $2,000 a week business at age 11, Spectacular Smith discovered he was an entrepreneur. That realization would take him first to the heights of popular music, and then to success as a business owner, label owner, author, and beyond. A dancer since the third grade, Smith took his childhood love of performing into the rap group he formed with his brothers, Pretty Ricky. His father was the manager of the group, and owner of indie label. Spectacular contributed musically and also choreographed the group’s explosive stage shows—performances that won them a deal with Atlantic Records. The group went on to huge worldwide success: filling arenas on the Scream IV tour, selling millions of singles and ringtones, and earning huge hits with “Grind With Me,” & “Your Body,” Music stardom was just the first stage of Spectacular Smith’s career. Intrigued by the business possibilities of social media, he turned Pretty Ricky’s Facebook page into his personal laboratory, testing out his theories behind social networks for a full year until he had a new, unbreakable system of gaining and monetizing followers. He then turned those ideas into Adwizar, the dominant social media brand in the urban music space. The company runs the Facebook pages of artists such as Bow Wow, Kevin Gates, Soulja Boy, Master P, Birdman, Bone Thugs N Harmony, and countless others. Adwizar has now grown beyond urban music into dealing with major brands and corporations, athletes, merchandising deals, and more. The company was also featured on Forbes.com for its innovative methods, and has no ceiling on its growth. Smith has not left music behind. He has a record label called Mula Music Group, The label has recently signed West Coast artist Compton Menace, who is ringing up millions of YouTube views for his new single with Chris Brown, “Put On.” After conquering the worlds of music, social media, and publishing, the world is waiting to see what he does next.
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About Adwizar, Amazon, Inc. Magazine, Meta, Spectacular Academy, Viacom: Music Industry’s #1 Company for Growth and Monetization on Social Media – Making Artist, and Brands residual income from their social media.
Chok Ooi
Co-Founder & CEO of Kenzie Academy
Board Member of Concourse Global. Co-Founder and CEO at Kenzie Academy.
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About AgilityIO, Kenzie Academy, Ops Ninja: Kenzie Academy provides a solution to the dramatic shortage of tech talent in the U.S., by reimagining higher education for the tech sector.
Dhaval Jadav
CEO of alliantgroup
Dhaval Jadav is the co-founder and chief executive officer of alliantgroup, a Houston-based tax consulting firm that helps small and mid-sized businesses earn state and federal tax credits. Jadav founded the firm in 2002 with current chief operating officer Shane Frank. Prior to founding the firm, Jadav held positions in both the public and private sectors. He worked for several companies in Silicon Valley, as well as for Deloitte & Touche and the Internal Revenue Service’s Houston District Counsel. Philanthropy is an important part of Jadav’s work. He has helped establish alliantgroup’s Blue Heart Fund, a charitable fund created to aid the firm’s employees, clients and their CPAs, and the local community in rebuilding after Hurricane Harvey left many displaced. Additionally, Jadav helped create a STEM scholarship fund for Houston-area high school students wishing to pursue a career in a STEM-related field. Jadav has contributed to a number of publications, including Harvard Business Review, Industry Week and Reuters Breakingviews, where he discussed the need for tax reform in order to reinvest money back into the U.S. economy. Jadav is a member of alliantgroup’s strategic advisory board. He earned an LL.M. degree in taxation from the Georgetown University Law Center, and is licensed to practice law in Texas where he lives with his family.
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About alliantgroup: alliantgroup is the nation’s leading tax specialty services provider. alliantgroup helps businesses stay competitive and grow!
Frank Selldorff
Founder & CEO of Acorio
Frank Selldorff is CEO and founder of Meteorix. An accomplished veteran of the IT consulting industry, with a sharp focus on innovation, Frank founded Meteorix in January of 2011 because he believes Workday’s technology is revolutionary and that the opportunity exists to change the way services are delivered. A true entrepreneurial leader, adept building high performing teams, Frank drives the company’s unwavering commitment to both customer and employee success. In addition to his role at Meteorix, Frank is also founder and Chairman of Momentum Equity Partners, an early-stage venture capital firm that invests in companies with the potential to become industry leaders in the information technology sector. Prior to Momentum, Frank was founder and co-CEO of Reach Internet Incubator, whose portfolio of companies includes success stories BrandMuscle, BlackSmith Applications, BrainShark and netNumina (later acquired by Keane). In 1992, Frank founded Breakaway Solutions, a full-service Internet provider, and served as its chairman, president and CEO through 1998. Under his direction, the company was recognized as one of the nation’s fastest-growing technology companies, ranking No. 73 on the 1998 Inc. 500 and on Deloitte and Touche’s Fast 50/500 from 1996-1998.
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About Acorio, Meteorix: Acorio helps customers to maximize the return on their investment in ServiceNow.
Isaac Mashman
CEO/Founder of Mashman Ventures
Born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida Isaac Mashman is a businessman, podcast host, speaker, and private investor who first got involved in business in 2017. Coming from a rather “humble” family, through business Isaac realized that there was more to life than struggle and stagnancy. It was the perfect solution to his childhood problems. Since starting his journey he has had the opportunity to become the first person in his family to ever travel internationally, has been to multiple states and cities including New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Miami. He’s hosted two podcasts, and in April of 2020 he launched his very own company Mashman Ventures. One of the largest things he attributes to his success has been personal development. He recognized early on that if one was not growing as an individual the chances were, no other areas of his life would be growing either. This is why Isaac launched his newest podcast, “Chase the Vision with Isaac Mashman” and has made it his goal to share his experiences, knowledge, and lessons he has learned along the way with as many people as possible, thus helping them become more capable and in return get the results they want in life. Isaac Mashman specializes in creating, growing and positioning personal brands through his public relations firm Mashman Ventures.
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About Mashman Investments, Mashman Ventures: Mashman Ventures is a public relations firm that specializes in personal branding.
Hossein Kasmai
Founder & CEO of Franchise Creator, Inc.
Mr. Hossein Kasmai has an extensive experience in the field of franchising. Mr. Kasmai founded many franchise concepts of his own including Guard-A-Kid. Guard-A-Kid founded in 2005, quickly became the industry leader and a very successful franchise in the field of Children and family safety. In only a few months after its initial franchise offering, Guard-A-Kid grew to over 35 franchises and by 2010, only five years after its initial launch, Guard-A-Kid expanded to over 150 franchises in 11 countries worldwide. Mr. Kasmai’s new franchise concept has been ranked among the top 500 franchises for 6 years in a row and ranked in the top 10 new franchises in 2009. For 2 years in a row this franchise was ranked among the top 100 fastest growing franchises in America. In mid 2010, Guard-A-Kid was acquired by an investment entity and continues to maintain its rapid growth and its #1 status in its category. Mr. Kasmai has founded other franchise concepts that are currently in operation including a unique Gift Card exchange franchise concept currently operating as Gift Card Monkey. Read more about this very exciting and unique concept here. As a Professional Engineer and an experienced business person, Mr. Kasmai was previously an executive with Motorola leading a large group of engineers in developing new products.
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About Franchise Creator, Inc.: Franchise Creator is a full service franchise consulting firm.
Chris Becker
Founder / CEO of NetEffect
I work with teams to realize results on user experience and creative initiatives – a new service, entertainment program or branded product experience – for targeted users such as a customers, employees, fans, gamers, viewers, readers or listeners. My background in consulting, startups, tech, corporate, creative, financial services and media across a range of continents and countries enables me to tap a broad set of experience and a dynamic network of people.
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About NetEffect: NetEffect works with organizations, leveraging technology and building solutions to drive impactful change and build competitive advantage.
Michael Corkery
President & Chief Executive Officer of Deltek
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About Deltek: Deltek is an enterprise software and information solutions provider for professional services firms and government contractors.
Nancy Albertini
Office of the CEO of Kingsley Gate Partners
Nancy Albertini is Chairman of the executive search firm, Albertini Group Inc. (AGI), which she founded in 2006. Recognized as a search industry innovator and thought leader, Nancy has connected the most sought after talent with industry leading companies for over 25 years. Throughout her career, Nancy has been instrumental in building winning companies. From finding key executives to locating funding at strategic points in their development, Nancy’s ability to propel companies to the next level has been a key to both her clients’ and her own success. Nancy founded Taylor Winfield Inc. in 1986, partnering with private equity firms and focusing on executive search for emerging growth companies. In 1993, she began an innovative investment model, investing alongside her clients, in their portfolio companies, in addition to placing the executive teams. Her largest return came in 1994 when she introduced BEA Systems to Warburg Pincus, resulting in BEA becoming the fastest growing software company in Silicon Valley in the 1990’s and leading to a $32 billion market cap by October 2000. Nancy’s other exits include Rhapsody Networks which was sold to Brocade and AFC which was sold to Telllabs where she executed both CEO searches. In 2003, she co-founded Pagemill Partners, which provides financial advisory services, including M&A advisory, private placement advisory and specialized financial studies to emerging and middle-market technology companies. There, she was instrumental in the funding of Shop.com and the placement of technology luminary Bob Kavner to its board. Nancy’s completed board searches include Audit Chair for LivingSocial and two board members for F5 Networks (NASDAQ:FFIV), three board members for Ruffalo Cody, three board members for Contact Solutions, two board members for Inmar, a board member for Evidon, and two board members for SmartPak International including a board member from Google and Netflix. Recently, Nancy completed the President at Boingo Wireless (NASDAQ: WIFI), the CEO Arespike, CEO Kaazing, CMO Inmar; CRO, VP Sales and Chief Product Officer for Metamarkets, CIO Western Dental, SVP Operations and CFO Joyent and Yodlee, General Counsel and SVP HR of vRide, CHRO Trinet (NASDAQ: TNET), and CMO Vendavo. Nancy also completed the President of Merchant Funded offers for JPMorgan Chase. (NYSE: JPM) The Albertini Group, Inc. has just been named the U.S. Partner for Intel Capital. She is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), the Committee of 200 which is an invitation only international organization of the world’s most successful women entrepreneurs and corporate leaders, Silicon Valley Executive Network (SVEN), and Forum for Women Entrepreneurs. Nancy was named one of the Influential Women of Silicon Valley for 2010 and is a distinguished Junior Achievement 2012 Hall of Fame Laureate. Nancy serves on the board of Apollo Enterprise Solutions, the board of BUILD which is an organization for high risk high school students, and the Advisory Board of the Big Live and Monitise (MONI) listed on the AIM. Nancy holds an MBA from Southern Methodist University (SMU) with international training from the London Business School (LBS). Nancy has attended Stanford University’s Director’s College focused on the role of governance for public companies and has completed the Stanford program for Mergers & Acquisitions.
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About Kingsley Gate Partners: Kingsley Gate Partners is a management consulting and information technology company located in Dallas.
Stephen Roulac
CEO of Roulac Global Places
Stephen E. Roulac, Ph.D., is a consultant, economist, scholar, writer, and futurist. Since 1972, he has headed Roulac Global, a firm that provides advisory and litigation consulting services on significant decisions of businesses, primarily concerning real estate involvements. Stephen Roulac’s background reflects decades of study, leading academic credentials and includes year of experience, deep research and data mining and building and leading several businesses. Through his work, he has made fundamental and innovative research contributions and pioneered applications of economic analysis and management methods to real estate. As an informative professional speaker, Dr. Roulac has made presentations and speeches to hundreds of organizations and has been the keynote speaker or featured instructor at significant professional forums throughout the country and abroad. Among others, Dr. Roulac’s clients have included Apple, Bank of America, California Public Employees’ Retirement System, City of Los Angeles, Hallmark Corporation, Government of Singapore Investment Corporation, Merrill Lynch, and the U.S. Department of Labor. Dr. Roulac is an active author of real estate and business topics and has written hundreds of articles and authored or edited over a dozen books. He has written the “Property Strategy” column for Forbes, wrote the overview cover essay for Real Estate Capital Markets Report, and a column on strategic issues in pension investing for The Institutional Real Estate Letter. His “Modern Real Estate Investment: An Institutional Approach,” has been recognized as an authoritative treatise on real estate investment practice. Dr. Roulac has served as adjunct professor at Texas A & M University, Texas Real Estate Research Center, and as a lecturer at the Graduate School of Management, UCLA. He served on the faculty of the Stanford Graduate School of Business for ten years, and concurrently held a joint appointment in the Department of Architecture, College of Environmental Design, and the Schools of Business Administration at UC, Berkeley. He was also an adjunct professor at Hastings College of Law. Dr. Roulac received his Ph.D. in Finance and Strategic Management from Stanford University, his M.B.A. with distinction from Harvard University, his JD from University of California, Berkeley, and his BA in Economics from Pomona College.
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About Roulac Global Places: RGP is a strategy, financial economics, and transactional consulting firm that advises senior management and investors.
Keith Waddell
President and CEO of Robert Half International
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About Robert Half International: Robert Half is a professional services company and is the world’s first and largest accounting and finance staffing firm.
Harold Messmer
Chief Executive Officer of Robert Half International
Harold M. Messmer, Jr. holds an AB from Loyola University Chicago and is currently the chief executive officer of Robert Half International, the Menlo Park, California-based professional staffing and consulting firm that operates over 400 locations worldwide. Messmer was featured in a 2002 BusinessWeek cover story “The Good CEO” that highlighted ethical CEOs who ran strong companies without bending the rules. The article noted Messmer’s insistence on building up the company from within and resisting the pressure from Wall Street to buy up other firms through risky mergers and acquisitions. In addition to Robert Half, Messmer has been a partner at the law firm of OMelveny & Myers, and is affiliated with the boards of First Interstate Bancorp, Spieker Properties, Inc., Airborne, Inc., and Accountemps Inc., a branch of Robert Half.
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About Robert Half International: Robert Half is a professional services company and is the world’s first and largest accounting and finance staffing firm.
Scott N. Miller
Chief Executive Officer of Dragon Innovation
MD at Dragon Ventures.
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About Dragon Innovation, Dragon Ventures, Olin College: We help you navigate the New Product Introduction process as you launch complex products.
Max Shapiro
Founder & CEO of PeopleConnect
**Max Shapiro** is CEO of PeopleConnect (a boutique executive staffing agency), Chair of Angel Elevator Pitches at VC TaskForce, and an active member of Silicon Ventures and [Keiretsu Forum](/financial-organization/keiretsu-forum).
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About PeopleConnect, Runway: PeopleConnect is an executive staffing agency that serves companies of all sizes.