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 Venture Capital 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.
Neha Singh
Co-Founder & CEO of Tracxn
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About Tracxn: The largest data platform of Startups
Henry Kravis
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts
Henry Kravis (New York) co-founded KKR in 1976 and is Co-Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer. He is actively involved in managing the Firm and serves on regional Private Equity Investment and Portfolio Management Committees. Henry Kravis currently serves on the boards of First Data Corporation and ICONIQ Capital, LLC. He also serves as a director, chairman emeritus or trustee of several cultural, professional, and educational institutions, including The Business Council, Claremont McKenna College, Columbia Business School, Mount Sinai Hospital, Partnership for New York City, Partnership Fund for New York City, Rockefeller University, Sponsors for Educational Opportunity and Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management. He earned a B.A. from Claremont McKenna College in 1967 and an M.B.A. from the Columbia Business School in 1969. Henry Kravis has more than four decades of experience financing, analyzing, and investing in public and private companies, as well as serving on the boards of a number of KKR portfolio companies.
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About Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, Partnership Fund for New York City: Kohlberg Kravis Roberts is a global alternative asset manager focusing on private equity, fixed income, and capital markets.
George R Roberts
Co-Chairman and Co-CEO of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts
George R. Roberts (Menlo Park) co-founded KKR in 1976 and is Co-Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer. He is actively involved in managing the Firm and serves on regional Private Equity Investment and Portfolio Management Committees. Mr. Roberts has served as a director or trustee of several cultural and educational institutions, including Claremont McKenna College. He is also founder and Chairman of the board of directors of REDF, a San Francisco nonprofit organization. He earned a B.A. from Claremont McKenna College in 1966 and a J.D. from the University of California (Hastings) Law School in 1969. Mr. Roberts has more than four decades of experience financing, analyzing, and investing in public and private companies, as well as serving on the boards of a number of KKR portfolio companies.
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About Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, REDF: Kohlberg Kravis Roberts is a global alternative asset manager focusing on private equity, fixed income, and capital markets.
Ali Partovi
Founder & CEO of Neo
Ali Partovi heads Neo, a mentorship community and VC fund that brings together tech veterans to invest in the diverse leaders of tomorrow. Ali invests in people smarter than himself and has backed Airbnb, Dropbox, Facebook, & Uber. He co-founded Code.org (Hour of Code) to bring Computer Science to classrooms. Ali grew up in Tehran during the Iran-Iraq war, attended Harvard, and sold his first startup, LinkExchange, in 1998. He’s passionate about sustainable food and loves climbing, guitar, puzzles, and family.
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About Code.org, Neo: Neo is a mentorship community and VC fund that brings together a diverse group of tech veterans to accelerate tomorrow’s leaders.
Bob Zangrillo
Chairman and CEO of Dragon Global
Robert (“Bob”) Zangrillo is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Dragon Global. Zangrillo is a veteran investor and executive in eCommerce, Data-Driven Businesses, Entertainment Media, Mobility, and Social Networking Sectors. His talents for providing significant financial returns for his investors and building teams dedicated to delivering leading industry solutions are widely known. Over the last several years, Zangrillo has diversified into commercial real estate development in Miami, where he has led investments in up-and-coming emerging neighborhoods in Miami. Over the last eight years, Zangrillo has built Dragon Global into one of the leading venture growth firms based on his track record of investing in the leading technology growth companies, including but not limited to Didi Chuxing, Facebook, Jet.com, Twitter, and Uber Technologies. Zangrillo has over twenty-five years of experience in venture capital with a remarkable track record. He has been a pioneer in the venture growth investment area where he has led some of the largest primary and secondary investments. Zangrillo was one of the earliest late stage venture growth investors in Facebook. During the period from 2008-2012, Zangrillo became one of the largest late stage investors in Facebook, through multiple predecessor funds, leading to his founding of Dragon Global. Zangrillo was both one of the early visionaries to recognize the enormous potential of social media in 2008 and Internet commerce in 1995 and how they both would transform the way business is conducted in the new global economy. Over the last twenty-five years, Zangrillo has been a prominent figure in the Internet community, with significant roles as a Chairman, CEO, venture capital investor, active executive director and advisor to high-growth companies.
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About Dragon Global, Dragon Global: Dragon Global is a private investment firm focused on venture capital and real estate investments.
Sheel Tyle
Founder & CEO of Amplo
Sheel is the Founder & CEO of Amplo, a global venture capital firm helping build companies that matter. He is a member of the Board of Directors for Andela, most recently named the #1 most innovative company in Africa by Fast Company. He previously was the co-head of the seed practice at NEA, the world’s largest venture capital firm. As an angel investor, Sheel has invested in the seed or Series A of Casper, Flutterwave, Mark43, Robinhood, and others. Sheel graduated from Stanford University in three years, at the age of 19. He is a World Economic Forum Global Shaper, and was on the Forbes 30 under 30 list in 2013. He holds a JD from Harvard Law School. In 2016, upon invitation of the White House, Sheel was part of the US delegation with President Obama on his historic visit to Cuba.
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About Amplo, Robinhood, The Wing: Amplo is a global venture capital firm helping build companies that matter.
Jager McConnell
Chief Executive Officer of Crunchbase
Jager is the CEO of Crunchbase. He joined the company as it became a venture-backed startup in enterprise data. Prior to joining Crunchbase, Jager spent 11 years at Salesforce in various roles across sales, marketing, and product development.
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About Crunchbase: Crunchbase provides intelligent prospecting software powered by live company data.
Courtney Puckett
Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer of Crunchbase
Courtney served as Office Manager at Crunchbase from September 2017 to February 2019, from which she served as Executive Assistant until August 2019, since which she has been serving as Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer.
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About Crunchbase: Crunchbase provides intelligent prospecting software powered by live company data.
Simon Rothery
CEO of Goldman Sachs
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About Goldman Sachs: Goldman Sachs is a multinational financial services firm providing securities, investment banking, and management services.
Lloyd Blankfein
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Goldman Sachs
With over 30 years of experience in various positions at Goldman Sachs in New York and London, Mr. Blankfein has extensive knowledge of all aspects of our business, including our risk management practices and our strategy. Mr. Blankfein utilizes this firm-specific knowledge and experience in his role as Chairman to, among other things, guide Board discussions and keep our Board apprised of significant developments in our business.
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About Goldman Sachs: Goldman Sachs is a multinational financial services firm providing securities, investment banking, and management services.
David Krane
CEO & Managing Partner of GV
David is the CEO & Managing Partner at GV and oversees the fund’s global activities. He invests in a wide range of technology companies including Uber, Nest, Blue Bottle Coffee, and Urban Engines. David’s Google career began more than 17 years ago, as director of Global Communications and Public Affairs. In this role, David oversaw the company’s strategic communications programs worldwide, and worked as a member of the senior leadership team to grow Google from a small startup to a multi-billion dollar global enterprise. David’s prior professional experience spanned both startup and public companies, including Apple Computer, QUALCOMM, Four11 (now Yahoo! Mail), and two computer security software developers. David is also on the board of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. (MGM), a member of Young President’s Organization (YPO), a trustee of San Francisco’s Contemporary Jewish Museum of Art, and a Menlo/Atherton Little League baseball coach. David received his Bachelor of Arts in journalism from Indiana University Bloomington. As a proud Hoosier alumnus, he serves on the Dean’s advisory board for the IU School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering. David resides in the Bay Area with his wife, three children, and their labradoodle.
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About Google, GV: GV provides venture capital funding to bold new companies.
Molly Fowler
CEO of First Round Capital
A motivated group of people can do just about anything. I’ve seen it in action from a local barbecue that turned out an entire neighborhood to vote for the first time, to a city that wouldn’t stand for buildings that wouldn’t stand in an earthquake. When the energy of large, distributed communities is met with the hustle and dedication of people and organizations, we can come together and take on any and every challenge.
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About First Round Capital: First Round is a venture capital firm that specializes in providing seed-stage funding to technology companies.
Barry Sternlicht
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Starwood Capital Group
Barry Sternlicht is Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Starwood Capital Group, the private investment firm he formed in 1991 focused on global real estate, hotel management, oil and gas, energy infrastructure and securities trading. Sternlicht is also Chairman of Starwood Property Trust, now the largest commercial mortgage REIT in the U.S. traded on the NYSE. For the past twenty-two years, he has structured investments with an asset value of more than $40 billion. Starwood’s funds have invested in more than 18,000 apartment units, more than 1,000 hotels, over 22 million square feet of office properties, 15 million square feet of retail and over 20,000 acres of land in residential subdivisions. Today the firm manages approximately $29 billion of assets under management on behalf of its high net worth and institutional partners. Starwood Capital Group employs approximately 330 associates at its headquarters in Greenwich, Connecticut, with other offices in Atlanta, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington DC, London, Sao Paolo, Paris and Luxembourg. Starwood’s family of products includes Starwood Energy Partners, focused on energy infrastructure investments, Starwood Real Estate Securities, a long-short fund, and Starwood Oil & Gas Group. From 1995 through early 2005, Sternlicht was Chairman and CEO of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide (HOT), Inc., a company he founded in 1995. In his tenure, he built Starwood Hotels into one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world employing more than 120,000 people with 895 properties in 100 countries. Starwood Hotels is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchiser of hotels with nine brands, including: St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, W Hotels, Sheraton, Westin, Meridien, and Four Points. Sternlicht created W Hotels, perhaps the world’s most successful “boutique” brand, and built St. Regis Hotels into a global brand. In 2013, Sternlicht was named the #1 Most Important Person in Commercial Real Estate Finance by The Mortgage Observer. In 2010, Sternlicht was named Executive of the Year and Investor of the Year by Commercial Property Executive. Sternlicht was named America’s Best Lodging CEO by Institutional Investor magazine. Sternlicht is a member of the Interior Design Magazine Hall of Fame. He received the Preston Robert Tisch Distinguished Industry Leadership Award from New York University, the CEO Diversity Award by Diversity Best Practices/Business Women’s Network, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Travel Marketing Executives, the Hospitality Heritage Award from the American Hotel and Lodging Association, and the Marketer of the Year Award from Brandweek. Sternlicht’s humanitarian efforts have led to prestigious national honors such as JDRF’s Man of the Year, JDRF’s Living and Giving Award and JDRF’s Chairman’s Award. Sternlicht is a trustee of his alma mater, Brown University. He serves on the Board of Directors of The Estée Lauder Companies, Restoration Hardware, and TriPointe Homes. Sternlicht is also Chairman of the Board of Societé du Louvre. He serves as Chairman of the Board of Robin Hood and is on the boards of the Pension Real Estate Association (PREA), the Real Estate Roundtable, the Dreamland Film & Performing Arts Center, and the Executive Advisory Board of Americans for the Arts. He is a member of the World Presidents Organization and the Urban Land Institute. Barry Sternlicht received his BA, magna cum laude, with honors from Brown University. He later earned an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School.
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About Starwood Capital Group: Starwood Capital has invested $11.8 billion of equity since 1991 in all asset classes and levels of the capital structure.
Miriam Rivera
CEO, Co-Founder & Managing Director of Ulu Ventures
Miriam co-founded Ulu Ventures, where she is the Managing Partner. Ulu is an early stage angel fund focused on IT investments and has made 30 investments in the last three years. She is also the co-founder and co-president of Stanford Angels & Entrepreneurs.
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About Stanford Angels and Entrepreneurs, Ulu Ventures: Ulu Ventures provides early-stage investments to enterprise cloud and smart data companies.
Chris Burch
Founder & CEO of Burch Creative Capital
Christopher Burch is Founder and CEO of Burch Creative Capital. Mr. Burch is an active investor in a variety of businesses spanning a wide range of industries and is the co-founder of the luxury fashion brand, Tory Burch. Mr. Burch has always been devoted to the power of branding, and currently applies his keen sense of marketing and sales to business interests spanning apparel, financial services, hospitality, technology and consumer products.
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About Burch Creative Capital, Nihi Sumba Island: Burch Creative Capital is a Creative Capital Firm with a decidedly different approach to creating value.
Sergio P. Ermotti
Group Chief Executive Officer of UBS
Swiss Federal Professional Certificate of Business; Graduate, AMP, Oxford, UK. 1987-2004, with Merrill Lynch incl.: 1993, Head, European Equity Derivatives; 1996, Head, Global Equity Derivatives, NY; 1997-99, Head, Global Equity Linked Products; 1999-2001, Head, Equity Markets, EMEA; 2001-04, Sr VP and Co-Head, Global Equity Markets; Member, Op. Cttee; Vice-Chairman, Capital Markets. Prior to April 2011, with UniCredit Group: 2005, Head, Markets and Investment Banking; 2007-10, Group Deputy CEO and Head, Corporate and Investment Banking and Private Banking. April – September 2011, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, UBS Group EMEA. Since September 2011, Group Chief Executive Officer, UBS.
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About UBS: UBS is a global financial services company that engages in the provision of financial management solutions.
Rodney Sampson
Founder, Executive Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of OHUB
Rodney Sampson is heralded as the leading inclusive innovation, entrepreneurship and investment ecosystem builder in the world, particularly given his mission to ensure that everyone, everywhere, particularly socially disadvantaged communities, have equitable access to the new multi-generational wealth creation opportunities afforded in the future of work and fourth industrial revolution as definitive paths to reducing poverty and the racial wealth gap everywhere. Throughout his twenty-year entrepreneurial career, Sampson has co-founded startup companies that have overcome the odds by collectively raising more than $20 million in angel and venture capital, created hundreds of new jobs, and generated tens of millions in revenue before the acquisition or going public. At the beginning of the 21st century, Sampson co-founded, built, and sold Multicast Media Technologies (Streamingfaith.com) and EFactor (EFCT). He was one of three Black co-founders during this era whose high growth technology startups raised over $1 million in angel and venture capital and were subsequently acquired for eight-figures. During this time, Sampson also built Intellectual Currency, a world-class integrated go-to-market, publishing, and advisory firm with clients ranging from major Hollywood film studios, cable networks, tech companies, global corporates, publishers, the United States government, African heads of state and leading Black church denominations. Since 2007, Sampson has worked closely with high growth startups and seed-stage venture funds as a selective advisor, investor, and limited partner. His current investment and advisory portfolio include Cross Culture Ventures, TechSquare Capital, Digit, York Exponential, Plum.io, Patientory, The Mentor Method, and Momentum Learning. In 2013, Sampson co-founded Opportunity Hub as a follow up to the highly successful Kingonomics’ book release and large-scale conferences in Atlanta, GA, and Washington, DC. OHUB scaled quickly to become the leading multi-campus coworking space, entrepreneurship center, and tech hub featuring over 300 events a year, a startup pre-accelerator, coding boot-camp, and scholarship initiative and angel investing platform for founders from underestimated and under-tapped communities. Over 15,000 people walked through OHUB’s doors each year. From 2015-17, Sampson was a Partner at TechSquare Labs, a tech hub, seed-stage venture fund, and creator of the $100,000 Atlanta Startup Battle. Today, TechSquare Labs’ portfolio companies have raised follow on the capital of nearly $300 million, are valued at over $1.5 billion, generate over $100 million in annual recurring revenue, and employ over 1000 people and growing. He remains the largest minority limited partner in the fund. Today, as Executive Chairman & CEO of Opportunity Hub and OHUB Foundation, Sampson is focused on scaling OHUB as the definitive global future of work, opportunity, and wealth-creating platform by ensuring that everyone, everywhere has early exposure to tech, startup, and venture; in-demand technology education, training, and talent placement; inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem building; and capital formation. This is driven by the thousands of college and young professional members and growing from hundreds of colleges and universities across America and beyond. OHUB is a supplier, vendor, and partner to over 50 tech companies, major corporations, high growth startups, venture funds, municipalities, foundations, associations, colleges and universities and growing. Current national initiatives include OHUB@Cities, OHUB@Campus, OHUB@SXSW, 100 Black Angels Fund I and DEIS, a new strategy, service, and future software platform to operationalize diversity, equity, and inclusion across the major divisions of growing enterprises. Sampson is also a Nonresident Senior Fellow in the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brooking Institution in Washington, DC, and a Professor of Entrepreneurship at Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA. Sampson previously served as the 1st Head of Diversity at Mark Burnett Productions, executive producers of the hit ABC show, ABC’s Sharktank. A strong believer in philanthropy and its role in social impact and advocacy, Sampson supports and serves on the boards of Artificial Intelligence for All (AI4All), Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC), International Bishops Conference, and GA Technology for All Policy Summit. Sampson was educated at Tulane University, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, and Keller Graduate School of Management. Sampson resides in Atlanta, GA with his wife and six children.
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About Huddle Ventures, OHUB, Plum.io, ROHO: OHUB is an ecosystem building platform to ensure authentic diversity, equity, and inclusion in the fourth industrial revolution and beyond.
Denis Barrier
Co-founder and CEO of Cathay Innovation
Denis is co-founder and CEO of Cathay Innovation. He is also a Managing Partner of Cathay Capital Private Equity. Prior to Cathay, he was at Iris Capital where he managed the international activities of the Orange/Publicis fund. He has also been the Head of Corporate Venture at Orange Telecom, and a Managing Director at Innovacom. He has also worked as an Officer at the French Treasury Department, in charge of all the Sovereign holdings in Aerospace, Defense, and Media companies. Denis has a deep technical background and started as a Researcher in the laboratories of Orange Telecom, working mainly on semiconductor quantum dots. He holds a Ph.D. in solid state Physics, is a graduate of Ecole Normale Supérieure, and is an engineer of Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Télécommunications. He has also been a Member of the French Council for Entrepreneurship and of Corps des Mines.
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About Cathay Innovation: Cathay Innovation is a global multi-stage venture capital firm investing in startups impacting the world.
Cheryl Cheng
Founder and CEO of Vive Collective
Cheryl Cheng joined BRV in 2008. She focuses on early stage consumer and mobile big data opportunities. Cheryl also runs BRV’s alumni entrepreneur and Fortune 500 programs to bring experience and resources to the current portfolio. Prior to BlueRun, Cheryl worked at Clorox and The Sharper Image launching new products and driving retail marketing with partners across Target, Walmart and grocery. Cheryl has a B.A. from Stanford University and an MBA from Kellogg School of Management where she was a Forte Scholar. She is a mentor at Stanford’s Bio-Design for Mobile Health course, a collaboration between Stanford’s School of Medicine and School of Engineering.
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About Vive Collective: Vive Collective is involved in improving quality and access to care by developing, funding, and growing digital health companies.
Michael Jones
Co-Founder, CEO & Managing Director of Science
Mike Jones is an internet executive, investor, and strategic advisor. A long-time entrepreneur, Mike founded his first successful company in college and since then has founded, built, and sold numerous online and mobile businesses. As the co-founder and CEO of Los Angeles-based Science, Inc., Mike brings together the best talent, resources, and financing through a centralized platform to build and invest in technology businesses. In 2016 alone, three of Science’s portfolio companies saw big exits — HelloSociety was acquired by The New York Times, Dollar Shave Club was acquired by Unilever, and FameBit was acquired by Google. His experience and expertise in both large and small companies focuses on strategy, growth, and operational efficiency, resulting in over $2.6B in successful investor outcomes. Prior to Science, Mike Jones served as the CEO of Myspace. In this role, Mike oversaw global business strategy and operations for Myspace, Myspace Music, and Myspace Mobile, which included board and strategic roles with joint venture partners in Myspace China and Myspace Japan / Softbank. During his tenure, he was responsible for the relaunch of Myspace, one of the most high-profile turn-around challenges in the industry
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About Science: Science partners with founders to develop and fund disruptive tech-based companies.
Amy Nauiokas
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Anthemis Group
Amy Nauiokas is the Founder & Chief Executive Officer at Anthemis Group.
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About Anthemis Group: Anthemis Group is a global platform that cultivates change in the financial system by investing in, growing, and sustaining businesses.
Mitch Truwit
Co-Chief Executive Officer of Apax Partners
Mitch Truwit is a Partner and Co-Head of the Financial & Business Services team. He is also a member of the Executive Committee. Prior to joining Apax Partners in 2006, Mitch was the President and CEO of Orbitz Worldwide, a subsidiary of Travelport, between 2005 and 2006 and was the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of priceline.com between 2001 and 2005. Mitch is a graduate of Vassar College where he received a BA in Political Science. He also has an MBA from Harvard Business School. He serves as a Board member of Garda World Security Corporation, Bankrate, HUB International, Advantage Sales & Marketing, Trader Corp and Dealer.com. Mitch is the Chairman of Street Squash, a Harlem-based urban youth enrichment program and is an honorary member of the Special Olympics of CT, an organisation providing year-round sports training and athletic competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Mitch was previously a member of PEC, an organisation established to provide information about the private equity industry.
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About Apax Partners: Apax Partners is an independent global partnership focused solely on long-term investment in growth companies.
Mike Fridgen
Chief Executive Officer, Madrona Labs of Madrona Venture Group
Michael Fridgen serves as Chief Executive Officer at Madrona Venture Labs. He also is an Angel Investor. He also served as General Manager at eBay. He served as Vice President of Marketing & Product Development at Farecast, Inc. Mr. Fridgen has over 10 years of experience in the travel industry, most of which he spent in online travel. He worked at Alaska Airlines overseeing online marketing and distribution partnerships, including Online Travel Agencies and GDSs. Prior to Alaska, Mr. Fridgen served key marketing positions, in dynamic-packaging business units, with Expedia and National Leisure Group. From 1996 to 2000, he was co-founder and President of a student group travel business. He serves as an Advisor of TripHub, Inc. Mr. Fridgen is a graduate of the University of Washington and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. Mike Dierken previously held leadership roles at Amazon and McKinsey & Co.
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About Madrona Venture Group, Madrona Venture Labs: Madrona Venture Group is a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage technology companies.
Benjamin Levin
Founder, Co-CEO of Level Equity Management
Ben Levin co-founded Level Equity and is a partner and the Co-CEO of Level Equity Management, LLC.
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About Level Equity Management: Level Equity Management is a growth equity firm that focuses on providing capital to software and internet companies.
Armaan Ali
Co-Founder & CEO of Human Capital
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About Human Capital: Human Capital is a venture firm for engineers.
Emily Kirsch
Founder, Managing Partner & CEO of Powerhouse Ventures
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About Powerhouse, Powerhouse Ventures: Powerhouse Ventures backs seed-stage startups building innovative software to rapidly decarbonize our global energy and mobility systems.
Nino Marakovic
CEO & Partner of Sapphire
Nino Marakovic serves as an CEO & Partner at Sapphire Ventures.
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About Sapphire: Sapphire is a venture capital firm that partners with visionary teams and venture funds to build companies.
Neal Moszkowski
Founder and Co-CEO of TowerBrook Capital Partners
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About TowerBrook Capital Partners: TowerBrook Capital Partners is a London-based investment management firm that funds European and North American companies.
David Warnock
CEO & Partner of Camden Partners
David is a Senior Partner of Camden Partners and co-founded the firm in 1995. He has over 25 years of investment experience and focuses on investments in the business and education sectors. He serves as Chairman of New Horizons Worldwide, Inc. and Calvert Education Services, LLC. In addition, he is a director of Primo Water Corporation, Questar Assessment, Inc., Ranir, LLC, Santa Rosa Consulting, Triumph Higher Education Group and Network for Good. He formerly served on the board of American Public Education, Inc., Nobel Learning Communities, Inc. Towne Park, Ltd., and National American University, all of which were Camden Partners portfolio companies. David was employed by T. Rowe Price Associates from 1983-1995. He served as President of T. Rowe Price Strategic Partners I & II as well as co-manager of the T. Rowe Price New Horizons Fund. David started his career at Welch and Forbes, Boston-based private trustees. David is also involved with numerous non-profit organizations. He is the Chairman of the Center For Urban Families and the Warnock Foundation, and was formerly the Chairman of the Greater Baltimore Committee. He is Founder and Trustee of the Green Street Academy in Baltimore City. He also serves as a trustee of the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. David earned a B.A. degree from the University of Delaware and a M.S. (in Finance) from the University of Wisconsin. David is also a Chartered Financial Analyst Charterholder.
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About Camden Partners, Camden Partners, Center for Urban Families, Georgia O’keeffe Museum, Pinnacle Automotive Hospitality Services, Warnock Foundation: Camden Partners provides growth capital to companies in the education, healthcare and technology-enabled business services sectors.
Heather Hartnett
CEO and Founding Partner of Human Ventures
Heather Hartnett is the CEO and founding partner of Human Ventures, an early-stage venture studio in NYC that backs and builds industry-changing business. Heather has spent her career in venture capital, technology startups, and philanthropy. She was recently featured in Business Insider as “the first female-led startup studio in New York City” bringing a fresh new perspective to the tech scene. Heather also serves on the Leadership Council for tech:nyc. Prior to Human Ventures, Heather incubated companies within a NYC-based venture fund that invests in companies seeking to generate measurable social impact alongside financial returns. Heather leads the Human team with a knack for identifying innate talent, and a track record of building strong, successful early teams.
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About AARP, Human Ventures: Human Ventures is a business creation platform, comprised of a venture fund, studio and enterprise agency.
Alliott Cole
CEO of Octopus Ventures
Alliott Cole serves as Chief Executive Officer at Octopus Ventures. He joined the Octopus Ventures team at the start of 2008 as the team began investing their first fund. He currently also serves as a Board Member at Secret Escapes, Cazoo, Swoon Editions and Big Health. He focuses on internet-enabled services, enterprise software, and consumer innovation. Alliott Chairs the Investment Committee at Octopus Ventures and sits on the Board of the Octopus Group Executive Committee. Alliott has also spent two years working in the US when he established Octopus Ventures’ office in New York. The key investments he has been involved in at Octopus include Antidote.me (a digital healthcare company); Conversocial (a B2B customer service software); the food e-commerce business Graze (acquired by Unilever), the ecommerce platform Rangespan (acquired by Google), the machine learning business Magic Pony (acquired by Twitter), Permutive (an edge computing company); Sofar Sounds (a global music company); the pet food company Tails.com (acquired by Nestle), and the property portal website Zoopla (acquired by SilverLake). Before arriving at Octopus, he previously worked as a lawyer at Ashurst, where he spent time working for IBM, Sporting Bet, UC Rusal, and NM Rothschild. Alliott has also held positions on the Board of the British Business Angel Association. He holds a Masters in Classics from Oxford University.
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About ACF Investors, Big Health, Cazoo, Graze, Octopus Ventures, Permutive, Secret Escapes, Secret Escapes, Sofar Sounds, UK Business Angels Association: Octopus is a multi stage European venture capital investor specializing in health, money, deep tech, and consumer.
Larry Aschebrook
Founder & CEO of G Squared
Larry Aschebrook is the Managing Partner of G Squared.
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About G Squared: G Squared is a growth stage venture capital firm that invests privately in today’s most dynamic companies.
Noubar Afeyan
Founder & CEO of Flagship Pioneering
Noubar Afeyan is Founder, Senior Managing Partner and Chief Executive Officer at Flagship Ventures, a leading early stage venture capital firm. Noubar also leads the firm’s VentureLabs unit that invents and launches transformative startups. Noubar is a Senior Lecturer at MIT’s Sloan School of Management where he has taught courses on technology-entrepreneurship, innovation and leadership since 2000. Noubar lectures widely in the United States and internationally on diverse topics ranging from entrepreneurship, innovation and venture capital to biological engineering, drug discovery, medical technologies and renewable energy. During his 28-year career as inventor, entrepreneur, CEO and venture capitalist, Noubar has co-founded and helped build over 35 successful life science and technology startups. Noubar was Founder and Chief Executive Officer at PerSeptive Biosystems, a leader in the bio-instrumentation field that grew to over $100M in annual sales within six years from its first sales. After PerSeptive’s acquisition by Perkin Elmer/Applera Corporation in 1998, Noubar was Senior Vice President and Chief Business Officer of Applera, where he initiated and oversaw the creation of Celera Genomics. Currently Noubar serves on a number of public and private company boards including CiBO Technologies, Epiva BioSciences, Evelo BioSciences, Joule Unlimited, Kaleido BioSciences, Moderna Therapeutics, Pronutria Biosciences and Seres Therapeutics. Previously, Noubar was a Member of the founding team, Director and Investor in several highly successful ventures including Chemgenics Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Millennium Pharmaceuticals), Color Kinetics (acquired by Philips), Adnexus Therapeutics (acquired by Bristol-Myers Squibb) and Affinnova (acquired by AC Nielsen). Noubar received a Technology Pioneer 2012 award from the World Economic Forum in recognition of the breakthrough solar fuel technology being developed at Joule Unlimited. Noubar has served as Chairman of the Global Agenda Council on Chemicals, Advanced Materials and Biotechnology of the World Economic Forum as well as being a member of the Meta-Council on Emerging Technologies. Noubar is a Member of the Board of Overseers of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. In addition, he serves on the board of AmeriaBank and of UWC Dilijan International School, both of Armenia. Previously, Noubar was a Co-Founder and Member of the Board of Directors at National Competitiveness Foundation of Armenia, a private-public partnership dedicated to promoting economic development in the former Soviet Republic of Armenia. In 2008 Noubar received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, an award granted to outstanding Americans who have distinguished themselves as United States citizens and who have enabled their ancestry groups to maintain their identities while becoming integral parts of American life. Noubar has authored numerous scientific publications and patents since earning his Ph.D. in Biochemical Engineering from MIT in 1987. Cygnal is a best-in-class team of biomedical experts and leaders collaborating to revolutionize how the world treats diseases.
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About BIND Therapeutics, Cogen Therapeutics, Cygnal Therapeutics, Ensemble Therapeutics, Flagship Pioneering, Generate Biomedicines, Harvard Business School, Indigo, Joule Unlimited Technologies, Laronde, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Moderna Therapeutics, Omega Therapeutics, Permeon Biologics, Ring Therapeutics, Rubius Therapeutics, Seres Therapeutics: Flagship Pioneering is a venture capital firm that invests in life sciences and healthcare companies.
Aryeh Bourkoff
Founder & CEO of LionTree
Mr. Bourkoff is the founder and CEO of LionTree LLC, an independent investment bank. He previously served as Vice Chairman and Head of Americas Investment Banking at UBS, which he joined in 1999. He was also a member of the UBS Investment Banking Executive Committee. Other positions Mr. Bourkoff held within UBS include Joint Global Head of Telecom, Media, and Technology Investment Banking and Head of the Media and Communications Research Group. Before joining UBS, he served as a high-yield research analyst at CIBC World Markets from 1997-99 and Smith Barney from 1995-97. Mr. Bourkoff is a director on the boards of select private companies. He is also a chair of the entertainment, media, and communications division of the UJA-Federation of New York and a member of its digital media executive committee; a member of the New York Philanthropic Advisory Board of UNICEF; a trustee of the Foundation Fighting Blindness; and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. – See more at: http://www.tribecadisruptiveinnovationawards.com/aryeh-bourkoff-founder-and-ceo-liontree-llc/#sthash.YRJMs0Ws.dpuf
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About LionTree: LionTree Partners is a service provider and investment banking fund that invests in media, technology, and telecommunication.
Don Thompson
Founder and CEO of Cleveland Avenue
As President and Chief Executive Officer of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE: MCD), Don Thompson leads the world’s largest foodservice company. McDonald’s serves 70 million customers everyday in more than 100 countries and employs 1.8 million people across the globe in corporate and restaurant positions. During his 23 years at McDonald’s, Thompson has helped drive business results and global strategic innovation across the organization. Since joining as an electrical engineer in 1990, he has held a variety of key leadership positions within the company including Regional Vice President, Division President and Chief Operating Officer. Between 2006 and 2010, Thompson served as President of McDonald’s USA, the company’s largest business segment. Most recently as President and COO of McDonald’s Corporation, Thompson and his leadership team established three global growth priorities in support of the McDonald’s Plan to Win: to optimize the menu, modernize the customer experience and broaden restaurant accessibility. In July 2012, Thompson became President and CEO and is leading the company on its mission to become “our customers’ favorite place and way to eat and drink.” A true advocate of collaboration and believer in the strength of the McDonald’s three legged stool, Thompson and his leadership team work closely with the 5,000 independent owner/operators, corporate staff and restaurant employees around the world as well as countless McDonald’s suppliers. A leader in the business community, Don serves on the Board of Directors for McDonald’s Corporation, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Catalyst, Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Purdue University. Thompson also serves as a member of the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club, The Economic Club, World Business Chicago and the Brazier Foundation. Thompson has been recognized for his leadership and passion by the Illinois Holocaust Museum (2012 Humanitarian Award), the Executive Leadership Council (2010 Corporate Award), the Trumpet Foundation (2008 Corporate Executive Award), and Black Enterprise (2007 Corporate Executive of the Year). Thompson received a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University and an honorary Doctorate in Science degree from Excelsior College. Thompson resides in the Chicagoland area with his wife and two children.
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About Cleveland Avenue: Cleveland Avenue is a Chicago-based venture fund and accelerator that invests in food, beverage, and tech businesses.
Donald Thompson
CEO and Founder of Cleveland Avenue
Don celebrates people and drives results. His 25-year ascension through the ranks of McDonald’s Corporation to become its President and CEO is one of the most respected career trajectories in corporate America. An electrical engineer by education and trade, Don approached his leadership of the world’s largest restaurant chain in a strategically methodical manner, while still embracing the warmth and enthusiasm of the dynamic teams around the world. He’s a heart leader with a head for serious business, as evidenced by his achievements such as developing the global platforms for the company’s beverages, sustainability and digital initiatives. In 2015, Don left McDonald’s to form Cleveland Avenue, LLC, bringing together his vast restaurant expertise and engineering experience with his passion for innovation, digital trends and startup concepts. Don leads the CA team in bringing creative and consumer-focused restaurant, food and beverage ideas to reality. Don is committed to mentoring others, fueled by his foundation in faith, family and community. Not to be outdone by the culinary geniuses he regularly encounters, Don occasionally dons a chef’s hat of his own, and enjoys cooking for family and friends.
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About Cleveland Avenue: Cleveland Avenue is a Chicago-based venture fund and accelerator that invests in food, beverage, and tech businesses.
Jon Winkelried
CEO & Partner of TPG
Jon Winkelried is the Chief Executive Officer and a Partner of TPG based in San Francisco. Prior to joining TPG in 2015, Jon was with Goldman, Sachs & Co. for more than 27 years, until he retired in 2009 as President and Co-Chief Operating Officer. Jon received a BA in economics from the University of Chicago and an MBA from the Graduate School of Business at the University of Chicago. He serves on the Vanderbilt University Board of Trust and on the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Board of Overseers.
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About TPG, TPG Capital Asia: TPG is a private investment firm that manages capital across a family of funds.
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.
Vijay Chattha
Founder and CEO of VSC
Vijay Chattha joined VSC Consulting as Founder / CEO in 2002.
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About BlackMahal, The100kPledge, VSC, Wareness.io: We are a band of strategists, storytellers and data nerds obsessed with helping Davids crush a sea of Goliaths.
Maurice Werdegar
Partner, CEO of Western Technology Investment
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About Western Technology Investment: Western Technology Investment is a venture capital firm that specializes in offering acquisition financing to revenue generating firms.
Chris Farmer
Partner, Venture & CEO of SignalFire
Chris is the Founder & CEO of SignalFire, an early stage venture capital fund. He focuses on investments in consumer Internet, software and mobile with particular emphasis on seed stage investments and working with Entrepreneurs-In-Residence to launch new businesses. Previously, Chris was a Partner with General Catalyst Partners where he led the firm’s successful seed investment activities and served as a Venture Partner on the firm’s main fund. Previously, Chris was a Vice President with Bessemer Venture Partners where he led investments in digital media & mobile companies. Prior to BVP, he was a consultant with Bain & Co where he advised on large scale technology buyouts. Prior to Bain, Chris spearheaded the successful turnaround of Skybitz, a wireless enabled SaaS company, where he led Product Management, Finance & Business Development. Earlier in his career, Chris founded an investment advisory firm for angel investors & private equity funds and served as a Venture Advisor to an early stage venture capital fund where he led investments in SkyBitz and Applied Semantics (acquired by Google). He started his career on Wall Street in the private equity group of Cowen & Company. Chris received a BA in International Relations & Business from Tufts University & the Fletcher School of Diplomacy. He has been published in Harvard Business Review, Institutional Investor, The Journal of Private Equity and other leading publications.
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About SignalFire: SignalFire is a venture capital firm that invests in seed stage companies and breakout companies.
Manuel A. Henriquez
Founder, and Former Chairman, President & CEO of Hercules Capital
Manuel A. Henriquez is the co-founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Hercules Technology Growth Capital. Henriquez is a 25-year veteran of the venture capital and financing community. Under his leadership, the firm has completed investments of more than $3.6 billion to over 230 companies. Prior to co-founding the Company, Henriquez was a Managing Director at VantagePoint Venture Partners from August 2000 through July 2003 where he focused on technology investments. He is also the former president and chief investment officer of Comdisco Ventures, a division of Comdisco, Inc., a leading technology and financial services company, from November 1999 to March 2000. Prior to that, from March 1997 to November 1999, Henriquez was a Managing Director of Comdisco Ventures and a senior member of the investment team that originated over $2.0 billion of equipment lease, debt and equity transactions from 1997 to 2000. Henriquez received a B.S. in Business Administration from Northeastern University and is a member of the University’s Board of Directors. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Lucile Packard Foundation as well as the Children’s Health Council and is a long time advocate for children’s health and education. He also previously served on the Board of Directors for Charles Armstrong School, an independent elementary and middle school that serves students with language-based learning differences.
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About Hercules Capital: Hercules Capital is a capital market company that lends to technology, life sciences, and sustainable technology companies.
Scott Bluestein
Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Hercules Capital
Scott Bluestein joined Hercules in 2010 as chief credit officer and brings more than 10 years of financial services, direct investment and credit experience to Hercules. Most recently, he served as founder and partner of Century Tree Capital Management, a fund established to make senior secured debt investments with warrants and equity co-investments in small and micro cap public and private companies. Prior to that, he was managing director at Laurus – Valens Capital Management, where he had responsibility for a structured debt with equity investment portfolio, including new investments, portfolio management, and restructurings. Previously, Bluestein worked at UBS Investment Bank, where he was a member of their Financial Technology Coverage Group. Bluestein received his B.B.A. in Finance from Emory University
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About Hercules Capital: Hercules Capital is a capital market company that lends to technology, life sciences, and sustainable technology companies.
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
Dean Jernigan
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Jernigan Capital
Dean Jernigan has more than 30 years of experience in the self storage industry. After retiring from the role of CEO of CubeSmart (NYSE:CUBE) in 2013, he founded Jernigan Capital as the only direct lender focused exclusively on the self storage industry. His experience in the self storage industry spans more than 30 years. He began his tenure in the industry in 1984 when he founded Storage USA, a company he took public in 1994. He grew Storage USA from a single property to more than 570 properties at its peak. During its life as a public company and under his leadership as Chairman and CEO, the company returned a 17.5% compounded annual return to its investors. Following the sale of the company to GE Capital, he formed Jernigan Property Group which assembled a portfolio of 17 properties in a short 18 months seizing upon the opportunity of a short acquisition cycle that presented itself. In 2006, Jernigan accepted the challenge of rebuilding and rebranding U-Store-It which became CubeSmart. During his tenure as CEO, the company’s market capitalization more than doubled from approximately $2B to more than $4B. With extensive experience and knowledge in more than 100 US markets as a developer, owner and manager of self storage facilities, Dean has earned his reputation as an industry innovator, leader and icon.
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About Jernigan Capital: Jernigan Capital is a commercial real estate finance company.
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.
Thomas Ebling
Founding Pillar CEO of Pillar VC
Thomas Ebling has served as our President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of our board of directors since October 2009. Mr. Ebling previously served on our board of directors from May 2006 until December 2007. From October 2007 until August 2009, Mr. Ebling served as Chief Executive Officer of Lattice Engines, Inc., a provider of sales and optimization software solutions. Prior to joining Lattice Engines, Mr. Ebling served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the board of directors of ProfitLogic, Inc., a merchandising optimization solutions company, from May 2002 until it was acquired by Oracle Corporation in July 2005. Earlier in his career, Mr. Ebling served as Chief Executive Officer of Torrent Systems, Inc., a data warehousing and analytics software provider, and he held various leadership positions at Marcam Solutions, Inc., a software applications company. Mr. Ebling holds a B.A. in mathematics from Williams College and attended Harvard Law School. Mr. Ebling’s extensive executive leadership experience, knowledge of our company and comprehensive knowledge of the software solutions industry make him a critical asset to our company and board of directors.
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About General Catalyst, Pillar VC: Pillar VC invests in seed-stage companies in Boston, supporting unstoppable founders with capital, connections, coaching, and peer support.
Anthony Oni
Managing Partner & CEO of Energy Impact Partners
Anthony Oni serves as founder and board member of Cloverly. He previously served as Cloverly’s CEO. Under his leadership, he took the company from an idea to a leading, sustainable service platform that helps brands go carbon neutral. Anthony’s focus on sustainable and social impact extends to his work as managing partner and CEO of Elevate Future Fund at Energy Impact Partners. There, Anthony is creating a more diverse and inclusive energy future by investing in underrepresented founders and entrepreneurs focused on the clean energy transition. With 20 years of energy and utility experience in his previous roles at Southern Company, Anthony has also built philanthropic platforms that are lifting up historically marginalized communities. As the founder and chairman of Ed Farm — an education initiative that aims to equip educators and communities with tools and strategies that support active learning for all students and teachers — Anthony helped create Propel Center, a digital innovation and learning hub, business incubator, and global innovation headquarters for students of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The Propel Center launched with founding partnerships with Southern Company and Apple. Anthony is a graduate of Auburn University. He is also an alumnus of the prestigious fellowship program at The Aspen Institute. Additionally, Anthony has completed executive education programs for disruptive innovation at Harvard University.
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About Cloverly, Energy Impact Partners: Energy Impact Partners is an investment firm focused on companies optimizing energy consumption and improving sustainable energy generation.
Michael Bunning
CEO – Managing Partner of XFO Partners
Michael is the CEO – Managing Partner at XFO Partners, a strategic financial services company focused on assisting Venture Capital, Private Equity & Real Estate Funds with CFO|COO|Controller service including: formation, fundraising advice, comprehensive accounting services, and online accounting and financial reporting tools. Prior to founding XFO, Michael was a partner with Aduro Advisors, a leading micro venture fund administrator located in the Bay Area. In addition; Michael formerly was the founding CFO for Social Capital in Palo Alto. Michael brings 20+ years of industry and technical experience and has held several senior financial positions with various Silicon Valley companies such as the Mayfield Fund, Synopsys and Arthur Andersen. He is a California CPA, a Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA), a California Licensed Real Estate Broker and graduated cum laude from California Polytechnic at San Luis Obispo with a B.S. in Business Administration.
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About XFO Partners: Strategic financial services company providing Venture Capital, PE,, Real Estate and Family Office Funds with CFO|COO|Controller operations.
Jim Dugan
CEO, Co-Founder & Managing Partner of OCA Ventures
Jim Dugan is the Founding Managing Partner of OCA Ventures. Prior to co-founding OCA Ventures in 2001, Jim oversaw the OCA Ventures Pledge Fund which made direct venture capital investments for the O’Connor Partners Investment Office. Jim has board responsibilities for EdMap, Cleversafe, TDJM, Javlin Capital, SumRidge Partners, Campus Explorer, Apparel Media Group, Automated Insights, BodyShopBids, and Heard Capital. Jim has over 17 years of corporate finance, capital markets, and venture capital investment experience. Prior to forming OCA Ventures, Jim traded derivatives at the Chicago Board of Trade and worked in corporate finance with Continental Bank. While at Continental Bank, Jim participated in the structured financing of companies ranging in capital size from $10 million to several billion dollars and in the formation of a $150 million subsidiary to fund mezzanine debt and equity financings. Jim received a BA in Economics from the University of Rochester and earned his MBA (MM) from the JL Kellogg Graduate School of Management. In addition to his responsibilities at OCA Ventures, Jim is a founding member of the Illinois Venture Capital Association (IVCA), where he formerly served five years as Treasurer, Director and member of the Executive Committee. Prior to serving as Treasurer, Jim was the Chairman of the Legislative Committee for the IVCA, in which capacity he helped establish HB 3212 as Illinois law. Jim is a frequent guest lecturer and panelist at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and Chicago Booth GSB. Jim is also a board member of the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center (CEC), NU Wave, AVAC Fund, and a charter member of Tie Network Chicago. Jim is Co-Founder and Treasurer of www.SmartBet.org.
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About OCA Ventures: OCA Ventures is a venture capital firm focused on equity investments in companies with dramatic growth potential.
Robert Khodadadian
President & CEO of Skyline Properties
Robert Khodadadian is proven commercial real estate broker. He has been involved in almost every realm of the real estate industry since he was 20. He has been involved with several leading real estate firms, including Massey Knakal Realty Services and Eastern Consolidated. All through his career, Khodadadian has contributed in the sale of hundreds of properties across Manhattan, Queens, Long Island, the Bronx and other areas, with a diverse range of commercial and residential listings. He has been involved in all aspects of New York’s wide-ranging real estate properties, from multi-family homes to retail stores, offices, SRO’s, IMD’s, retail condos and hotels, as well as investment opportunities including shares, partnership interests, loans and note sales.
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About Audilar, kentstruction, Miren.Co Commercial Real Estate Brokerage, Skyline Properties: Commercial Real Estate Investment Sales
Jahm Najafi
CEO of Pivotal Group
Jahm Najafi is an Iranian-American businessman. He runs Najafi Companies, a Phoenix, Arizona-based private-equity firm, and is partial owner of the Phoenix Suns NBA team. Mr. Najafi earned his Masters in Business Economics from Harvard University after earning his B.A. in Economics and Development Studies from the University of California, Berkeley.
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About Pivotal Group, The Najafi Companies: Pivotal Group is a leading investment and development company with primary concentration on all real estate asset classes.
Don Gogel
Chairman, President and CEO of CD&R LLP
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About CD&R LLP: Clayton, Dubilier & Rice is a global private equity manager that invests in and builds valuable businesses.
Marcelo Franco
CEO of VERVE CAPITAL
Entrepreneur & Angel Investor. Co-founder of e-commerce Sack’s, the largest parfums retailer in Latin America. Sold the company in 2010 for the LVMH Group. (Sephora)
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About VERVE CAPITAL: Verve Capital is an early stage venture capital firm that partners with founders to fund ideas and accelerate growth
Gen Isayama
Co-Founder & CEO of World Innovation Lab
Gen Isayama is the Co-Founder and CEO of WiL LLC. He was a Member of the Board of Directors of Stepdays and Ghelia before that.
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About Intertrust, World Innovation Lab: World Innovation Lab is a venture capital from governments and global corporations.
Hans Swildens
CEO & Founder of Industry Ventures
Hans founded and manages Industry Ventures. The firm manages over $1B and is a leading secondary and fund of funds investor in the venture capital market.
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About Industry Ventures: Industry Ventures is an investment firm that makes venture capital investments and manages over $3.5 billion of institutional capital.
Alexandre Mars
Founder & CEO of blisce/
Alexandre Mars is a serial entrepreneur and an engaged philanthropist. Over the last 15 years, he has successfully launched and sold several companies in Europe and the US across diverse business sectors, including venture capital, Internet, mobile marketing, social media and advertising. His two latest startups, Phonevalley (the world’s largest mobile agency) and ScrOOn (a social media management system) were recently sold to Publicis Groupe and Blackberry, respectively. Alexandre’s passion for entrepreneurship blossomed early. At 17, he started his first venture: a concert promotion firm. At 21, he founded one of Europe’s first web agencies while continuing his studies at the HEC Paris business school and Paris Dauphine University. He ran his own venture fund, Mars Capital, from 1998-2001. In 2001, Alexandre created Phonevalley and within just a few years, he drove the company to become the largest mobile marketing agency in Europe. Publicis Groupe, the third largest communications group in the world, acquired Phonevalley in 2007 and established the firm as its official worldwide mobile marketing and advertising entity. Mars was appointed Head of Mobile at Publicis, thereby positioning it at the forefront of the mobile communications era. In the same year, Alexandre seized another emerging communications opportunity: the social media revolution. Recognizing its potential, Alexandre launched ScrOOn. ScrOOn was acquired by Blackberry in 2013 to be used as the underlying technology for monetizing its popular BBM product. Alexandre is passionate about fighting inequalities. In 2014, he founded Epic Foundation to bridge the gap between a new generation of individual and corporate donors and organizations supporting children and youth globally. Epic is developing new tools focused on enhancing how donors select, monitor and experience their impact. His vision is to disrupt the philanthropic industry by combining passion and expertise with game- changing technology and partnerships. Alexandre is regularly quoted by the New York Times, Le Monde and Wall Street Journal. He has been invited to share his mobile/digital and philanthropic vision at a variety of events including the Global Philanthropy Forum, Consumer Electronics Show, Advertising Week, AdTech, Mobile World Congress and NEXUS Youth Summit. He is a regular guest speaker on BFMTV, France’s most watched news network. In 2015, Alexandre was named one of New York City’s top 20 philanthropists under 40 by the New York Observer. Alexandre lives in Brooklyn with his wife and three children, whom he adores traveling with. Passionate about music and sports, Alexandre enjoys jazz music and watching Brooklyn Nets, New Orleans Saints, and New York Yankees games. He ran both the Paris and New York City Marathons and practices mixed martial arts.
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About blisce/, Epic Foundation: Growth stage venture investment firm focused on helping entrepreneurs build mission-driven global consumer technology companies.
Michael Sabel
Co-CEO, Co-Chairman, Founder & Managing Partner of Venture Global LNG
Michael Sabel is a Co-CEO, Co-Chairman and founder of the Company. Mike has over 24 years of experience in capital markets’ transactions including initial public and secondary offerings, public and private M&A transactions, and private equity and venture capital.Michael Sabel Additionally, Mike has experience in the energy, energy technology and financial service sectors in new company formation, technology licensing, and corporate business development. Mike also advised on private equity and M&A transactions for software, technology and real estate companies in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Mike was previously Executive Vice President of First Sierra Financial, a publicly traded commercial finance company. He was responsible for leading business and e-commerce strategy, public equity market transactions, the company’s active acquisition program, and acted as President of the commercial finance companies acquired in the U.K. Prior to First Sierra, Mike was a Managing Director with Friedman, Billings, Ramsey & Co. in the investment banking group, and Vice President, investment banking, with Sandler O’Neil & Partners.
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About Venture Global LNG: Venture Global LNG is a long-term, low-cost producer of liquefied natural gas pipelines.
Robert Pender
Co-CEO, Co-Chairman ,Founder & Managing Partner of Venture Global LNG
Robert (Bob) Pender is the Co-CEO, Co-Chairman and founder of the Company. Bob previously served as a partner at Hogan Lovells, a global law firm, where he was Co-Leader of its global Energy and Natural Resources team and the Chair and Practice Group Director of its Project & International Finance Group for a decade. Bob is internationally recognized for his high profile transactional work, focusing on energy infrastructure projects and international power, including nuclear, hydro, gas, LNG, wind, coal and biomass. He has worked on more than $25 billion in transactions located throughout North America, Central and South America, and South Asia. Bob represented independent power producers, utility affiliates, lenders, equity investors and nation states, such as the Republic of Ecuador, Republic of Guyana and Peoples Republic of China (through SOEs, Sinosure and China Development Bank). Bob was ranked by Chambers as one of the most experienced and highly recognized attorneys in the global projects industry. Clients described Bob as “offering legal counsel that is ‘second to none’” in Legal 500. Upon joining Venture Global Partners, he also provided pro bono support to the Republic of Haiti, beginning with legal support to the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission, the U. S. State Department and then serving as a counselor to the Minister Delegate for Energy Security, Republic of Haiti. Prior to law school, Bob worked as a staff assistant on the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics and then on the White House Staff. During law school, he continued on the White House Staff as a law clerk in the Office of Counsel to the President
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About Venture Global LNG: Venture Global LNG is a long-term, low-cost producer of liquefied natural gas pipelines.
Alexander Tsigutkin
CEO of AxiomSL
Alexander Tsigutkin is the Chief Executive Officer of Axiom Software Laboratories (AxiomSL), a firm he founded in 1991. Mr. Tsigutkin designed the original framework and foundation for developing enterprise-wide risk management, regulatory reporting and data management solutions. Additionally, he invented and patented a dynamic approach to manage data for risk management and regulatory reporting applications. Prior to founding AxiomSL, Mr. Tsigutkin was an independent consultant to top tier international banks and financial institutions, advising senior management in the areas of banking operations and database engineering. As an expert in regulatory reporting and risk management, Alex is a frequent speaker at technology and financial industry forums worldwide, addressing topics such as dealing with changes in regulatory and risk management space, achieving transparency across enterprise, financial control, data warehousing and bank regulatory issues. Mr. Tsigutkin received his Bachelor of Science degree from Yeshiva University and a Master of Science degree in information technology and business from the Polytechnic Institute of New York University.
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About Axiom Software, AxiomSL: AxiomSL is a data management platform for regulatory and risk reporting, liquidity, capital and credit, operations, trade, and transactions.
Lak Ananth
Founder ,CEO& Managing Partner of Next47
Lak is a Vice President of Corporate Development for Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Managing Director of Hewlett Packard Ventures. In this role, he leads M&A strategy for Hewlett Packard and oversees the company’s strategic investments. He led the acquisitions of Eucalyptus and Shunra, the strategy behind the acquisition of Aruba (NASDAQ:ARUN), and the investment in Hortonworks (NASDAQ: HDP). He was a key member of the team that developed the strategy and drove the decision for HP to separate into two industry-leading public companies. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of MphasiS (NSE: MPHASIS), an HP company listed in India. Prior to joining HP, Lak worked in corporate development at Cisco Systems. There, he led multiple transactions including acquisitions, investments, joint ventures, and divestitures. Most notably, he was instrumental in the $2.9 billion acquisition of Starent Networks (NASDAQ: STAR), the $1.2 billion acquisition of Meraki, and investment in Control4 (NASDAQ: CTRL). Before Cisco, Lak was a venture capital investor in Silicon Valley, where he invested in several companies such as Cortina Systems, Digital Chocolate, IMVU, Jasper Wireless, and Open-Silicon. Previously, he was with 3i private equity in Asia, where he specialized in growth of capital investments in India and formulated 3i’s venture capital strategy for that geography. Earlier, he was a Director with Cambridge Technology Partners, managing large product development teams for clients ranging from start-ups to Fortune 50 companies. Lak holds an MBA with distinction from INSEAD, an MS from Kansas State University, and a BE from Guindy Engineering College, India, where he was a Gold Medalist.
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About Next47: Next47 invests in groundbreaking enterprise entrepreneurs and accelerates revenue growth by opening doors to customers around the world.
Ramzi Musallam
CEO of Veritas Capital
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About Veritas Capital: Veritas Capital is a private equity investment firm that invests in companies that provide critical products and services.
Tim Armour
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Capital Group
Timothy D. Armour is chairman of Capital Group Companies, chairman and principal executive officer of Capital Research and Management Company, Inc., part of Capital Group, and chairman of the Capital Group Companies Management Committee. He is also an equity portfolio manager. Tim has 32 years of investment experience, all with Capital Group. Earlier in his career, as an equity investment analyst at Capital, he covered global telecommunications and U.S. service companies. Tim began his career at Capital as a participant in The Associates Program. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Middlebury College. Tim is based in Los Angeles.
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About Capital Group: Founded in 1931, Capital Group provides investment management services for long-term investors and is a private equity firm.
Austin Criden
Co-Founder, CEO of Palm Tree Crew
Austin Criden is the Co-Founder & CEO at Palm Tree Crew Holdings.
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About Palm Tree Crew: Palm Tree Crew operates and invests in companies at the intersection of consumer, entertainment, and technology.
Jim Tananbaum
Founder and CEO of Foresite Capital
Dr. Tananbaum is the founding CEO of Foresite Capital Management. He has led investments in 21 successful healthcare companies, including Amira Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Bristol-Myers Squibb), Amerigroup and Jazz Pharmaceuticals. Previously, Dr. Tananbaum founded and held management positions at GelTex Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Genzyme for $1.6B) and Theravance. He holds an M.D. from Harvard Medical School and an M.B.A from Harvard Business School, and a B.S. and B.S.E.E. from Yale University. Dr. Tananbaum has served on the advisory boards and/or visiting committees to the Harvard-MIT HST program and Yale School of Engineering.
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About Foresite Capital: Foresite Capital provides catalytic capital to transformative healthcare companies at all stages.
Randall Kaplan
Founder and CEO of JUMP Investors
Randall Kaplan is a Founder and CEO at Sandee and JUMP Investors and CEO at CollarCard and Co-Founder and Co-CEO at Thrive Properties. He is a former Co-Founder of Akamai Technologies. Since its formation in 1999, JUMP has invested in more than 40 early-stage technology companies including Akamai Technologies (AKAM), Avamar Technologies (acquired by EMC), Business.com (acquired by RH Donnelley), Community Connect (acquired by Radio One), Google (GOOG), GSX Group (acquired by Open Text), NuMat Technologies, Inspire Energy, L90 (acquired by Intermix), mPath, Postini (acquired by Google), Seagate (STX), UrgentRx, and ViaFone (purchased by Extended Systems). Randall received a B.A. from University of Michigan and a JD from Northwestern Law School.
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About JUMP Investors, Sandee: Based in Los Angeles, JUMP Investors is an investment firm specialized in venture capital, private equity, real estate, and hedge funds.
Marc J. Leder
Co Founder & Co-Chief Executive Officer of Sun Capital Partners
Marc J. Leder is the co-founder and co-chief executive officer of investment firm Sun Capital Partners, Inc., having more than 25 years of engagement in leveraged buyouts, investment banking, and business operations. Prior to the establishment of his firm in 1995, he had served in various positions at Lehman Brothers, including senior vice president. He is an alumnus of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Economics. Currently, he sits on the advisory board of the University of Pennsylvania Huntsman Program and serves as a member of the boards of directors of the Berggruen Museum in Berlin and the Federal Enforcement Homeland Security Foundation.
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About Sun Capital Partners: Sun Capital Partners is a private investment firm
Rodger Krouse
Co Founder & Co-Chief Executive Officer of Sun Capital Partners
Co-Chief Executive Officer at Sun Capital Partners.
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About Sun Capital Partners: Sun Capital Partners is a private investment firm
Brad Jenkins
Co-Founder and CEO of Seed Round Capital
Entrepreneur, Startup Advisor, Angel Investor, Founder
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About Seed Round Capital: Seed Round Capital is a Houston-based tech startup investment and advisory firm.
Robert Ford
President & Chief Executive Officer of Abbott
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About Abbott: Abbott is engaged in pharmaceuticals and manufacturing healthcare products.
Meredith McPherron
CEO + Managing Partner of Drive by DraftKings
Meredith is an active angel investor and strategic marketing advisor in the Boston community for high impact consumer and technology-focused companies. Meredith founded Studio H Ventures, a boutique angel fund and advisory group, focused on venture building at both early and growth stages. She is also an investing member of Launchpad Venture Group, a strategic advisor to Better For You (BFY) brands, a Management Innovation Fellow and Expert in Residence at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and a mentor for the MIT DesignX Accelerator. Previously, Meredith held positions as Director of the Arthur Rock Center for Entrepreneurship at Harvard Business School, Vice President of Marketing for Direct Hit Technologies, Marketing Director at Guinness Import Company, Brand Manager at General Mills, and Financial Analyst at Goldman Sachs.
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About Drive by DraftKings: Drive by DraftKings is a multi-stage venture capital firm investing in SportsTech and Entertainment.
Zain Khan
Co-Founder and CEO of Citizen VC
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About Citizen VC: Citizen.VC is a principal investor in seed and Series A venture investments focusing on FinTech, AI analytics and health tech.
David J. Gladstone
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Gladstone Capital
Mr. Gladstone is the founder of Gladstone Capital Corporation and has been our Chief Executive Officer since inception. From August 1997 to August 2001, Mr. Gladstone served as Chairman or Vice Chairman of American Capital Strategies, a publicly-traded leveraged buyout fund and mezzanine debt finance company. From 1974 to February 1997, Mr. Gladstone held various positions, including Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, with Allied Capital Corporation, Allied Capital Corporation II, Allied Capital Lending Corporation, Allied Capital Commercial Corporation and Allied Capital Advisors Inc. The Allied companies were the largest group of publicly-traded mezzanine debt funds and were managers of two private venture capital limited partnerships. From 1992 to 1997, Mr. Gladstone served as a Director, President and Chief Executive Officer of Business Mortgage Investors, a private mortgage REIT managed by Allied Capital. Mr. Gladstone served as a Director of The Riggs National Corporation (the parent of Riggs Bank) from 1993 to May 1997 and of Riggs Bank from 1991 to 1993. He has served as a Trustee of The George Washington University and currently is a Trustee Emeritus. He is a past member of the Listings and Hearings Committee of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. He is a past member of the Advisory Committee to the Women’s Growth Capital Fund, a venture capital firm that finances women-owned small businesses. Mr. Gladstone was the managing member of The Capital Investors, a group of angel investors, and is currently a member Emeritus. He is also the Chairman and owner of Gladstone Land Corporation a private land holding company in California. Mr. Gladstone is also a past Director of Capital Automotive REIT, a real estate investment trust. Mr. Gladstone holds a MBA degree from the Harvard Business School, a MA from American University and a BA from the University of Virginia. Mr. Gladstone has co-authored two books on financing for small and medium sized businesses, Venture Capital Handbook and Venture Capital Investing published by Prentice Hall.
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About Gladstone Capital: Gladstone Capital’s debt investments primarily consist of three types of loans to small and medium sized businesses in the United States.
Joseph Huang
CEO of StartX (Stanford-StartX Fund)
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About StartX (Stanford-StartX Fund): StartX is an educational non-profit that helps Stanford’s top entrepreneurs.
Barry Volpert
Founder & CEO of Crestview Partners
Barry Volpert is the Co-Founder and CEO at Crestview Partners.
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About Crestview Partners, Oxbow Corporation: Crestview Partners, a private equity firm, focuses on middle-market contrarian and distressed investments, and special situations.
David Kim, MD
CEO of DigiTx Partners
David is the CEO of DigiTx Partners, bringing both business and clinical expertise to venture capital with an extensive background practicing medicine and building healthcare software companies. Most recently, Dr. Kim served as the COO of Lumiata, a venture-backed predictive analytics company positioned at the intersection of data science and medical science. Prior to Lumiata, he spent over a decade as an investor evaluating and growing healthcare companies at MPM Capital and Pinnacle Ventures. Before entering the business sector, David practiced as a general internist and hospitalist at Kaiser South San Francisco where he also served as the Director of Urgent Care and Assistant Chief of Internal Medicine. David completed his internal medicine residency at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and is a graduate from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (M.D), Stanford Graduate School of Business (M.B.A.), and Pomona College (B.A., Biology). In addition to leading the DigiTx fund, David serves as an active advisor to the Catalyst Program within the UCSF Clinical & Translational Science Institute.
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About DigiTx Partners: DigiTx Partners is an early-stage venture capital firm investing in digital health.
Marcus Behrendt
Partner & CEO of BMW i Ventures
Marcus Behrendt is the CEO and Partner at BMW i Ventures.
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About BMW i Ventures: BMW i Ventures is focusing on BMW’s current and future business in the technology and service space.
Paul Manning
President,Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of PBM Capital Group
Paul B. Manning has served as the chairman of our board of directors since December 2017 and as a member of our board of directors since December 2015. Mr. Manning is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of PBM Capital Group, LLC, a private equity investment firm in the business of investing in healthcare and life-science related companies, which he founded in 2010. Prior to that, Mr. Manning founded PBM Products in 1997, a producer of infant formula and baby food, which was sold to Perrigo Corporation in 2010. Mr. Manning is a director of Dova Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a publicly traded pharmaceutical company, as well as various private companies. Mr. Manning was previously on the board of directors of Perrigo Corporation, Concordia Healthcare Corp. and AveXis, Inc. Mr. Manning received a B.S. in microbiology from the University of Massachusetts.
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About PBM Capital Group: PBM Capital Group is a private investment firm primarily focused on healthcare investments.
Michael Golomb
Founder and CEO of FanVestor
A hands-on company builder, Michael’s background as an entrepreneurial CFO with three exits behind him, is the culmination of twenty years of senior management experience across a broad spectrum of industries. His expertise has been successfully applied across verticals ranging from startups to large public corporations including Blockchain, manufacturing, digital health & medical devices, consumer electronics & hardware, software/SaaS, and real estate. In addition to Michael’s global experience in raising equity though variety of public and private equity/debt instruments, as well as experience in handling complex M&A transactions, he also brings exceptional knowhow of Blockchain technology to DASAN Zhone Solutions. Earlier in 2017, (prior to joining DASAN) together with the other Blockchain industry veterans, Michael co-founded the ICO Governance Foundation, a non-profit decentralized global organization with a protocol-based global community mission that performs a self-regulatory function for ICOs in decentralized capital markets. In Oct 2016, Michael founded EdenCoin – a global cryptocurrency quantitative market-maker start-up with offices in San Francisco and New York: a proprietary liquidity aggregation platform to consolidate trading volume and data from major cryptocurrency market sources to run algorithmic market-making and liquidity provisioning, as well as other, quantitative strategies. From June 2015 to May 2017, while CFO at Breathometer, a hyper-growth digital health and medical device company, he helped take that company from pre-revenue to shipping in the FDA regulated space, forming OEM partnership with Philips, raising capital from venture capital firms and global strategic investors, as well as successfully achieving the ISO13485:2003 Certification milestone. Prior to Breathometer, Michael was the first employee (CFO, Board Member, and Head of SF Office) at BitFury, and helped build the market leading full-service Blockchain technology company, and one of the largest private infrastructure providers in the Blockchain ecosystem, taking it from zero to over $500M valuation and from 3 to over 120 employees in 7 countries between December 2013 through April 2015. Other notable roles include: ” Co-Founder and Co-President at Mayak RE, where he led the formation of JV with Morgan Stanley and MCP Private Equity Fund in Europe. ” CFO of Sistema Hals, he directed a highly successful London/LSE IPO with market capitalization at $2.7B. ” Head of Compliance / Sr. Finance Manager at Trimble, he effectively implemented global Sarbanes-Oxley compliance program, participated in private debt placement, as well as acquired/integrated several international technology companies. Michael received MSc in Management from Stanford Graduate School of Business in 2013, his MBA from Santa Clara University in 2000, and his B.A. with double major in Economics and Diplomacy & World Affairs from Occidental College in 1996. He is also a CPA (inactive) in California.
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About FanVestor: FanVestor is a FINRA-regulated crowdfunding platform that enables entertainment and sports celebrities to capitalize on their fanbases.
Angelo Moratti
Chairman and CEO of Angel Capital Management
Angelo Moratti studied at Columbia University in New York City. He is currently Vice-Chairman of Saras SpA, the largest refinery company in the Mediterranean. He is Vice-Chairman and member of the Executive Committee of Special Olympics International. Founder and former Chairman of Sarlux – a company that built and managed an electrical power station with capacity of 550 MW (1996/2002). He was member of the Board of Inter Milan Football Club from 1995 to 2013 and Board Member of Olimpia Milano basketball club sponsored by Armani Jeans (2003/2008). He was Chairman of Associazione Dino Ferrari, which focuses on research for neurological diseases (2000/2005). He has been involved in Venture Capital investing since 1996, when he founded telecom company ePlanet which went public in 2000.
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About Angel Capital Management: Angel Capital Management is a leading private investment firm.
E Hao
Co-CEO of GWC
He is currently Partner and Co-CEO of GWC. He was Vice President of TCL Corporation and CEO of TCL Multimedia. He had held the positions of Assistant to Chairman of TCL Corporation, VP of TCL Multimedia and GM of Emerging Markets Business Center. He has rich experiences in international business operation. Mr. Hao is skilled in cross-border/culture business and experienced in automotive, on-line gaming and consumer electronics industry. Mr. Hao earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from York University (Canada) and EMBA degree from Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business.
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About GWC: Enabling Innovation that Improves the World
Andrew Nikou
Founder, CEO & Managing Partner of OpenGate Capital
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About OpenGate Capital: OpenGate Capital is a private equity firm acquiring businesses in North Amerian and Europe with solid fundamentals for growth.
Thomas D’Halluin
Owner, CEO & Managing Partner of Airbus Ventures
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About Airbus Ventures, Airbus Ventures: Empowering our entrepreneurs to shift the future of aerospace.
Justin Wickett
CEO and Co-founder of Informed.IQ
Justin Wickett is the CEO and Co-founder at Informed.IQ.
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About Informed.IQ: Informed is a developer of a consumer auto financing platform designed to collect and analyze loan documents.
Anis Uzzaman
Founder, CEO and Partner of Pegasus Tech Ventures
Anis Uzzaman, Ph.D is the General Partner and founding member of Pegasus Tech Ventures. He serves as the Chief Executive of the company, overlooking overall management and operations. Located in Silicon Valley, USA, Pegasus Tech Ventures provides early stage and final round funding. With several multi-million dollar funds under management, Pegasus Tech Ventures focuses its investment in IT, Health IT, Consumer Internet, Cloud, Big Data, Mobile, Social, Payment Systems and Next Generation Technologies. As a leader of the IBM and Cadence Management Teams, Anis led numerous strategic investments in the software development, microelectronics, and e-commerce space. A serial entrepreneur in the retail and technological sectors, Anis provides mentorship in fundraising, operations, and exit strategy to entrepreneurs. Anis has invested in over 140 startups in the United States, Japan, and South East Asia. Some of the prominent USA startups include Vicarious, Color Genomics, Genius, Rigetti, Affectiva, Afero, LARK and ShareThis. Anis is also an investor and board member of Tech in Asia, the largest tech media blog in Southeast Asia. Anis also sits on the board of directors of Affectiva, Lark, Blue Frog Robotics, Infoteria, and IACC. He holds a B.Eng. degree from Tokyo Institute of Technology in Japan, an M.S. in Engineering from Oklahoma State University, and a Ph.D in Computer Engineering from Tokyo Metropolitan University in Tokyo, Japan. Anis is an honored guest speaker in international conferences, workshops and seminars, has published more than 30 technical papers, and is the author of the “Startup Bible – The Silicon Valley Way of Developing Success” that launched in Japan; “Startup Success – The Six Steps To Building A Successful Startup” that launched in Korea; and “Startuppedia – Guide To Build Startup – Silicon Valley Way” that launched in Indonesia.
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About Pegasus Tech Ventures, Startup World Cup: Pegasus Tech Ventures is a Silicon Valley-based global venture capital firm.
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
Gayle Jennings O’Byrne
Founder and CEO of iNTENT Manifesto
20+ years of finance, investment banking, philanthropy and lobbying experience. Previously, executive positions in Mergers and Acquisitions, Global Philanthropy, International Government Relations at JPMorgan Chase. Media Manager at Sun Microsystems. Developed and managed investment strategy and corporate relationships. Enjoys valuation, modeling, due diligence and championing founders and startups. Graduate of Wharton School of Business and the University of Michigan School of Business. Attended National University of Singapore and City of London Polytechnic. Conducted academic consulting project in Israel.
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About iNTENT Manifesto, The Prometheus Exchange, WOCstar Fund: iNTENT Manifesto IS an educational and investment platform.
Massimo Barone
CEO & Founder of SmartCard Marketing Systems Inc. (SMKG:OTC)
Our management team has over 25 years of development and payment expertise and has worked with Banks, Telecom & Payment Acquirers Globally with success. Our most recent success was launched in the Mobile Payment segment in 2012 as the first PIN Debit over smartphones in multiple OS’s with Bancnet Philippines and in 2013 with Vodafone an APN with Mobile Payments over their global network.. Our current release www.genorocity.com an ecosystem for Coupons & Incentives.
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About Axpay, SmartCard Marketing Systems Inc. (SMKG:OTC): SmartCard Marketing Sys Inc. (SMKG:OTC) is a boutique Fintech Payment Co. developing solutions & strategies for EMV & Ecommerce Fintech
Denis Robert
CEO of SmartCard Marketing Systems Inc. (SMKG:OTC)
Management Team CT-Payment Denis Robert, President and CEO. Mr. Robert has over 25 years of experience and joined CT-Payment in 2011 and was rapidly appointed President and CEO to perform the corporation restructuring. Within a period of 18 months, Denis has repositioned the company as the largest independent payment processor in Canada and developed innovative product solutions that are now embraced in Canada, USA and soon to be launched in Asia. Prior to joining CT-Payment, Denis owned a national strategic communications and branding agency and has been the driving force in the development of global integrated marketing and communications strategies for clients.
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About SmartCard Marketing Systems Inc. (SMKG:OTC): SmartCard Marketing Sys Inc. (SMKG:OTC) is a boutique Fintech Payment Co. developing solutions & strategies for EMV & Ecommerce Fintech
R. Adam Smith
Founder & CEO of Family Office Private Advisors
Founder at Family Office Private Advisors. R. Adam Smith, combines his twenty years of experience in venture capital and private equity with a lifelong passion for unique brands. Adam held principal roles at leading private equity firms based in New York City, Caxton-Iseman Capital LLC and Castle Harlan, Inc., each with over $2 billion in managed equity capital, as well as tenures at Lehman Brothers and Salomon Brothers Inc. In 2002, he founded Circle Peak Capital (CPC), a private investment partnership. In 2010, he formed investment company Design Holdings Co LLC (DHC) to invest in a leading online global source for unique vintage furniture, antiques, art, jewelry, fashion and design. Adam graduated from the Graduate School of Business at Columbia University with an MBA with honors and from Boston University cum laude with a BA in International Relations and Economics. He is an active alumnus of Columbia Business School, a founding board member of Columbia’s Private Equity Advisory Board, and a founder of the Investment Management Conference. He is a member of hedge fund advisory company, Stride Capital. Involved in @ 20 principal investments since 1998 with over $300 million of private capital and over $2B in sales. Board member of, or Board advisor to, ten private companies. Philanthropic and non-profit ventures involving cancer, education, music, and world peace. He is one of the founders of the Friends of Leukemia Fighters, an oncology non-profit associated with the Weill Medical College of Cornell University and New York Presbyterian Hospital of New York City; chairman, Inaugural Piece for Peace Concert of the Tanenbaum Center in New York City; mentor to the Founders Institute.
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About Big Sky Partners LLC, Circle Peak Capital, Family Office Private Advisors, Leukemia Fighters: Family Office Private Advisors is an advisory and merchant-banking resource that focuses on private equity portfolios.
Dan Hannum
CEO of Hannum Capital Management
Founder and Chief Investment Officer at Hannum Capital Management
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About Hannum Capital Management, ZenLedger: A capital management company focused on digital and blockchain-based assets exclusively on the blockchain technology sector.
Kyle Ballarta
CEO & Founder of Falkon Ventures
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About Falkon Ventures, Humanity 2.0, Laudato Si’ Challenge: Falkon Ventures is a venture capital fund that offers a new solution in the landscape that provides entrepreneurs with support networks.
Andrew Goldner
Founding Partner and CEO of GrowthX
Andrew is a Founding Partner and CEO of GrowthX. He is a Kauffman Fellow (Class 21). Andrew has been in the technology sector since 1998, based in New York City, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Palo Alto. Andrew began his career in technology as a lawyer for the early Internet pioneers in Search (Alta Vista and Yahoo), AdTech (DoubleClick), SaaS (Salesforce) and others while practicing law. He left private practice at Skadden Arps and tansitioned to In-House roles at DoubleClick (leading up to the Google acquisition) and Thomson Financial. Andrew then co-founded Thompson’s financial news business leading to the acquisition of Reuters. At Thomson Reuters, Andrew served as Publisher of Reuters News, where he worked on innovation and design-thinking with nearly 3,000 journalists based in 200 countries worldwide. He then became Co-Founder and Managing Director of the company’s legal media business in Asia Pacific and the Middle East. After 6 years in Asia, Andrew returned to the U.S. and returned to helping early-stage companies. He then co-founded GoodMoney to democratize high-performance, values-based investing. During that “wonderful learning opportunity,” Andrew met his current partners and co-founded GrowthX.
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About GrowthX: Post-revenue, B2B SaaS and market network investors with extensive go-to-market experience. Helping is our primary form of due diligence.
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.
Matt Tucker
CEO & Founder of Koan
Matt Tucker is co-founder of Jive. Along with Bill Lynch, Matt founded Jive Software in 2001 and has helped build the company from just two people to where it is today. Matt is an active member in open standards communities including having served on the board of the XMPP Standards Foundation. Prior to Jive, Matt worked as a software engineer at an internet startup in San Francisco called 4charity. Matt holds a BS in Computer Science from the University of Iowa.
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About Koan: Koan is an organizational alignment software platform that helps teams manage goals and status collaboratively.
Peter Strack
Founder & CEO of The Strack Group
Serial entrepreneur and tech innovator Peter Strack has ventured into many diverse businesses. Most notably, he sold his latest venture, Alliance Reservations Network, to publicly traded WYND for $92 million. Strack has a comprehensive investment portfolio ranging from insurance companies to real estate to casinos, to name a few. Strack continues to start and build businesses. He founded The Strack Group, a venture capital firm that invests in later-stage companies ripe for growth. Strack has many years of practice in C-level leadership, executive sales, and mergers and acquisitions. Being in a position to give back, he remains passionate about empowering others to achieve success and sharing the knowledge they need to thrive.
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About Lifeley.Tech, SoClear Productions, The Strack Group: Strategic Investments
Thomas A. Rizk
Co-Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of Rizk Ventures
Thomas A. Rizk has three decades of experience building diverse companies, managing a variety of investments, and investing in special opportunities. He currently serves as CEO and Chairmen of Rizk Ventures, a private investment firm. Mr. Rizk previous experience includes founding TractManager Inc. where he serves as Chairman and CEO until April 2013 and CEO and Director of Mack-Cali Realty Corporation. He led Cali Associates through its highly successful initial public offering as Cali Realty Corporation, a real estate investment trust (REIT) traded on the NYSE.
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About Rizk Ventures, Workspace Property Trust: Rizk Ventures is a privately-held investment firm. We focus on Venture Capital, Private Equity, Real Estate and Special Opportunities.
Adam Roe
Founder and CEO of Zero Labs Group
Founder, CEO and Product Architect for Zero Labs Group – a privately held Southern California based business incubator and idea development firm for business and retail strategies, product ideation, business model architecture and exit strategy. ZLG has a specific focus on innovation for EV Automotive, Digital Retail, Snowsport Equipment and Conservation sectors. Adam competed as a skateboarder for 14 years. With a background in Advertising and design, and inspired by skateboardings energy and creativity, he started Lunchbox Studios in 1991 as an type-foundry, advertising and design company landing MTV as his first client. After, Adam went on to produce advertising and branding for hundreds of top level clients, founded New York’s Pavement Magazine, Reelhouse Footage and FX. Along with former partners, Adam reopened the Los Angeles office of Lunchbox in 2004 as the agency CEO to develop business solutions for Walmart, Unilever, P&G, Time Warner and Viacom. Adam also is a Licensed Master practitioner Neuro Linguistic Programming, Licensed Clinical Hypnotherapist, Certified NLP Communication Skills Master, Time Line therapist and has certifications from Society of NLP, American Institute Hypnotherapy and American Board Hypnotherapy among others.
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About Zero Labs Group: Private Business Incubator/Lab with a specific focus on innovation for EV Automotive, Retail, and Conservation technology.
Jacqueline Novogratz
Founder & CEO of Acumen
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About Acumen: Acumen is a non-profit venture fund that uses entrepreneurial approaches to solve the problems of global poverty.
Nicolai Wadstrom
CEO, Founder & General Partner of BootstrapLabs
Nicolai is the Founder and CEO of BootstrapLabs, a leading venture capital firm, based in Silicon Valley and focused on Applied Artificial Intelligence. And today one of the most active firm in the Applied Artificial Intelligence space. Nicolai launched his first business at 15, first tech startup in his early 20’s, and launched BootstrapLabs in San Francisco Bay Area in 2008. He brings 25+ years of operational experience as founding CEO & CTO scaling software technology platforms in VR (90’s), Internet, Financial Trading Systems (publicly listed on NASDAQ:OMX), Enterprise Software, etc. Through BootstrapLabs he has invested in, advised, and mentored 40+ companies and founding teams, helping them successfully build and scale proprietary technology, products, teams and operations Applying lifetime of operational, entrepreneurial and technology product development experience to support the BootstrapLabs portfolio companies to build and scale He is also a frequent speaker and mentor at top Universities and Conferences in the US and Europe on topics such as Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Disruption, Startups and Venture Capital.
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About BootstrapLabs: BootstrapLabs is a venture capital firm specializing in Artificial Intelligence.