Best Startup
At Best Startup US we track over 1,000,000 US startups and over 3 million people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top United States based Manager operating in the Venture Capital space. If you think a Manager 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.
Nissa Khilji
Manager of Operations of Manhattan Venture Partners
Associate at Manhattan Venture Partners
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About Manhattan Venture Partners: Principal investor and advisory solution to private venture backed technology companies and their shareholders.
Philippe Laffont
Founder & Portfolio Manager of Coatue
Philippe Laffont is the founder and portfolio manager of Coatue Management. Mr. Laffont graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1991 with a B.S. and M.Sc. in Computer Science. He worked as an analyst in management consulting for McKinsey & Co. from 1992 to 1994 in Madrid, Spain. After working as an independent consultant for several years, Mr. Laffont joined Tiger Management LLC as a research analyst in 1996. He focused on telecommunications stocks while at Tiger until he left to found Coatue in 1999.
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About Coatue: Coatue invests in public and private equity markets focusing on the technology, media, and telecommunications industries.
Jessica Aguilar
Office Manager of Initialized Capital
Jessica is the Office Manager and the EA to the CFO & Operating Partners; she also supports Initialized’s event program. She was previously the Office Manager/Executive Assistant at a travel start-up. With over four years of experience working as an OM/EA in several different industries including insurance, tax, and cosmetic/healthcare, she is ready to take on the VC Industry.
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About Initialized Capital: Initialized Capital is an early-stage VC firm focused on helping software engineers and designers with their first seed checks.
Mark Kapnick
Senior Manager, Talent COE of Insight Partners
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About Insight Partners: Insight Partners is a private equity firm that invests in growth-stage technology and software companies.
Lydia Kapur
Manager, Finance & Valuation of Insight Partners
Lydia Kapur currently works as the Manager in Finance and Valuation for Insight Partners. She previously worked at PwC.
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About Insight Partners: Insight Partners is a private equity firm that invests in growth-stage technology and software companies.
Ilver Doster
Enterprise Manager of Insight Partners
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About Insight Partners: Insight Partners is a private equity firm that invests in growth-stage technology and software companies.
Christina Nanfeldt
Portfolio Engagement Marketing Manager of Insight Partners
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About Insight Partners: Insight Partners is a private equity firm that invests in growth-stage technology and software companies.
Omar Mawloud
Manager, Onsite of Insight Partners
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About Insight Partners: Insight Partners is a private equity firm that invests in growth-stage technology and software companies.
Brooke Neal
Operations Assistant & Office Manager of Base10 Partners
Brooke Neal currently works as Operations Assistant and Office Manager at Base10 Partners.
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About Base10 Partners: Base10 is an early-stage venture capital firm investing in the automation of the real economy.
Thomas Kim
Director & Global Risk Manager, KKR Capstone of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts
Thomas Kim (New York) joined KKR Capstone in 2010 as Principal & Global Risk Manager.
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About Kohlberg Kravis Roberts: Kohlberg Kravis Roberts is a global alternative asset manager focusing on private equity, fixed income, and capital markets.
Ali Allahbachani
Portfolio Manager of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts
Mr. Allahbachani (San Francisco) joined KKR in 2014 as part of Avoca Capital and is the portfolio manager for the KKR Credit US CLO platform. Prior to this, Mr. Allahbachani worked in a number of roles at Avoca Capital including risk management, portfolio management, trading and credit management. Prior to joining Avoca in 2005, he was an Associate Director with Allied Irish Banks, where he was part of the bank’s European leveraged finance team in Dublin and London responsible for the origination, structuring and execution of senior and mezzanine debt transactions. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG. He holds a B.A. in Accounting and Finance from Dublin City University and is also an associate member of the Association of Corporate Treasurers.
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About Kohlberg Kravis Roberts: Kohlberg Kravis Roberts is a global alternative asset manager focusing on private equity, fixed income, and capital markets.
Peter Zakowich
Director, IC Member & Portfolio Manager of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts
Peter Zakowich (New York) joined KKR Prisma in 2006. He is a member of KKR Prisma’s Investment Committee and a portfolio manager, responsible for portfolio and client management. Prior to joining KKR Prisma, Mr. Zakowich was an associate portfolio manager at J.P. Morgan Alternative Investments. Prior, he was an equity analyst at Edge Capital, a long/short equity hedge fund focusing on the technology and media sectors. Mr. Zakowich began his career at Putnam Investments as an investment associate covering global companies across the media, advertising, and automotive/industrial industries. Mr. Zakowich holds a B.A. from Harvard University and an M.B.A. from New York University, Stern School of Business.
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About Kohlberg Kravis Roberts: Kohlberg Kravis Roberts is a global alternative asset manager focusing on private equity, fixed income, and capital markets.
Rachel Coffman
Operations Manager of Susa Ventures
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About Susa Ventures: Susa Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm investing primarily in seed rounds.
Joshua Torrey
IT Manager of SOSV
As IT Manager at SOSV, Josh is responsible for managing, implementing, and providing troubleshooting and support for SOSV’s internal IT processes and systems. This includes administration of internal email and CRM applications, development and maintenance of SOSV and accelerator program websites, and working closely with the IT team on constant system improvement and risk management. Josh graduated from Connecticut College with a degree in Philosophy, and has a certification in Information Storage and Management from EMC. Josh previously worked as a technical support engineer for Dell/EMC. Josh lives in Cape Cod.
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About SOSV: SOSV is a global VC firm with $1B AUM and 1,000+ investments, that operates HAX, IndieBio, Chinaccelerator, MOX, and dlab.
Kayla Liederbach
Marketing Manager of SOSV
Kayla is helping manage SOSV’s presence on social media and the web. In 2011 she graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a B.S. in Life Sciences Communication, and stayed in town to run communications at a local music startup. She’s a big fan of knowing what goes on behind the scenes, in all aspects of life, and feels passionately about conveying scientific news to the public. In her spare time, Kayla is a radio host on 91.7fm WSUM-Madison, specifically playing reggae tunes. She was awarded “DJ of the Year” at the 2013 and 2015 Madison Area Music Awards.
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About SOSV: SOSV is a global VC firm with $1B AUM and 1,000+ investments, that operates HAX, IndieBio, Chinaccelerator, MOX, and dlab.
Karen Ding
Revenue Partner Manager of Crunchbase
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About Crunchbase: Crunchbase provides intelligent prospecting software powered by live company data.
Kiran Goraya
Customer Success Manager of Crunchbase
Kiran has been serving as Custom Success Manager at Crunchbase since April 2018.
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About Crunchbase: Crunchbase provides intelligent prospecting software powered by live company data.
Alan Liang
Customer Success Manager of Crunchbase
Alan P. Liang has been serving as Customer Success Manager since April 2018.
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About Crunchbase: Crunchbase provides intelligent prospecting software powered by live company data.
Will Hughes
Product Manager of Crunchbase
Will N. Hughes is data-savvy product manager with experience in product development on a variety B2B, B2C, and internal-use products.
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About Crunchbase: Crunchbase provides intelligent prospecting software powered by live company data.
Susana Chicano
Data Project Manager of Crunchbase
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About Crunchbase: Crunchbase provides intelligent prospecting software powered by live company data.
Martin Guelck
Product Manager of Crunchbase
Martin is a Product Manager at Crunchbase. Previously, he worked at Quantcast, VMware, and The Boston Consulting Group.
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About Crunchbase: Crunchbase provides intelligent prospecting software powered by live company data.
Shamus Noonan
Sales Manager of Crunchbase
Shamus Noonan served as Account Executive at Crunchbase from September 2016 to June 2019, since which he has been serving as its sales manager.
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About Crunchbase: Crunchbase provides intelligent prospecting software powered by live company data.
JD Battles
Product Design Manager of Crunchbase
JD Battles is the Lead Designer at Crunchbase & creator of the iconic crunchbase corgi.
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About Crunchbase: Crunchbase provides intelligent prospecting software powered by live company data.
Themba Fletcher
Engineering Manager of Crunchbase
Themba is an enthusiastic technologist, a bit of a polyglot, and an obsessive troubleshooter who loves making things with his hands and with his mind. He focuses professionally on business-centric full stack web application development, API design for distributed systems, and tinker with non-traditional software paradigms, particularly actor systems and FRP. He started programming in Superbase at about age 10 on an apple IIc then moved almost immediately on to some dialect of logo. Since that time, he has either tried or have been involuntarily exposed to some 30+ languages and systems, but that initial exposure to data-centric and functional programming still provides his touchstone. He spent the first chunk of his working life becoming an industrial automation guru and, as a bonus, a pretty top notch machinist and a fairly decent manager. When he grew tired of travelling, 12 hour shifts on his feet, and the constant risk of dismemberment, he switched gears and now sells keystrokes instead.
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About Crunchbase: Crunchbase provides intelligent prospecting software powered by live company data.
Monique Nguyen
Project Manager, Customer Experience of Crunchbase
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About Crunchbase: Crunchbase provides intelligent prospecting software powered by live company data.
Mark Chan
Lead Product Manager of Crunchbase
[Mark Chan](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-chan/) currently serves as the Director of Product for Crunchbase. He was previously at Radius and Zynga.
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About Crunchbase: Crunchbase provides intelligent prospecting software powered by live company data.
Andrea Simpson
Customer Success Manager of Crunchbase
Andrea Simpson has been serving as Customer Success Manager at Crunchbase since October 2017.
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About Crunchbase: Crunchbase provides intelligent prospecting software powered by live company data.
Charlie Lui
Customer Success Manager of Crunchbase
Charlie Lui has been serving as Customer Success Manager at Crunchbase since April 2019.
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About Crunchbase: Crunchbase provides intelligent prospecting software powered by live company data.
Hector GHF
Engineering Brand Marketing Manager of Goldman Sachs
Hector GHF is a Mexico City-born, London-based creative technologist working in the realms of marketing and design. He brings over 10 years of experience from the technology sector, designing experiential learning and marketing campaigns during his time at Google prior to joining Goldman Sachs Engineering. During his career, he has facilitated design-led innovation workshops for Silicon Valley startups, Forbes 500 companies and international organisations. Having worked in Mexico City, Buenos Aires, San Francisco, New York and now London, Hector has a global perspective and is a champion of accessibility, diversity and inclusion. In his spare time, he provides mentoring to tech startups from around the world. He enjoys art. He loves tacos. New York, New York, United States
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About Goldman Sachs: Goldman Sachs is a multinational financial services firm providing securities, investment banking, and management services.
Rachel Shapiro
Operations Manager of 14W
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About 14W: 14W is a venture capital firm specializing in consumer internet, marketplace, ecommerce, CPG, and media.
Gordon Adair
Manager Incubation Program of FasterCapital
A results driven sales professional with over a lot of experience in new business development, specializing in software and associated technical and business consulting services.
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About FasterCapital, FasterCapital: FasterCapital is an online incubator, accelerator, and service provider. We help startups and small businesses worldwide.
Kimmy Brock
Corporate Paralegal / EBP Team Manager of GV
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About GV: GV provides venture capital funding to bold new companies.
Natalie Chen
Finance & Investor Relations Manager of NFX
Natalie works on the Finance Team at NFX where she helps manage investments and investor relations. Natalie grew up in LA before moving to Taipei at the age of twelve, where she spent five years at an international school before attending college at Purdue University. Prior to NFX, Natalie has worked as an Event Coordinator, Operations Specialist, and PR/Guest Relations Director in Taipei and Shanghai where she utilized her bilingual language skills in Mandarin and English.
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About NFX: NFX operates as a pre-seed and seed stage VC that is transforming how true innovators are funded.
Lauren Oesterle
Accounting Manager of True Ventures
Lauren joined True Ventures’ finance team in 2013. She kicked off her career at Ernst & Young and then spent a number of years as an accounting consultant for Bay Area technology companies spanning social media and software. She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Miami University and a master’s degree in accounting from the University of Colorado Boulder. On the weekends, Lauren spends time with her family, hikes, cooks, and plays board games. When she is not in the Bay Area, she’s usually on the farm with her extended family in the great state of Ohio.
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About True Ventures: True Ventures is a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage technology startups.
Lauren Oesterle
Accounting Manager of True Ventures
Lauren joined True Ventures’ finance team in 2013. She kicked off her career at Ernst & Young and then spent a number of years as an accounting consultant for Bay Area technology companies spanning social media and software. She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Miami University and a master’s degree in accounting from the University of Colorado Boulder. On the weekends, Lauren spends time with her family, hikes, cooks, and plays board games. When she is not in the Bay Area, she’s usually on the farm with her extended family in the great state of Ohio.
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About True Ventures: True Ventures is a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage technology startups.
Laura Buckingham Thomas
Marketing Manager, Portfolio Services of Norwest Venture Partners
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About Norwest Venture Partners, Norwest Venture Partners: Norwest is a global venture capital and growth equity investment firm that specializes in venture and growth equity companies.
Luis Abasta
Finance Manager of Rembrandt Venture Partners
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About Rembrandt Venture Partners: Rembrandt Venture Partners is a team of entrepreneurs, company builders, and investors.
Glen Buzzetti
Sales Manager of New Enterprise Associates
Glen Buzzetti is an Real estate investor who lives in the NYC trip state area, The hobbies of Glen Buzzetti include fitness, travel, dining, positive motivation and giving to charities such as the make a wish Foundation..When acting as a buyer’s broker with a finalized agreement , they support buyers by assisting them buy property for the lowest achievable price under the best terms. The real property broker owes fiduciary responsibilities to whoever that broker solutions as a client.
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About Compline LLC, Glen Buzzetti Inc Life Insurance, New Enterprise Associates, Title Transfer Holding LLC, Title Transfer Holding LLC: New Enterprise Associates is a global venture capital firm investing in technology and healthcare.
Claire Zau
Associate and Project Manager of GSV Ventures
Claire Zau is an Associate and Project Manager of GSV Ventures.
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About GSV Ventures: GSV Ventures is a venture firm investing company.
Eve Espinueva
Operations Manager of Thomvest Ventures
Eve Espinueva is an Operations Manager of Thomvest Ventures.
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About Thomvest Ventures: Thomvest Ventures provides companies with cross-stage venture capital fund.
Ashley Pakenham
IR and Marketing Manager of Apax Partners
Ashley Pakenham is an analyst in the Investor Relations team. She joined Apax Partners in 2015 and is currently based in New York. Prior to joining Apax Partners, Ashley was a Private Equity Underwriter at Zurich Insurance Company in New York. Ashley holds a BA in History of Art and Corporate Strategy with distinction from Vanderbilt University.
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About Apax Partners: Apax Partners is an independent global partnership focused solely on long-term investment in growth companies.
Li Ye
Investment Manager of SIG China (SIG Asia Investments)
Mr. Li joined SIG in 2011, focusing on investment opportunities in the TMT sector. Mr. Li has more than seventeen years of experience in the telecommunications and internet industries in the United States, and has led R&D initiatives for many successful high-tech companies. Mr. Li was the Director of Online Systems at Ask.com, and developed an industry-leading search technology based on structured data. Before that, he was the Director of R&D for UTStarcom’s broadband access business, and was in charge of the development of IP-DSLAM broadband access equipment; the industry’s earliest large-scale commercial deployment. Mr. Li has a deep understanding of the latest Internet technology trends and business ecosystems and has a rich experience leading technical teams at startup companies. Mr. Li holds two degrees in Computer Science: a BS from the University of Science and Technology of China and an MS from Rutgers University.
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About SIG China (SIG Asia Investments): SIG’s China venture capital and private equity activities are operated through SIG Asia Investments, LLLP (SAI).
Jill Richardson
Senior Marketing Manager of Sapphire
Jill Richardson currently works as the Senior Marketing Manager for Sapphire Ventures. She previously worked at Truvalue Labs as the Senior Marketing Manager.
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About Sapphire: Sapphire is a venture capital firm that partners with visionary teams and venture funds to build companies.
Julia Harmon
Project Manager of Qualcomm Ventures
Julia is a Senior Marketing Communications Coordinator with Qualcomm Ventures. She has been with Qualcomm for over 4 years, supporting marketing activities. Prior to her current role, she supported product marketing for Qualcomm’s augmented reality project, Vuforia. Julia holds a BA in Communication from the University of Maryland, College Park.
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About Qualcomm Ventures: Qualcomm Ventures is the investment arm of Qualcomm Incorporated. Founded in 2000, the fund has over 150 active portfolio companies.
Julia Harmon
Project Manager of Qualcomm Ventures
Julia is a Senior Marketing Communications Coordinator with Qualcomm Ventures. She has been with Qualcomm for over 4 years, supporting marketing activities. Prior to her current role, she supported product marketing for Qualcomm’s augmented reality project, Vuforia. Julia holds a BA in Communication from the University of Maryland, College Park.
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About Qualcomm Ventures: Qualcomm Ventures is the investment arm of Qualcomm Incorporated. Founded in 2000, the fund has over 150 active portfolio companies.
Tara Jordan
Marketing and Investor Relations Manager of Quake Capital Partners
Tara Cooper began her career working as an analyst for her family’s office, the Cooper Family Office of Palm Beach, Florida. She joined Quake Capital in July 2016 as their Marketing and Investor Relations Manager. In college she studied Business Administration and Marketing, graduating with a BS degree from the University of South Florida. Tara Cooper is a member of the Johns Hopkins University Discovery Council, the Stanford University Graduate School of Business Global Investor’s Forum, and the NYU Stern School of Business Family Office Council. Tara has been instrumental in her family’s philanthropic endeavor of supporting music and art education among underprivileged students in Florida.
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About Quake Capital Partners: Quake Capital is a venture firm that helps startups grow by providing seed stage investment through an accelerator program.
Jake Nibley
Finance Manager of Tola Capital
Jake Nibley is currently the Finance Manager of Tola Capital. He is a finance professional with FP&A experience spanning both Fortune 50 and hyper-growth companies. His career has been fueled by a passion for technology and curiosity to deeply understand the financial underpinnings of business models. Most recently, Mr. Nibley was the finance lead for the Customer Experience product line at Qualtrics where he supported both revenue and OPEX planning. Prior to that, Mr. Nibley was deeply engaged with Microsoft’s Commercial Office 365 business where he supported M&A, strategic partnerships, addressable market analysis, and product roadmap planning. He joined Microsoft as an analyst in the Finance Rotation Program, working with the sales, accounting, strategy, and engineering organizations. Mr. Nibley graduated from the University of Washington with a concentration in Finance. While completing his undergraduate degree, he interned at both private and public companies, including Amazon where he supported the launch of their app store business.
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About Tola Capital, Tola Capital: Tola Capital is a venture capital firm that invests globally in enterprise software companies across multiple stages.
Brad Howlett
Manager, Finance & Operations of Sands Capital
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About Sands Capital: Sands Capital is an investment manager who seeks to invest in technology and life sciences businesses from Series A through public listing..
Mayuri Lakhani
Software Development Manager of Susquehanna International Group (SIG)
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About Susquehanna International Group (SIG): SIG is a global quantitative trading firm committing its own capital to trade financial products around the world.
Kathy Yager
Manager Investor Services of Spectrum Equity
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About Spectrum Equity: Spectrum Equity, a private equity firm, provides capital and strategic support to internet, software, and information services companies.
Maureen Sullivan
Investor Relations Manager of Spectrum Equity
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About Spectrum Equity: Spectrum Equity, a private equity firm, provides capital and strategic support to internet, software, and information services companies.
Dorothy Lee
Tax Manager of Spectrum Equity
Dorothy joined Spectrum as Tax Senior in June 2005. She focuses on tax compliance and planning. Prior to joining Spectrum, she was with Deloitte & Touche in San Francisco and has experience in the real estate, venture capital and private equity industries.
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About Spectrum Equity: Spectrum Equity, a private equity firm, provides capital and strategic support to internet, software, and information services companies.
Phillip Gross
Co-Founder, Managing Director & Portfolio Manager of Adage Capital Management
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About Adage Capital Management, Strategic Grant Partners: Adage Capital Management focuses on managing S&P 500 assets predominantly for endowments and foundations.
Alexandra Makreas
Senior Marketing Manager of Salesforce Ventures
Alexa Makreas is the senior marketing manager at Salesforce Ventures.
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About Salesforce Ventures: Salesforce Ventures invests in the next gen of enterprise tech to help companies connect with their customers in entirely new ways.
Sarah Recinos
Office Manager and Executive Assistant of Sierra Ventures
Sarah joined Sierra Ventures in 2004 and is responsible for the day to day office operations of the firm. She partners with HR as the benefits and payroll manager and oversees accounts payable and the Front Office Coordinator. Sarah also provides executive support for one of Sierra Ventures’ Managing Directors and the Operating Partner. Sarah has a background as an Administrative Assistant and Receptionist at Linden Research (the producer of Second Life) where she provided support to the marketing and finance departments. Sarah holds a BS in Biology from Stephens College and a Certificate of Human Resource Management from Keller Graduate School. In her personal time, Sarah travels with friends & family.
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About Sierra Ventures: Sierra Ventures is an early-stage venture firm investing globally with a focus on next generation enterprise and emerging technologies.
Andy Lowe
Automation and Orchestration Manager of Allstate
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About Allstate: Allstate offers a protection product through multiple brands & diverse distribution channels, including auto, home, life & other insurance.
Mason Windatt
Accounting Manager of 137 Ventures
Mason Windatt currently works as the Accounting Manager for 137 Ventures. He previously worked at Standish Management, LLC as the Fund Controller.
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About 137 Ventures: 137 Ventures is a growth stage venture fund with an innovative secondary investment structure.
James Christopherson
Senior Account Manager of VSC
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About VSC: We are a band of strategists, storytellers and data nerds obsessed with helping Davids crush a sea of Goliaths.
Lindsay Ziegler
Compliance Manager of 5AM Ventures
Lindsay Ziegler joined 5AM Ventures as a Compliance Manager in 2020. Previously, she was a Senior Compliance Associate at ICONIQ Capital, LLC. Prior to ICONIQ, she was a Compliance Associate at Passport Capital and prior to Passport Capital, a Compliance Associate at Cordium, a compliance consulting firm. She received a B.S. in International Business from the University of San Francisco. Ms. Ziegler is based in the San Francisco, CA office.
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About 5AM Ventures: 5AM Ventures is a venture capital firm that aims to finance seed and early-stage life sciences companies.
Lilyann Troy
Business Operations Manager of Eclipse Ventures
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About Eclipse Ventures: Eclipse Ventures helps entrepreneurs build companies that will boldly transform the industries that define and propel economies.
James Ramey
Principal, Managing Director, Co-Founder & Fund Manager of Middleland Capital
James has been a VTC Innovation Fund member since inception. James’ responsibilities include deal sourcing, due diligence, deal and closing document review and negotiation, portfolio monitoring, and other day to day operations. Before joining the VTC Innovation Fund and Middleland Capital, James was a Vice President at Tyton Partners, a leading M&A advisory firm in the education and ed-tech sectors. Notably, while at Tyton, James led the deal team in the sale of WebAssign, a provider of digital learning solutions in higher education to Cengage Learning, an education and technology Company. Prior to Tyton Partners, James was a Senior Associate at Invest Nebraska Corporation, a sector-agnostic venture capital & development firm specializing in equity and debt financings within the lower middle-market. While at Invest Nebraska Corporation, James actively led and/or supported a significant number of transactions through sourcing, financial analysis, valuation, due diligence, deal structuring & negotiation, closing, and monitoring. Prior to Invest Nebraska Corporation, James was an Associate Attorney at Knudsen, Berkheimer, Richardson & Endacott, LLP where he practiced in a wide range of legal fields including transactional law, bankruptcy, estate planning, creditor rights, landlord/tenant, real estate, corporate law and civil litigation.
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About Middleland Capital: Middleland Capital is a private investment firm focused on global early-stage technology opportunities.
Tina Lu
Office Manager of Translink Capital
Tina serves as the Office Manager for Translink Capital and manages the office operations, including scheduling and event planning. Prior to Translink Capital, Tina served as an Administration Director for ViChip Corporation and was responsible for the company administration and accounting. Prior to joining ViChip, Tina was an Office Manager for InveStar Capital.
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About Translink Capital: Translink Capital helps entrepreneurs develop customer connections and partnerships in Asia.
Guntur Mallarangeng
Operations Manager of Convergence Ventures
Guntur joined Convergence Ventures with a background in management consulting, business development, and entrepreneurship. Before joining Convergence Ventures, he was the Head of Business Development at Jualo.com, a Series-A c2c marketplace for second-hand goods and services. Previously he co-founded a retail fast-serve restaurant chain called Chicago Fried Chicken, which has grown to more than 180 locations around JaBoDeTaBek. He started his career as a consultant at the global management consulting firm, A.T. Kearney. Guntur graduated with Honors from the University of San Francisco, obtaining a B.A. in Political Science, and then continued his studies at the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, where he graduated and obtained an MSc in Management Studies. Guntur is an avid home-cook, and is currently on the lookout for the perfect home-made tori-paitan ramen recipe. He is also a certified advanced diver, and training for his first-ever full marathon.
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About Convergence Ventures: Early stage venture capital fund focused on technology companies in Indonesia.
Pravin Vazirani
Co-Portfolio Manager of Owl Rock Capital
Pravin Vazirani is the Board Member at Carbonite.Pravin Vazirani joined Menlo Ventures in 2001. He began his career at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory where he designed digital receivers for satellite communications. Later he worked as an engineer for Pacific Communication Sciences, Inc. and as a product manager for ADC Telecommunications in their Wireless Systems Group. He is also involved with the firm’s investments in Centrality Communications, newScale and Q1 Labs. Pravin is a Graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (B.S. and M.S. in Electrical Engineering) .The Harvard University Graduate School of Business (M.B.A.).
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About Owl Rock Capital: Owl Rock is an investment firm that aims to meet the distinct and underserved financing needs of middle-market companies.
Erik Bissonnette
Co-Portfolio Manager of Owl Rock Capital
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About Owl Rock Capital: Owl Rock is an investment firm that aims to meet the distinct and underserved financing needs of middle-market companies.
Andrew Kalmar
Portfolio Manager of Irving Investors
Andrew joined Irving in 2019 as a Portfolio Manager with a dedicated Healthcare focus. Andrew runs a crossover strategy focusing on both public and private companies. Andrew began his career in 2002 working for the Lord Abbett Bond Debenture fund, which today remains one of the largest high-yield funds in existence. In 2004 he moved to Denver as a co-founder of Independence Capital Asset Partners, a growth focused hedge fund where he managed the healthcare portfolio. In 2015 he was a co-founder of Roubaix Capital which was a spin out of ICAP and he left in 2018. Andrew also actively consults with drug development companies as well as other investors.
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About Irving Investors: Irving Investors focuses on disruptive technology and high growth opportunities.
Chris Chism
Portfolio Manager / Head of Credit of Irving Investors
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About Irving Investors: Irving Investors focuses on disruptive technology and high growth opportunities.
Sammy Abdullah
Co-Manager of Blossom Street Ventures
Sammy chairs the board of Blossom Street Ventures and manages day to day operations. Along with Kevin, he co-founded the firm. His primary responsibilities are to source and diligence new opportunities, oversee the portfolio, and handle investor relations. Previously, Sammy was a Vice President at Congruent Investment Partners. Prior to that, he worked at Prudential Capital Group and Blossom Street Capital (unaffiliated with Blossom Street Ventures).
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About Blossom Street Ventures, Dallas Angel Network: Blossom Street Ventures is a venture capital firm focusing on mid-stage venture opportunities.
Kevin Vela
Co-Manager of Blossom Street Ventures
Kevin Vela is a founding partner at Vela Wood. He focuses his practice in the areas of M&A, venture financing, fund representation, and gaming law. In recent years, he has represented both startups and investors in over $150M in venture financing.
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About Blossom Street Ventures, Dallas Angel Network: Blossom Street Ventures is a venture capital firm focusing on mid-stage venture opportunities.
Michael Bervell
Portfolio Development Manager of M12 – Microsoft’s Venture Fund
Michael Bervell is the Portfolio Development Manager at M12.
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About M12 – Microsoft’s Venture Fund: M12 invests in early-stage technology companies disrupting the enterprise.
Madeline Moyer
Market Development Manager of M12 – Microsoft’s Venture Fund
Madeline Moyer currently works as the Market Development for M12. She previously worked at Smartsheet as the Channel Program Operations.
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About M12 – Microsoft’s Venture Fund: M12 invests in early-stage technology companies disrupting the enterprise.
Blaine Kaho`onei
Sr. Business Development Manager of Heroku
Blaine Kaho`onei A technology professional with 12 plus years experience around Internet, Mobile, CRM, Cloud and Social Enterprise Technologies. Blaine has worked with CRM as one of the first customers of salesforce.com. An avid user and worked for one of the first partners of salesforce.com to offer mobile CRM on a handheld device (AvantGo). Then he was recruited to work in direct sales for 3 years before helping launch the AppExchange ISV community playing a variety of front and back-of-house roles.
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About Heroku: Heroku is a platform as a service (PaaS) that provides services to create, run, and scale web and mobile apps.
Coby Randquist
Engineering Manager of Heroku
Coby Randquist is an engineering manager at [Heroku](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/heroku), He is also the founder and co-founder of Confreaks and On Ales, respectively. Previously, he was the director of IT at AT&T. Prior to AT&T, he held several IT-related roles in G5, Summit Financial Resources, Cymphonix, and Vehix. Randquist studied at Salt Lake Community College and Westminster College.
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About Heroku, Salesforce: Heroku is a platform as a service (PaaS) that provides services to create, run, and scale web and mobile apps.
Lisa Breiman
Operations Manager, IR of Industry Ventures
Lisa focuses on sourcing and deal support for the partners, as well as assisting them in day to day operations. Prior to joining Industry Ventures, Lisa worked as an Executive Assistant for a Hedge Fund and as a pharmaceutical sales representative. Lisa earned her BA in Business Management from University of Denver.
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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.
Jay Hallberg
General Manager of Shasta Ventures
Jay Hallberg co-founded Spiceworks in 2006 to simplify the management of technology for the world small and medium businesses. The Spiceworks user community has grown to over 1 million IT professionals worldwide, earning it a reputation as the Facebook for IT Managers. The company reach into 20 percent of the global SMB market is transforming how technology products are managed, marketed and sold.
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About Shasta Ventures: Shasta is an early-stage venture capital firm focused on investing in enterprise.
Tiffany Benton
Business Systems Manager of Bain Capital
Tiffany Benton is currently a Senior Business Systems Analyst at Bain Capital. Since joining Bain Capital, she has managed multiple IT implementations and projects. Starting in 2016 her primary focus has been implementing Box globally across the firm. Throughout the implementation process, Tiffany has collaborated across multiple business units within the firm to define an enterprise strategy. The goal was to streamline processes and data migrations to Box with little disruption to day-to-day business operations. This approach has led to the development of a sustainable and secure folder structure and adoption across the enterprise. Prior to joining Bain Capital, she worked with MasterCard and Visa implementing EMV technology for US banks and credit unions. Tiffany attended Richmond University in London and has received her PMP certification from the Project Management Institute.
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About Bain Capital: Bain Capital is a global alternative investment firm specializes in private equity, venture capital, and credit products.
Emily Libresco
Senior Manager, Marketing and Communications of Lerer Hippeau
Emily Libresco currently works as the Senior Manager in Marketing and Communications for Lerer Hippeau. She previously worked at Pivotal Ventures as the Executive Communications and Media.
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About Lerer Hippeau: Lerer Hippeau helps early-stage founders with the capital and tools they need to build ideas into category-defining companies.
Brianna Bowles
Office Manager of Kickstart
From IT to swag management, Bri keeps things running smoothly and making sure the fund has the resources it needs. She enjoys getting to know everyone who comes through the door. If given the opportunity, Bri would dance every day. She nerds out on physical and mental health and loves spending time with her husband and daughter.
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About Kickstart: Kickstart is an early-stage VC fund that provides smart capital, a connected community, and expert guidance to companies.
Gena Cecala
Office Manager of Signal Peak Ventures
Gena Cecala is Signal Peak Ventures office manager. She has over 28 years of experience in human resources/benefits, payroll and accounting. As office manager, she facilitates communication for the Signal Peak team and oversees all of the office operations, payroll and HR functions.
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About Signal Peak Ventures: Signal Peak is a venture capital firm with more than $550 million of committed capital under management.
Bobby Esnard
Startup Partnerships Program Manager of Capital Group
Bobby Esnard is a Senior Analyst covering Emerging Technology. He has 5 years of investment industry experience, all at Capital Group. He is the Program Manager for Fintech Wave, the firm’s mechanism for partnering with startups in financial technology & enterprise software. Prior to his current role, Bobby worked in Corporate Strategy & Innovation on transformative new businesses, venture capital, and internal consulting. He began his career in The Associates Program where he was the first person to cover cryptocurrencies and digital commodities for the company. He has a B.A. in Linguistics & Cognitive Science from Dartmouth College.
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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.
Will McKenna
Senior Creative Manager of Capital Group
Will McKenna is a senior creative manager at American Funds, part of Capital Group, focusing on advisory, retirement and institutional markets. He has 21 years of industry experience and has been with Capital Group for 16 years. Prior to joining Capital, Will was an associate at Mercer Management Consulting in New York, where he focused on marketing consulting for financial services clients. He holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Princeton University, graduating summa cum laude. Will 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.
Ashley Pearson
Office Manager & EA of Altos Ventures
Ashley focuses on deal support for the partners, as well as assisting them in day to day operations. Ashley earned her Bachelors in Sociology from Washington State University.
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About Altos Ventures: Altos Ventures is a venture capital firm and registered investment advisor with more than $8 billion in regulated assets under management.
Daniel Sabio
Community Manager of TechSquare Labs
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About TechSquare Labs: TechSquare Labs is an incubator, seed fund and 15k sf of coworking and corporate innovation space.
Michael Morotti
National Accounts Manager of Abbott
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About Abbott: Abbott is engaged in pharmaceuticals and manufacturing healthcare products.
Yazan Amro
Product Manager of Abbott
Yazan Amro serves as the Chief Marketing Officer at Mira.
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About Abbott: Abbott is engaged in pharmaceuticals and manufacturing healthcare products.
Ravi Arikapudi
Global Program Manager – SAP ERP (ECC, S4 Hana, Leonardo), Blockchain, IOT of Abbott
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About Abbott: Abbott is engaged in pharmaceuticals and manufacturing healthcare products.
Michael Wuollett
Project Manager of Abbott
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About Abbott: Abbott is engaged in pharmaceuticals and manufacturing healthcare products.
Kathleen Thrush
Section Manager, Clinical Operations of Abbott
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About Abbott: Abbott is engaged in pharmaceuticals and manufacturing healthcare products.
Jihong Kim
Senior Manager of Samsung Ventures
Jihong Kim is a Managing Director at Samsung Ventures America. He joined SVA in 2012 and focuses on mobile, digital media, software and services companies. His most recent exits include Centrify (acquired by Thoma Bravo). Prior to joining Samsung Ventures, Jihong worked at a global long short equity fund as a research analyst (SFG), in investment banking (HSBC, JMP) as well as in management consulting (PwC). He started his career as a software engineer at Lucent Technologies and had also worked as an early member of start-ups at nDosa and CommASIC (acquired by Freescale). Jihong received an MBA as well as B.S. in EECS from the University of California at Berkeley.
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About Samsung Ventures, Samsung Ventures America: Samsung Ventures is a venture capital firm specializing in investments in start-up companies.
Thomas Jueng
Senior Manager of Samsung Ventures
Thomas Jueng is a Managing Director at Samsung Ventures America. He joined Samsung Ventures in 2012 and focuses on investments in mobile platform, AI, IoT, digital media & content, and enterprise solution. Prior to joining Samsung Ventures, Thomas worked in Benex investment, a private equity in Korea. Before Benex investment, he worked at SK Telecom in global strategy planning team and investment team. Thomas led deals in the US, China, Vietnam, and Korea mainly focusing on mobile and internet. Before SK Telecom, Thomas worked at a RF repeater system company, MTI Co., Ltd. as a RF, S/W engineer. Thomas also co-founded two start-ups, a social network service website, win520.com in Beijing, China, and an outdoor digital signage company, Intercity Networks in Korea and he was an early member of Chinese mobile device company, Xiaomi. Thomas earned his M.B.A. at the Wharton School and received his B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Seoul National University.
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About Samsung Ventures, Samsung Ventures America: Samsung Ventures is a venture capital firm specializing in investments in start-up companies.
June Deng
Investment Manager of Tsingyuan Ventures
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About Tsingyuan Ventures: Foothill Ventures is a technology-focused venture fund that invests in seed to A-round startups in the United States.
Danielle Walker
Investor Relations Manager of Kairos Ventures
Danielle Walker currently works as the Investor Relations Manager for Kairos Ventures. She previously worked at Caltech as the Executive Management Assistant.
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About Kairos Ventures: Kairos Ventures invests in ideas, patents, and businesses from the top universities and scientists.
Richard Lynch
Finance Manager of Kairos Ventures
Richard Lynch currently works as the Finance Manager for Kairos Ventures. He previously worked at Marlborough School as the Staff Accountant.
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About Kairos Ventures: Kairos Ventures invests in ideas, patents, and businesses from the top universities and scientists.
Kelsey O’Neill
Operations Manager of MissionOG
Kelsey O’Neill is the operations manager at MissionOG.
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About MissionOG: MissionOG provides capital to early and growth stage B2B technology companies.
Edie Egan
Finance Manager of NewSpring
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About NewSpring, TL Ventures: NewSpring Capital is focused on leveraging operational expertise and capital to build market leading companies.
Andy Marell
Project Manager of GrowthX
Andy has rich experience operationalizing systems, building go-to-market strategies, and developing teams & organizations. Prior to joining GrowthX as our Project Manager, Andy spent 4 plus years at Google as a program & partner manager, working on a number of sleath projects within Google to help scale those operations, and, at Nest Labs, to grow their Retail sales business. Before starting his career in tech, Andy worked nearly every position in the restaurant & hospitality industry, from dishwasher to pantry chef; and, no, it didn’t ruin his passion for cooking. Andy enjoys being active, being outdoors and learning new things (especially if that learning occurs as the result of travel!). Andy graduated with honors from the University of California, Davis with a BA in International Relations and an emphasis on Latin America, as well as a degree in Luso-Brazilian Studies. Andy also holds an Advanced Project Manager Certificate from Stanford.
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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.
Geoff Smith
Manager of GE Ventures
Geoff Smith is the Director & Customer Technical Support at Cepheid.
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About Cepheid, GE Ventures: GE Ventures combines capital, expertise, infrastructure, and the GE global network to help accelerate the growth of businesses.
Ethan Haigh
Program Manager of HAX
As Program Coordinator at HAX Growth in San Francisco, Ethan oversees logistics and delivery for the cohort, and assists with portfolio management, recruitment and due diligence on HAX Growth companies. Ethan has a bachelor’s degree in International Studies and Spanish from Boston College. Ethan’s first exposure to the startup world came while he was studying in Buenos Aires, where he held an internship with goodpeople.com. Ethan also worked for the International Institute of Boston, a refugee resettlement agency, where he taught Cultural Orientation and aided recently-arrived refugees in their job search process. After graduating from BC, Ethan participated in a year of service with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest in Oregon. He worked in a bilingual elementary school, teaching literacy to students in both Spanish and English.
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About HAX: HAX is SOSV’s venture program for Hard Tech
Jade Tran
Community Manager of Threshold
Jade Tran joined DFJ in 2014 and is the firm’s community manager. She coordinates events, programs, and communications designed to help members of DFJ’s entrepreneurial community connect and engage. Before joining the firm, Jade was editorial director of events at LAUNCH Media, where she curated and managed live content for startup-focused conferences. Jade holds an MA in art history from The Ohio State University, and began her career developing community programming in the non-profit educational space.
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About Threshold: Threshold is an early-stage venture capital firm that focuses on conviction investment strategy.
EM Stock
Sr. Manager, Community and Social Media of NetEase
EM Stock is a 26 year video game industry veteran, having started her career as a writer/game designer in the Sega Genesis days, before finding her true calling five years later in Online Community Management (when ‘community’ was just beginning coined as a phrase). She’s worked and built community teams at a multitude of PC and mobile game companies including Electronic Arts, NCSoft, Sony Online Entertainment, Kabam, and Six Foot. She currently heads the community and social media efforts for NetEase Games, helping this Chinese mobile giant establish a player-centric reputation in the West.
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About NetEase: NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTES) is a leading internet technology company dedicated to providing premium online services.
Cheryl Ghadban
Tax Manager of Columbia Capital
Cheryl joined Columbia Capital in 2007 and is responsible for tax compliance and reporting for all Columbia fund entities. She is also responsible for tax planning, including researching the tax implications of Fund investment transactions. Cheryl has more than 20 years of experience in Finance. Prior to joining Columbia Capital, Cheryl was Division Controller of a national homebuilder and Controller of a regional real estate firm. She earned a B.B.A in Accounting from Georgia State University and is a Certified Public Accountant.
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About Columbia Capital: Columbia Capital is a venture capital franchise in wireless, broadband, media, and enterprise information technology investing.
