Class III

Scott Alpizar, PhD

Scott is a scientist-turned-venture capitalist passionate about supporting academic entrepreneurs in commercializing their life sciences research. As the Director of Venture Commercialization at Foundation Venture Capital Group, the venture arm of the New Jersey Health Foundation, he is responsible for identifying cutting-edge technologies that have commercial potential, evaluating these technologies from a scientific and business perspective, and generating investment recommendations. Post-investment, he works closely with portfolio companies in all aspects of their operation. Before joining Foundation Venture Capital Group, Scott served as Course Manager for the summer Neurobiology Course at the Marine Biological Laboratory, where he worked with renowned neuroscientists from all over the globe. He is dedicated to supporting scientists and founders of all backgrounds, but specifically works to empower those from underrepresented backgrounds to create a more equitable innovation ecosystem. Scott holds a PhD in Neuroscience from Dartmouth College.

Deanna Angello

Deanna is a life sciences marketing and strategy executive committed to changing the healthcare landscape through transformative therapies and increased funding for women entrepreneurs. Known for cross-functional leadership and holistic, data-driven growth strategies, She has an extensive history of driving $1B+ biopharmaceutical brands at Pfizer, Genentech, Kite/Gilead and Janssen/J&J to new levels of success. Deanna has worked across various phases of lifecycle management and has therapeutic knowledge spanning oncology, neuroscience, metabolic, cardiovascular, pain and rare diseases. As a member of the Life Sciences Executive Council for Springboard Enterprises, she advises women entrepreneurs in commercialization and go-to-market strategies, with a focus on life sciences, digital and women’s health. Deanna earned an MBA from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh. She holds a Professional Certificate in Executive Coaching from New Ventures West, and is a member of CHIEF, Women in Business Leaders (Healthcare), and the Healthcare Business Association. Deanna also serves on the board of directors for The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration, driven by a strong belief in the patient’s voice.

Jenn Bonilla, PhD

Jenn is a global executive with more than 25 years of experience commercializing and transforming innovative life science companies. Her expertise spans industries and domains — from biotech, pharma and clinical diagnostics to integrated market development, clinical development, business development and operations — and her passion lies at the intersection of human health, climate and investment. Blending her broad life-science experience, deep insight into human psychology and expertise in catalyzing change at scale, Jenn builds and invests in companies that harness human ingenuity to address climate change with co-benefits for human health, happiness and community enrichment. She holds a PhD in Psychology from Princeton University.

Kimberly Bryant

Kimberly is a renowned technology industry leader, visionary and founder of ASCEND Ventures. As the CEO of ASCEND Ventures, Kimberly is committed to creating opportunities for marginalized founders building impact-driven companies. With her flagship Black Innovation Lab, she cultivates and invests in a pipeline of leaders who use technology to make a societal impact while creating pathways to equity and generational wealth through entrepreneurship and ownership. Before ASCEND Ventures, Kimberly founded Black Girls CODE, a social-change organization aimed at introducing girls of color aged 6-18 to technology and computer science, with a focus on entrepreneurship. Under her leadership, Black Girls CODE grew from a grassroots initiative to an international organization with chapters across the U.S. and South Africa and more than 100,000 students. Kimberly is dedicated to changing the face of technology by investing in opportunities for women, girls and all, using technology as a lever for progress.

Emmanuel Chan

Emmanuel is a community advocate and aspiring investor with a track record for supporting entrepreneurs in the e-commerce and creative industries. In his current role, he leads the customer returns experience in Amazon’s Consumables Retail division. Before Amazon, Emmanuel guided and advised portfolio companies on strategic projects — including go-to-market, pitch decks and fundraising strategy — for startup accelerators Grid110 and Snap Inc.’s Yellow. He began his career in the Obama Administration as Special Assistant and Advisor to the Office of Management and Administration, where he led special projects, which included West Wing Tours, the White House Transition, and the White House Health and Wellness Council. Emmanuel has served as a Coro Fellow in Public Affairs and as a StartingBloc Fellow in Social Innovation, and completed Seth Godin's altMBA. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Colorado College and an MBA from the University of Southern California, where he spearheaded community efforts to build a more inclusive Los Angeles startup culture.

Shailesh Chivan, MD

Shailesh is a physician, scientist and entrepreneur focused on developing innovative therapies and diagnostics that improve patient health. He’s particularly passionate about treatments for often-neglected disease populations and improving access to these treatments among underserved individuals. Over the last two decades, he has held numerous leadership roles in life science companies, where he specialized in developing drugs and devices that aligned with both business priorities and therapeutic needs in areas such as infectious diseases, transplantation, neurology and oncology. He has held Board of Director roles at BioFlorida and numerous nonprofits, including leading patient advocacy organizations, and is an active mentor to scientists and physicians exploring new business opportunities. Shailesh earned his MBBS degree from G.S Medical College/ King Edward Hospital in India and completed an Executive Certificate in Management and Learning from MIT’s Sloan School of Management.

Michael Cox

Michael is a civic leader, serial social entrepreneur, and subject matter expert in ESG and impact investing. He began his career as a Teach for America corps member in Brooklyn, N.Y., before serving as a Legislative Assistant to Congressman Gregory Meeks. Afterward, the White House appointed Michael to join the Obama Administration, where he held successive roles covering key economic issues including international trade, science and technology policy, and economic development for Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker. He went on to lead Government and Community Affairs for New York University and helped develop a STEM corridor in downtown Brooklyn. He then served as a Senior Policy Advisor in the Office of the Mayor of the City of New York, working on climate change adaptation, mitigation and innovation. During his time at Morgan Stanley and Wellington Management, Michael focused on public and private markets and corporate strategy. A graduate of Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship, he holds a master’s degree from Fordham University’s Graduate School of Education; an MPA from New York University, where he concentrated in Social Impact, Innovation, and Investment; and an MBA from Georgetown University.

Chance Craig

A mission-driven entrepreneur and impact investor, Chance has spent the last decade working across public, private, and nonprofit sectors to support organizations in business model adaptation, go-to-market strategy, business process improvement, and organizational design. In his current role as a technology business strategist, he leads annual planning, identifies new markets and industries, and creates process and structure around reporting, goal-setting, and KPIs. Chance previously worked as a social impact consultant with Nonprofit Finance Fund, where he supported nationwide nonprofits and foundations on growth strategies, impact measurement, program profitability and capitalization planning. After graduating from Brown University in 2014, Chance was selected as one of 25 undergraduates in the US as a New York City Urban Fellow. As part of the fellowship, he worked as a Policy Analyst for the Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development where he worked on projects related to sustainability, affordable housing, and tax incentive programs. Chance holds an MBA from Columbia University where he was a Dow Scholar and a Dennis & Phyllis Washington Fellow.

Samuel Edandison

Sam is a servant leader who works across public, private and nonprofit sectors to create and implement organizational change as well as advises startups. He is currently Director of Global Customer Support at Danaher Corporation, where he started as a product manager. As part of Danaher's general management program, Sam has rotated across various functions — product, marketing, finance and services — with increasing responsibility. Before joining Danaher, he worked as a litigation paralegal at Kenyon & Kenyon, a New York City-based global IP law firm, and was an appellate paralegal at the Bronx District Attorney's Office. Sam graduated from Dartmouth College with a BA before attending the University of Michigan, where he earned his JD and MBA and was editor-in-chief of the Michigan Technology Law Review. Sam serves on the advisory boards of CrossCompute, a platform that turns computational models into web-based products, and PreProBono, a pre-law nonprofit program.

Jordan Hopson

Jordan is an award-winning designer, venture builder and product leader who has launched successful businesses in the consumer, mobility and social impact sectors. As General Manager & Principal Strategic Designer at BCG X, the tech build and design unit of Boston Consulting Group, he leads corporations through the innovation process and the launch of disruptive businesses. Jordan identifies exceptional startups as a Venture Scout for Necessary Ventures and coaches startups on investment pitching and strategy as a core mentor for the FoundersBoost Pre-Accelerator Program. He also serves as an advisor to the Design Management Institute, the premier global nonprofit organization that connects, promotes, and elevates the role of design, design management, and design innovation in business, culture, and society. Jordan holds an MBA from Pepperdine University and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Chapman University.

Mahum Jamal

Mahum is an award-winning filmmaker and investor who explores the intersection between the worlds of creativity and venture capital. After receiving her BA from Barnard College at Columbia University, she wrote, directed and produced the feature film A Good Dream (2018). The film won 17 awards internationally and was acquired by Freestyle Digital Media. Mahum then earned an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business and an MFA from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. At NYU Stern, she specialized in art and finance. Simultaneously at NYU Tisch, Mahum worked on the Sundance award-winning short film The Touch of the Master's Hand. She studied under Oscar-winning directors and producers and continued to write, direct and produce films, two of which went on to Sundance. She worked in the art finance sector, supporting fine art as an alternative investment, before joining Mother, a global creative agency, as a Ventures Associate. She has consulted for media and consumer brands including HBOMax, RadicalMedia and Rockwater Industries.

Matt Koerner

Matt is an entrepreneur, educator and investor passionate about providing equal access to venture for LGBTQIIA+ founders and other underrepresented communities. A two-time founder, former startup CMO and corporate product marketing executive who has worked with more than forty major brands, he has also led marketing and process transformation for one of the nation’s largest and most active angel investor networks. He is a board member of a national leadership-based healthcare organization; and in addition, an advisor and board member for multiple, early stage companies in technology and healthcare. As a visiting scholar at the University of Notre Dame, Matt works directly with early stage companies to develop scalable business operations and obtain venture funding. He also serves on the board of a global nonprofit dedicated to providing on-the-ground extraction efforts to rescue individuals from war-torn locations. Matt received a dual BA/BS in Applied Fine Arts and Business Administration from University of New York; a Master of Music from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; and an MBA from the University of Notre Dame, where he also received the 2022 Mendoza College of Business Alumni Award for his service to students and the innovation community.

Michelle Li

Michelle is an investor focused on the intersection of the public and private sectors and the meaningful social change that can arise through collaboration. She started her career as an economic consultant, where she worked on multimillion-dollar lawsuits across areas including securities, antitrust, and consumer fraud and protections. Michelle then pivoted to an insurtech startup, helping to demystify and democratize insurance for millions of users. In her current role, she is an investor at a growth equity fund focused on B2B SaaS technology. Michelle is committed to fostering social change, both through this work and extensive volunteering. Since 2015, she has been involved with Development Solutions Organization, a pro bono consulting group dedicated to helping nonprofits across the world amplify and scale their missions. As a first-generation college student, she is passionate about increasing access to educational opportunity as a Close the Gap mentor for low-income high-school students. Michelle earned a B.A. in Economics and M.A. in Public Policy from Stanford University.

Kate Liebelt

Kate is a life sciences and healthcare leader who helps organizations bring innovative products and services to market. Her professional portfolio spans R&D strategy and operations, commercialization and business development, corporate governance, organizational transformation, and strategic communications. Kate spent more than a decade in management consulting and served as Chief of Staff to senior leadership teams. A seasoned startup and not-for-profit board member, she has been recognized for her entrepreneur advocacy and civic engagement by Springboard Enterprises and Becker’s Hospital Review. Kate is a published author and public speaker, as well as a graduate school instructor. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics, Business and Healthcare from Washington University in St. Louis; a certificate in Cancer Genomics and Precision Oncology from Harvard Medical School; and a certificate in Healthcare Innovation from University of Pennsylvania.

Jana Mike, MD, PhD

Jana is a physician-scientist and angel investor passionate about partnering with medtech companies to create significant change in neglected areas of medicine. An MD-PhD with expertise in drug and device development, neuroscience, pediatrics and intensive care, she has focused on medical device and digital health startups as an angel investment analyst with the Bay Area’s Life Science Angels group. Jana assisted the UCSF Office of Technology Management with technology commercialization, IP diligence, and market analysis, and served as a mentor for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s AI for Web3 for Impact: Venture Studio course. She earned her MD and PhD from Comenius University in Slovakia and completed the Pediatric Critical Care Fellowship at the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital. Her scientific research on neonatal brain hypoxic-ischemic injuries has won numerous awards. In research funded by the Gates Foundation, Jana contributed to the development of a neurotherapeutic pipeline, including animal and pharmacometrics modeling that is currently being used to determine the pre-clinical trial safety and efficacy evaluation of neurotherapeutics.

Alex Mitchell

The founder and Managing Director of Full Turn Capital, Alex is driven to build a future in which people and goods move without causing environmental harm. He invests in early-stage innovators in cleantech and mobility, finding profitable ways to reap the benefits of mobility — including access to education, healthcare and employment — while eliminating negative externalities such as pollution. Before founding his venture firm, Alex focused on capital allocation for early-stage mobility startups at LACI, one of the world's leading nonprofit cleantech incubators. In addition to overseeing all founder-facing work and startup programs, he helped raise and deploy multiple funds — including LACI’s Impact Funds I and II (venture capital) and the first-of-its-kind nationwide LACI Cleantech Debt Fund. A dual U.S./Belgian citizen, Alex is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where he obtained an MBA from the Wharton School and an MA from the School of Arts and Sciences. He earned his undergraduate degree at Stanford University.

Mira Nagarajan

An experienced operator, Mira's focus is commercializing innovative technologies that mitigate the impacts of climate change. In her current climate tech role, she manages market development and policy for a leading carbon removal company – drawing from diverse career experiences developing long-range strategies, conducting market and competitive analysis, securing key partnerships, and orchestrating go-to-market strategies. Before pivoting to the climate tech industry, Mira was involved in ESG and DEI initiatives at leading enterprise SaaS companies and worked as a strategy consultant to major technology companies, startups and nonprofits. She received a BA in Political Science and a BS in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania as a Joseph Wharton Scholar, where she wrote her thesis on the emergence of cryptocurrency.

Jasmeet Rai

Jasmeet is an award-winning innovator passionate about improving sustainability and inequities in social care. As Associate Director for RCH Care Homes, she led strategic system redesigns that enhanced innovation and digitization in care homes for older adults living with dementia. Jasmeet is also an advocate for improving person-centered social care, with a particular focus on marginalized communities. She is Co-Chair of the People Plan for Social Care — co-produced white papers on social care reform that launched at the U.K.’s House of Lords and is building a grassroots movement — and is working with Care Innovators U.K. to develop trauma-informed materials that employers can provide to victim-survivors of domestic abuse. She has a deep interest in FemTech, improving EDI, bridging gaps in the quality of healthcare for underserved groups, and supporting social care’s transition to net zero, especially through investment in social entrepreneurs who have co-produced solutions. A recipient of the Great British Care Awards’ Three Rs Award, Jasmeet holds a Bachelor’s in Economics from Royal Holloway, University of London, and certificates in Leading Sustainable Corporations from Saïd Oxford Business School and Social Entrepreneurship from London School of Economics.

John Sandoval

A civic advocate, educator and business leader, John has over a decade of experience spearheading Fortune 500 marketing strategies across the U.S., Latin America and Asia. He started his marketing career with Procter & Gamble, where he worked on billion-dollar brands across multiple categories, with an emphasis on developing and international markets. More recently, he has leveraged his in-depth understanding of global marketing dynamics with technology brands in payments and financial services. John serves on the National Advisory Committee for the U.S. Census Bureau and on the board of the JET Alumni Association of Northern California. He is a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy and a volunteer mediator with Community Boards in San Francisco. He has also taught at the high school and college levels and is active in several mentorship programs. A Fulbright Scholar, John earned his BA from Amherst College, MBA from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and is a graduate student at Stanford University.

Karen Spencer

Karen is an entrepreneur, influential thought leader and DEI advocate, focused particularly on the search funds investment niche. As a co-founder of Searchfunder, an online community of 20,000 members, she has dedicated the last eight years to supporting BIPOC and/or women and other underrepresented aspiring entrepreneurs. Through Karen’s Fetch Strategies and Pipeline Prep, she empowers clients to develop effective strategies and achieve their entrepreneurial goals. She recently authored a comprehensive guidebook, launched a digital video channel and created a training program for acquisition entrepreneurs — all designed to give aspiring entrepreneurs the tools and momentum to successfully search for, buy and grow their businesses. In addition to Karen’s business endeavors, she is committed to diversity in government. She ran for the Portland Oregon Metro regional government during the pandemic, played a key role in strategic planning for Oregon's Youth Development Council and served as a voting member on Portland's Utility Board. Karen holds a BS from MIT, a JD from Harvard Law, and an M.Sc. from Stanford GSB.

Shashi Tripathi

As COO at ImpediMed and Managing Partner at Nurture Ventures, Shashi brings extensive healthcare technology experience to the venture capital ecosystem. That expertise spans all dimensions of healthcare, from providers and patients to health plans and life-sciences companies. In addition to founding two successful healthcare companies, Shashi has held leadership roles at many other companies, including New Century Health, Springfield Clinic, Medtronic, Abbott Health and IDEXX Laboratories. He is a Board Member of Moedo Financial Services, an advisor to several startups and an investor focused on healthcare technology, fintech and artificial intelligence. A published author, Shashi was honored in CIO Magazine’s CIO 100 and has received numerous awards for patient engagement and medical design. He holds an MS in Industrial Engineering and operations research from the Indian Institute of Technology and a BS in Mechanical Engineering.

Levi Velez Reed

A seasoned mentor and investor, Levi is a Venture Partner at the Toronto-based Loyal VC. Originally from New York, he received an MS in Communications from Ithaca College, followed by an MBA from ESADE Business School in Barcelona. During Levi’s time at Amazon, he built the product marketing function for an internal fintech business, managed the go-to-market team for Echo devices, and led strategic partnerships for Amazon’s Launchpad program for startups. He has launched a bootstrapped marketing practice and an internal corporate DTC venture for a multinational healthcare firm, and has been part of the co-founding team of a VC-backed SaaS venture. An active startup mentor, Levi serves as Managing Director for the Seattle chapter of the Founder Institute pre-seed accelerator.