Fellows

Inaugural Class

Christopher Ategeka

Christopher Ategeka is an award-winning engineer, entrepreneur, author, and investor. As founder and general partner at the pre-seed fund Startup Playbook, he supports software companies run by women and other entrepreneurs traditionally underrepresented in the venture capital market. Ategeka has spent his career exploring the intersections of technology and humanity. His book, “The Unintended Consequences of Technology,” identifies the challenges and opportunities that technology poses to people and the planet. He is the Founder of UCOT Inc. a company that funds early-stage startups creating solutions to unintended consequences of technology, and Health Access Corps, a social enterprise focused on strengthening Africa’s healthcare systems. He previously founded and led Hourglass Ventures, a fund supporting visionary entrepreneurs from the African continent. Ategeka has won numerous international awards for his work. He has appeared on Forbes magazine’s “30 Under 30” list, is both an Ashoka Fellow and TED Fellow, and was named a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader. He holds both a Masters and Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, where he received a 2021 Mark Bingham Award for excellence in achievement by a young alumnus.

Brittany Barreto, Ph.D.

Brittany Barreto, Ph.D. is a scientist, serial entrepreneur, and venture capitalist. An influential voice in the Femtech startup ecosystem, she is passionate about investing in early-stage women’s health ventures and helping scientists become successful entrepreneurs. While finishing her PhD in Molecular and Human Genetics, Dr. Barreto founded Pheramor, the first nationwide DNA-based dating app. She then entered venture capital as the Senior Venture Associate at Capital Factory, where she launched the fund’s Houston branch. Dr. Barreto now has her sights on advancing women’s health. She is the co-founding partner of Coyote Ventures, a US-based venture fund investing in early-stage women’s health startups, and the founder of FemTech Focus, a network that has helped hundreds of founders build, launch, and grow successful businesses. Her FemTech Focus podcast has more than 45,000 downloads and reaches an audience spanning 109 countries. Dr. Barreto earned her PhD in Molecular and Human Genetics from the Baylor College of Medicine and her B.A. in Biology from Drew University. She is the recipient of the HYPE Impact and Women to Watch awards and was named one of the Business Journal’s Top 100 Young Executives in America.

Mario Carroll

Mario J. Carroll is a leader with a decade of experience in the high levels of the public and private sectors, including as an advisor in general corporate matters, mergers and acquisitions, and venture capital financing. Carroll has a proven track record as a counselor for family offices, nonprofits, government entities, and early-and late-stage companies. As an associate at several leading law firms, he advised numerous clients on material business decisions and high-profile transactions. Under the Obama Administration, he served as Special Assistant in the Office of the President and Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (f.k.a. OPIC) and Confidential Assistant to the Deputy Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget. Carroll began his career at the Berkeley-based M3 Education Foundation, which promoted the development of underprivileged Black boys. Carroll holds a J.D.-M.B.A from the University of Michigan Law School and the Ross School of Business. He holds a B.A. in Political Science and Rhetoric and Minor in African American Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. He is an alumnus of the Institute of Responsible Citizenship, a proponent for civic engagement, an advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion for historically marginalized communities.

Corinne Gray

Corinne Gray is a humanitarian, social entrepreneur and advocate for inclusion for the world’s most marginalized people. She is the Co-Founder of Uncomfortable Revolution, a digital media platform and lifestyle brand for people living with chronic illness or disability. Gray is passionate about using investment to empower entrepreneurs working on solutions that bring change to refugees’ and migrants’ lives. Before launching her own mission-driven company, Gray worked at the forefront of the U.N. Refugee Agency’s innovation program, focusing on how technology can lead to greater social and economic inclusion for refugees. She also serves as Director of Global Portfolio and Investment Strategy at Unreasonable Group, a global company that supports growth-stage social entrepreneurs, and channels exclusive deal flow to impact investors. Before becoming an investor and entrepreneur, Gray spent years as an educator, and she still holds a deep passion for empowering young people. She currently sits on the boards of two youth- and refugee-focused nonprofits in Uganda and wants to be a philanthropist when she “grows up.” A Fulbright Scholar and Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan Fellow, Gray holds a Master’s degree from Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy, and an MBA from MIT. She holds a Professional Certificate in Impact Investing & Social Enterprise Management from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies and a Certificate in Sustainability Studies from MIT.

Soo Jeon

Soo Jeon is a social entrepreneur and community builder who uses her global experiences to identify opportunities overlooked by a western-centric approach. As Senior Associate with the Aspen China Fellowship Program, she brings together international business leaders to solve the world’s most pressing issues. Jeon is passionate about using technology to build global communities. Before joining the Aspen Institute, she founded Pangyou 胖友, a Beijing-based mobile app startup that connected college students worldwide based on their foreign language skills. She also launched Haru, a mobile app startup based in Baltimore, Maryland, to connect people based on their passion and interests. At the heart of both ventures is her desire to explore the human connection and foster a dynamic global dialogue. Jeon earned her B.A. in International Relations from American University and her M.P.P. from Peking University. She is fluent in English, Korean, and Mandarin.

Sidney N. Nakahodo

Sidney N. Nakahodo is an authority in space investment and entrepreneurship. As Founder and General Partner of Seldor Capital, he applies broad international development and portfolio administration experience to support the commercialization of space technologies. Nakahodo has served as co-founder and advisor for numerous startups and entrepreneurial organizations. He also has a track record for impact portfolio development. At the World Bank, he was at the intersection of public policy, sustainable development and carbon finance, leading key initiatives that addressed portfolio under-delivery. He is also a lecturer on international and public affairs at Columbia University and a former teaching fellow at Singularity University, where he completed the Global Solutions Program. Sidney holds a Master of International Affairs from Columbia SIPA. He earned a B.S. in Materials Engineering from Poli-USP in Brazil and is a graduate of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy’s Advanced Studies Program in Germany. In 2019, he received the Embassy of Brazil’s Brazilian Diaspora Award for his work with innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship. Besides being fluent in English, Portuguese, and Spanish, Nakahodo can engage in essential communications in five other languages.

Erika Nash

Erika Nash is an investor passionate about emerging technology and product-focused entrepreneurs. As a Senior Associate with Pelion Venture Partners, she oversees deal sourcing, evaluation, and execution across the firm’s growing technology portfolio. Before Pelion, Nash worked as an investor for Sorenson Capital, a $430 million growth-stage firm focused on infrastructure, cybersecurity, and analytics software. Prior to that, she managed a $300 million product line for a private-equity-backed company and led strategic growth initiatives in advance of the company's acquisition. During graduate school, Nash worked in the corporate transactions group at Wilson Sonsini and as a management consultant for PwC supporting cloud-based software and networking companies. Nash graduated cum laude with her JD/MBA from Brigham Young University, where sheco-managed the university’s $3.9M student-run venture capital fund. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in business management from the university.

Leslie Rance

Leslie Rance is a versatile international business executive with more than a decade of senior leadership experience. He has held both board and executive roles in several industries, in business areas that include information technology, corporate strategy, public and regulatory affairs, human resources, and general management. Rance is a partner at MindofaFox, a boutique strategy consultancy firm specializing in Scenario Planning, and serves as non-executive director for both Foundation Scotland and the South African Chamber of Commerce — two UK non-profits. He is also a business advisor to Paralleldots, a growing India-based technology company focused on image recognition and AI-based innovation. A Fellow of both the Aspen Institute’s Global Leadership Network and the African Leadership Initiative, Rance holds a Master’s Degree in International Business With Law from the University of Salford, United Kingdom. He also earned a Diploma in Corporate Governance from the Corporate Governance Institute in Ireland.

Ayori Selassie

Ayori “Selfpreneur” Selassie is an angel investor, entrepreneur, and advocate for the ethical use of artificial intelligence. The patented inventor behind Life Model Canvas®, Selassie is passionate about using data and AI to fuel social impact. Selassie has a track record for helping brands drive social impact through innovation and technology. As head of Salesforce’s Social Transformation Lab, she oversees the company’s platform for community collaboration and innovation while leading its Data Services Product Marketing team. She also launched Salesforce’s BOLDforce community, now the company’s third-largest employee resource group, to connect and support employees of African ancestry. As an entrepreneur, she is the founder of Selfpreneur.com, a company exploring a new model for future living that merges entrepreneurship and employment to create equity for all. Her patented Life Model helps leaders thrive in uncertain times. During her 14-year tenure at Salesforce, Selassie has been widely recognized as a technology leader. She was named a Silicon Valley “40 Under 40 for Tech Diversity” by the Bay Area Registry, received the Women Leaders in Technology Award from the All Stars Project, and has presented at the SXSW Conference twice on topics including technology thought leadership.

Carlos Torres de la Cuba

Carlos Torres de la Cuba is a finance executive, investor, and entrepreneur with extensive knowledge of the U.S. and Mexican financial markets. As Managing Director at AMG Block Ventures, he bridges critical gaps in seed-stage funding for fintech startups in Mexico and Latin America. Carlos began his career in the banking industry, working at a global and regional Mexican bank that was early to embrace digital financial solutions. He soon transitioned into investing, fueled by a deep interest in emerging financial technologies. As an investor, he worked as Senior Relationship Manager for a fund focused on sustainable investments as well as a Senior Associate at the venture arm of a Family Office in Boston looking to dive into the region’s startup community. As an entrepreneur, he co-founded and invested in a fintech startup focused on providing loans to the underserved SME market in Mexico. He leverages his dual experience as both a founder and investor to develop fintech entrepreneurs. Carlos earned his Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Engineering from Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico, holds an MBA from Hult International Business School, a Masters in Fintech and Blockchain from IEBS, and post-graduate degrees in Venture Capital, Private Equity, Fintech and Blockchain.