Co-Founder and General Partner
- Ranked Top 100 Powerlist VC
- 10+ years of VC/PE Investing, 80+ Portfolio Companies
- Select Prior Portfolio Companies: Beyond Meat (IPO'd), Sensity (Acquired by Verizon), ShopKick (Acquired by SK Telecom), FabFitFun, MeUndies, Le Tote, Helix Sleep, ZeroCater, Deliv
- Former Managing Director of Investments at Cleveland Avenue (VC/PE Fund co-founded by Former CEO & President of McDonalds), focusing on food and beverage brands, food related technologies, and new restaurant concepts
- Founder, Head, & Former Managing Director of Simon Venture Group (investment arm of Simon Property Group, S&P 100, largest retail real estate company in the world), grew to top 5 corporate VC focused on commerce alongside Google Ventures, Intel Capital, and Comcast Ventures
- Adjunct Professor at New York University teaching Venture Capital Intensive
- Creator of Multiple Top Ranked Entrepreneur Resources: #1 Startup Investor Pitch Deck Template (viewed & downloaded 500,000+ times, used by leading business schools and accelerators)
- Co-Founder of the #1 Startup Board Game: The Next Big Thing: The Game of Entrepreneurship, backed by over 25+ of the top accelerators and VC investors
Andrew Zalasin
General Partner
- 25+ years of venture capital and private equity investment and operational experience with entrepreneurial growth companies
- Early investor in Facebook, Uber, Twitter, Venmo, Wisdom Tree, MakerBot, Magnolia Cupcakes, Concur, Massive
- Former General Partner for 17 years at RRE Ventures, a leading technology venture capital firm with $1.5B across seven funds
- Involved in nearly 200 investments and has served on more than 30 boards in the US, Europe and Asia, and has been instrumental in generating industry-leading returns and providing experience and resources to help companies build teams, attack new market opportunities, identify and secure strategic initiatives / partnerships and achieve profitable growth in all phases of development
Joel Palathinkal, Ph.d
Associate Partner
- 4+ years of venture capital experience, 30+ portfolio companies
- Select prior portfolio companies: Epinomics (acquired by 10x Genomix), Melo (acquired by Ucommune), Ample, Sense Photonics, Bioaesthetics, Cypre, Persephone Biome, Nebulas Genomics, Phenomic Ai, Mendo, Navan Technology, Skymind, Alcatraz ai, Apprentice, Paladin, Tensorflight, Prime Discoveries, Securrency, Fr8, SkyFChain, Blockseed, AiCoin
- Former General Partner at Genesis Block Ventures: A Blockchain Venture Capital Fund, Cryptocurrency Quant Hedge Fund, & Crypto Mining Company based in NYC & Wyoming
- Venture Capital investor at Hemi Ventures
- Family office investor/advisor to high net worth individuals & families in Asia, Singapore, & the middle east
- Led technology platforms at a major financial institution which managed $300 Billion AUM
- Cornell University, Finance
- University of Central Florida, Ph.d in Modeling and Simulation
- University of South Florida, Electrical Engineering
- Adjunct Professor at Cornell University teaching Finance & Management
- Author of 2 books published in all major bookstores globally
Aakash Jain
Principal
- VU Cohort 2 Alum
- Venture Fellow, Jump Capital
- Co-Founder, Booth Bay Area Angel Network (Booth BAAN)
- Technology Investment Banking (Growth Equity), Financial Technology Partners
- Fixed Income Quant Trading, Morgan Stanley
- University of Chicago Booth School of Business, MBA
- Cornell University, MEng (Computer Science)
- Jacobs University, BA (Electrical Engineering & Computer Science)
Michael Siegel
Analyst
- Member of the Marketplace and Consumer investment teams in Venture University's First Cohort
- Venture Fellow, VentureSouth
- Clemson University, MBA, Entrepreneurship
- Wofford College, BA, Business Economics
Jenna Fernandes
Co-Founder, Operating Partner, & Head of Human Resources
- Venture Backed Serial Entrepreneur
- Co-Founder & CEO of The Next Big Thing: The Game of Entrepreneurship, backed by over 25+ of the top accelerators and VC investors
- Ranked Top 10 Female Tech CEO by Women 2.0
- Former CEO of Largest Student Run Business in The Country (Tufts Student Resources)
Consumer Team
Alberto Bertamino
- Interested in investing in consumer companies, food and beverage.
- Graduated in Economics and corporate finance.
- Looking to join an early-stage venture
Clark Ricciardelli
- 4x Cross Country/Track and Field All-American at Amherst College
- Interested in investing in health and fitness companies and real estate
Rahul Brahmbhatt
- Technical background in sectors spanning process engineering, energy, and water distribution
- Sports Management working with top athletes, teams, and leagues (NFL, NBA, US Soccer Foundation, FIFA, Nike)
- Launched two 501(c)3 fundraising entities for international NGOs (India, China, Kenya) partnering with USAID, Ford Foundation, US State Department, Corporate Foundations, and Family Offices
- Speaker/panelist for ESPN, Nike, UN, USAID, US State Department, and Indian Consulate NY
Brija Johnson
- Experience accelerating women-led and minority founded businesses
- Passionate about boosting capital and access to resources for minority led ventures
- Looking to pursue opportunities in the cannabis industry and join a fund focused on underrepresented groups
Jason Wintery
- Consultant in Electrical Engineering, Tunas Jaya Irja
- BS, Santa Clara University, Electrical Engineering
- MBA, Harvard Business School
Jun "Julie" Li
- Previous investment banker with a real estate focus; RE investor; Columbia alumni
- Angel investor interested in real estate tech and consumer product goods
- Looking to join a VC fund or accelerator
Kenneth Paz
- Entrepreneur, Founder of KPAZ Enterprise which houses small food businesses in the Philippines
- Previously worked as an Investment Portfolio Administrator, Digital Marketing Coordinator and Content Creator, and in-house CRM Developer for a financial advisory firm in New Zealand
- Investor in Equity Markets - Mainly US, NZ, & PH Stock Market
- Finance and Wealth Management Major and Post Grad in Business
- Photographer and Videographer
Lisha Davis
- Former Head of Innovation Studio @ Vanguard Group
- 37 Angels Investor
- Speaker at SXSW, NYU, Tuck, Parsons
Enterprise & Healthcare Team
Clay Maxwell
- Partner at Peer Insight, boutique consulting firm supporting corporate innovation and entrepreneurship
- Founder of Peer Insight Ventures and PX, Venture Studio, a full spectrum startup-as-a-service offering
- Have brought numerous disruptive businesses to market - ranging from internet-of-things and health care, to fintech and logistics, and many others
- Angel investor, board member and advisor to a number of early stage ventures
- Undergraduate degree from Duke University
Roger Soares
- Experienced Investment Professional focused on helping entrepreneurs and founders succeed by driving growth, managing risks and enhancing their performance in an evolving marketplace
- Currently serving as a mentor for the following not-for profits:
- The First Tee – A mentorship that provides educational programs and junior golf lessons that build character, instill life-enhancing values and promote healthy choices through the game.
- iMentor – High School based mentorship that empowers first-generation students from low-income communities to graduate high school, succeed in college, and achieve their ambitions.
Arjun Vasan
- Former Analyst at San Rafael Capital Partners
- B.S. Biomedical Engineering and MBA from the University of Houston
- Looking to join a life sciences venture capital firm as an Associate upon completion of VU program
Thomas Grillo
- Previously constructed New York City infrastructure and utility systems
- Studied Organizational Behavior and Change at New York University
- Passionate about frontier/enterprise tech and their impact on the development of cities, critical infrastructure, and utility systems
Fintech / Blockchain Team
Frontier Tech Team
100+ VU Venture Fellows
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