Members

Akshay Krishnamachari

Al De Seta

Al has extensive operating and investing experience in private-equity and public companies in the education, technology and information services sectors. His most recent roles include President of Catapult Learning and Executive Director at the Apollo Group, University of Phoenix.

Prior to that, Al served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Penn Foster, one of the largest virtual career schools in the country.  He also served as President of the K-12 Market at ProQuest, Group President of WRC Media and CEO of Primedia Reference.  In these roles he led the acquisition, integration and expansion of numerous businesses.

Al began his career at AT&T Bell Laboratories working in several Product Management and Systems Engineering areas.  He holds a M.S. and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and a M.B.A. from New York University. He is currently a General Partner in the Mid-Atlantic Angel Fund and serves on the advisory board for the College of Engineering at NJIT.

Allen Fogel

Allen Fogel, over the course of a forty-year business career, has run multiple entrepreneurial businesses within the retail, wholesale, real estate, and service sectors. Allen formed his first company in his late twenties, as a licensed real estate broker for the purposes of real estate and general investment activities, which included the review and vetting of over one hundred business-plans and proposals for investment. For more than twenty-five years, Allen operated his wholly owned business in wholesale and retail markets of the diamond industry.

A member of Robin Hood Ventures since 2015, Allen has reengaged his earlier interest in interacting with the dynamic-entrepreneurs of early-stage startup companies, in their ambitions to achieve high-growth, highly scalable, and highly successful businesses. Allen serves on the Robin Hood IT Screening Committee, and, is highly active within the due-diligence process, leading and participating in numerous projects to investment. Allen is also an active member of Golden Seeds – another leading national angel group – which invests in women owned businesses.

Andrew Cavenagh

Andrew Cavenagh is the CEO and Founder of Pareto Health. Andrew is a leading expert in the employee benefit group captive area.  He is a past member of the Board of Directors of the Self-Insurance Institute of America (“SIIA”) and often speaks at various industry events. Prior to founding Pareto Captive Services, Andrew created and managed Berkley Accident & Health Group’s Captive Division.  He also served as an Executive Vice President at Berkley Risk.

In addition to his role at Pareto, Andrew is an owner and Director at Garnet Captive Services, LLC and Elevate Insurance Services, LLC.  Garnet Captive forms and manages P&C group captives and Elevate is a wholesaler of workers compensation for framing and roofing contractors.

Andrew attended Swarthmore College and has a BA in Economics.  He lives in Philadelphia with his wife and two children.

Anurag Jain

With a career spanning 26 years, Anurag Jain has extensive telecom industry experience, working in e-commerce and enterprise software in India and USA, both at young-stage companies and large corporations. Anurag is the co-founder of Prepay Nation, a Cross Border Value transfer company, and Elemt, a Platform as a Service company for Telcos.

Anurag is a Telecom Engineer by training and has earned a Master’s in Technology Management from the University of Pennsylvania and Wharton Business School. He is interested in investing in fintech, biotech, and telco-related startups. He loves traveling and enjoys mentoring young entrepreneurs.

Avinash Ramadas

Avinash Ramadas is a seasoned technology and finance professional, with extensive experience in the fintech and investment management sectors. He completed his undergraduate at Bangalore University in India, where he earned a degree in Information Science and Engineering. Following his arrival to the United States, Avinash has also completed a Master of Science in Information Systems from the University of Maryland Baltimore County, followed by an MBA in Finance from Villanova University. He also holds the CFA Institute’s Investment Foundations Certification.

Avinash’s career began at Vanguard, where he dedicated nearly two decades to various IT and investment management roles, particularly focusing on Fixed Income and Equity Investments portfolios. Currently, he contributes his expertise to another leading fintech firm, enhancing their advisor portals. Avinash has been investing for 15 years, with experience in  stocks, equity funds, and ETFs. Additionally, he co-owns multiple real estate portfolios.

Bob DeMajistre

Bob is the retired President and COO of Seton Company, which was an international manufacturer of automotive upholstery leather. During his 30+ years with Seton, he had responsibilities in manufacturing, marketing and sales, research and development, legal affairs, operations location assessment, mergers and acquisitions, product costing and profitability. Prior to his time with Seton, Bob practiced intellectual property law, and was a partner in the now Webb Law Firm in Pittsburgh. In his early career, he was a research chemist with PPG Industries in the Coatings and Resins Division. Bob was graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a B.S. in chemistry and a J.D. from Duquesne University School of Law. Bob currently resides in Lewes, DE and Sardinia, Italy.

Brenda Kurnik

Brenda Kurnik received her undergraduate degree from MIT. She received her M.D and did her nephrology training at Washington University School of Medicine/Barnes hospital in St Louis. She joined the faculty of Robert Wood Johnson Medical School/Camden campus in 1985 and was appointed Division Head of Nephrology in 1994 and Associate Chief of Medicine in 1999. In 2001, Brenda was recruited to become Vice Chair of Medicine at Drexel University College of Medicine and Chief of Nephrology at Hahnemann hospital in Philadelphia. While in academics Brenda did clinical research and was recognized internationally for her work in the area of radio-contrast induced acute renal failure.

In 2005, Brenda left academics for private practice and partnered with two national dialysis corporations to open three “state of the art” dialysis centers. She served as Senior Vice President for Business Development and Government Relations for DSI. More recently she was a  Principal and investor in Sanderling Renal Services , the first company to offer tele-nephrology services to rural hospitals .  Brenda continues to practice nephrology in southern NJ and has an interest in mentoring young entrepreneurs and angel investing.

Brendan Benner

Brendan Benner is the Vice President of Public Affairs for the MDMA where he is in charge of communications, strategic outreach and grassroots development. Benner has extensive experience in the private and public sector, as well as working with non-profits. He began his career with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s Office of Public Affairs where he worked on education policy and other issues, interacting with elected officials and policy makers.

He spent several years working in Congress, serving both as a Communications Director and District Director for former Congresswoman Melissa Hart (PA) and Congressman Jim Gerlach (PA) respectively. He oversaw and implemented aggressive media and outreach plans in these highly competitive congressional districts. Mr. Benner is also a veteran of numerous Congressional and Presidential campaigns as well. Mr. Benner is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar and a graduate of Georgetown University and Temple University’s Beasley School of Law

Brian Itterly

Brian Itterly serves as founder and President of iRecycleNow.com, Inc. Key objectives are to focus on mid-to-long term strategy and vision for the organization, driving customer diversification, outside investments and accelerated profitable growth.

Prior to founding iRecycleNow.com, he founded Eastern Wireless, Inc. in his garage in 1999 and transformed the business through two venture recapitalizations into Touchstone Wireless, LLC.  It was one of North America’s largest wireless handset reverse logistics processing companies with over $160 million in revenues, nearly 2000 employees, and four major production centers across the US and Puerto Rico.

During his career, Brian developed an understanding of the benefits and challenges in the offshore markets and has worked to create international electronics repair, recycling and redistribution strategies with business colleagues and partners including Asia, Caribbean and Latin America.

Brian enjoys giving back to his community and has been an active Harleysville Jaycees Member for 15+ years and the local Shepherds Shelf Food pantry. He thirsts for travel of any kind but also looks forward to time spent with family and friends at the lake.

Christopher Gatti

Christopher Gatti, JD, MBA – Proven entrepreneur and business leader with track record of growing healthcare and technology companies. Led turnaround and expansion of mature technology enabled services company, resulting in 10X company revenue growth over a 4 year period and an exit returning 3X-35X on invested capital. Previously founded national health care IT and services company utilizing innovative technology platform and decision support systems that was acquired by NYSE listed health insurer.  COO and Advisor to Philadelphia-based MTM/AI company that was acquired in 2015 for $105MM.  Currently serves as Executive Chairman of Spector Assurance (Data Monitoring) and as a Board member of Proscia, Inc. (Digital Pathology), and recent President of Robin Hood Ventures.

Dan Coppens

Dan has been an investor and leader in the medical device industry for over 20 years. He co-founded Qfix, focusing on devices for radiation therapy patient positioning. As Qfix’s CEO and Chief Technology Officer, he led two decades of uninterrupted organic growth and profitability. During this period the company developed a suite of innovative, market-leading products. Dan successfully grew Qfix into a global industry leader operating in nearly 100 countries. In 2022 Qfix merged with its largest competitor to form CQ Medical.

Prior to Qfix, he founded Anholt Technologies, specializing in composite material structures and solutions. He incubated Anholt at the University of Delaware’s Center for Composite Materials.

Dan received his degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. He holds approximately 90 patents and patents pending and is a licensed professional engineer. He currently acts as an advisor, mentor, and senior leader for several businesses and startups.

Dave Hall

Dave Hall is currently an Investor and Volunteer, focusing his energy on making a positive impact on people and our world.  Dave invests in and advises early and seed stage companies, targeted funds and commercial real estate projects.  Previously, Dave was one of the two original partners of Chatham Financial, and with other great people there, grew the business into the world’s largest independent financial risk advisory, services and technology firm.  Prior to Chatham, Dave held finance and treasury roles at DuPont.  Dave received a Finance degree, as a University Scholar, from Penn State.  Dave loves being a husband and father to 3 amazing kids.

Dave Kurtz

Dave has over 20 years experience in the business world, in corporate finance, business management, business ownership, and investment management roles. Dave spent his early career in commercial lending, capital markets, and corporate finance with Continental Bank and US Airways. He then moved into entrepreneurial roles, serving as a Partner/Product Manager with FNX Limited, a successful high-growth capital markets software company.

Dave then started up, built, and successfully sold Management Recruiters of Plymouth Meeting, a recruitment and staffing firm. Currently, Dave serves as General Partner, AJM Capital Partners LP, a family limited partnership, and Managing Member, KMS Capital Group LLC, a private equity investment vehicle and family office. Dave is a graduate of the William Penn Charter School, The University of Pennsylvania (BA, Economics), and The Pennsylvania State University (MBA, Finance). He is married with three children, and serves a board member of the Kurtz Family Foundation, and the William Penn Charter Alumni Society.

David Baker

David is the President of DB BioPharma Consulting LLC. He has over 30 years of executive, operational and leadership experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. He has been directly involved with the commercialization of five medications with annual sales in excess of $1 billion each, including Adderall XR® and Vyvanse®, the two most successful ADHD brands based on annual revenue. David co-founded Vallon Pharmaceuticals and took the company public in 2021 and led its merger with GRI Bio in 2023. Previously, David was the Chief Commercial Officer and CEO of Alcobra Ltd., a CNS specialty pharmaceutical company that merged with Arcturus Therapeutics in 2017.

He previously worked at Shire Plc for 10 years as Vice President of Commercial Strategy and New Business in the Neuroscience Business Unit, Global General Manager for Vyvanse® and Vice President, ADHD Marketing. David began his career at Merck where he worked for over a decade in marketing, sales, market research, and business development. David serves on the boards of GRI Bio (NASDAQ: GRI), Devonian Health Group (TSXV: GSD; OTCQB: DVHGF), and BW Health. Additionally, he serves on the boards of the non-profit Philadelphia Education Fund, and the Edge Foundation. David earned a BA in Economics and Computer Science from Duke University, and an MBA in Marketing, from Duke’s Fuqua School of Business.

David Brown

Over the last 25 years, Dave has had leadership positions where he demonstrated that he can profitably grow businesses through a strong customer focus and new technology. Most recently, Dave joined Entegris as their Vice President of Specialty Chemicals. Dave has P&L responsibility for a $75 MM fine chemicals business. He is responsible for developing, leading, and managing a global of team of 35 marketing and R&D professionals as well as 5 manufacturing sites.

Previously, Dave served as Global Segment Leader for Coatings and Composites at Momentive Performance Products. Prior to Momentive, Dave was the Vice President for the Coatings Americas division at Elementis. During those 12 years, he expanded sales and profits in the businesses he had accountability for by developing a robust strategy, communicating a clear plan of action, and motivating his team to execute the plan and drive results.

Prior to joining Elementis, Dave was a Business Director and Global Marketing Manager for Cognis (previously Henkel’s Chemical Division) for 10 years. He led a global marketing team for industrial coatings who developed a new global strategy for the segment. He also ran a $75MM coating resins and additives plant in NA and directly managed 17 people. He led two global teams that won the Cognis Innovation Awards for developing FoamStar® defoamer product line, and a new generation of high-efficiency, solvent-free DSX® associative thickeners. Overall, Dave grew Cognis’ business by over $25MM during his tenure.

Earlier in his career, Dave had sales and commercial roles with PPG Industries, Rhone-Poulenc, and Air Products.

Dave earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and an MBA in Marketing and Finance from the University of Chicago.

David McLaughlin

David McLaughlin was the founder and Chief Executive Officer of QuantaVerse. QuantaVerse was founded in 2014 in response to an emerging trend among large global financial services firms who were having to dramatically increase the investment required to manage their Anti-Money Laundering (AML)/Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) regulatory requirements. These investments were in reaction to increased pressure from global regulatory agencies through large fines and threats of criminal prosecution. QuantaVerse developed advanced machine-learning, artificial intelligence, and robotic processing to enable the automation the investigation of potential financial crimes.

QuantaVerse was purchased by AML RightSource, backed by Gridiron Capital, in August of 2021. David has transitioned to be the firms EVP in charge of technology sales as AML RightSource has transformed their business to become the world’s leading Tech-Enabled Managed Services company.

Before founding QuantaVerse, Mr. McLaughlin held a variety of roles and responsibilities with SEI Investments, a provider of outsourced technology and asset management solutions to the financial services industry. Over a nearly 20 year career with SEI, these responsibilities included successful P&L management of a variety of businesses including the creation of a start-up business unit, the turn-around of a mature division, and the acceleration of growth of an existing business.

Mr. McLaughlin joined SEI in 1992 after serving more than six years as a naval officer. He was commissioned as an Ensign in the US Navy in 1986 and attended flight school in Pensacola, Florida. He is a graduate from the highly regarded TOPGUN program and completed a combat tour in the Persian Gulf where he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and two Air Medals for bravery in combat.

Mr. McLaughlin was graduated from West Virginia University and received his master’s degree from Webster-Vienna University in 1992.

David Oppenheimer

David Oppenheimer has over 30 years experience with emphasis in the areas of operations, sales and distribution.
David spent four years at Moody’s Corporation, involved in international financial analysis. After earning an MBA, he managed two startup businesses for Astarté, a Boulder, CO based commercial incubator focusing on telecommunication and software ventures. He then joined the executive team at Sylvan Ginsbury, Ltd., a privately held electronics engineering and trading company based in Oradell, NJ. After expanding the business to include seven international offices, the company was sold to Wyle Electronics, a $1.5 billion distributor of electronic components. Oppenheimer continued as Wyle’s Vice President of International Marketing and Director of Business Development. In 2000, he joined Motorola spin-off ON Semiconductor (NASDAQ: ONNN) as Director of Business Development.

From 2002 to 2011, David managed the Special Order division of Interline Brands, Inc., a $1.1 billion distributor of building and maintenance supplies (acquired by The Home Depot). Over this period, IBI’s special order sales increased from approximately $30 million in 2002 to a run rate of $71 million in 2011. He also functioned as internal consultant and project manager on corporate acquisitions, including target identification, due diligence and business unit integration.

David is an active Partner and past Board President of Robin Hood Ventures, an angel investor group in the Philadelphia area.

David earned a BS in Economics from The Wharton School, a BA in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from UCLA’s Anderson Graduate School of Management.

David St. Clair

Donna Cordner

Ms Cordner is a Co-founder and Managing Partner in OKM Capital, a venture firm focused on early and mid-stage integrated digital healthcare solutions. OKM invests in US and Israeli based entrepreneurs developing disruptive technologies that solve large unmet medical needs for the US and global populations.

In addition, Ms Cordner currently serves as an independent Non Executive Director and Chair of the Audit committee for Carlsberg Group, the fourth largest Brewer in the world with operations in 150 countries worldwide.

Between 2007-2009 Ms Cordner was President and CEO Tele2 Russia, the fastest growing mobile operator in Russia with more than 14 million subscribers across 35 regions as well as Head of Corporate Finance and Strategy for Tele2 including European operations with a broad portfolio including cable TV, broadband, wireless and fixed telephony. Ms Cordner was responsible for the successful restructuring of Tele2 which resulted in a 3-fold increase in profitability and a 2 fold increase in shareholder return. Starting in 2006 Ms Cordner was an Independent Board Member for Tele2.

Between 2004-2013 Ms Cordner was an Independent Board Director and member of audit and CSR committees for NASDAQ/OMX listed Millicom International Cellular operator with US$ 5 Bln in sale and 47 million customers and operations across Latin America, Africa and formerly Asia.

Ms Cordner has held senior management positions at a number of leading financial institutions including Global Head Telecom/Media Structured Finance at Citigroup/Salomon Smith Barney, Regional Head of Telecom and Media at Société Générale, and Global Head of Telecom at ABN AMRO.

Doug Haigh

Mr. Haigh has over 30 years experience in the financial, operating, and strategic management of profit and not for profit organizations and in investment management in both the private equity and real estate sectors.

Most recently, he served as the Chief Executive Officer and Vice President Finance of Verb8tm, a speech to text transcription firm originally based in Baltimore, MD, and as the Director of Finance and Operations of Buckingham Friends School, a K-8 Quaker School located in Bucks, County PA.

From 2005-2014, he served as the Director of Finance and Operations at Solebury School, a Boarding and Day school in New Hope, PA. From 1997 to 2005 he served as a Vice President of CIM Group, a real estate investment and development firm based in Los Angeles CA. Prior to these positions, from 1984 to 1994, he was a Partner at TCW Capital, the private equity investment organization affiliated with Trust Company of the West, and from 1975 to 1984, served as an Investment Officer in the Securities Division of TIAA-CREF, based in NYC.

Ed Harvey

Ed has over 29 years experience in private equity investing and corporate development M&A.  He spent 14 years as a partner with Quad-C, a private equity firm headquartered in Charlottesville, VA doing leveraged buyouts of middle-market companies.

Prior to Quad-C, Ed spent 15 years in various positions with W. R Grace & Co., 12 years of which were spent in corporate development activities. Ed retired from Quad-C in 2003.  He currently serves as Senior Advisor of Dominus Capital, a New York based private equity firm.  He received a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania in 1971 and an M.B.A. in Finance from Wharton Graduate in 1975.

Ellen Weber

Ellen is passionate about innovation and about helping build great companies in Philadelphia. She is the Executive Director of Robin Hood Ventures (www.robinhoodventures.com), a leading angel group helping to fuel startup growth in the Philadelphia region.  She also serves as the Executive Director of Mid-Atlantic Diamond Ventures, a venture forum for early stage companies, and serves as adjunct faculty for Temple University’s Fox School of Business.

Previously, Ellen was the COO and co-founder of VisionMine (www.visionmine.com), which provides a specialized Open Innovation portal to large corporations.

Ellen has more than 25 years of experience creating strong teams and building strong leaders for emerging companies as well as Fortune 500 clients. She has been a Managing Director and Founder of Antiphony Partners, LLC, a strategic consulting firm that specializes in helping companies create sustainable value through innovation. She was involved in the growth of Investor Force, a provider of technology-based solutions for institutional investment professionals, where she created the company’s initial human resources department, facilitated strategic planning, and managed the organizational aspects of the company’s mergers and acquisitions. Additionally, she spent twelve years at Shared Medical Systems where she was responsible for initiatives encompassing organizational development, customer support and corporate communications.  She was also a senior consultant for Andersen Consulting.

Ellen was chosen as part of the Philadelphia Business Journal Power 100 for 2017, 2018, and 2019. She also received the Iris Newman award for supporting women entrepreneurs from the Alliance of Women Entrepreneurs, and the David Freschman award from the Philadelphia Private Investors Group.

Ellen graduated from The Wharton School with a B.S. in economics.

Eric Sugalski

Eric is the Founder and CEO of Archimedic, a medical device development firm specializing in combination products. His experience combines product development, regulatory affairs, and commercial strategy. Eric has helped dozens of companies develop new medical devices for drug delivery, diagnostic, surgical, and connected health applications.

At Archimedic, Eric leads the team in new business development, strategic initiatives, and still occasionally dives into the technical details (when his engineering team allows it). In addition to his work at Archimedic, Eric has held Lecturer positions at MIT and University of Pennsylvania with courses at the intersection of product development and commercial strategy. Eric has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Colorado, Boulder. He also holds an M.B.A. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Business.

Fred Berg

Fred Berg spent the majority of his career working for Towers Perrin, an HR & Benefits Consulting firm.  His particular areas of specialty were Defined Benefit and Group Benefits Administration for large organizations.  As a Towers Perrin Principal, he held leadership roles in Strategy Formulation, New Client Acquisition, Client Relationship Management and Systems Implementation.

Additionally, he spent three years living in Sydney, Australia, and opened a new office to serve clients of the broader Asia-Pacific Region.  He retired after working for 25 years and co-founded a real estate development firm that focused primarily on ground-up development of single-family homes and condominiums.

Fred is a fan of all things Italian, including Renaissance Art, Music and food and he speaks Italian.

He graduated from Boston University with a BA in Business Administration and Management.

Glen Gaddy

Glen Gaddy has experience in technology, advanced materials, real estate, consumer product development and venture funding. He has been an active angel investor since 2003, funding technology, real estate, day care and business services ventures. His prior experience includes heading a research and development laboratory for a leading building materials company, leading real estate services for the world’s largest consulting engineering firm, and running a closely held real estate investment company. He has published in professional journals and has served as the Principal Investigator on over $8M of government research programs. He is an active reviewer of applied research grant applications in both the United States and abroad, an active speaker on startups and early stage funding, and the reviewer of numerous business plans each year. He holds a Ph.D., M.S.E and B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from the Johns Hopkins University.

Greg Wasserson

Greg Wasserson is currently a partner at Pavilion Equities.  Pavilion equities is a family office specializing in private equity investments, roll-up strategies and business brokering ranging across a number of verticals.    He began his career at Clean Rental Uniforms which was one of the nation’s largest independent uniform rental companies that eventually sold to Cintas Corporation in 2021.  Having been through multiple M&A transactions, Greg is knowledgeable in growing, scaling and selling privately held businesses. Personally, he enjoys playing the Amateur Golf circuit, pickleball and spending time with his family.

Heather Steinman

Heather Steinman, Ph.D., MBA, is Vice President for Business Development and Executive Director of Technology Transfer at The Wistar Institute, the nation’s first independent research institution devoted solely to biomedical science and a world leader in cancer, immunology, virology and infectious disease research.

Dr. Steinman joined Wistar in 2014. Since then, the Business Development team has been working to advance Wistar science and technology development through creative partnerships to turn innovative discoveries into transformative treatments. Dr. Steinman’s proactive approach involves removing risk from early stage science by forging new strategic partnerships with industry experts, non-profits and local academic research institutions, and accelerating commercialization opportunities for Wistar’s growing pipeline of biomedical discoveries including small and large molecule therapeutics, diagnostics, vaccines and target discovery/validation platforms in the oncology, immunology and infectious disease space.

Dr. Steinman brings more than 20 years of experience in technology transfer and commercialization of early stage-life science discoveries. She previously served as Director of the Penn Center for Innovation, Perelman School of Medicine Office at the University of Pennsylvania. There, she played an essential role in supporting Penn’s UPstart program. Before that, Dr. Steinman spent more than a decade in roles of increasing responsibility as a technology licensing professional in the Office of Technology Management at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Dr. Steinman holds a doctorate in biomedical sciences from the University of Massachusetts Medical School and an MBA from the university’s Isenberg School of Management. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Baldwin-Wallace College with dual degrees in biology and psychology in the honors program.

Jack Butler

Jack joined MRP in 2003. As chief financial officer, he is responsible for providing strategic leadership to the Finance, HR and Legal Departments while also working closely with MRP’s parent company, First Derivatives, on corporate-level priorities. Previously, he led MRP’s Belfast, Northern Ireland operation where he guided the team through a number of strategic milestones while also strengthening its overall presence as a leading employer in the city.

Before joining MRP, Jack earned his MBA from the University of Virginia, Darden School of Business.  Prior to this he spent seven years at Johnson & Johnson where he held roles in finance, marketing, and business development. Jack was recognized for his “visionary leadership” by J&J Senior Management for his contributions to the company and his success in forging strategic alliances to support high potential products.

Jack graduated from La Salle University with a Bachelor of Science in finance and accounting and remains active as an alumnus and as a member of the Presidential Advisory Board. Outside of the office, he enjoys time with his wife Janelle, and three children Jack, Rory and Megan, while also supporting a number of organizations committed to the betterment of Ireland.

Jack Goldberg

Dr. Jack Goldberg was educated at Boston University and SUNY Upstate Medical Center, and he trained clinically at University Hospital in Boston, MA, and SUNY Upstate Medical Center.  He joined the faculty at SUNY Upstate in 1977 and was promoted to Associate Professor in Medicine and Pathology in 1982.

In 1989 he left SUNY to become Professor of Medicine at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and The Coriell Institute for Medical Research in Camden, NJ.

Dr. Goldberg was named the chief of the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology of the Cooper Health System in 1989. Dr. Goldberg organized the Cooper Health System Cancer Institute and became its first Director. He also established the Cooper Health System Coagulation Laboratory and Adult Hemophilia Center.

In 2002, he left Cooper to become Clinical Professor of Medicine at University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Goldberg was named the chief of the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and the Chief of the Abramson Cancer Center at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center from 2002 through 2013.

Dr. Goldberg is ABIM certified in Internal Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology and licensed in New Jersey.

Dr. Goldberg has received several honors during his career, including receipt of House Staff teaching awards at both SUNY and Cooper Health System.  He received distinguished clinical service awards from the National Institute of Health, the American Cancer Society and the Leukemia Lymphoma Society of Southern New Jersey.  Dr. Goldberg is a past Clinical Professorship of the American Cancer Society.

Dr. Goldberg currently serves as an adjunct Professor of Medicine at Rowan School of Osteopathic Medicine teaching medical students the core curriculum, and is a board member and participant  in clinical research at Sentrimed.

Jack Lewis

Jason Brennan

Jeanne DiFrancesco

Jeanne DiFrancesco is the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of ProOrbis, LLC, and currently acts as an executive advisor to a wide range of enterprises in alternative energy, autonomous operations, defense and intelligence, biotech, agriculture and fintech platforms. Ms. DiFrancesco is one of the world’s leading experts in the economic valuation of intangibles including assets such as human capital, brands, technology, intellectual property including missions for the government and non-profit sectors. With over 30 years of executive and strategic level experience, Ms. DiFrancesco has architected projects ranging in size and industry design of start-up operations to large scale enterprise restructuring. Sectors include health sciences, specialty chemicals, electronic materials, investment banking, commercial real estate, insurance, financial operations, power generation, mining, transportation and logistics, electronic warfare, and geospatial intelligence. She is widely published on topics ranging from the Economics of Microgravity Research to the Liability of Cost Cutting and Managing Human Capital as a Real Business Asset. For more information visit www.ProOrbis.com.

Jeanne is a founder of the American Millennium Society and serves as the Executive Director and Board Member. Projects include US National Human Capital Strategy and the Agenda for a New America — a broad community prosperity program that is launching in Staten Island as a blueprint for communities around the country. For more information visit www.americanmillenniumsociety.org.

Jeffrey Bowen

Jeffrey Bowen is an entrepreneur with experience in the mobile storage, retail, and real estate industries.  He is the owner of Portable Storage Systems, Inc in Charlotte, NC. Previously he served as Corporate Controller for a Fortune 500 manufacturing company in the electronics and industrial applications markets.

Jeff has a master’s degree in accounting from Widener University and currently serves on it’s Business School’s Advisory Council.  He has been involved in the Thoroughbred industry for nearly 20 years as a breeder and owner through his farm in Paris, KY.

Jenna Shanis

Jenna Shanis specializes in qualitative research, human factors and product design.  She founded Peel Design LLC which works with Fortune 500 companies including Coca-Cola, HBO, Intel and Capital One to innovate and optimize their product and service offering.  Prior to founding Peel, Jenna worked for Motorola where she was responsible for the Design Research and Human Factors for their government and enterprise products.  She has also worked for consultancies such as Nelson Design, Bresslergroup, and Smart Design.

Jenna teaches at the University of Pennsylvania as part of the Integrated Product Design program.  Jenna received her Bachelors of Science with Honors in Design and Environmental Analysis from Cornell University and a Masters of Science in Ergonomics, also from Cornell.

Jim Brandau

Jim Brandau is a Senior Vice President at Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.  Jim and his colleagues advise private business owners, corporate executives, endowments and foundations.  He started his career as an Analyst at J.P. Morgan Private Bank and then became a Private Wealth Advisor serving substantial private business owners and corporate executives at Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management.

Jim serves as a director on the following boards: the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Philadelphia Academy of Music, the Pennsylvania State University Smeal School of Business Board of Visitors, the Nittany Lion Fund, the Pennsylvania State University Capital Campaign Committee, the Franklin Institute Development and Government Relations Committee and the Kenan-Flagler Business School at UNC Chapel Hill Alumni Council.  Jim received a B.S. in finance from the Pennsylvania State University and an MBA from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Jim resides outside of Philadelphia with his wife, Micaela, and three sons, Max, Charlie and Jack.

Joe Herbst

Joe has over 30 years of business experience in various financial capacities. He spent twelve years in commercial lending with CoreStates in Philadelphia which was acquired by Wachovia Bank in 1998. While at CoreStates, he managed a group of middle market lenders and was responsible for large corporate customer relationships. Since 1995 he has served as CFO at a number of early stage technology companies and has experience in manufacturing, software, financial services, ecommerce, digital media and consumer products companies. He has been an active angel investor since 2004 and currently serves as a director on the boards of DailyWorth.com, Robin Hood Ventures and a consumer products company.

Joe received his BS in Finance from Penn State University.

John Moore

John has been a full time angel investor since 2005.  He is currently a managing partner of Robin Hood Ventures and the President of Investors’ Circle Philadelphia.  Previously, at Seton Company, he was the Controller for North, Central, and South America. At the time, Seton Company was among the world’s largest suppliers of automotive leather. Prior to the Controller position, he was the Special Projects Manager where he did business acquisition and development, product pricing, and the implementation of company-wide strategic initiatives.

Prior to working with Seton, John spent eight years developing cardiovascular catheters for B. Braun Medical, Inc. John holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Delaware and an M.B.A. with concentrations in Finance and Marketing from Drexel University. He serves on the Board of Directors for Good Company Ventures, an accelerator for social impact companies.  John is on the board of WashCycleLaundry,  a sustainable laundry and dry cleaning service that delivers by bicycle to homes and businesses in the Philadelphia area.

John Moran

John Moran has been involved in the Medical Device industry for over 40 years. His primary focus has been in the spine and orthopedic industries. He held a variety of positions at Synthes USA (now part of Johnson and Johnson), including the first president of Synthes Spine. He has been a member of he Board of Directors for a number of publicly and privately held companies. He is currently an advisor to Camber Spine and Woven Technologies. John has been a member of Robin Hood since 1999.

John Pearlstein

John has 18 years experience in various roles in Marketing and Manufacturing with the consumer paper goods firm, Confab Corporation in King of Prussia. His positions included President, Manufacturing and Operations with responsibilities for R&D, plant operations, planning, and distribution. Confab was sold and since then he has been a private investor in start-up companies, and a Professor and Chair of Management at Stockton University. He teaches classes in business strategy and entrepreneurship. In the past he was a member of the Baiada Center for Entrepreneurship in Technology at Drexel University, and currently serves on the board of trustees at the Baldwin School, in Bryn Mawr, Pa. John has MBA in Marketing from New York University, and a PhD. from Temple University.

John Schantz

John Schantz is the Acute Care Director for Lancaster General, a 600 bed hospital system located in Lancaster,PA. He recently retired  as founder and president of Plastic Surgery Associates in Lancaster where he actively worked since 1978. He has served on the boards of Lancaster General and its off-shore insurance company. Leisure time is spent on his Chesapeake Bay farm, travel, hunting, fishing and golf. He is the father of two sons.

After graduating from Franklin and Marshall College, John attended Hahnemann University, receiving his M.D. in 1971. Additional study at The University of Pennsylvania and The Pennsylvania State University at Hershey prepared him to achieve board certification in both general and plastic surgery.

He has been a private investor for the past 30 years.

Jonathan Grode

Jonathan Grode serves as the U.S. Practice Director and Managing Partner for Green and Spiegel. Jonathan has worked continuously in the U.S. business immigration law field since 1999 and has amassed considerable experience obtaining nonimmigrant and immigrant visas for new company start-ups, professional workers, artists and entertainers, athletes, physicians, and scientific researchers. In addition, Jonathan has significant experience dealing with Department of Labor and Department of Homeland Security enforcement actions as well as with EB-5 Investor filings.

Jonathan has been a panelist and moderator on immigration law topics for numerous organizations, including the American Bar Association, Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, French Chamber for Commerce and Industry (Paris, France), and the American Immigration Lawyers Association. He also writes regularly for industry publications and academic journals.

In addition, Jonathan is an Adjunct Faculty at Temple University’s Beasley School of Law where he teaches Business Immigration Law, Advising Global Corporations, and Law Practice Management. In 2020, Jonathan Grode was named Adjunct Faculty of the Year by Temple University. Notably, Jonathan has been listed as one of SuperLawyers Rising Stars from 2012-2019 and since 2020 continuously been named a Super Lawyer. He has also been honored with the 2014 Pennsylvania Bar Association Special Achievement Award for “Dedication and Commitment to the High School Mock Trial Competition”, for which he has served as Lead Author since 2007. Jonathan was also the recipient of Lexology’s Client Choice Award in 2019 and was named in the 2020 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America. Jonathan graduated first in his class from Temple University Beasley School of Law in 2008.

Josh Solan

Josh operates xda-developers.com, the premier Android development-related community in the world. He was co-founder of MyColorScreen, provider of custom Android launchers to consumers and mobile carriers, which he sold to Interactive Corp in 2015. Prior to his exploits in the world of Internet entrepreneurship, he spent 10 years in the investment management business working for various funds, including Ziff Brothers Investments and Glenhill Capital.

Josh graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2002 with a BS from The Wharton School and BAS from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. He loves technology and dogs. He lives in Wayne, Pennsylvania.

Justin Turner

Justin Turner is an entrepreneur with experience in real estate, finance and software development.  He is a community-focused real estate developer, and owns a rental portfolio of several hundred units in the Philadelphia area.  Previously, Justin worked on Wall St in quantitative analysis and algorithmic trading capacities for several firms, most recently managing a statistical arbitrage fund for Piper Jaffray.  Prior to this, he worked on cryptography for military applications as an engineer.  Justin serves on the entrepreneurship advisory board of the University of Virginia Engineering School.

Kevin Cunningham

Kevin has worked in B2B sales and executive leadership roles for over 20 years.  He co-founded MRP in 2002, which provides sales and marketing software and services to global B2B organizations, and served as CEO until 2021.  After years of successful independent growth, Kevin led the sale of MRP to First Derivatives, PLC in 2008 and served on First Derivatives’ board until 2013. He was instrumental in establishing MRP’s presence in both the European and Asian markets and led several acquisitions which provided the foundation of MRP’s current software offering.

Kevin served as MRP CEO until 2021 and currently serves as Board Treasurer of Settlement Music School, the largest community school of the arts in the United States.  Prior to founding MRP, Kevin held several sales and consulting positions with technology companies now owned by Infor and Oracle and began his career with PriceWaterhouseCoopers. He has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Delaware and earned his CPA license. Kevin enjoys music, cycling and traveling.

Larry Brotzge

Larry’s business background includes eleven years with Ernst & Young, ten years as Corporate Controller and CFO for two major divisions of Providian Corp (a Fortune 500 financial services company), and five years as a founder of a “corporate venturing project”, which resulted in Providian establishing an entirely new business.

Since 1994, Larry has been an independent consultant and an angel investor. He has an ownership position in several small/start-up businesses and consults with a number of other companies. Larry is a general partner and board member of Robin Hood Ventures.

Laurent Metz

Laurent Metz is a global health care leader with extensive experience in health economics, and markets access from early discovery to post launch in medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and vaccines. Laurent’s expertise is to develop and communicate evidence to economic decision makers to obtain coverage, reimbursement, and to negotiate pricing for improving patients access in the public, private sectors in both developed markets and developing countries.

Laurent worked for Johnson & Johnson for 28 years in all major markets. He has lived on 3 continents of Europe, the United States, and Asia Pacific and has broad experience working with Africa and Latin America as well. Laurent has a passion for building teams and cultivating capabilities. At Johnson & Johnson he established the market access center of excellence in Asia Pacific and the global market access organization of Johnson & Johnson global public health. Laurent currently serves as an adviser to incubators and start-up companies. He holds an MD from Université de Lorraine (France) and an MBA from HEC Paris and now resides in Princeton NJ with his family.

Leigh Wood

Leigh has been an active member of Investors Circle Philadelphia since 2013 and over that time has made investments in over 35 early stage companies in the social impact space. She also serves on the Investment Committee of two of the Patient Capital Collaborative Social Impact funds.

Leigh has extensive operational experience managing both startups and high growth communications businesses. Her career has included stints as Chief Operating Officer of NTL Inc., the largest cable company in the UK at the time. During Leigh’s tenure (1996 -2000), NTL grew from $200 million plus in revenues to more than $2 billion in revenues. NTL, now part of Virgin Media, is a full service telecommunications company offering telephone, cable, Internet and broadband services to consumers and businesses across the UK and Ireland. Prior to NTL, Leigh was CEO for Cellular One of Ohio and Michigan, now owned by Verizon Wireless. She was the 5th employee in 1984 at a startup cellular telephone company which eventually grew to cover all of Ohio and Michigan. Leigh was the CEO from 1994 to its buyout in 1996.

More recently, Leigh was an investor, Board member, COO and CFO of RealWinWin Inc., a Philadelphia based startup which captures energy efficiency incentives for large corporate customers.
Leigh is a 1979 graduate of Williams College, majoring in American Civilization. She has an MBA from NYU’s Stern Business School and qualified as a CPA in New York in 1984.

Luke Gebb

Luke Gebb is Senior Vice President of Amex Digital Labs, a global organization with the mission of catalyzing innovation at American Express by creating products that are essential to customers digital lives. Focus areas include digital wallets, QR payments, P2P, open banking, messaging platforms, voice, AI and digital Identity. To date the team has led numerous minority investments in start-ups as well as the acquisition and integration of Mezi, makers of an AI powered travel assistant.

Prior to this role, Luke held numerous digital positions at American Express across product development, acquisition and promotions, with a consistent focus on innovation. As the leader of the Enterprise Digital organization Luke oversaw efforts that contributed to American Express winning the 2017 US JD Power award, with the #1 rated website and chatbot as well as the #2 rated mobile app in financial services. He is credited with a number of patents in the payments space and originated the Amex Offers platform which connects millions of customers with card-linked merchant offers worldwide. Luke also worked in a management consulting capacity in American Express’ Strategic Planning Group, and spent two years leading sales, marketing and operations at web 1.0 start-up Clickthebutton.com, creator of price comparison software.

Luke graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania with BA in Economics

M. Alexander Shaw

M. Alexander Shaw (Alex), is the CEO of Prolifagen. LLC, an early-stage biotech startup whose mission is to prevent the development of heart failure in patients with large myocardial infarcts. Previously, he spent 15 years co-leading Nuventra Pharma Sciences, a drug development consulting firm. Under his leadership, Nuventra grew from a two-person boutique pharmacokinetic consulting shop into a 125-person full-service drug development consulting group offering services ranging from preclinical consulting to full NDA and BLA writing and submission to the FDA and other regulatory agencies.

Prior to Nuventra Pharma Sciences, Alex held a number of corporate and academic positions focused on protein chemistry, proteomics, and mass spectrometry.

Alex’s formal training is in Biochemistry and Biophysics, in which a received a Ph.D. from Washington State University in 2000, followed by an American Heart Association Post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. He received his B.S. degrees in Chemistry and Biology from Duke University in 1994.

Alex looks forward to applying his drug development expertise along with his experience in running a business to help fledgling start-ups navigate their own growth journey.

Michael Russomano

Michael Russomano is an accomplished global senior executive business leader and marketing professional with a diverse background in healthcare, biotech, nutrition and consumer products general management and marketing. Mike is recognized for defining strategy as well as developing and embedding strong cultures leading to sustainable performance. He has repeatedly led companies/teams through transitions, turnarounds, accelerations and post-acquisition integrations with change management approaches that engage colleagues and enable them to embrace new opportunities to drive growth.

Mike most recently served as President & CEO/Global Business Head of Wyeth Nutrition, a $2.5 billion global business unit of Nestlé S.A. operating in 50+ countries with 4500 employees and four manufacturing facilities. As the senior-most executive transitioning to Nestlé, Mike played an integral role in the sale of the business from Pfizer to Nestlé for $11.85 billion – to date the largest acquisition in Nestlé history. Within Nestlé, Mike established Wyeth Nutrition as separate operating unit, defining ongoing structures for Global Commercial, R&D and Regulatory functions while embedding practices and processes to assure optimal ongoing impact.

Over his 35+ year career Mike held leadership roles at Pfizer, Wyeth, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Crayola and Kraft/General Foods, leading major global brands including Enbrel, Enfamil, S-26/SMA, Crayola and Maxwell House. Mike was Pfizer Nutrition Chief Commercial, Research & Development Officer, leveraging his experience in biopharmaceuticals, consumer packaged goods and nutrition. Prior to this appointment, Mike was Vice President, Alzheimer’s for Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, overseeing material corporate assets in pursuit of therapies for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Mike also held the role of Vice President & Global Business Manager, Enbrel, Wyeth’s $6 billion global inflammation franchise – the largest biologic therapy in the world at the time. Mike joined Wyeth in 2002 as Vice President & Global Business Manager, Hemophilia, where he led the transformation of the company’s Hemophilia franchise into a more competitive and vital presence in the marketplace while significantly increasing revenue and profitability. Prior to joining Wyeth, Mike was Vice President, Marketing, at the Mead Johnson Nutritionals, then a Bristol-Myers Squibb company, where he was responsible for the US pediatric nutritionals franchise, including Enfamil infant formula. Under his leadership, Enfamil achieved number one US market share position. Additionally, Mike has 14+ years’ experience in consumer packaged goods brand management, having held senior-level marketing positions at Kraft/General Foods and Crayola Products.

Currently a Senior Advisor for Lee Hecht Harrison’s International Center for Executive Options, Mike coaches senior executives navigating leadership transitions. He also is an Advisor to ByHeart, a private equity-backed infant nutrition start-up. Mike is Board Chair, Alzheimer’s Association Delaware Valley Chapter, where he has served for over ten years and a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council at the Villanova School of Business.

Mike has an MBA from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and graduated magna cum laude from Villanova University with a BS in Business Administration (Marketing).

Mike Risich

Michael Risich was the Founder and CEO of Bolt On Technology, a SaaS product for the automotive service vertical. With a passion for technology and a deep understanding of the automotive industry, Risich has played a significant role in revolutionizing the way auto repair shops operate and communicate with their customers. Under Risich’s leadership, Bolt On Technology has become a leading provider of digital solutions for automotive repair shops, servicing over 8000 locations domestically.

Risich’s vision and dedication have earned him recognition in the industry. He has received numerous awards and accolades, including a five-time Philly 100 winner as well as a five-time Inc 5000 winner. His expertise and thought leadership have made him a sought-after speaker at automotive conferences and events, where he shares insights on leveraging technology to drive success in the industry.

Today Michael is an active board member, mentor, and investor seeking opportunities where he can share his insights learned over his 30-year career, into building amazing teams and solutions. Michael and his wife, Christine, live in Bucks County, have three grown children, and spend the summers in Cape May County NJ.

Mike Zubey

Mike has over 30 years of Life Sciences and Technology experience. Mike is currently the CEO of COEUS Solutions which provides commercial and clinical technology and consulting services for emerging biotechs as well as large pharmaceutical companies. He has also held senior executive roles at PwC, IQVIA, HighPoint Solutions and ValueCentric. In all roles, Mike played a role in advising Life Sciences on commercial technology and processes. Mike has helped over 100 bio tech companies launch specialty drugs.

Mike has an MBA from Villanova University where he also serves as an adjunct professor. He has written an academic textbook, Customer Relationship Management: A People, Process, and Technology Approach. Mike teaches course work on CRM and machine learning.

Mike lives in Paoli, PA with his wife and four children.

Nathu Dandora

Nathu is currently President and CEO of four manufacturing companies engaged in contract manufacturing of engineered products including manufacturing of medical devices. He has an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA in Finance from Temple University. Nathu hails from India and he has been in the USA since 1972.

Earlier in his career, he was a Plant Manager of a Bicycle Manufacturing Company and Vice President of Engineering and Manufacturing for a packaging container manufacturing company. In 1985 he made his first acquisition of a contract manufacturing company using conventional bank financing and Industrial Revenue Bond financing. He has used similar financing techniques for three additional manufacturing companies in 1988, 1996 and 2000. He is experienced in turn around and building strong and profitable companies. He has consistently achieved this by building strong management teams, building customer relations and creating unique incentive plans for all employees. Since 1991 Nathu has also been a member of Vistage (The world’s leading CEO organization).

Nick Auger

A computer geek at heart, Nick is a technology innovator and entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience in ecommerce, retail, software engineering, and information technology. In 2007, Nick co-founded RevZilla.com, a motorcycle industry ecommerce startup headquartered in the Philadelphia Navy Yard.

As CTO of RevZilla, Nick steered the continuous development and engineering of a proprietary platform to drive all aspects of the quickly-scaling business to explosive two- and three-digit growth year over year. Nick brought a clear vision of customer-centric design and operational efficiency to all corners of the RevZilla technology stack: from consumer-facing commerce and digital marketing to supply chain, warehouse management, and omnichannel sales.

Nick’s effective, hands-on leadership inspired his small team of engineers to outdo the competition with greater speed to market, lower costs, and happier customers — from acquisition to downstream support — all without ever raising outside investment. In 2016, RevZilla merged with brick-and-mortar retailer Cycle Gear to form COMOTO Holdings, the largest aftermarket retail group in North America, where Nick continued to serve as chief technologist until his exit in 2019. Nick has been recognized as a PACT IT Innovator and Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year. He graduated summa cum laude from Drexel University’s School of Engineering with a B.S. in Computer Science.

Nick Valeriano

Nick has over 12 years of software implementation experience working for large international businesses in the public and private sector. He has invested in and helped mentor many startups in the Philadelphia area as well as helping to manage a family retail/food business. Investment interests include crypto, sustainability, tech based marketplaces, consumer products, and SaaS businesses.

Peter Leone

Peter Leone is a member and past president of Robin Hood Ventures, a Philadelphia-based investment group focused on high-growth startups en route to building great companies. He is also a member of Investors Circle, which provides capital and counsel to help entrepreneurs in the Philadelphia region build companies with a clear social or environmental impact. Peter enjoyed a 33 year career as Executive Vice President and President of Leone Industries, a family-owned manufacturer of glass bottles and jars, with 350 employees based in Bridgeton, NJ. He is a member and past chair of the Opera Philadelphia board of directors; a member and past chair of the Board of Trustees of the Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center; and served on the Board of Trustees at The Baldwin School.

Pitou Devgon

Dr. Pitou Devgon is a physician entrepreneur, prior healthcare venture capitalist and most recently was the co-founder of Velano Vascular, Inc. and inventor of their patented vascular device technology. He served in various C-level roles including President, Chief Medical Officer and Chief Strategy Officer before their eventual acquisition by BD, which is one of the largest global medical technology companies, in 2021. He is an active angel investor and advisor to early-stage healthcare companies and regularly guest lectures at Penn/Wharton on healthcare entrepreneurship. He is a named inventor on 17 US patents and counting.

Pitou originally came to Philadelphia for his residency in Internal Medicine at Penn. He practiced part-time for a decade as a hospitalist in the Medical ICU at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center while earning his MBA in Healthcare Management from Wharton, and then being part of the healthcare venture capital team at Safeguard Scientifics before founding Velano Vascular.

He holds a BA in biological psychology from the College of William & Mary, an MD from Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Rahul Dandora

Rahul has a diverse professional background which includes research in the department of radiology at University of Pennsylvania hospital, software coding, and most recently overseeing operations of manufacturing businesses. While at one of these operations, Rahul transformed a company that was a few months away from bankruptcy upon arrival to breakeven within six months and profitability within one year.  This included increased sales revenue by over 50% in first two years and improving gross margins by over 15% during that same period.

Rahul is currently CFO for a group of manufacturing businesses. Responsibilities in this role include all financial oversight including budgeting, financial baselines, job costing, and inventory management. In the past, Rahul has run and thereafter sold manufacturing businesses to private equity buyers. Rahul’s strengths include bringing information technology, measurement disciplines, and team collaboration techniques to operationally challenged small to medium-sized manufacturing companies leading to substantially improved product quality, revitalized corporate culture, higher customer satisfaction creating durable long-term relationships, and improved cash flow and profitability.

Rahul received his BA in Biology with a minor in South Asian Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. He also holds a Master’s in Computer Science from the University of Chicago and an MBA from Columbia University.

During his spare time, Rahul enjoys improving his golf game.

Ray Welch Jr.

Ray has over 20 years of senior management experience with global Fortune 100 and Philadelphia based healthcare companies in the provider, insurance, consumer products and support services sectors.

Health system leadership experience includes Catholic Health East/Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic Region CEO with responsibility for 10 hospitals in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware and CEO of Mercy Health System of Southeastern Pennsylvania. He also served as Chairman of the Keystone Mercy/AmeriHealth Mercy health plan Board and member of Gateway Health Plan Board.  Other senior leadership roles include President of Aramark Healthcare Services and Marketing and Management roles with Johnson & Johnson.

Rena Rosenberg

Rena Rosenberg is a consultant focused in the healthcare, pharmaceutical and biotech sectors.  She was at McKinsey & Company for 14 years with broad experience across the entire healthcare system: innovative and generic pharmaceutical manufacturers, global public health organizations, insurance companies and providers. Rena founded and lead the Digital Health Service Line within McKinsey’s Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Practice to help clients develop innovative and transformative approaches to drive superior health outcomes using technology. Rena is passionate about helping companies deliver growth at the intersection of healthcare, technology and commercial innovation.

Before joining McKinsey in 2002, Rena received her Ph.D. from University of Chicago in Economics and a B.A. in Economics from Barnard College, at Columbia University.

Rena is currently Board Secretary for the Jewish Home Family, Inc., a leading not-for-profit provider of services for elderly in northern New Jersey and an active fundraiser for Chai Lifeline Foundation, a not-for-profit that provides comprehensive programming and services for seriously ill children and their families. In addition, Rena is Lead Advisor for TalenTeck, a human capital analytics company disrupting the recruiting industry advanced analytics.

Renee Selman

Renee Selman is an accomplished Pharmaceutical/Medical Device/Healthcare Services Senior Executive with extensive global and domestic experience across multiple aspects of the healthcare industry. Her experience spans both public, private equity and early stage environments and includes progressive assignments in general management with responsibility for commercialization of U.S. and global products, R&D, strategic partnership development and deal making.

Renee has a particular passion for helping businesses realize their full potential through better execution, innovation and business model disruption. She is willing to challenge the status quo for better results in dynamic environments.

Previous experience includes 20 years at Johnson & Johnson with increasing levels of responsibility spanning both pharmaceutical and device sectors as well as multiple therapeutic areas. While at J&J, Renee ran the Ethicon Women’s Health Device division globally and successfully turned around a underperforming division and returned it to growth nearly doubling the business in 5 years.

Other notable experiences include Catalina Healthcare (acquired by InVentiv Healthcare) and Agile Therapeutics (Women’s Health pharmaceutical company).

Renee has a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Management from Purdue University.

Riko Banardi

Riko Banardi is a senior financial and risk management leader with extensive experience in asset pricing and valuation, risk technology, analytics, market risk, counterparty credit risk, regulatory capital, derivatives, business strategy, and complex process transformation. He has provided services to clients in a wide range of industries, including global financial services, insurance, securities firms, real estate, private equity, retail, aerospace, and energy.

He served as the Global Head of Risk Management Advisory at Chatham Financial, where he founded and led Chatham’s global financial and regulatory risk practice focusing on complex risk management and compliance issues for some of the largest global financial institutions and commodity risks for Fortune 500 Companies. Previously, as the Head of Pricing and Analytics at Chatham Financial, he was responsible for the valuation and risk analytics platforms supporting over $250 billion of annual derivative trading activities. Riko also worked at Ernst and Young in its Financial Services Risk Management Advisory Group, advising senior executives at some of the largest financial services firms in the world, including global investment banks, securities firms, and insurance companies in the areas of market risk, credit risk, counterparty credit risk, operational and regulatory risk.

Riko received his MBA in Finance from The Pennsylvania State University and BS in Electrical Engineering from Petra Christian University.

Rob Lass

Rob has a proven track record of delivering solutions for more than twenty-five years in the tech industry as a developer, data scientist, researcher and investor.  Currently he is the CTO of Gaize.ai, an impairment screening company dedicated to promoting safe roads and safe workplaces through technology that provides evidence of active impairment.

Rob previously led the data science team at Sidecar Interactive, an ML-driven ad-tech firm, which was acquired by Quartile in 2021.  He is also an investor in and advisor to Teradact, an AI/ML security company that offers data protection as a service.  On the academic side, he taught Artificial Intelligence classes at Drexel University for over ten years and published more than thirty peer-reviewed publications in well-known journals and conferences such as AAAI, AAMAS and IEEE.  Rob holds one US patent, with another currently under consideration.  He has a BS and MS in Computer Science from Drexel University.

Robert Bieber

Robert Bieber, CPA, has over 30 years as CEO/CFO, running a group holding company consisting of pharmaceutical promotion, clinical communication, a live/digital medical education company, and a creative production enterprise.  He invented a single learning objective digital education model, called “MinuteCE”, which revolutionized the digital medical education marketplace.

After 3 years of significant sales growth, he sold the company to a larger medical education company.  While running the creative production organization, he has accomplished producing and directing pharmaceutical sales and product launch meetings, medical meetings, and producing and directing live television events.  He has extensive experience in the direct response industry, creating many short form commercials and long-form infomercials, along with selling product on home shopping television networks and in traditional retail.  Prior to that, Robert was a CPA spending 11 years with a large international accounting firm(s), handling taxes, audits and M&A work.  He has participated in multiple 10K and S-1 filings.

Rusty Lewis

Lewis serves as the President & CEO of Lewis Capital LLC, a private investment company formed to manage his personal investment portfolio. Prior, Lewis served as a Senior Advisor at Brown Brothers Harriman, providing operating expertise and advisory services to BBH’s private equity fund and to their Philadelphia office, serving as their office head from 2015 to 2018. Lewis was also Vice Chairman at Zinio LLC, EVP of Strategy & Marketing at VERISIGN, and President & CEO at Transcore earlier in his career. He has served on the board of Braintech, Buysafe, Namemedia, and Delta Petroleum, and been the lead director and investor in several startups including Network Car and Advanced Aeration, Inc.

Lewis studied Economics at Haverford College, later earning his MBA from Harvard Business School

Ryan Lauchli

Ryan Lauchli is an angel investor in early-stage companies in multiple industries.  Investments include BSure AS, KitNA, Gilson Snow, Sportscale, Bloom Therapy, and Pearlita Foods.  His interests in entrepreneurship include advising companies though the Innovation Space’s Spark Factory (e.g. Cellergy Pharma) and serving as a judge for the University of Delaware’s Diamond Challenge.

Ryan has worked in DuPont’s Central R+D and Genelabs in a variety of technical roles and currently manages multiple commercial innovation pipelines in IFF’s Health business in Wilmington, DE.  He earned his PhD in Chemistry at the University of California Irvine and his MBA from Drexel University, and conducted postdoctoral research in the labs of Nobel Prize laureate Frances Arnold.  Ryan’s efforts led to the initiation of successful new projects/areas in each organization of which he’s been part, using deep technical judgement, commercial leadership, and project management.

Sagar Venkateswaran

Sagar is currently the president and owner of two Philadelphia-based manufacturing companies. His experience and interests are in product development, manufacturing, and process control. Many years ago, a prospective, California-based VC asked him why his start-up company was operating in Philadelphia and not in Silicon Valley! Challenged by this, his aim is to encourage the creation of a vibrant manufacturing start-up eco-system in the Greater Philadelphia region and perhaps have it lead to an increase in manufacturing jobs in the area.

He is a board member of the Manufacturing Alliance of Philadelphia. He earned a PhD in Physics from the University of Hawaii in 1992. Since 1995, he has  been a resident of Greater Philadelphia.

Sasha Schrode

Sasha is an entrepreneur with broad experience in healthcare, pharmaceutical and medical device sectors.  She is the co-founder and CEO of Serpex Medical. She has worked in medical devices for the past 17 years, initially working for large companies like CR Bard and Medcomp; later consulting for early-stage companies like Reverse Medical (acquired by Medtronic) and Forge Medical (acquired by Gilero) where she focused on delivering value and bringing innovative new technologies to market. Sasha is passionate about helping companies deliver growth in healthcare and commercial innovation.

Sasha is a partner on the Life Sciences team of Robin Hood Ventures.  Sasha leads the DEI Committee for Robin Hood Ventures and is a member of the Membership Committee. She also has been adjunct faculty at Temple University for the past five years where she taught Entrepreneurial Bioengineering.

Sasha is actively involved in national and international radiology and pulmonary societies and holds a board position at the American Lung Association. She is on the Board of Directors for Serpex Medical and Cooler Heads and previously a member of the Board of Directors for Robin Hood Ventures. In addition to her board positions, she is on the advisory board for NeuRx and Penn Health-Tech.

Scott Fishman

Scott Fishman has over 30 years of experience as a life science strategist across all sectors  of the industry focusing on healthcaremarketing research and commercial analysis. As CEO of Research by Design, a firm he started in 1989, Scott directed    the evolution of the company from a bedroom startup to one of the most prominent firms in the healthcare research industry.

RBD became a key consulting resource for virtually every major pharmaceutical company, as well as a wide spectrum of biotechnology and medical device manufacturers.  Following the sale of his firm to a global holding company in 2006, Scott founded Ethos LifeScience Advisors, the parent to Envisage.

Fishman is co-author of Preserving the Promise: Improving the Culture of Biotech Investment, which examines the early biotech funding ecosystem and proposes solutions to facilitate translation of important discoveries from the laboratory to the clinic. He is a 2020-22 Board member and active Angel investor with Robin Hood Ventures, an advisor on Therapeutics, Devices and Diagnostics at Ben Franklin Technology Partners, and an in-demand speaker who has presented on biotechnology innovation at such venues as Harvard’s i-Lab, the Yale School of Management, the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Princeton’s eLab, and the National Science Foundation’s SBIR conference. At the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, he co-created and served as Program Executive for the Commercialization Acceleration Program (CAP), a consultancy that provided experiential education for students while supporting the development and funding of technology- based start-up companies.  He has held faculty appointments at Jefferson, LaSalle, Temple and Roger Williams University.

Sean Cotter

With 21 years of business development, IT leadership and entrepreneurship, Sean is responsible for the strategic direction of Asset Vue and the general management of the Asset Vue team.

Sean has served on the board of directors for Title Alliance Holdings a regional title insurance firm and served as a liaison for the technology transition team upon their acquisition by First American and the CIO Advisory board for PACT. Sean is the founding member of the Greater Philadelphia Qlikview Users Group and the Delaware Valley Data Center Users Forum. Sean is also an active member in the local 7X24 Exchange, AFCOM, and the CIO Roundtable group of GPSEG (Greater Philadelphia Senior Executive Group).

A Saint Joseph’s Haub School of Business graduate with a master’s degree in business, Sean’s career started by forming a successful regional outsourced IT firm serving the small to medium sized market while still at Widener University. After nearly 10 years of growing and operating this venture, Sean sold his business to his lead consultant to formalize his business acumen. Sean then moved to a role as Director of IT then CIO of the DVL Group seizing the opportunity to work with one of the most well respected management teams in the technology field.

Sean Souffie

Sean Souffie is currently VP Business Development at Towne Park focusing on healthcare services, parking and mobility. Previously he served as VP Sales and Business Development for Brady Corporation’s Healthcare and People Identification business, and also Teledyne Technologies leading global sales, business development and marketing with its Defense Electronics segment. Prior to that he worked at W.L. Gore & Associates, where he led the datacom and medical electronics business segments, along with a new venture into power electronics.

Sean has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from University of Delaware and is a candidate for an MBA from Quantic School of Business and Technology

Stuart Leibowitz

Stuart is President of Park Place Enterprises, Inc., a private, southeastern Pennsylvania based real estate investment and management company. For over thirty years, Park Place has acquired, financed, redeveloped and actively managed primarily large multi-family housing projects in the Delaware Valley, Florida and Ohio. In addition to the focus on market rate apartment complexes, Park Place also has experience in the affordable housing market as well as in commercial properties. Stuart also owned and operated a separate general contracting construction business specializing in insurance restoration and mitigation work which was sold in 2015. Before entering the real estate business, Stuart worked as a computer software developer for DuPont, Aramark and a small independent software developer.

Stuart was a long term member of the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Apartment Association and remains an active member. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Mask and Wig Club of the University of Pennsylvania and has served as Treasurer in the past. He also serves on the Board of a local community basketball league that primarily serves children from elementary through high school in Montgomery County, PA. He is a graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science in Economics, dual majoring in Accounting and Decision Science.

Thomas Penn

Tom has over 30 years of experience in starting, managing, and financing high growth companies primarily in the Mid-Atlantic region.  Before joining MVP Capital Partners as a Partner, he served as a Partner at Boston Millennia Partners where he focused largely on life science investments. At MVP he has served on numerous  company boards including Andrews International, Coffin Turbo Pump, ExpertPlan, ANI Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ANIP),  GCA Services, MCMC, Northern Contours, and Implex among others. Mr. Penn works in a variety of industries but has special expertise in healthcare and the life sciences.

From 1994 to 1998, Tom was President and CEO of Tektagen, Inc., a leading contract services firm serving the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Tektagen was successfully sold to Charles River Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE:CRL). Prior to Tektagen, he was President of Independence Ventures, Inc., and specialized in starting and building high-potential, technology-based companies. Earlier in his career he held several positions in industry and venture capital.

Tom is the founder of the Entrepreneurs’ Forum of Greater Philadelphia and the originator of the Philadelphia 100 project.  He is past President of the Pennsylvania Biotechnology Association and also served as Co-Chair of Pennsylvania’s Technology 21 Biotechnology network. He is also a current board member of the Life Sciences Greenhouse of Central Pennsylvania.

Tom is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Metallurgy and Material Science and Industrial Management), the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, and the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Tim Flatley

Tim is President and founder of Sterling Investment Advisors, Ltd., and has 25 years of experience in the financial services industry. Sterling Investment Advisors, Ltd., provides investment advising to corporations, high-net-worth individuals, endowments and qualified plans. Their client list includes many prominent corporations and entrepreneurs. Sterling has been named to the “Philadelphia 100″ as one of the fastest growing companies in the Philadelphia region. Sterling acquired Preswick Capital Management in January of 2007. Tim’s responsibilities include investment analysis, executive compensation plans, portfolio risk management and quantitative portfolio reporting. In addition to having a Series 7 license, Tim is also a General Securities Principal (series 24) and a Registered Options Principal (Series 4, held by only 2.4% of brokers in the US). He has completed advanced training in technical analysis and is also a Chartered Financial Consultant. Tim has co-founded two financial service companies that presently oversee $700 million of investment assets.

Tim was a founding member of Robin Hood Ventures, and has served as President of the Board of Directors of RHV. In 2005, Tim was elected to the Board of Directors of Alliance Bank, NASDAQ symbol ALLB. He serves on their Forward Planning Committee and their Compensation Committee. Tim and his wife Kathy, have four children and live in Berwyn, PA. He is a member of Waynesborough Country Club and the Patrons Foundation of Philadelphia.

Todd Cipperman

Todd Cipperman is a seasoned financial services executive with over 30 years of experience. He founded Cipperman Compliance Services (CCS) in 2004, growing it to serve over 120 clients with 25 employees before selling it to ACA/Foreside in 2022. CCS was a leading provider of outsourced Chief Compliance Officer services at the time of sale.

Before CCS, Cipperman was General Counsel at SEI Investments and worked in private legal practice on Wall Street. He holds degrees from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and Cornell University.

Cipperman has extensive experience advising various financial entities on compliance, regulatory, product, and distribution issues. He authored The Compliance Advantage: Ten Must-Know Trends to Protect Your Investment Firm and wrote the “Our Take” Regulatory Alerts for nearly 15 years.

Currently, he focuses on helping finance, fintech, and investment management professionals through angel/venture investing, advising, consulting, and board membership, while also providing independent board counsel through his law firm.

Tom Anderson

For more than 30 years, Tom has built and acquired businesses in the biotech, pharmaceutical and consumer package goods (CPG) industries. He has worked and led in Fortune 50, mid-sized, small and start-up public and private companies while in c-suite, general management, commercial, business development and operations roles. Tom is currently CEO & Director of SwanBio Therapeutics, a privately-held, preclinical stage gene therapy company focused on rare neurological diseases. He is also Founder and CEO of TreD Avon Advisors, LLC a strategic advisory supporting emerging companies in the life sciences and consumer packaged goods industries. In addition to SwanBio, Tom serves on the Boards of ExpressCells, LLC, an RHV investment, CEO Trust, LLC and as a member of the Advisory Board of Sealink International Inc, an innovative transportation logistics company based in Plano, TX.

He also is an active advisory board member of Life Science Cares Philadelphia and participating member of Life Sciences of PA, ELAB, Beacon, and the National Association of Corporate Directors. He graduated from Lehigh University with a BS in Civil Engineering and an MBA from the University of Notre Dame where he continues to advise and mentor students in business, science and engineering. Tom and his wife, Evelyn, live in Gwynedd Valley, PA and they have three grown children.

Vladimir Kogan

Vladimir Kogan is a seasoned entrepreneur with a wealth of experience spanning the healthcare, pharmacy, retail, and real estate industries. Starting as an emergency surgeon, he successfully grew a private clinic into a network of four multi-specialty hospitals, culminating in a lucrative sale. Dr. Kogan’s ventures in the pharmaceutical sector were equally impressive, as he founded Farmakom, a vertically integrated pharmaceutical holding. Serving as CEO, he expanded the company’s footprint into wholesale trade in medicines and medical equipment, while also overseeing a network of 32 pharmacies, ultimately achieving a profitable sale. His involvement in the construction of pharmacies provided valuable experience in development.

Building on these accomplishments, Dr. Kogan ventured into development, real estate, and investments in Europe. Upon relocating to Philadelphia in 2016, he transitioned his focus to investment, leveraging his extensive educational background in medicine, healthcare management, and executive MBA. With a diverse portfolio of thriving business and development projects, Dr. Kogan’s journey exemplifies unwavering dedication to excellence, strategic vision, and a profound commitment to making a positive impact across various sectors.

William Bader

Bill is an investor, consultant, attorney and CPA. After his recent retirement from consulting, he began investing in real estate and founded Bader Properties, LLC. He has also developed an interest in investing in early-stage companies and their founders, with an emphasis on investments that help people live longer, healthier and more fulfilling lives.

During his consulting career, Bill was a Worldwide Partner at Mercer, having worked there for about 30 years providing legal and consulting advice to Fortune 500 companies and major hospitals on a wide variety of strategic tax-related, retirement and executive compensation issues.

Prior to Mercer, Bill worked as an attorney at Fried, Frank in N.Y. and provided M&A related legal advice on executive compensation and benefit issues. He studied business at University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School as an undergraduate and law at Hofstra University’s School of Law. Bill lives in Short Hills, N.J. with his wife Cheryl and has two grown children.

Zach Bergreen

Zack has started his career as a computer design engineer and held senior executive positions with such leading companies as Gould Electronics, Bechtel Corporation, and Intel. For the past 20+ years he mentored and was involved with a number of startups and was the founder and CEO of Astea International. He is an active entrepreneur and a board member working with few technology startups. Zack holds a BS and MS in Electrical Engineering University of Maryland.

Zach Klehr

Zach has spent his career in the financial services and asset management industry.  His investment background spans venture, growth, late-stage as well as distressed and turnaround situations.  He was the Executive Vice President of Fund Management at FS Investments where he served on the firm’s investment committees and led portfolio management, operations, technology and marketing.

Before joining FS Investments, Zach was a Vice President at the private equity firm Versa Capital, and before that, worked for five years at Goldman, Sachs & Co. He has an MBA, with concentrations in Finance and Real Estate, from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and received his B.A. in History and Political Science also from the University of Pennsylvania. He currently serves on the boards of The Philadelphia Zoo, Mural Arts Philadelphia, The Philadelphia School and The Revolution School.