Allie Burns

CEO, Village Capital

Allie brings nearly two decades of experience working with entrepreneurs and innovators at the intersection of tech and social change to her role as CEO of Village Capital. Prior to joining the organization in 2016, she served as a senior executive at Revolution and the Case Foundation, the venture capital firm and private family foundation created by former AOL executives Jean and Steve Case. In that role, she led the organizations’ communications and marketing teams, and was instrumental in the development of major initiatives including the Rise of the Rest, the Startup America Partnership and the Be Fearless campaign.

Amy Beaird

Program Director, Florida High Tech Corridor

Dr. Amy Beaird is the Program Director for Cenfluence, an industry diversification initiative launched by the Florida High Tech Corridor Council in partnership with Orange County Government to build internationally recognized industry clusters that are globally competitive resulting in significant contributions to Central Florida’s economy. As a Program Director, Amy engages with over 100 Cenfluence Cluster Member companies providing business support services, assistance with research & innovation collaborations, help with funding pursuits and more.   She also led The Corridor’s SBIR Catalyst prize from the US Small Business Administration to support women entrepreneurs applying to the Small Business Innovative Research grants program. Prior to joining The Florida High Tech Corridor, she was a Research Director at two advanced materials startups and a consultant on small business and innovation related projects. Amy holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of South Carolina and BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Florida.

Bailey DeVries

Associate Administrator, Office of Investment and Innovation, U.S. Small Business Administration

Ms. DeVries has been selected to serve as the Associate Administrator in SBA's Office of Investment & Innovation. In this role, Ms. DeVries serves as a senior executive providing guidance and leadership for programs that provide the high-growth small business community with access to financial capital and R&D funds to support innovation.   Ms. DeVries is an experienced private markets, institutional asset management, and government contracting executive with over 17 years of combined experience in business strategy, asset management, government contracting, and investments. She most recently served as a Venture Partner at Trail Mix Ventures (TMV) where she dedicated her time to the firm's financially inclusive investments. Previously, Ms. DeVries served in a senior leadership role at Greenspring Associates where she spearheaded efforts to commit capital to female and ethnically diverse-led fund managers. Prior to Greenspring, Ms. DeVries was an executive with T. Rowe Price Associates. She served in a senior role at Sotera Defense Solutions, a national security, defense and intelligence solutions company.  She began her career in Washington, D.C. at Corporate Executive Board (CEB, now Gartner Research) in the firm's financial services practice. Ms. DeVries holds an M.B.A. from Georgetown University, an M.S. from Northwestern University, and  a B.A. from Wake Forest University.  Ms. DeVries is an advocate for women in private equity, serving on the Private Equity Women Investor Network's (PEWIN) Foundation leadership task force.

Ben Schrag

SBIR/STTR Program Director and Policy Liaison, National Science Foundation

Ben Schrag is an SBIR/STTR Program Director and Policy Liaison. He joined NSF as a Program Director in the small business programs in 2009 and became the Policy Liaison for the SBIR and STTR programs in 2016.  Prior to NSF, he was the Director of Research and Development at Micro Magnetics, an NSF SBIR/STTR-funded startup business working on a new magnetic imaging tool for semiconductor metrology applications. Ben received his Ph.D. in Physics from Brown University.

Charlie Hipwood

CEO & President, MassVentures

Charlie was a three-time tech entrepreneur prior to switching to the venture side of the table with MassVentures in 2017.  Charlie and the team at MassVentures work closely with entrepreneurs to help create new businesses, jobs, and industries in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  MassVentures manages several grant programs in addition to the venture fund and funds approximately 65 companies per year.

Cindy Matsuki

SBIR Program Manager, Hawaii Technology Development Corporation (HTDC)

Cindy Matsuki is the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program manager for INNOVATE Hawaii. She previously held the role of Economic Development Specialist for HTDC, coordinating outreach events and workforce development programs. Her previous experience also includes business development at Oceanit Laboratories Inc., where she learned the tech ecosystem landscape. She holds a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Arizona State University as well as an MBA from the University of Hawaii.

David Cohen

Founder and Chairman, Techstars

Founder and Chairman at Techstars, the worldwide network that helps entrepreneurs succeed. Investor in more than 20 unicorns (that we know of to date).

Elden Hawkes, Jr.

Partnership and Innovation Specialist, Office of Investment and Innovation, Office of U.S. Small Business Administration

Elden Hawkes serves as the Partnership and Innovation Specialist, a role that supports the advancement of the Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/ STTR) programs. His primary duties include managing the agency’s Federal and State Technology (FAST) Partnership Program. Other duties include outreach efforts targeting Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) and SBIR Road Tours.

Isabella Casillas Guzman

27th Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration

Isabella Casillas Guzman was sworn in as the 27th Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration on March 17, 2021. She serves as the voice for America’s 32.5 million small businesses and innovative startups in President Joe Biden’s Cabinet.  Administrator Guzman has made supporting small businesses her life’s work. From a very young age, working beside her father in his chain of veterinary hospitals in Southern California, she gained a deep appreciation for the small business owners who define Main Streets in neighborhoods across America, deliver our products and services, and innovate to solve global problems. Administrator Guzman spent her early career in the private sector as a founder, advisor, and consultant.  There she learned the crucial role small businesses play in creating paths to the American Dream. She went on to commit herself to public service -- serving as Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor at the SBA, and as Small Business Advocate for the state of California to help advance equity and opportunity for all entrepreneurs. Under Administrator Guzman’s leadership, the SBA has continued to scale dramatically, while revamping programs and services to address crucial challenges -- delivering hundreds of billions in relief to help millions of small businesses survive the pandemic. Administrator Guzman leads with a customer-first, technology-forward and equitable approach. She will continue to work to transform SBA’s programs and services to meet all small businesses where they are – to deliver the capital, revenue growth opportunities and support networks all entrepreneurs need to start, grow and lead our reimagined economy.

Jason Rittenberg

Policy and Development Director, SSTI

Jason Rittenberg is the Policy and Development Director for SSTI. His work includes coordinating SSTI’s policy activities, cultivating partnership and project opportunities, and contributing to the SSTI Weekly Digest and research projects. Jason previously led and supported research and analysis projects for the Council of Development Finance Agencies, the State of Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, and the Cline Center for Democracy. He is a co-author of News on the Internet: Information and Citizenship in the 21st Century. Jason holds a B.S. from Ohio University and an M.A. from the University of Illinois.

Jennifer C. Shieh, Ph.D.

Director of Ecosystem Development, Office of Investment and Innovation, U.S. Small Business Administration

Jennifer Shieh works to build an inclusive innovation ecosystem in the SBA Office of Investment and Innovation, where she previously served as Chief Scientist of America’s Seed Fund for technology commercialization, the Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) programs.

John Hardin

Executive Director, Office of Science, Technology & Innovation, North Carolina Department of Commerce

A native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, he holds M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in political science from UNC-Chapel Hill, a B.A. in economics from Baylor University, and a certificate of completion for the Leadership Decision Making program, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government. He and his wife Jane live in Durham and have two daughters who are recent college graduates.

Joseph Kapp

President, NCRD

Kapp holds a master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania in Government Administration and his bachelor’s degree in economics from Florida State University.  When not working, Kapp enjoys traveling, scuba diving and photography.

Kelly Burton

CEO , Black Innovation Alliance

Dr. Kelly Burton is a political scientist, serial entrepreneur and change agent who leads with passion, purpose, and vision. She currently serves as the CEO of Black Innovation Alliance, a national coalition made up of 86 Black led-organizations which support greater than 300K innovators of color across the country. Kelly's work has been featured in numerous publications, among them TechCrunch, Inc., Forbes, Essence Magazine, Marketplace (NPR) and Fast Company where she serves on the executive board. Kelly additionally serves on the board of directors at the Center for Action and Contemplation and on the advisory board at the Emory University Center for Ethics. An active voice on social media, Kelly boasts nearly 80K followers on Linkedin alone. She has two hard-earned degrees, a BA from Clark Atlanta University and a PhD from Emory University, both in Political Science.

Maria Labreveux

Executive Director, KSTC

Maria is the Executive Director for the Kentucky Science and Engineering Foundation (KSEF) at KSTC, an entrepreneurial company with a reputation for developing creative initiatives in education, R&D and the translation of ideas into innovations.   KSEF/KSTC has been leading SBIR/STTR growth initiatives in Kentucky for over 15 years, including programs such as KY Phase Zero and Double Zero Awards, the KY SBIR/STTR Matching Funds program, P2P “SBIR Connect” networking, the Kentucky SBIR/STTR Resource Center, workshops, and clinics.  These programs facilitate innovations, provide opportunities to translate ideas into useful technologies with market potential, and allow the building and training of a technical workforce to solve pressing world problems.

Megan Aanstoos

Licensing & New Ventures Manager, Kentucky Commercialization Ventures

Megan is a strong advocate for equity, accessibility, and bringing awareness of different needs to light, so people can form closer, stronger connections and improve communication and social engagement.

Qyana M. Stewart

CEO & Principal Consultant, GlobalForce Tech Consulting, LLC

Qyana is a Tech, Social, and EdTech entrepreneur, social justice advocate, educator, speaker, and award-winning philanthropist with over 20 years of combined experience in the nonprofit and for-profit sectors. She holds a Master of Science degree in Information Technology, a Graduate Certificate in Project Management from the University of Maryland University College, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Howard University. She returned to her alma mater in the fall of 2021 as a Ph.D. student in the School of Education, Higher Education Leadership & Policy Studies (HELPS) PhD program. She serves as the Graduate Research Assistant in the College of Engineering and Architecture, Department of Mechanical Engineering and is a Senior Teaching Fellow for the Leadership Academy, a program in partnership with the Women in Public Policy Program at The Harvard Kennedy School and Institute of Diversity Sciences at University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Rikki O'Reilly Jones

Investment Officer/Financial Analyst, U.S. Small Business Administration

Rikki works to increase economic outcomes for U.S. small businesses and lower middle-market investment firms while supporting policy and process improvement in SBA’s Office of Investment and Innovation as an SBIC Investment Officer.  Prior to this role, Rikki served as a Presidential Management Fellow in the Office of the Administrator as well as in the Office of International Trade.  Throughout her Federal career, Rikki has sought to build public-private-partnerships through inter-and-intra-agency collaboration, including as an International Cooperation Specialist at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).  At USAID, she also supported the Management Bureau in conducting gap analyses for Missions in the Dominican Republic and Thailand.  Rikki holds a Master of Business Administration, speaks French fluently, and has studied in France and Ghana.

Victor Kane

Commercialization Program, US Department of Energy

Prior to joining EERE, Victor worked at General Electric and the solar cell startup Suniva. He earned a Bachelor and a Master of Science degrees in mechanical engineering and Master of Business Administration from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Weston Waldo

Director, University of Texas at Austin

Mr. Weston Waldo serves as an NSF I-Corps Regional and National instructor for the Southwest and South I-Corps Nodes. Mr. Waldo has led 54 I-Corps cohorts, trained 873 I-Corps teams, and endorsed over 135 teams to gain acceptance in the NSF National I-Corps program. Those teams have since gone on to generate an additional $68M in follow-on capital, 5 acquisitions, and generated 233 jobs. Mr. Waldo also serves as an advisory board member for various startup companies in the Pre-Seed, Seed, and Series A growth stages. Mr. Waldo is an Entrepreneur in Residence for multiple R1 and R2 universities and an advisor for two venture capital groups. In addition, Mr. Waldo serves as a Director at the University of Texas at Austin serving in the newly funded $15M NSF I-Corps Southwest region Hub.

Adair Morse

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Capital Access, Treasury

Adair Morse is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Capital Access in the Department of the Treasury, working on domestic finance issues of climate investment, small business, financial inclusion, innovation and growth investment, and industrial strategy. She is also on leave as the Soloman P. Lee Chair in Business Ethics and Professor at the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley, Fellow at the Berkeley Center for Law and Business, and founding faculty director of the Sustainable and Impact Finance initiative at Berkeley-Haas. Until recently, she was on the Governance and Allocations Committee of the California Rebuilding Fund and on the Expert Panel for oversight of the global fund for the Ministry of Finance of Norway. She is an award-winning teacher of New Venture Finance, Impact Investing, and Sustainable Investing. Adair’s research spans multiple areas of finance: household finance, FinTech, discrimination, climate finance, small business and venture finance, governance, and pension management. Recent work includes papers on algorithmic discrimination, impact investment, and small business fiscal programs. She holds a Ph.D. (finance) from the University of Michigan, two master’s degrees (agricultural economics and statistics) from Purdue University, and a bachelor’s degree from Colgate University.

Charlton Cunningham

Program Manager, Lightship Foundation

Charlton Cunningham serves as the Tulsa Program Manager for Lightship Foundation, an impact-driven organization serving remarkable entrepreneurs & ecosystems through specialized programming, meaningful mentorship, and capital investments. He has close to a decade of experience as a community builder, connecting and supporting stakeholders across the startup ecosystem. Previous to Lightship, his experience included leading programs at HBCUvc, a nonprofit dedicated to training the next generation of investors, entrepreneurs, and innovators, and at Higher Ground Labs, a fund building an ecosystem for progressive political technology.

Christy Dauer

Executive Director, ND Women's Business Center

Christy Dauer, executive director for the North Dakota Women's Business Center, is a results-driven, visionary leader who specializes in business strategy and program development. With over a decade of management experience, she is an excellent relationship builder who equips and motivates team members to achieve success in creating access to critical resources and providing impactful programming to women business owners statewide.

Errol Arkilic

Chief Innovation Officer, University of California, Irvine

Previously, Errol was the founding and lead program director for the National Science Foundation Innovation Corps program (I-Corps).  He led the I-Corps effort from its inception until July 2013.  Prior to this, he was the lead software and services Program Director for the NSF SBIR program.  Before his government service, Errol was founder and CEO of StrataGent Lifesciences (Acquired by Corium International: CORI) and Manager of Product Engineering at Redwood Microsystems.  He has a Ph.D. in Aero/Astro Engineering from MIT.

Jordan Blashek

President & Chief Operating Officer, America's Frontier Fund

Jordan is also the author of the bestselling non-fiction title, Union: A Democrat, a Republican, and a Search for Common Ground. He currently serves on the board of Operation Gratitude, a non-profit organization that serves America’s first responders and military veterans. He was the founding Chairman of the Chief of Staff Association and a Venture Partner at J-Ventures Fund. Jordan graduated with a B.A. from Princeton University, a J.D. from Yale Law School, and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Lindsay Ryan

Interim Executive Director of Economic Development, University System of Maryland

Lindsay Ryan is Interim Executive Director of Economic Development for the University System of Maryland and coordinates among 12 public institutions throughout Maryland to support innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic development throughout the System and State. She is the Board President of the Maryland Business Innovation Association. Previously, she was the Founding Manager of the business incubator Harbor Launch at IMET and the Chair of the Capital Region Chapter of Women In Bio. Lindsay began her career in the National Science Foundation’s innovation programs. She received a B.S. in Bioengineering from the University of Maryland - College Park and an M.S. from the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill studying Marine Microbiology.

Christiana Russell, M.Ed

Partner & Chief Operating Officer, We Tha Plug

"Christiana Russell, M.Ed is the owner of Mendedwing Consulting, LLC an agency that focuses on strategic planning and process management for small business owners and entrepreneurs. Christiana’s early years began in South Central LA, but was later moved by her parents to Tucson, AZ where she earned her BA & M. Ed at University of Arizona & Northern Arizona University.  She spent the next 9 years working in the Mental Health & Prevention Education industries operating as an advocate and servant leader with a mission to combat social justice issues.  Most recently, she has found herself in the tech and innovation space becoming partner with Luis Martinez at We Tha Plug, to build a strong ecosystem that ensures Pan African & Latinx entrepreneurs and startups leverage every opportunity to advance from ideation, pre-seed and series A funding. We believe creating a safe environment that fosters support and empowerment is key to sustaining present and future founders."

Grant Warner, Ph.D.

Director of Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Howard University

Dr. Grant Warner is an established technology entrepreneur. He is the co-founder of ConnectYard, a social analytics platform integrated into leading learning management systems and e-learning platforms. He is also a co-founder of XediaLabs, a DC-based incubation firm that provides training and technical consulting to local startups. Grant leads the HowU Innovate initiative at Howard University. HowU Innovate is an interdisciplinary initiative which provides campus-wide innovation programming, including the Bison Startup and Bison Accelerate courses, in which students are guided through the process of founding technology startups. He also directs the Howard University - Hampton University I-Corps Site which focuses on commercializing university research from HBCUs in the DMV area. Additionally, Grant is a member of the national faculty for the NSF I-Corps program. In that role, he has provided innovation and entrepreneurship training to 100+ teams and companies from across the nation. Grant received a B.S. degree from Cornell University, an M.S. degree from Penn State University, and a Ph.D. from Columbia University all in Mechanical Engineering.

Jamilah Corbitt

Engagement Director, Established

Jamilah Corbitt is the Engagement Director at Established where she works directly with the U.S. Small Business Administration in their efforts to build a thriving equitable innovation ecosystem.

Jason Rathje

Managing Partner/Co-Founder, AFVentures

In his current role at AFVentures, Jason is part of a team that implements novel initiatives to mature and transition “dual-use” technology ventures. Their approach is to build relationships between commercial solution-providers and Air Force problem-owners, and scale successful problem-solution matches. AFVentures is successful if their initiatives accelerate a product-market fit between the companies who are passionate about national security and Air Force users who need their revolutionary technologies. Prior to this, Jason spent three years researching the intersection of entrepreneurship, innovation, and national security in Stanford’s Management Science & Engineering Department, specializing in technology entrepreneurship strategies. Specifically, he studied the effect of government partnerships, both as an investor and customer, on basic research through commercialization. This research heavily influenced his involvement in AFVentures, as well as sparked new research projects on how to more intelligently expand the dual-use economy.

Leen Bnyat

Chief of Staff - Business Development, gener8tor

As an advocate and development specialist, Leen Bnyat is passionate about helping organizations deliver on their outcomes and achieve measurable change in the communities that they serve. As the current Chief of Staff for Business Development at gener8tor, a global venture capital firm and accelerator, Leen oversees fundraising efforts to support new and existing programs that target underrepresented startup founders, jobseekers and creatives. This includes building relationships with public and private funders, community-based organizations, government entities and more. With over eight years of nonprofit experience, Leen also currently serves on several nonprofit boards including the Peace Learning Center of Milwaukee. She also volunteers her time as a grant writer and fundraising specialist for small to medium-sized organizations and businesses. In her free time, Leen is an active podcaster and is in the process of launching her very own BIPOC-focused podcast studio in the heart of Chicago.

Melissa Roberts Chapman

Director, Regional Entrepreneurship, Federation of American Scientists

"Melissa has worked at the nexus of policy, entrepreneurship, innovation, and economic development throughout her career. She identifies as an ecosystem builder and entrepreneur, and is a proud native of Kansas City. Prior to joining FAS, Melissa was a Senior Program Officer at the Kauffman Foundation, where she led a grantmaking team focused on building more inclusive, collaborative, and vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystems in the Heartland. Previously, she held leadership roles in entrepreneurship support organizations, started her own business, led coalition-building efforts, and managed political campaigns."

Shila Nieves Burney

Founder and General Partner, Zane Venture Fund

Shila Nieves Burney, an award-winning project manager, is the Founding and Managing Partner of Zane Venture Fund. Shila spent her 20+ year career advocating for marginalized groups. She has worked closely with leading organizations and exceptional talent to create solutions that address disparities through investment in human capital.

Stephanie Santoso, Ph.D.

Co-Founder & President, MakerUSA

Stephanie is the Co-Founder and President of MakerUSA, which will bring unique talent and capacity to community and technical colleges, as well as rural and minority-serving colleges and universities. The model will place full-time, trained staff at partner “Innovation Sites” to help build student pathways into careers in making and entrepreneurship. As a Senior Program Fellow at Infosys Foundation USA, she supports the Foundation’s maker education portfolio. From 2014-2016, she served as the first Senior Advisor for Making at the White House, where she helped develop President Obama’s Nation of Makers initiative, to broaden access to the Maker Movement.

Beth Zimmer

Program Manager, Ecosystem Building Leadership Network

Beth is helping to shepherd the co-creation of what’s needed to advance the professional field of Entrepreneurship Ecosystem building across the U.S. She currently serves as the Program Manager & one of nine Provisional Council members for the Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Building Leadership Project and Network. Her long-standing commitment, former experiences and networks built by leading her home region’s first ecosystem building efforts and serving as a "Champion" for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation’s ESHIP Summits enable her effectiveness.

Maura Shenker

Thought Leader

"Maura Shenker is a small business and economic development expert, focused on entrepreneurship as a wealth-building tool for traditionally marginalized urban communities. A strategic thinker, adept at creatively connecting talent to resources, she is committed to creating a culture of collaboration and trust. Most recently, Maura was the Director of Temple University’s Small Business Development Center. The SBDC, housed in the Fox School of Business, serves entrepreneurs at any stage of business development, with a mission to help businesses start, grow, and prosper. While at Temple, the SBDC was awarded $1.2M in EDA CARES funding plus a matching $300K from the PA Dept. of Community and Economic Development for a two-year initiative “PA Digital transformation and eCommerce Program” (PADTEP) which assists small business owners throughout PA with website creation, social media, and digital marketing strategy, cyber-security, and digital literacy skill-building. This work was a continuation of CARES funding ($1.16M) to create a Digital Transformation Center of Excellence. Previously she was the vice president at FINANTA, a community-based, mission-driven nonprofit financial institution supporting immigrant and under-served communities with credit-building loans. While at FINANTA, they won the 2016 SBA Raskind Award – Mission Lender of the Year, including an invitation to the White House. As a recognized thought leader in this space, Maura has spoken on panels for the Clinton Foundation and the U.S-EU Trade Council, appeared on TV, radio, and in the press, presented at conferences, written briefs, and met with elected officials at the municipal, state, and federal levels to offer testimony about the power of entrepreneurship for intergenerational wealth-building in immigrant and BIPOC communities. Maura holds an MS in Organization Development and Leadership from Saint Joseph’s University, where she also completed an ICF-certified coaching leadership program. Additionally, she has an MFA from The Ohio State University and a BFA degree from Rhode Island School of Design, both in Glass. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Political Science at Temple University, where her research focuses on the nexus of political and economic participation. She hopes to help dismantle the institutional barriers that discourage entrepreneurship and create programs and policies that can encourage active participation in the legitimate economy and political activism, agency, and advocacy in historically disenfranchised urban communities."

Anna Mason

Managing Partner, Ingeborg Investments

Anna Mason is the Managing Partner for Ingeborg Investments, a venture fund and platform founded by Olivia Walton and focused on investing in women. She previously was a Managing Partner at Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund, where she worked from 2016-2022. While there, Anna helped lead the transformation of Rise of the Rest from a startup-community bus tour initiative to a fund with $300M in AUM and nearly 200 early-stage investments across 75+ cities.

John Williams

Director of Innovation and Technology, Office of Investment and Innovation, U.S. Small Business Administration

Mr. John Williams is Director of Innovation and Technology for the Office of Investment and Innovation (OII) within the US Small Business Administration (SBA). Mr. Williams’ primary responsibility is to serve as senior principal for the Federal policy implementation, and programmatic oversight, of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs across all 11 participating agencies.

Mark Madrid

Associate Administrator, Office of Entrepreneurial Development, U.S. Small Business Administration

"Mr. Madrid has been selected to serve as Associate Administrator for the Office of Entrepreneurial Development (OED) at the U.S. Small Business Administration.  In this role, Mr. Madrid will lead the OED, which is the SBA’s technical assistance arm with a national resource network including Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs), Women’s Business Centers (WBCs), SCORE, and the Office of Entrepreneurship Education. Previously Mr. Madrid served as CEO of Latino Business Action Network, a national 501(c)(3) organization focused on strengthening America through funding and supporting U.S. Latino entrepreneurial research and education-impact programs at Stanford University.  Mr. Madrid was named the 2019 Silicon Valley Nonprofit CEO of the Year by the Silicon Valley Business Journal. He serves on the Board of Trustees for Scholarship America, the leading nonprofit scholarship and educational support organization in the United States.  He is an Honorary Colonel of the United States Army and Jefferson Award recipient."

Amanda Kosty

Program Analyst, Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Ms. Kosty serves as a Management and Program Analyst in the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at U.S. Economic Development Administration, part of U.S. Department of Commerce. In this role she supports national competitions that support entrepreneurial ecosystem development. Ms. Kosty has served as the competition manager for a number of programs including the SPRINT Challenge, and Build to Scale program to help support tech based economic development initiatives. Prior to this role, Ms. Kosty served 5 years as a Project Manager, Workforce and Economic Development at the American Association of Community Colleges in Washington, DC where she oversaw workforce training pilot programs and provided technical assistance in a variety of industries including sustainability education, Industry 4.0, healthcare, IT, solar, etc.

Marc Nager

Partner, Greater Colorado Venture Fund

Partner at Greater Colorado Venture Fund. Former Co-Founder of Startup Weekend and UP Global.

Thyaga Nandagopal

Division Director, National Science Foundation (NSF)

"is the Division Director for the Division of Innovation and Technology Ecosystems (ITE).  Prior to this role, he was the Deputy Division Director (DDD) for the Division of Computing and Communication Foundations (CCF) in the CISE Directorate.  He was a program officer in this directorate from 2012 - 2017, where he managed wireless networking and mobile computing research within the Networking Technologies and Systems (NeTS) program at NSF.  He has been with the Foundation since February 2012. Before joining NSF, Dr. Nandagopal spent 10 years as a Member of the Technical Staff at Bell Labs/Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs. His research interests dealt with networking in the cloud, green networking, and software-defined networks. In this role, he helped pioneer the development of the first commercial carrier-grade software-defined network platform (ALU 9980 AINP) between 2006 and 2008, with industry-leading features such as service-chaining and network function virtualization. He also worked extensively on wireless ad hoc/mesh networks and sensors/RFID systems, with specific focus on algorithms for enabling efficient operations of these systems. Dr. Nandagopal holds 38 US patents and has published numerous papers in highly regarded conferences and journals in the field. He has also served as program chair or co-chair for many technical program committees, and Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Mobile Computing. Dr. Nandagopal is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)."

Jackson Brossy

Assistant Administrator, Office of Native American Affairs, U.S. Small Business Administration

Mr. Brossy serves as the Assistant Administrator for the Office of Native American Affairs, at the U.S. Small Business Administration. Before SBA, Mr. Brossy served as executive director for both the Native CDFI Network, and the Navajo Nation Washington Office. An advocate of access to capital and technical assistance for Native entrepreneurs, Mr. Brossy also serves on the board of Prosperity Now, Change Labs, and the Federal Reserve Bank’s Center for the Indian Country Development Leadership Council. He is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation and attended Stanford University and Harvard University.

Matt McMahon

Director, SEED, NIH

Matt leads the SEED Office (Small business Education and Entrepreneurial Development) in helping to transform cutting-edge technologies into products that improve health and save lives. The SEED team educates and assists NIH-funded innovators as they transition from discovery science to product development. SEED helps academic innovators validate the potential health impacts of their discoveries through a national network of proof-of-concept centers and provides a host of professional advisory services to small business innovators funded by NIH’s $1.2 billion/year SBIR and STTR programs. Matt has a diverse background in academia, small business, congressional policy, and NIH program management. He previously served as the first director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s Office of Translational Alliances and Coordination, and he created and led the National Eye Institute’s Office of Translational Research. His previous experience also includes service as the principal scientist for the bionic eye company Second Sight Medical Products and as a staff member on both the United States Senate and House of Representatives committees responsible for science, technology, and innovation policy. Matthew holds a B.S. in Optical Engineering from the University of Rochester and a M.A and Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from the University of California, San Diego.