Joy is an experienced founder, investment evaluator, and advisor to high growth innovative companies across sectors seeking to scale sustainably. She advises on partnerships, business modeling, go to market strategy, operations, and financial modeling. Joy has advised dozens of companies across geographies from M&A and strategic planning to process improvement and supply chain management.

Joy is an active advisor across accelerators and university startup communities including VentureOut, Techstars, I2F CyberNYC, Cal Hacks, and Columbia University’s Entrepreneurship Design Studio.  Joy is an alumna of Columbia Business School, The London School of Economics, and UC Berkeley.

Sam is the Director of Business Development at VentureOut. As a seasoned business operator in and out of the startup ecosystem, Sam brings over 10 years of experience and legal background to the team. In his role at VentureOut, Sam is responsible for developing the pipeline of upcoming programs, sponsor and partner outreach, and overseeing the entire startup application, interview, and selection process. Prior to VentureOut, Sam has counseled founders and various companies on a wide range of issues including strategy, investor relations, incorporation, and intellectual property rights. He also ran Operations for several years at a regional automotive parts distributor with a wide range of responsibilities from sales, developing an eCommerce platform, and logistics. Sam received his BA from Colgate University and his JD from the GGU School of Law.

A strategic thinker, hands-on doer and strong believer in human-centric, design-led methods of developing products, services, processes, businesses. A drive for innovation and development mixed with a strong analytic mindset, an ability to solve complex problems and to get things done. Multilingual and international professional background with 10+ years of experience in tech, service design, business development, consulting, research and academia. Passion for new tech and startups overall, but particularly for those catalyzing positive societal change and impact.

Founder Coach specializing in Seed to product-market-fit.
Serial Entrepreneur with mobile ecommerce focus - UX/UI visionary.

Andrew is a recovering consultant turned serial entrepreneur startup mentor and angel investor.  The Managing Director for DreamIt’s New York program, Andrew is also a contributing writer to AlleyWatch.com. In a previous life, Andrew led Bunk1.com as COO/Head of Product where he built it from scratch to the leading provider of web services to the summer camp industry.  In 2008, Andrew moved on to manage a family office where he was responsible for both incubating new ventures and for managing over $50M of alternative assets including hedge, private equity, and venture capital funds.

Simon is the Founder of CIV LAB, a non-profit dedicated to scaling solutions for cities globally. He is a Strategic Advisor to the US Department of Commerce and the International Trade Administration on Smart Cities. Now in his third year, Simon teaches 'Global Entrepreneurship', a class he created, at NYU's Center for Global Affairs.

In 2014, Simon founded Urban Data NYC, NYC’s largest smart city Meetup (+1,300 members) and in 2016 co-founded Smart Cities NYC, North America's largest Smart City conference. In 2015, he served on the founding group of the United Nation’s Digital Technologies for Sustainable Urbanization Network. Simon holds an MS in Global Affairs from NYU where he was the O'Mara Energy Fellow, an MSc in International Business Economics from the Westminster Business School and a BS in Economics and Philosophy from the University of Sussex both in the UK.

Eric Wollberg is the Business Development at Gnowbe

Prior to Gnowbe, Eric was Director of Business Development at VentureOut, Eric sourced the world-class startups that populate our programs. Additionally, he helped develop and run our accelerators, so that our participants have a flawless and fruitful experience.

Eric was also an Israel Government Fellow, working at the Israel Innovation Authority. There he helped bring companies totaling $1.5 trillion in market capitalization to engage with Israeli startups. Eric studied innovation economics at Sogang University and graduated with a degree in economics from New York State’s Public Honors College at Geneseo.

Lisa is the Founder and CEO of AccentC3. At AccentC3 the accent is on communication with their desired audience, clarity in their speech, and confidence communicating in a new cultural landscape. They have worked with people in several industries, from technology to finance, "big law" and healthcare. They also work with a global clientele from countries such as Brazil, Russia, China, France, and Italy.

Lisa also has a lot of experience in this field. She graduated from The University of Cambridge with an ESOL Certificate in English Teaching to Adults. Lisa has been a Speech and Language Pathologist for many companies, even as an independent consultant.

Brett joined the VentureOut team in January 2014 as the Director of Business Development responsible for developing the pipeline of programs sponsor and partner outreach and startup due diligence. Prior to VentureOutBrett spent time in consulting, finance, and sales within a number of startups and small institutions. While not at work you can find him playing guitar, checking out local music or cheering on his beloved Knicks. He earned his Bachelor's of Science in Management at Tulane University where he studied Finance and Music and is proud to call New Orleans a second home.

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Outcome oriented leader with broad experience in design, urbantech, mobility, and clean energy. Love for early stage venturing, Lean Startup, and big company business model innovation. Direct experience with utilities, government agencies, Fortune 500 companies, educational institutions and investors. Interested in intersection of real estate, mobility and the grid. Proven track record of success working with regulators and innovative large companies providing solutions for climate/energy issues. Nationally recognized thought leader with deep relationships across multiple mobility, urbantech and energy-related sectors; Strong track record of delivering customers, managing change and driving new business; Part of core faculty selected by National Science Foundation and facilitator of I-Corps team training.

Gianluca manages the International Affairs desk at NYCEDC supporting the agency’s economic development strategy and industries initiatives by engaging the international community in order to attract foreign direct investmentshelp NYC businesses access foreign markets and establish international partnerships to exchange best practices. Among the initiatives managed by Gianlucathe World to NYC program connects the most innovative business entrants from around the world with investorsincubatorspartners and city agencies in NYCthe NYC Next Idea business plan competition encourages foreign students and graduates to develop business plans for NYC. An entrepreneur and a consultantprior to joining NYCEDC Gianluca was providing strategic advice to SMEs entering the US and foreign cities on branding and attracting investments and best practices. He has 16 years of experience in investment management10 in advising SMEs and prior experience with the EU. Gianluca holds an MA in International Economics from Yale University and a BA/MA in EconomicsBusiness and Law from Bocconi University in Milan."

Robinson is the Executive Director of the Urban Tech at the Hub at Company--a multi tenant tech campus in NYC. His background is filled with urban planning experiences and formal education. Over the past twenty years, Robinson has been working in and around urban development taking part in projects involving everything from building regulation to small business advancement, and most recently  to urban tech.

A business savvy Urbantech expert, Sander has spent the past ten years working toward a better New York City. Currently he serves as the Vice President of the New York City Economic Development Corporation where he works to identify emerging sectors and to promote innovation. Future oriented, he seeks to transform existing systems into sustainable ones while also identifying innovative solutions. With an eye for economic trends and a passion for sustainable development, Sander offers invaluable insight on the realm of smart cities and urban planning.

Paul Wigdor currently serves as Managing Partner at Ascendant Advisors, a Registered Investment Advisor based in Houston, Texas. Paul was a Founding Shareholder in Ascendant when the Company was formed in 2009 and joined the Firm as a Partner in 2011 to launch the Firm’s Mutual Fund Business. Under Paul’s direction, Ascendant has launched four mutual funds and will be launching a fifth in May, 2015. Prior to his work with Ascendant, Paul spent 15 years on the buy side and the sell side in a variety of capacities including legal and compliance, equity trading, wealth management and asset management. In addition to his financial services work experience, Paul is a seasoned entrepreneur and has been an active angel investor, advisor and board member to many young companies in a variety of industries including financial services, technology, restaurants, real estate, and luxury goods.

Luke is an investor and advisor for early stage ventures, PE and corporate media clients. Luke was formerly the market lead for McKinsey’s Fast Growth Tech practice serving consumer clients on a variety of growth and operational strategies. As an Engagement Manager he has experience leading digital strategy and transformation projects for consumer finance, media and telecom clients.

Prior to McKinsey, Luke ran the digital media division of a Hollywood literary agency, consulting on digital video content, organization and advertising strategy for publishers and television networks in addition to representing IP for film/TV. Luke is a Feldberg Fellow of Columbia Business School and a Scholar of Merton College, Oxford.

Anna Kotyza is the Content Director at VentureOut, creating content for VentureOut programs. Holding a strong background in storytelling, film-making, virtual reality, business development, strategy, research, video editing, content creation, and media.
Prior to VentureOut, Anna studied visual and media art production at Emerson University. And currently studying arts, business, technology and innovation in New York University.

Meirav is a co-founder at Versatile, a tech company offering AI driven solutions to construction site problems.  Over the years, she has founded and served as CEO of multiple companies. She is a leader in business and construction tech, and is working to create tools that allow companies to execute construction projects faster, safer, and more efficiently. Her experiences are varied, international, and straddle multiple sectors. She offers a wealth of expertise on the ins and outs of running a new business as well as the nitty gritty details of construction. Combined, her knowledge is a treasure trove for Urbantech discussion.

As a business lawyer, Joseph represents startups to publicly-held technology, life science and consumer companies, venture capital and private equity funds and investment banks in a wide range of seed and venture financings, mergers and acquisitions, IPOs and other public offerings. Joseph has represented issuers and underwriters in dozens of IPOs and follow-on public offerings involving companies in the technology, life sciences and consumer sectors, including leading investment banks such as Credit Suisse, Morgan Stanley, and Oppenheimer.

He is currently a partner and Co-Chair of the Venture Capital & Emerging Companies Practice of McCarter, a 400+ lawyer U.S. law firm with a global practice.

Bob Jacobson is a principal at RSM US LLP (RSM) and serves as chairman of the RSM US Board of Directors. He leads the firm’s consulting practice in the West region, which includes risk, technology and financial advisory services.

Jacobson joined RSM in 2002 and has held various leadership positions, including national consulting managing director, national risk advisory service line leader and leader of the upper Midwest risk advisory consulting practice.

He has deep experience serving clients of various sizes and industries, with enterprise risk and compliance services, including providing project management services for complex Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX), internal audit and governance-related activities.

Jacobson also specializes in business valuation, fraud investigation, litigation support, readiness for initial public offering (IPO), and process improvement consulting. He is a frequent speaker and published author.

Sam Newbold has been supporting VentureOut companies to secure US visas since 2013. He is experienced in a wide range of employment based, family based, and investment based immigration issues, working closely with the global startup and tech communities, representing cutting edge companies and talented individuals who comprise New York’s rapidly growing Silicon Alley.

Mr. Newbold also works closely with foreign investors seeking nonimmigrant or immigrant status through EB5 or E-2 investments, and he is also experienced in helping foreign business owners receive L visa status through establishing New Offices in the United States.

Alice started her career in the AEC industry with DPR Construction in the San Francisco Bay Area building UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford. She led the Bay Area Skunkworks group and implemented various construction technologies on project sites. In April 2016, Alice relocated to Singapore to help start up the Southeast Asia HQ for DPR Construction as the resident BIM/VDC and construction technology expert and worked on data center projects. After realizing the slow pace of digitization in the construction industry, Alice joined the Brick & Mortar Ventures team to work with startups that want to disrupt the way we design, construct and maintain the built world.

Shilpi is a member of the investment and portfolio support team. She specializes in new product market research and product strategy for early-stage companies, with experience as both a consultant and early employee. She previously led go-to-market and early sales efforts at Filament, a startup focused on deploying secure wireless networks for connected physical assets. She has also worked directly with manufacturing, construction, and shipping/logistics.
Shilpi has a background as an investor, focused on hardware, industrial IoT, and robotics. Before Urban Us, she worked with VTF, First Round Capital, and Village Global.

Alexander Gredysa is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Bridgewater Environmental. His schooling and work experience in finance, technology and entrepreneurship have positioned him as a thought-leader and industry expert featured by the Wall Street Journal, Real Estate Weekly, BizNow, Million Dollar Listing, The Real Deal, Siggraph, Stohler Report, CIO Review Magazine, BGW Strategy, and various Startup Leadership Programs