New Media

Christian Guirnalda currently manages Seed Stage Programs and Investments for Verizon Ventures. Before joining the team in New York, he was part of the Innovation & Incubation team at Verizon Wireless, co-developing products with startups and running an internal VZW accelerator.

Prior to Verizon Christian worked for Patch/The Huffington Post to create hyperlocal content strategies, at American Express building nextgen digital products, and with IBM’s Strategy and Change group advising Fortune 100 publishers, broadcasters, SmartGrid providers and telecoms.

He was a double major in Computing and Information Technology and Manufacturing Management and Consulting at Carnegie Mellon and received his MBA from the University of Michigan.

Jessica Peltz is the Investment Director at kbs+ Venturesfocusing on sourcing deal flow and making investment recommendations for early stage tech startups looking to transform the media and advertising industry. She is a frequent speaker within the NYC startup communityand specializes in helping connect marketers with emerging technology. Jessica’s cutting edge collaborations were often featured in the trades such as MashableAdageMobile Marketerand Mediapost. Jessica has a BA from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Businesswith a double concentration in Marketing and International Relations.

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Karena joined NBCUniversal in 2013 and is currently Senior Vice President, Corporate Partnerships & Investments in Digital Enterprises.  In this role, she oversees NBCU’s relationship with digital platforms such as Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon, and leads the company’s efforts in emerging categories such as voice, VR, AR and connected car.  Previously, Karena was the Vice President of Strategy & Operations at Viacom where she ran the Music Group’s (MTV, VH1, CMT & LOGO) digital movie business, and led the launch of the Group’s first digital studio (MTV Other) and TVE app platform (iOS, Android & Xbox).  Prior to moving into an operations role, she oversaw strategic and large-scale growth initiatives as part of MTVNetworks Corporate Strategy team.

Karena is a graduate of Northwestern University with a bachelor of arts in Economics and received her MBA from Harvard Business School.

Andrew Asnes is an entrepreneur, advisor and production executive with broad experience in live entertainment and digital technology. His companies focus on live event production (primarily Broadway, Off-Broadway and Touring Productions), VR, AR and 360-degree video production. In addition, he runs the VR/AR Invest Meetup which fosters an environment for startups and investors in the VR/AR ecosystem to connect, inspire and propel innovation.

Andrew graduated from Dartmouth College with a B.A. in Film Studies and received his M.B.A. in Finance, Management, and Marketing.

Amy Chen develops and leads innovation programs focusing on emerging technologies. She connects industry executives with university faculty and students to experiment, prototype and launch startups with technologies like extended reality (XR), artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), natural language processing (NLP), Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain and 5G wireless. The multi-year sponsorships and partnerships that she leads relate to tangible outcomes: technology adoption, startup formation, job creation, and hiring.

At NYC Media Lab, Amy funds and supports early-stage entrepreneurs who are building scalable ventures. She manages the Combine accelerator program which has a track record of employing the lean startup methodology for finding product-market fit.

Alexa is a strategic marketer with 5 years of experience vetting early-stage startups and managing client relations with Fortune 500 brands. She has a passion for creating connections between people and businesses and is very well-immersed in the NYC tech scene.

Alexa is now a VP at Grey Group. Grey ranks among the world's top advertising and marketing organizations, serving one-fifth of the FORTUNE 500, in 96 countries.

Formerly CEO of a French advertising agency for 17 years, Emmanuel has been a fine observer of the relations between media and advertisers. He now is the CEO of Adwanted, the first multi-channel advertising platform.

Douglas is Co-founder of Loup Ventures, an early stage venture fund investing in artificial intelligence, robotics, virtual reality, and augmented reality, Doug brings his developed understanding of what successful startups look and feel like along with his vision for the future. He previously spent eight years at Piper Jaffray.

Stella serves as Senior Executive at one of the largest media groups in the world and has helped win several new businesses and new global clients for MDC’s client portfolio. Stella is a subject matter expert on the role of Digital Media in Advertising, Digital Operations and the future of the Internet.

She has experience working in global operations and business technology integration issues and has worked extensively with companies such as E*Trade and Fox to engage in a more data and technology-driven marketing approach. Stella is now based in NYC and as a self-identified polymath is exploring among other things the future of media through technological innovation.

Matthew handles a wide array of corporate matters, including private equity and venture capital transactions, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance issues. In addition to his extensive experience with emerging and growth stage technology companies, he has also represented industry leaders in fields including life sciences and medical device companies, sports brands, fashion and retail companies, and chemical manufacturers and suppliers.

Joshua Ness is an Open Innovation Manager with Verizon in New York City. He is also co-founder at StrategyHack and co-director for the NYC chapter of Startup Grind, a global community of entrepreneurs.

He teaches enterprise teams how to drive intrapreneurship and collaborate with startups to create new markets for growth. He also works to educate, inspire, and connect people as a mentor and educator on topics like networking, corporate innovation, and growth.

After graduating from The Wharton School, Kristy has had a lot of experience in marketing and strategy. Her industry experience includes consumer products (CPG), healthcare, telecommunications, media, pharmaceuticals, mobile and social gaming, online publishing, and startups.

Kristy also consults at Compass Pro Bono. She received her B.S. in Economics and Biological Basis of Behavior from The University of Pennsylvania and her M.B.A. from The Wharton School.

Thalia Mavros is the architect of rapidly ascending digital platform The Front, a new media proposition showcasing female voices in documentary film and entertainment around the world. Creative director, filmmaker and former Executive Creative Director at VICE Media, Thalia has spent her career breaking conventions. And now, with The Front, she’s expanding the dialogue to highlight a variety of work by leading women’s creatives. The Front’s message is “By women, for the world.”

Thalia began her career with VICE 10 years ago when the founders decided to expand beyond publishing into online video and branded content, creating the youth media empire the world knows today. Her role extended across disciplines and all VICE properties—VIRTUE (the creative agency), VICE, Motherboard (tech & science), Noisey (music), thump (electronic music), Fightland (MMA), VICE on HBO, Munchies (Food) and i-D (fashion) channels, and she led the inception, development and execution of the award-winning joint venture with Intel, The Creators Project, in its first years of its life.

Today, alongside The Front, she is also a sought after creative and strategic consultant for brands and other media companies.

Partner at Greycroft, an early stage venture capital fund in NYC and LA.

Greycroft invests in internet and mobile startups across the digital ecosystem in both B2C and B2B. Previously spent time at Cisco and in several early stage technology investing roles. Began career in growth equity investing at Summit Partners.

Specialties: Mergers and acquisitions, early stage technology venture capital, digital media, strategy, ecommerce, SaaS, retail technology, business development, entrepreneurial finance

Nora graduated from Yale University with a degree in history and completed an MBA program at Harvard. She has a lot of knowledge about social media, but she has excellent skills in teaching and also has excellent writing skills. She is currently working on Corporate Investments and Partnerships at NBCUniversal Media.

Result oriented executive with strong strategy, finance, and operations background, proven track record and the ability to get things done in both private and public technology companies.

Passionate leader with strong communication skills and extensive experience leading multinational organizations through Growth, Mergers & Acquisitions, Business Integration, Turnarounds and other structural changes.
Creative and driven with experience executing strategic initiatives, delivering bottom-line results and transforming them into shareholder value.

Michelle is an Associate at Indicator Ventures, an early-stage venture fund focused on opportunities across the digital landscape. She is also the founder of Deaverage.org a platform that aims to increase access to the outdoors through sales of whimsical t-shirts that raise money for non-profits and through a blog that demystifies long-distance backpacking.

Prior to working at Indicator Ventures, she worked as a Management Consultant at AT Kearney for 4 years. Michelle received her Bachelor's degree in Environmental Studies and Bachelor's in Environmental Economics & Policy from University of California, Berkeley.

Sarah joined Carat Australia in 2011 as a strategist, working on a truly, dream client base, including Disney Theatrical (Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar), Disney Parks and Resorts, Nintendo, Adidas, and Mattel, launching movies The Avengers, Frozen and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Sarah was identified as a 'Formidable Femme' in Campaign Asia's 20 Women to Watch 2015, after becoming the youngest member of Carat Melbourne’s agency’s senior management team, and was asked to found the Innovation Dept. in Australia where she focused on delivering technology and trends insights to our Australian agency teams and clients.

Urs is the Managing Partner of BDMI. He is also a founding member who joined BDMI as Chief Financial Officer in 2006 from the Corporate Controlling and Strategy group at Bertelsmann where he was “chief of staff” to the CEO and worked on strategic projects for all of the media company’s divisions including TV, radio, music, books, magazines and services. Urs has led investments in CrowdTwist, Mojiva (acquired by Pubmatic), Skimlinks, StyleHaul (acquired by RTL) and Zergnet. He is actively pursuing new investments in online video and next-generation publishing. Urs speaks at digital media conferences around the globe and is an active supporter of the arts and various philanthropic organizations. Urs was a Ph.D. Candidate at the Handelshochschule Leipzig and holds a Dlpl.Kfm degree in finance and strategy from the HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management. He also earned an M.B.A. in finance from Tulane University. Urs was named a 2014 Power Player in Digital Media by AlwaysOn and was on the Global Corporate Venturing Powerlist in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Urs is a weekend biker, a lifelong gamer and a self-proclaimed computer nerd who can bust out any motherboard, fire up a soldering iron and crank it up to 11.

Lazare Consulting is a boutique strategic advisory firm dedicated to helping communication companies, technology companies and companies in other sectors define their growth strategy, transform their business, improve their performance and expand internationally. We also advise companies on M&A transactions and access to capital.

In addition to Coste's extensive operational management and strategic finance experience, Coste possesses a comprehensive international expertise in markets as varied as Brazil, China, Germany, India, Japan, the UK, and the US.

Michael, a NYC-based technologist, is the CEO of DeathlessVR/Jump Into The Light, focusing on making virtual reality a reality. He has great JavaScript, User Experience, and Social Media skills.

Josh Rochlin was an early pioneer in the New York Internet venture community, founding MyCalendar.com and serving as its CEO before selling it to Sports Huddle in 2001 (now owned by CBS).

Josh then led business development and strategy at GoAmerica (GOAM), the first wireless internet service provider (now Purple Communications). Prior to IBM's acquisition of Teckst (formerly Xtify), Josh served as its founding CEO. Prior to joining Teckst, Josh served as the Chief Administrative Officer at Marc Ecko Enterprises, where he oversaw all non-apparel businesses and ventures.

Ethan is a master in Quantitative Financial and Risk Analytics (QFRA). And he has experienced in venture capital, financial analysis, and non-profit project management. Also, he is an intensive researcher, a techie, and a problem solver who is deeply involved in the startup ecosystem.
Additionally, he has experienced in deal sourcing and due diligence activities, market research authoring, financial modeling, valuation analysis, and business development.

Michael oversees and leads the mobile strategy across Carat US and is tasked to equip the agency with the knowledge and tools to plan for the mobile world. He is also responsible in helping drive the innovation practice throughout the organization as a member of the Catalyst team - a multi-disciplined group of strategy, content, creative, and technology specialists. His experience in product development has led to innovative client solutions and new revenue streams for the agency.
He is utilized as a common asset and has worked on brands such as Macy's, The Home Depot, Staples, Diageo, Perfetti Van Melle, Proctor&Gamble, Burberry, Reebok, Mondelez, General Motors, and others.
Michael began his career at PHD, where his clients included many Discovery Communications networks. His work has been featured in AdWeek, eMarketer, Mobile Marketer, and a number of other ad and media trade publications.

Experienced leader, strategist, and problem solver with over eight years of experience working in the intersection of social impact, economic development, and public private partnerships. Collaborative, results driven, and well versed in leading high performing cross functional teams.

Masters degree in public policy and management from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. Undergraduate degree in philosophy from Haverford College. Fluent in Spanish and Japanese.

Specialties & Skills: Public policy, community and economic development, strategy, human centered design, social impact, quantitative and qualitative analysis, international development. Program design and management, program monitoring and evaluation, organizational management, client relationship management, stakeholder management, project and partnership implementation.

Teddy focuses on opportunities in consumer and software. He has helped lead Greycroft’s investments in Hubble, Candid Co, Fig, and Hollar.

Prior to joining Greycroft, Teddy was a Product Manager at eBay. Teddy was responsible for the product strategy, day-to-day execution, and a/b testing for the eBay homepage across all devices. Prior to the homepage, Teddy worked on eBay’s Geographic Expansion Team, launching and growing eBay in Russia, China, Brazil, and Mexico.

Teddy holds a B.A. from Wesleyan University in Political Science. He was also a 4 year starter on the Wesleyan Men’s Varsity Lacrosse Team. Teddy is a member of the Shining Hope For Communities (SHOFCO) leadership board, a non-profit organization that combats gender inequality and extreme poverty in urban slums in Kenya.

Based in the New York office, Weston’s responsibilities include evaluating investment opportunities, sourcing new deals, and supporting existing portfolio companies.

Prior to joining Greycroft, Weston worked as a management consultant for Deloitte Consulting’s Strategy & Operations practice, where he advised clients in media, telecom, healthcare, and financial services. In addition, he previously spent time in sales & marketing at InsightSquared, a business analytics SaaS startup.

Weston attended the University of Virginia as a Jefferson Scholar. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. in Political & Social Thought, and wrote a thesis on startup hubs and the characteristics of entrepreneurial ecosystems that facilitate innovation. Weston remains an active supporter of the UVA startup community, leading alumni engagement efforts in New York City. Weston was also a member of the US Youth Fly Fishing Team, and remains actively involved with Project Healing Waters, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the rehabilitation of disable military veterans through fly fishing.

Julian is an analyst at Lerer Hippeau Ventures. At LHV Julian is responsible for deal sourcingdeal execution and portfolio support. Julian is also an avid entrepreneurstarting multiple businesses throughout his high school and collegiate career. Most recentlyJulian began developing mobile applications and released his first app in Apple's App Store in July. Julian is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin."

Heather has strong expertise in content strategy and Acquisition that she developed during her time at CBS, Verizon and throughout her life. 
Heather is currently working cross-functionally across Verizon’s business team in product, operations NBA innovation and marketing to drive content implementation and general strategy. 

A lifelong learner, I'm passionate about creating systems&processes that make learning more effective, impactful and easier. I am lucky that I get to do that every day with our company, Aquinas. Working with rockstars in technology, learning science, and psychology, I have the privilege of seeing our team innovate solutions that address real needs in the corporate learning market.
I believe immersive technologies like Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality will change the way we experience new ideas and revolutionize learning. At the same time, new means of connecting workers to learning make learning reinforcement a powerful tool for training and workforce development. Advances in AI mean personalization of learning is poised to take entirely new directions.

D.J. Smith is the Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer at The Glimpse Group. The Glimpse Group is a holding company for a portfolio of startups focused on the virtual and augmented reality industries.  At Glimpse, D.J.’s responsibilities include overseeing the production of all VR and AR content as well leading the effort to locate new subsidiary companies.  In addition, D.J. is co-organizer of The New York Virtual Reality which is currently the 2nd largest VR meetup in the world with 4500 members.

Samantha G. Wolfe is an innovative strategist with a passion for Virtual and Augmented Reality. Sam works with VR and AR companies to strengthen their brand positioning and establish targeted marketing strategies to accelerate company growth. Always on top of the most innovative immersive media trends, she also partners with agencies and brands to make the never-been-done-before a reality.

Sam started her career in television. Sam has managed B2C and B2B Marketing and Branding campaigns for Showtime Networks, Food Network, Cooking Channel, TV Guide, Rovi (now TiVo), and RLTV. Her team's branding and marketing efforts have been recognized with a North American Effie Award and a European Transform Award.

Brock joined Scout Ventures in 2017. As an Associate he focuses on early-stage investments in frontier technologies and software companies.
Prior to joining Scout, he worked in PricewaterhouseCoopers' Corporate Finance division advising startups pursing growth stage investments within the consumer, fintech and digital sectors.
Brock graduated from Boston College in 2015 prior to joining Lazard as an investment banking analyst where he worked on mergers and acquisitions in the consumer space.

Having gained her skills by participating in many clubs and institutes, Bridget started her career in 2010 and has been around for nearly nine years. NBCUniversal Media, where she currently works, is an Internet-based leader, where she is a program specialist. In addition to social media, he has many skills and knowledge, and is currently a co-chair of STF.

Published stories in Fast Company, Forbes, Forbes.com, Wired, TechCrunch, the Economist, the New York Times, Washington Post, and Mother Jones, among others. Wrote a weekly media column for Wired News and covered technology for Slate. Currently a contributing writer to Fast Company magazine and He also writes columns for fastcompany.com. Tragic Indifference: One Man's Battle With the Auto Industry Over the Dangers of SUVs (HarperBusiness, 2003) was optioned for the movies while a chapter of Spooked: Espionage in Corporate America (Perseus, 2000) was excerpted in The Sunday New York Times Magazine. Latest book is Viral Loop: From Facebook to Twitter, How Today's Smartest Businesses Grow Themselves, which was excerpted in five publications including Fast Company, Wired UK and the Financial Times, and published in the U.S., U.K., Brazil, Japan, Korea and soon coming out in China. Garnered national attention in 1998 for unmasking serial fabricator Stephen Glass of The New Republic, which was a watershed for online journalism and portrayed in the film "Shattered Glass" (Steve Zahn plays Adam Penenberg).

Stuart is an SVP for Hero Digital, a customer experience company. They combine strategy, design, engineering, and analytics in our delivery of multi-channel customer experiences for brands. From the beginning of the customer’s journey to the purchase process and post-purchase support, they help the world’s best brands keep their customers engaged.

Stuart began his career as an investment banker advising companies on M&A and capital raising, closing over $2B in financing for his clients. Since his investment banking days, Stuart has founded a venture-backed startup, been a strategic advisor, and sat on boards of companies in the digital media and advertising/marketing technology space. He is primarily focused on helping companies pursue massive growth in the digital age.

Jessica Lauretti is an artist, entrepreneur and thought leader based in New York City. She has a diverse background working at the intersection of art, politics and culture and has expertise in immersive tech, social impact and new media. She has been featured on most major broadcast and digital media outlets as well as honored with several awards and nominations.

Her professional career spans the bleeding edge of the startup media & tech world from a global executive role at immersive tech startup RYOT to a development role at social impact startup Purpose and a production role at new media disruptor VICE. She is currently Founder & Principal at LAURELS, a consulting practice that works with CEOs and startups. She is an award-winning Creative Director and Executive Producer who has spoken at keynote events around the world and serves on the Advisory Council of Google News Lab's Journalism 360 Program.

Strategic and Innovations leader with over 20 years experience working in digital marketing, integrated media, creative brand advertising, and emerging technology. As a Virtual & Mixed/Augmented Reality evangelist, Rori advises companies on strategy and marketing opportunities for brand and business transformation.

Prior to Accenture Interactive, Rori was Global Head of Digital Strategy, EVP at Havas Media Group, where she led and managed strategic planning worldwide, with a focus on digitally integrated marketing communications and innovation. Previous, Rori was Partner, Director of Digital Strategy at Ogilvy, where she focused on developing digital marketing strategies for clients such as IBM, Kodak, Unilever, Nestle, REMY Cointreau, and Wyeth as well as others within the tech, CPG, health, retail & media industries.

Rori holds an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business and a BA from the University of Pennsylvania. She is regular public speaker, contributing writer for Ad Age, Guardian, Campaign US, Media Post; a jury member for Cannes Lions, 4As Jay Chiat, Festival of Media, M&M Global, Webby’s, Kinsale Sharks and Art Directors Club.

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.

Alberto Pepe is the founder of Authorea which is the place to write scientificacademicand technical documents in collaboration. He graduated from the University of CaliforniaLos Angeles with a doctorate degree and majored in Information and Data Science."

Ben is the President of Digital Communications at West Corporation. They are dedicated to delivering and improving upon new channels, new capabilities and new choices for how businesses and consumers collaborate, connect and transact. They operate at the scale and speed necessary to capitalize on the promise of emerging technologies and the advantages they will provide.

Prior, Ben was the host for HealthTech Talk Live, which broadcasts live weekly on iHeart Radio/Clear Channel nationwide. He would interview front-page emerging health tech innovators and titans about the latest in digital health technology, human ingenuity, biotech medical advancements and health tech capital market trends.

Brendan joined BDMI from Needham & Company where he was responsible for providing M&A and capital raising advisory services to early-stage technology companies, particularly in digital media and software. His previous work experience includes M&A advisory at BDO Capital Partners and social impact investing at the Overseas Private Investment Corporation. Brendan holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Finance from the College of William & Mary. During the few hours a week that Brendan is not chasing new deals, he likes to kick back with his guitar or catch the latest Premier League soccer action.