About

Elisa Zhang is a sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania, studying finance and business analytics at the Wharton School. She joined Venture Out in June 2021 as a Business Development Intern.

On-campus, she is actively working in two consulting organizations in the areas of marketing and business growth. Furthermore, she has had past experience working in a startup incubator and is excited to dive further into the startup ecosystem and learn more about accelerators and investments.

India joined VentureOut in May 2021 as a Research and Growth Analyst. She is a junior at Columbia University studying History and English Literature.

Prior to VentureOut, India has worked at startups and larger companies in marketing and accounting. She loves the startup environment and is eager to learn more about the business, investment, and operational side of both accelerators and startups. Hailing from London, England she hopes she can bring her international mindset and enthusiasm to the VentureOut team.

James joined VentureOut in June 2021 as our Chief of Staff. He recently graduated from Brown University with a degree in Economics. During his time at school, he interned at multiple startups concentrating in business development and consulting while also volunteering as a mentor for elementary school children. He is excited to get to work in New York City and to dive further into the startup network.

Julie le Blanc Duvergé is a current Advisor to VentureOut and the Managing Director for Europe. A seasoned startup executive having helped a number of foreign startups to launch and build their brand in the U.S. market, Julie joined the VentureOut team in April 2017 and is responsible for guiding branding, communication, and partner and sponsor relationships. She has been based in France since January 2018.

Prior to VentureOut, Julie spent 10 years working in sales, marketing, and business development roles for tech companies in 4 different countries across 3 continents. A French citizen, Julie earned her Master’s of Management from ESCP Europe where she studied Marketing.

Sam is the Director of Growth 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.

Brett Brody is the Director of Business Development at VentureOut and an advisor to a number of top startups in NYC. Brett was the first employee of VentureOut, joining the team in 2013, and enabled a lot of the growth and success they have seen in the past 3 years. As the Director of Business Development, Brett 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, Brett’s career covered consulting, finance, and sales working at PetCareRx, Kyriba and Sterling AMG. Brett earned a Bachelor's of Science in Management at Tulane University where he studied finance and music.

Alexandra Frumberg is the CMO of VentureOut and  Creative Director & Founder of ALX Creatives - a full-service, strategically-driven creative digital agency. Fueled by opportunity, creativity, community, and coffee, she has spent over a decade helping companies find their voice and build their brand from the ground up.

Alexandra uses her knowledge of working with a team of talented specialists to bring to brands an integrated, holistic approach. By empowering our clients to find their own vision, she helps their big ideas become one powerful story across multiple platforms.

Before founding ALX, Alexandra was the Creative Director at Elite Brand's byways of a successful career in fashion and editorial photography. The agency is headquartered in New York City and recently expanded to Chicago

Lisa Stapleton joined the VentureOut team in January 2020 and is now the acting Marketing Manager. Prior to VentureOut, Lisa worked in a range of industries from fashion to hospitality, and entrepreneurship.

Growing up in Silicon Valley culture, Lisa is particularly interested in incubators and accelerators. Eventually, she wants to start her own company and go on to be a Venture Capitalist. When she’s not working, she’s writing music and playing piano, guitar, or singing. Lisa is originally from Austin, Texas but plans to stay in New York indefinitely as she’s in love with the hustle culture here.

Nick joined VentureOut in July 2020 as a Growth Analyst. He is currently in his final year at Lafayette College where he is pursuing a double major in Economics and Government and Law. Nick has previous experience in the startup world after co-founding startup Roomie Rentals, where he wore many hats in helping grow the business and continues to be an active member of the Roomie team. His interest in the greater startup ecosystem lies in analyzing how sociopolitical events impact investing practices of VCs and more generally how they help startups create value and grow. Nick is looking to leverage his experience at VentureOut to further break into the financial services industry.