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.

Marcos Dinnerstein is Executive Council Member at NYVC

After being an editor at Digital.com, Marcos is now an Executive Council Member at New York Venture Council, with experience at establishing processes and continually improving them. He is an effective Product Management team member, possessing a ‘Figure it out and get it done’ attitude. New York Venture Council members are leading NYC-area venture capitalists, family offices, angels, entrepreneurs, universities, media and professional advisors, all dedicated to increasing deal flow and ecosystem cooperation in the world's financial capital.

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.

Paul founded Graphite Financial, as an internal service for (nearly 50%) of Venture Capital’s ("ffVC") portfolio of early-stage technology companies since 2008. In 2016, while continuing to serve ffVC's portfolio, Paul oversaw Graphite Financial's transition to operating as an independent company to serve the broader startup community.

He is an expert in helping startups and other young ventures with strategy, financial modeling, fully outsourced or augmented bookkeeping & accounting, tax, compliance and interim CFO work.

Ivy is the Founder and CEO of IvyTL, with a goal to: identify, build, and set-up key tracking analytics and KPIs for publically-traded companies in Hong Kong; draft, refined and finalized public park experiences with New York City Housing Authority and partners; design branding, digital and traditional assets, including website and newspaper ads, for Brooklyn’s largest tutoring center; and establish brand guidelines, advertisements, and value proposition for Bay Ridge’s first dual-language preschool.

After graduating from Pace University, Ivy has a lot of experience, working at IPG, Gap, and Ladder.io. Ivy also takes part in a lot of service work.

Jake Dunlap is a top-level sales executive and entrepreneur with 12 years of experience, working with global 2000 and start-up companies, and specializing in talent acquisition, brand marketing, decision-making, operations, and sales processes. In 2013, he founded Skaled, a revenue-innovation firm focused on replicable ways to generate new customers for growing companies, as well as innovating sales process for established organizations. Previous to Skaled, Jake served as Head of Sales & Customer Success for Chartbeat, Vice President of Sales at Glassdoor, and Senior Sales Manager at CareerBuilder. Jake holds an MBA in international business from Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business, as well as a BS in entertainment management from Missouri State University.

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.

Lexie Kier is a Principal Strategist and Founder of AOK Group, a growth consultancy for startups. She advises bold brands and startups on fundraising, customer insights, branding and marketing and often takes on interim leadership roles to help with periods of intense change, entry into new markets, and expansion.

Previously, Lexie founded Cuurio, an index of startups and innovation platform helping bold brands find clarity, context, and connection. ​Cuurio helped a growing number of innovative brands and agencies (including Warner Brother, Johnson & Johnson, L'Oreal, and J. Walter Thompson) to create vibrant native mobile partnerships that activated consumers in new channels.

managing director at Infinia Group, where he leads Infinia Ventures, a practice dedicated to the startup ecosystem.

Before Infinia, he was at Havas Worldwide New York following a stint as a freelance strategy consultant at a number of creative agencies. He has done strategy consulting work in brand, digital and growth strategy for clients ranging from startups to Fortune 500 and the US government

David Powell is an experienced Program Director focusing on building community and connecting people with ideas. His skill sets include strategic partnerships, content strategy, and influencer outreach. In addition, he has a unique talent for building partnerships that create the resources needed to build companies.

Nora is VP of VP of Operations at Creditstacks.

Nora leads operations and business development for a fintech company, CreditStacks. CreditStacks offers premium credit cards to new-to-credit customers. A pre-series A startup where she wear multiple hats including fundraising, investor relations, forming a partnership, operationalizing new processes and business lines, and everything in between.

Robert joined Michael Page as their Senior Recruitment Consultant in 2017 before he was promoted to his current role as Managing Consultant of their Sales & Marketing division. In addition to working at Michael Page he is the Executive Consultant of Global Sales and Strategy at Beast Technologies. Prior to that he served as the Chief Business Development Officer of Beast Technologies, and the Client Relationships Director of Kforce.

Robert is an experienced professional with 6+ years B2B and B2C sector with a heavy focus on B2B Marketing and Sales. He graduated with a Masters in International Marketing Management from MIP Politecnico di Milano Graduate School of Business.

Chris Errico is Co-Chair of the firm's US Startup Program and member of the Venture Technology and Emerging Growth Companies practice at Dentons. Chris is actively engaged in a diverse corporate practice, working with a wide range of fast-growing technology, software, digital media and life science companies at every stage of their development.

Chris regularly counsels emerging growth companies on transactional matters, including venture capital, seed/angel financings; public and private offerings; asset and stock acquisitions; debt financings and mergers and acquisitions. Chris also advises his clients on a daily basis regarding complex securities matters, corporate governance matters, joint ventures, strategic transactions, and general legal issues.

Deep is a principal and the leader of Withum’s Technology Advisory practice based in New York City. Deep’s team of technology industry specialists provide consulting services including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and capital raising to both venture and private equity-backed companies, ranging from SaaS, e-commerce, marketplace, ad-tech and publishing sectors.

Deep is known for delivering high-value strategic advice to entrepreneurs, private equity, and venture capital firms as they seek to stay at the forefront of the rapidly changing market. He frequently presents and authors articles around technology trends, entrepreneurial strategies and the venture capital landscape. Deep also serves as a mentor and advisor to various tech organizations including 500 Startups, Y-Combinator and Techstars, and is a member of the New York Venture Capital Association, and the National Venture Capital Association.

Susan Lindner believes that incredible connections change the world. As the CEO and Founder of Emerging Media, an award-winning PR • Marketing • Branding • Social Media agency, she develops breakthrough strategies that connect our clients to the right media, communities, influencers, and prospects. Susan gives back to the entrepreneurial community as a mentor to young domestic and international startups at VentureOut, and as a judge at premier competitions like NY Tech Week, The Mashies and many more.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A life-long geekDessy is passionate about nascent technology and is eagerly waiting for the future to become more evenly distributed. She is doing her part by specializing in VR/ARmost recently leading 645 Ventures’ Series A investment in LittlStar.

She spent fifteen years as a creative director, acquiring a deep understanding of the digital consumer mindset while leading marketing initiatives for Colgate PalmoliveGerberCentury 21Mall of America etc. At 645 VenturesDessy brings a rare balance of reason and creativity, enabling her to make investment decisions that are driven in equal measure by logic and vision.

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.

Stephen is an associate with Arc Angel Fund based out of New York City. He actively sources new deal flow to the fund and runs due diligence on the startups and companies that apply. Stephen also organizes FundingPost events nationwide. Fundingpost holds VC and Angel Investors conferences across the nation.

After graduating college, Stephen was the Entrepreneur Director for the Southern California Keiretsu Forum, the nation's largest angel investment group. Stephen managed the dealflow for the group's 250 Angel investors.

Stephen attended Babson College, the nation’s #1 school for entrepreneurship and graduated with a B.S. in business administration, with concentrations in entrepreneurship and marketing.

Solomon Hailu is an Investment Professional at Tusk Ventures, where he is responsible for sourcing opportunities, evaluating potential investments, and executing transactions.

Before joining Tusk Ventures, Solomon was an M&A Analyst at Lazard. While at Lazard, Solomon worked on a variety of advisory assignments in the power, energy and infrastructure sectors.

Solomon received a B.S. in Commerce from the University of Virginia in 2015.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.