Scott Sanborn, A92
CEO, Lending Club
Steve Svajian, A99
Serial Entrepreneur;
Co-Founder and CEO, Anova Culinary
Steve Svajian is the Co-Founder and CEO of Anova, the world’s leading provider of smart kitchen appliances, helping people cook restaurant quality meals in the comfort of their own homes.
A talented technology entrepreneur and marketing executive, Steve has spent nearly 20 years launching and establishing companies from creation through acquisition. Steve’s ability to define values that build mission-driven organizations, assess product-market fit, and scale end-user demand have allowed him to consistently help his teams and products evolve.
Steve holds a bachelor's degree from Tufts University and a Juris Doctorate from the College of William and Mary Marshall-Wythe Law School.
A talented technology entrepreneur and marketing executive, Steve has spent nearly 20 years launching and establishing companies from creation through acquisition. Steve’s ability to define values that build mission-driven organizations, assess product-market fit, and scale end-user demand have allowed him to consistently help his teams and products evolve.
Steve holds a bachelor's degree from Tufts University and a Juris Doctorate from the College of William and Mary Marshall-Wythe Law School.
Deke Sharon, A91
Serial Entrepreneur;
Producer, Author, Composer, Performer
Heralded as "The Father of Contemporary A Cappella," (Entertainment Weekly), Deke Sharon is responsible for the current sound of modern a cappella, having created the dense vocal-instrumental sound in college, while leading the Tufts "Beelzebubs", subsequently spreading it around the world.
Deke produced NBC Television's "The Sing-Off" and served as arranger, on-site music director and vocal producer for Universal's Pitch Perfect 1, 2 & 3 starring Anna Kendrick & Rebel Wilson.
Deke founded the Contemporary A Cappella Society while at Tufts, and is responsible for many seminal a cappella programs. He is also contemporary cappella's most prolific arranger, having arranged over 2,000 songs, with many of them in print worldwide with Hal Leonard/Contemporary A Cappella Publishing. He has written 5 books "Acappella Arranging" (2012), “A Cappella” (2015) and “The Heart of Vocal Harmony” (2016) “A Cappella Warmups for Pop and Jazz Choir (2017) and “So You Want To Sing A Cappella” (2017).
As the founder, director and arranger for the House Jacks for 24 years, the original "Rock Band Without Instruments," Deke shared the stage with countless music legends, including Ray Charles, James Brown, Crosby Stills and Nash, Run DMC, The Temptations, LL Cool J and the Four Tops, and performed for luminaries including President Bill Clinton.
He has produced dozens of award-winning a cappella albums (including Straight No Chaser, Committed, Nota, Street Corner Symphony, the Tufts Beelzebubs, Pitch Perfect and In Transit), created Disney's "DCappella" for Disneyland and Disneyworld, and frequently tours the world teaching students and professional singers. He is one of only 20 honorary members of the Barbershop Harmony Society since 1938, as well as an honorary member of BYU Vocal Point, received CASA's lifetime achievement award in 2016 and the Tufts Barnum award for excellence in education in 2017. You can see Deke on television on Lifetime’s “Pitch Slapped” and his newest show for the BBC: “Pitch Battle”. Deke also reaches a large worldwide audience with his YouTube channel and his regular appearances on various media outlets, podcasts, and social media channels.
Deke has been a featured speaker on the topics of Entrepreneurship and Development, most recently as an invited speaker at Google's headquarters.
Deke produced NBC Television's "The Sing-Off" and served as arranger, on-site music director and vocal producer for Universal's Pitch Perfect 1, 2 & 3 starring Anna Kendrick & Rebel Wilson.
Deke founded the Contemporary A Cappella Society while at Tufts, and is responsible for many seminal a cappella programs. He is also contemporary cappella's most prolific arranger, having arranged over 2,000 songs, with many of them in print worldwide with Hal Leonard/Contemporary A Cappella Publishing. He has written 5 books "Acappella Arranging" (2012), “A Cappella” (2015) and “The Heart of Vocal Harmony” (2016) “A Cappella Warmups for Pop and Jazz Choir (2017) and “So You Want To Sing A Cappella” (2017).
As the founder, director and arranger for the House Jacks for 24 years, the original "Rock Band Without Instruments," Deke shared the stage with countless music legends, including Ray Charles, James Brown, Crosby Stills and Nash, Run DMC, The Temptations, LL Cool J and the Four Tops, and performed for luminaries including President Bill Clinton.
He has produced dozens of award-winning a cappella albums (including Straight No Chaser, Committed, Nota, Street Corner Symphony, the Tufts Beelzebubs, Pitch Perfect and In Transit), created Disney's "DCappella" for Disneyland and Disneyworld, and frequently tours the world teaching students and professional singers. He is one of only 20 honorary members of the Barbershop Harmony Society since 1938, as well as an honorary member of BYU Vocal Point, received CASA's lifetime achievement award in 2016 and the Tufts Barnum award for excellence in education in 2017. You can see Deke on television on Lifetime’s “Pitch Slapped” and his newest show for the BBC: “Pitch Battle”. Deke also reaches a large worldwide audience with his YouTube channel and his regular appearances on various media outlets, podcasts, and social media channels.
Deke has been a featured speaker on the topics of Entrepreneurship and Development, most recently as an invited speaker at Google's headquarters.
Lance LaVergne
SVP, Enterprise Talent Acquisition Strategy, Wells Fargo
Lance LaVergne, senior vice president and head of the Enterprise Talent Acquisition Strategy & Programs group joined Wells Fargo in July 2014. LaVergne is responsible for leading and developing strategic plans, and ensuring the strategies for the delivery of talent acquisition services are aligned to current trends, practices, costs, and regulations. He provides oversight for full cycle talent acquisition strategies, from candidate sourcing, including social media and branding, to selection and assessment.
Prior to joining Wells Fargo, LaVergne was the director of talent acquisition for Alcoa, where he led all of the talent acquisition activity for the company. He had oversight for the North America Recruiting Center of Expertise as well as the identification and sharing of global best practices in sourcing, hiring, and on-boarding top talent.
Before that, LaVergne was vice president and chief diversity officer for New York Life Insurance Company where he was responsible for all aspects of the company’s diversity program, including the implementation and execution of the company’s Diversity & Inclusion strategy. He also served as a Vice President in the Human Capital Management Division of Goldman, Sachs & Co., where he was the global head of diversity recruiting. LaVergne has also held recruiting roles at McKinsey & Company, Arthur Anderson LLP, and Russell Reynolds Associates focusing on various aspects of the financial service industry including insurance, banking, capital markets and asset management.
LaVergne holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Harvard University and a master’s degree in Finance from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at NYU.
He currently resides in Montclair, NJ with his wife and four children.
Prior to joining Wells Fargo, LaVergne was the director of talent acquisition for Alcoa, where he led all of the talent acquisition activity for the company. He had oversight for the North America Recruiting Center of Expertise as well as the identification and sharing of global best practices in sourcing, hiring, and on-boarding top talent.
Before that, LaVergne was vice president and chief diversity officer for New York Life Insurance Company where he was responsible for all aspects of the company’s diversity program, including the implementation and execution of the company’s Diversity & Inclusion strategy. He also served as a Vice President in the Human Capital Management Division of Goldman, Sachs & Co., where he was the global head of diversity recruiting. LaVergne has also held recruiting roles at McKinsey & Company, Arthur Anderson LLP, and Russell Reynolds Associates focusing on various aspects of the financial service industry including insurance, banking, capital markets and asset management.
LaVergne holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Harvard University and a master’s degree in Finance from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at NYU.
He currently resides in Montclair, NJ with his wife and four children.
Daniel Emerson, E83, A83
Co-CEO, Light & Motion, Inc.
After graduating from Tufts with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and a BA in English, Daniel went on to attend Stanford, where he earned his Masters in Manufacturing systems.
Out of Graduate school, Daniel was placed in charge of an assembly plant for Raychem, where he turned one of the poorest performing plants into one of the best performing plants of this Fortune 500 business. Leading the turn-around, he implemented lean manufacturing principles, Kanban, with suppliers, and rationalized the product line.
Daniel left Raychem to help build Atlas Snowshoe Company. Atlas grew 6 fold and won REI’s prestigious “Vendor of the year award” for on-time performance and sales growth. Daniel led a team that built the factory in SF and managed all operations including product development for Atlas. Later, after Atlas was sold to K2 Sports, Daniel was the product manager for 3 brands of snowshoes while he moved all three lines of business to China, building out a full vertically integrated production facility.
Daniel took the reigns of Light & Motion in the spring of 2007. The company was close to closing its doors. Daniel was joined by Ann-Elise Emerson and together they led a turnaround, which has included developing a focused lighting strategy built around LEDs with synergies across dive, bike, outdoor, and most recently, on-camera & cinema lighting. Light & Motion has been a leader in the industries it has entered, promoting open testing standards and ultra compact portable systems designed for challenging environments.
Out of Graduate school, Daniel was placed in charge of an assembly plant for Raychem, where he turned one of the poorest performing plants into one of the best performing plants of this Fortune 500 business. Leading the turn-around, he implemented lean manufacturing principles, Kanban, with suppliers, and rationalized the product line.
Daniel left Raychem to help build Atlas Snowshoe Company. Atlas grew 6 fold and won REI’s prestigious “Vendor of the year award” for on-time performance and sales growth. Daniel led a team that built the factory in SF and managed all operations including product development for Atlas. Later, after Atlas was sold to K2 Sports, Daniel was the product manager for 3 brands of snowshoes while he moved all three lines of business to China, building out a full vertically integrated production facility.
Daniel took the reigns of Light & Motion in the spring of 2007. The company was close to closing its doors. Daniel was joined by Ann-Elise Emerson and together they led a turnaround, which has included developing a focused lighting strategy built around LEDs with synergies across dive, bike, outdoor, and most recently, on-camera & cinema lighting. Light & Motion has been a leader in the industries it has entered, promoting open testing standards and ultra compact portable systems designed for challenging environments.
Ann-Elise Emerson
Co-CEO, Light & Motion, Inc.
Ann-Elise has over 25 years of leadership experience in entrepreneurial consumer goods companies.
After graduating with a BA from Stanford University, she began her career at Oracle.
Drawn to small companies and entrepreneurial challenges she left Oracle to help build Atlas Snowshoe Company. There she taught herself operational finance, securing the supply chain and financing to grow the highly seasonal company from $1M to $6M over a 3 year period.
Returning to Oracle‘s consulting division, Ann-Elise was a Practice Director for the SF Bay Area, leading ERP system design and implementation projects at companies such as Odwalla, Intuit, Juniper Networks, and Netapp.
Ann-Elise spent five winters promoting Airboard and performance sledding, or “snow bodyboarding,” as a viable and easily accessible winter sport at ski areas. Airboard won several gear of the year awards, won access at multiple ski areas and was highly publicized in the US press including NY times and Sports Illustrated. She closed her business to move to Monterey and help recover Light & Motion from near bankruptcy.
At Light & Motion she and her husband Daniel have transitioned the company from an underwater camera housing business in an old drafty cannery to the leader in ultra-compact, high quality LED lighting across multiple markets. Focusing on product integrity and collaboration as our driving values, Light & Motion’s team proudly designs, manufactures, markets, and distributes award-winning dive, bike, photography and cinema lighting from our factory to 44 countries worldwide.
After graduating with a BA from Stanford University, she began her career at Oracle.
Drawn to small companies and entrepreneurial challenges she left Oracle to help build Atlas Snowshoe Company. There she taught herself operational finance, securing the supply chain and financing to grow the highly seasonal company from $1M to $6M over a 3 year period.
Returning to Oracle‘s consulting division, Ann-Elise was a Practice Director for the SF Bay Area, leading ERP system design and implementation projects at companies such as Odwalla, Intuit, Juniper Networks, and Netapp.
Ann-Elise spent five winters promoting Airboard and performance sledding, or “snow bodyboarding,” as a viable and easily accessible winter sport at ski areas. Airboard won several gear of the year awards, won access at multiple ski areas and was highly publicized in the US press including NY times and Sports Illustrated. She closed her business to move to Monterey and help recover Light & Motion from near bankruptcy.
At Light & Motion she and her husband Daniel have transitioned the company from an underwater camera housing business in an old drafty cannery to the leader in ultra-compact, high quality LED lighting across multiple markets. Focusing on product integrity and collaboration as our driving values, Light & Motion’s team proudly designs, manufactures, markets, and distributes award-winning dive, bike, photography and cinema lighting from our factory to 44 countries worldwide.
Stephen Bluestein, E98
Partner, Light Street Capital
Stephen Bluestein is a Partner responsible for Light Street Capital’s public and private investments globally in the software and hardware sectors. Prior to joining Light Street in 2014, Stephen was with Technology Crossover Ventures (TCV) from 2010 to 2013, where he evaluated late stage growth and buyout investments in software. At TCV Stephen co-led deals in Sitecore (acquired by EQT), Embanet (acquired by Pearson) and SiteMinder. From 2007 to 2010, Stephen was with Bessemer Venture Partners (BVP), where he evaluated early, growth and buyout investments in software. Stephen co-led many of the BVP’s software investments, including Teamviewer (acquired by Permira) and Netsmart (acquired by Genstar).
Stephen holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, 2005, an M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from Stanford University, 2000, and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Tufts University where he graduated summa cum laude, 1998.
Stephen holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, 2005, an M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from Stanford University, 2000, and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Tufts University where he graduated summa cum laude, 1998.
Jim Friedland, A92
Director of Investor Relations, Alphabet Inc. (Google)
Jim is the Director of Investor Relations at Alphabet, the parent company of Google. He is responsible for developing how the company communicates the financial results and strategy of Google and its “Other Bets” to the investment community. He joined Alphabet in 2016 after more than 20 years as an analyst and investor on Wall Street covering the TMT sector at firms including T Rowe Price, Cowen, and Robertson Stephens. Jim has been named “Best on the Street” for stock picking by the Wall Street Journal and is known for non-consensus stock calls.
Jim holds a BA from Tufts University and an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business.
Jim holds a BA from Tufts University and an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business.
Steve McDermid, A01, F06
Managing Director, Emerson Collective
Mr. McDermid is a Managing Director with Emerson Collective where he has lead Emerson Collective’s venture capital investing efforts since August 2017.
He was previously a Partner with Andreessen Horowitz, a venture capital firm based in Menlo Park, CA. Prior to Andreessen Horowitz, Mr. McDermid was a Director with Stifel Nicolaus, formerly Thomas Weisel Partners, a technology focused investment bank in San Francisco. He began his career at Citigroup as a financial analyst.
Mr. McDermid graduated from Tufts University with degrees in Quantitative Economics and Computer Science. He also earned a Masters in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.
He was previously a Partner with Andreessen Horowitz, a venture capital firm based in Menlo Park, CA. Prior to Andreessen Horowitz, Mr. McDermid was a Director with Stifel Nicolaus, formerly Thomas Weisel Partners, a technology focused investment bank in San Francisco. He began his career at Citigroup as a financial analyst.
Mr. McDermid graduated from Tufts University with degrees in Quantitative Economics and Computer Science. He also earned a Masters in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.
Saqi Mehta
Associate Director of Employer Relations, Tufts University
Saqi Mehta is passionate about all things education: specifically women in tech. She spent the past 5 years in the startup scene in Silicon Valley, leading the University Recruiting team at Square. She recently returned to higher education and is now Associate Director of Employer Outreach at Tufts University. Saqi serves on the board of National Tech Diversity Magazine and writes for the Daily Muse and Blavity amongst contributions for other publications. Her proudest accomplishment to date is being Co-Founder of ReigningIt (https://medium.com/@ReigningIt) which brings awareness to women in STEM by profiling other womens' stories. In any non-typing free time she is an art, interior design, and travel enthusiast.
Matt Murphy, E89
Partner, Menlo Ventures
Matt is a partner at Menlo Ventures, focusing on multi-stage investments in AI-first SaaS (apps, devops, API platforms) and robotics. Since joining Menlo in 2015, Matt has led investments in Alloy.AI, 6 River Systems, Clarifai, Carta, Envoy, Harness, Heap Analytics, Scout RFP, Usermind, and Veriflow. He also serves as a board director at Drawbridge, Egnyte, and SessionM; and as a board observer at Datastax, InstartLogic, and Puppet.
Previously, Matt was a general partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers for over 15 years. In addition to investing in the above-mentioned companies, he was also an observer at Google (from initial investment to IPO), launched the iFund in ’08 (a collaborative initiative with Apple to build the defining applications on the iOS platform), sourced the firm’s investment in DocuSign, and led investments in Shazam (acquired by Apple in 2018), AppDynamics (acquired by Cisco for $3.7B in 2017), Simplivity (acquired by HPE for $650M in 2017), PernixData (acquired by Nutanix in 2016), Shopkick (acquired by SK Planet 2014), Aerohive Networks (Nasdaq: HIVE, 2014), Ocarina Networks (acquired by Dell in 2010), and AutoNavi (Nasdaq: AMAP, 2010).
Before joining KPCB, Matt worked at semiconductor startup Netboost (acquired by Intel) where he led product management, and prior to that at Sun Microsystems, where he led business development for the Network Systems Group and was a product line manager for networking platforms. Matt holds a bachelor of science in electrical engineering from Tufts University and an MBA from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. He serves as the vice chairman of the Stanford University Engineering Venture Fund and is on the Board of Advisors at Duke University.
Previously, Matt was a general partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers for over 15 years. In addition to investing in the above-mentioned companies, he was also an observer at Google (from initial investment to IPO), launched the iFund in ’08 (a collaborative initiative with Apple to build the defining applications on the iOS platform), sourced the firm’s investment in DocuSign, and led investments in Shazam (acquired by Apple in 2018), AppDynamics (acquired by Cisco for $3.7B in 2017), Simplivity (acquired by HPE for $650M in 2017), PernixData (acquired by Nutanix in 2016), Shopkick (acquired by SK Planet 2014), Aerohive Networks (Nasdaq: HIVE, 2014), Ocarina Networks (acquired by Dell in 2010), and AutoNavi (Nasdaq: AMAP, 2010).
Before joining KPCB, Matt worked at semiconductor startup Netboost (acquired by Intel) where he led product management, and prior to that at Sun Microsystems, where he led business development for the Network Systems Group and was a product line manager for networking platforms. Matt holds a bachelor of science in electrical engineering from Tufts University and an MBA from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. He serves as the vice chairman of the Stanford University Engineering Venture Fund and is on the Board of Advisors at Duke University.
Josh Goldman, A88
Entrepreneur; Venture Capitalist & Angel Investor
Josh Goldman (Tufts A’88 B.Sc.; Harvard MBA 1993) is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, board member and venture capitalist based in the San Francisco Bay Area and has been serving on the Tufts Entrepreneurship Center’s Advisory Board for the past three years.
Now focusing on his own extensive angel investing portfolio while building an as-yet-unannounced new VC fund, Josh spent nearly 12 years as a General Partner at Norwest Venture Partners in Palo Alto, CA where he led investments primarily in e-commerce, retail, education, advertising, and digital media. Josh has served on the boards of RetailMeNot (NASDAQ: “SALE”), IFTTT, Lumosity, ModCloth (acquired by WalMart), StellaService, Sojern, and NinthDecimal. He is a seed/angel investor in Casper Sleep, Hint Water, Second Measure, LovePop, Rappi, Managed-by-Q, and over 30 other private companies. To date, Josh has generated over $5 billion in realized exits for shareholders.
Before his career as an investor, Josh spent nearly 20 years as an entrepreneur and CEO, overseeing the growth of one of his companies, comparison shopping service mySimon.com, to its acquisition by CNet in 2000 for $730 million in its third year of operations. Previously, Josh had management roles at Apple, Phoenix Technologies, and USWeb.
Josh resides in the San Francisco Bay area with his wife Judy (Tufts J88) and has two college-age children.
Now focusing on his own extensive angel investing portfolio while building an as-yet-unannounced new VC fund, Josh spent nearly 12 years as a General Partner at Norwest Venture Partners in Palo Alto, CA where he led investments primarily in e-commerce, retail, education, advertising, and digital media. Josh has served on the boards of RetailMeNot (NASDAQ: “SALE”), IFTTT, Lumosity, ModCloth (acquired by WalMart), StellaService, Sojern, and NinthDecimal. He is a seed/angel investor in Casper Sleep, Hint Water, Second Measure, LovePop, Rappi, Managed-by-Q, and over 30 other private companies. To date, Josh has generated over $5 billion in realized exits for shareholders.
Before his career as an investor, Josh spent nearly 20 years as an entrepreneur and CEO, overseeing the growth of one of his companies, comparison shopping service mySimon.com, to its acquisition by CNet in 2000 for $730 million in its third year of operations. Previously, Josh had management roles at Apple, Phoenix Technologies, and USWeb.
Josh resides in the San Francisco Bay area with his wife Judy (Tufts J88) and has two college-age children.
Aaron Greenblatt, E08
Co-Founder & CEO, Westlight AI
Dr. Aaron Greenblatt (Tufts E'08 B.S.; Stanford Ph.D. E.E. 2015) is a machine learning researcher and entrepreneur.
Greenblatt's research interests include quaternion deep neural networks, classification, computer vision, audio, adaptive filtering, and other types of real-time digital signal processing. Greenblatt's Ph.D. thesis introduced quaternion multi-valued neural networks, a new type of multidimensional, discrete-valued learning structure. Using custom, performance-optimized kernels for graphics processing units, Greenblatt demonstrated this quaternion network structure in applications such as time-series prediction and prostate cancer diagnosis. After graduating from Stanford, Greenblatt was employed at Arrowgrass, a London-based hedge fund.
As an entrepreneur, Greenblatt started an information technology consulting business at age 12. Greenblatt's consulting experience includes data management, workflow automation, and HIPAA compliance. Currently, Greenblatt is co-founder and CEO of Westlight.ai, based in Palo Alto, California. By combining artificial intelligence techniques with repurposed malware tools, Westlight.ai is reconceptualizing intellectual property protection in an interconnected world.
Greenblatt's research interests include quaternion deep neural networks, classification, computer vision, audio, adaptive filtering, and other types of real-time digital signal processing. Greenblatt's Ph.D. thesis introduced quaternion multi-valued neural networks, a new type of multidimensional, discrete-valued learning structure. Using custom, performance-optimized kernels for graphics processing units, Greenblatt demonstrated this quaternion network structure in applications such as time-series prediction and prostate cancer diagnosis. After graduating from Stanford, Greenblatt was employed at Arrowgrass, a London-based hedge fund.
As an entrepreneur, Greenblatt started an information technology consulting business at age 12. Greenblatt's consulting experience includes data management, workflow automation, and HIPAA compliance. Currently, Greenblatt is co-founder and CEO of Westlight.ai, based in Palo Alto, California. By combining artificial intelligence techniques with repurposed malware tools, Westlight.ai is reconceptualizing intellectual property protection in an interconnected world.
Iris Oliver, A19
Tufts Class of 2019
Iris Oliver is a senior at Tufts University majoring in Computer Science. She is really interested in using technology to improve education for all. Iris has worked as a teaching assistant for the Tufts Computer Science Department, and as a STEM Outreach Fellow for the Tufts Center for Engineering Education Outreach. She has also volunteered with Microsoft TEALS to teach CS to high school seniors.
In September 2018 Iris co-chaired the Tufts Women in Tech Conference along with Supriya Sanjay, which attracted 250+ attendees and $20,000 in sponsorship funding.
Iris will start working full time as a Program Manager with Microsoft in Seattle this September.
In September 2018 Iris co-chaired the Tufts Women in Tech Conference along with Supriya Sanjay, which attracted 250+ attendees and $20,000 in sponsorship funding.
Iris will start working full time as a Program Manager with Microsoft in Seattle this September.
Supriya Sanjay, A19
Software Development Engineer, Amazon Robotics
Supriya Sanjay is a senior at Tufts University earning a double major in Computer Science and Cognitive Brain Science. In September of 2018, she co-chaired Tufts’ Second Annual Women in Tech Conference, which boasts over 250 attendees, renowned speakers, and $20,000 in corporate sponsorships.
Supriya is a teaching fellow for Data Structure and Algorithms, a core computer science class, and has implemented many infrastructural changes within the teaching assistant systems at Tufts. In her senior year, Supriya is pursuing a thesis which aims to conduct a cross cultural analysis of gender bias in STEM fields.
In her free time, Supriya sings with her A Capella group, Tufts sQ!
Supriya is excited to be joining Amazon Robotics as a software development engineer after graduation.
Supriya is a teaching fellow for Data Structure and Algorithms, a core computer science class, and has implemented many infrastructural changes within the teaching assistant systems at Tufts. In her senior year, Supriya is pursuing a thesis which aims to conduct a cross cultural analysis of gender bias in STEM fields.
In her free time, Supriya sings with her A Capella group, Tufts sQ!
Supriya is excited to be joining Amazon Robotics as a software development engineer after graduation.
Julie Schoenfeld, E79
VP Autonomous Vehicles, Cruise Automation (General Motors)
Julie Schoenfeld is a serial entrepreneur with a passion for identifying talent and assembling effective teams. Her most recent company, Strobe Inc., was acquired by General Motors, Cruise Automation and is building groundbreaking LiDAR sensor technology for the self-driving car. Julie was formerly CEO of Perfect Market, Inc., a digital publishing software company backed by Trinity Ventures, Idealab and Comcast. Perfect Market was acquired by Taboola in July 2014. Julie also served as CEO and founder for two other successful venture-backed start-ups. In 1999 she led the sale of Net Effect, Inc., for over $300M to Ask. Julie is a recognized industry thought leader and has presented at conferences such as The Milken Global Conference, TechCrunch Disrupt, Business Insider Ignition and AdMonsters.
Julie serves on the board of Prodégé LLC and has been named in Digital LA’s list of Top 50 Digital Women. National Association of Women Business Owners in Los Angeles acknowledged Julie with the prestigious “Innovator of the Year” award.
Julie holds a B.S. in engineering from Tufts University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
Julie serves on the board of Prodégé LLC and has been named in Digital LA’s list of Top 50 Digital Women. National Association of Women Business Owners in Los Angeles acknowledged Julie with the prestigious “Innovator of the Year” award.
Julie holds a B.S. in engineering from Tufts University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
Jordan Kivelstadt, E04
Co-Founder & CEO, Free Flow Wines
Jordan Kivelstadt has been leading the growth of alternative packaging in the wine industry. He co-founded Free Flow Wines in 2009 and has been leading the growth of the wine-on-tap category since the beginning. Jordan was trained as an engineer at Tufts University (E04), after a stint in management consulting, Jordan began his career in the wine industry as a production manager for The Donum Estate.
Jordan has made wine in four countries, and founded multiple wine companies including Kivelstadt Cellars (2007), Free Flow Wines (2009), and Essentially Geared Wine Co. (2017) - all of which he operates today. In addition he manages his family’s organic 10-acre Sonoma County vineyard. Jordan continues to lead the wine-on-tap movement and innovate the industry he loves through sustainable alternative packaging. In addition, Jordan is actively involved in the community with both Sonoma Valley Mentoring and his alma matar, Tufts where he recieved a BSE in 2004.
Jordan has made wine in four countries, and founded multiple wine companies including Kivelstadt Cellars (2007), Free Flow Wines (2009), and Essentially Geared Wine Co. (2017) - all of which he operates today. In addition he manages his family’s organic 10-acre Sonoma County vineyard. Jordan continues to lead the wine-on-tap movement and innovate the industry he loves through sustainable alternative packaging. In addition, Jordan is actively involved in the community with both Sonoma Valley Mentoring and his alma matar, Tufts where he recieved a BSE in 2004.
Chuck Auster, A73
Founder & Partner, RunTide Capital Partners
Chuck Auster has over forty years of experience creating value through entrepreneurship, corporate executive management, as well as venture and private equity investment. As Chairman of the Board of Advisors of the Tufts Entrepreneurship Center Chuck works passionately with the Director, students and faculty of TEC as well as the administration of the University to enhance the experience and learning of all those served by the Center’s academic and co-curricular activities.
Chuck is currently a Founder and Partner of RunTide Capital Partners, an independent financial sponsor partnering with institutional investors making investments into tech enabled lower middle market companies.
Previously Chuck was a Partner and Managing Director at One Equity Partners, the private equity arm of JP Morgan Chase prior to its 2016 spin out. Mr. Auster led the deal team in the acquisition of Polaroid Corporation by One Equity Partners and served as Chairman of the Board of Polaroid. Chuck was a founder, Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of IXnet, Ltd. (NASDAQ - EXNT), a network provider of communication services for the financial services community. Chuck was in a leadership role with the team that took the company public and negotiated the sale of the Company valued in excess of $3.8 billion.
Currently, Chuck serves as Co-Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Trustees of L'Enfant Trust, a historic preservation tax-exempt organization he helped found. He graduated from Tufts University with Highest Honors in Economics and holds a Juris Doctor with Honors from the National Law Center, George Washington University.
Chuck is currently a Founder and Partner of RunTide Capital Partners, an independent financial sponsor partnering with institutional investors making investments into tech enabled lower middle market companies.
Previously Chuck was a Partner and Managing Director at One Equity Partners, the private equity arm of JP Morgan Chase prior to its 2016 spin out. Mr. Auster led the deal team in the acquisition of Polaroid Corporation by One Equity Partners and served as Chairman of the Board of Polaroid. Chuck was a founder, Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of IXnet, Ltd. (NASDAQ - EXNT), a network provider of communication services for the financial services community. Chuck was in a leadership role with the team that took the company public and negotiated the sale of the Company valued in excess of $3.8 billion.
Currently, Chuck serves as Co-Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Trustees of L'Enfant Trust, a historic preservation tax-exempt organization he helped found. He graduated from Tufts University with Highest Honors in Economics and holds a Juris Doctor with Honors from the National Law Center, George Washington University.
Josh Kapelman, A12
Executive VP & Principal, Hilldun Corporation
Joshua Kapelman is Executive Vice President and a principal of Hilldun Corporation.
Prior to joining, Joshua had extensive experience in entrepreneurship, finance, and sales; having launched two companies in the e-sports market during its infancy. Hilldun, is well known as the company that provides entrepreneurial financing and factoring for many of America's iconic fashion brands. Joshua has also served as a speaker and judge at a number of conferences, including recently serving as judge at the Fashioning Our Industry pitch competition and speaking at the British Fashion Council’s annual British Fashion Forum.
Joshua sits on several boards including on one of his angel investments.
Joshua was raised in New York and earned a Bachelor's of Arts degree from Tufts University. He remains active with Tufts University's Tufts Entrepreneurship Center where he sits on its Board of Advisors as the chair of its Development and Governance Committee.
In his free time Josh enjoys kiteboarding and spending time with his wife and new daughter.
Prior to joining, Joshua had extensive experience in entrepreneurship, finance, and sales; having launched two companies in the e-sports market during its infancy. Hilldun, is well known as the company that provides entrepreneurial financing and factoring for many of America's iconic fashion brands. Joshua has also served as a speaker and judge at a number of conferences, including recently serving as judge at the Fashioning Our Industry pitch competition and speaking at the British Fashion Council’s annual British Fashion Forum.
Joshua sits on several boards including on one of his angel investments.
Joshua was raised in New York and earned a Bachelor's of Arts degree from Tufts University. He remains active with Tufts University's Tufts Entrepreneurship Center where he sits on its Board of Advisors as the chair of its Development and Governance Committee.
In his free time Josh enjoys kiteboarding and spending time with his wife and new daughter.
Josh Levine, A98
Author, "Great Mondays",
Founder, Educator, Designer, Culture LabX
Josh Levine is an educator, designer, and author, but above all, he's on a mission to help organizations design a culture advantage. Josh leads both Culture LabX, an international non-profit and Great Mondays, a culture design agency. His new book, also called Great Mondays, teaches organizations how to design a company culture employees love. Josh’s writing has been seen in Forbes, Huffington Post, Fast Company, and the Design Management Journal.
He holds a BS in Engineering Psychology from Tufts University, and BFA in design from the Academy of Art University.
He holds a BS in Engineering Psychology from Tufts University, and BFA in design from the Academy of Art University.
Kevin Jyo Oye, E79
Professor of the Practice and Interim Executive Director, Gordon Institute, School of Engineering; Director, Innovation and Management Program, Tufts University
Kevin joined the Tufts University faculty in 2016 to launch the Master of Science in Innovation and Management (MSIM) program, enabling recent STEM graduates to learn how to translate research and technology knowledge into high impact solutions that can transform society. Through multiple hands-on venture creation cycles, MSIM students learn how to find problems that matter, create compelling solutions with scalable business models, and the leadership skills to persuade, negotiate, and lead others to drive impact, whether it be in the context of a for-profit or a non-profit, a startup or an existing enterprise. As a Tisch Faculty Fellow this past year, Kevin has partnered with Professor James Intriligator to incubate the application of these skills for social impact since the same innovation skillset and mindset can be applied to both social challenges and commercial enterprises.
Before joining Tufts, Kevin spent 35 years in the networking industry wearing many hats, including leading global strategy, research and development, and corporate acquisition teams at AT&T Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies, and Sycamore Networks, all while launching companies in China, India, and the U.S. He currently advises private and public companies, as well as serves on the leadership board for EforAll, a non-profit business accelerator in Lowell, MA where he provides mentorship for entrepreneurs. These ventures strive for social impact, including providing language translation services for Cambodian immigrants, creating sewing kits for the visually impaired community, and building support networks for families with autistic children.
Before joining Tufts, Kevin spent 35 years in the networking industry wearing many hats, including leading global strategy, research and development, and corporate acquisition teams at AT&T Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies, and Sycamore Networks, all while launching companies in China, India, and the U.S. He currently advises private and public companies, as well as serves on the leadership board for EforAll, a non-profit business accelerator in Lowell, MA where he provides mentorship for entrepreneurs. These ventures strive for social impact, including providing language translation services for Cambodian immigrants, creating sewing kits for the visually impaired community, and building support networks for families with autistic children.
Jonathan Tang, A91
Sr. Venture Partner, Pioneer Fund; Advisor, YCombinator Startup School
Jonathan Tang is a Senior Venture Partner at the Pioneer Fund, a venture firm that focuses on Seed investments. Jonathan is also an advisor for Ycombinator's Startup School Program where he has mentored over 50 startup founders from around the globe.
Jonathan launched a custom clothing platform, Vastrm, out of YCombinator in 2012 and continues to run that business today. He co-founded one of the first on-demand CRM companies, Salesnet in 1999 which was acquired by Rightnow Technologies in 2006.
Jonathan launched a custom clothing platform, Vastrm, out of YCombinator in 2012 and continues to run that business today. He co-founded one of the first on-demand CRM companies, Salesnet in 1999 which was acquired by Rightnow Technologies in 2006.
Lucia Villar, A05
Executive Director of Digital Transformation, JP Morgan Chase
Lucia Villar is an Executive Director of Digital Transformation at JP Morgan Chase. In her role she is responsible for driving product innovation and forging partnerships with innovative FinTech startups. Lucia has deep expertise in financial services and Fintech. At Community Investment Management (CIM) she led investments in the education and small dollar credit finance. She lead the personal loans division of Earnest (acq. NAVI) and held leadership roles as a consultant in McKinsey’s Financial Institutions Group. Lucia began her career in the microfinance sector, working at ACCION International and Citi Foundation.
She holds an undergraduate degree from Tufts University and an MBA from Columbia Business School
She holds an undergraduate degree from Tufts University and an MBA from Columbia Business School
RJ Carver, A13
Director, Plug and Play Tech Center
RJ Carver is a founding member of Plug and Play FinTech; a globally acclaimed Innovation Platform helping some of the largest Financial Institutions in the world engage with the most innovative entrepreneurs in the space.
Since the launch of the program in February 2015, RJ and his team have accelerated over 300 FinTech startups and have led numerous investments into the domain. RJ has worked with Plug and Play for the past four years where he has been responsible for managing the program's corporate relationships with over 40 financial institutions, globally. He has recently landed in New York as the Director of Plug and Play’s first domestic satellite office.
He graduated from Tufts University in 2013, where he received his B.A. in Philosophy.
Since the launch of the program in February 2015, RJ and his team have accelerated over 300 FinTech startups and have led numerous investments into the domain. RJ has worked with Plug and Play for the past four years where he has been responsible for managing the program's corporate relationships with over 40 financial institutions, globally. He has recently landed in New York as the Director of Plug and Play’s first domestic satellite office.
He graduated from Tufts University in 2013, where he received his B.A. in Philosophy.