Committee

Will was born in Durham, NC, but grew up in Hudson, MA – Go Red Sox! He graduated from North Carolina State University and has his master’s degree from Reformed Theological Seminary. He has been married to Corner to Corner’s other co-founder, Tiffany, for over 17 years, and they have two wonderful children, Raylan and Penelope. Will is passionate about the radical grace of God, and how that grace invites us to live a life of sacrificial love toward our city and our neighbors. At Corner to Corner that love of neighbor takes the form of educational and economic equity, creating a city where all can thrive.

VP of Kanbrick Community. Sloan is located in Nashville and spent the last 13 years of her career with Bank of America in various roles between Nashville and Charlotte. Most recently, Sloan was an SVP, Private Client Advisor with BofA’s Private Bank working with high-net-worth families and individuals, and prior to that worked in the Global Commercial Bank serving upper middle market companies between $50M to $2B in sales.

In leading Kanbrick Community efforts, Sloan focuses on building and growing Kanbrick's network of founders/CEOs/owners and bringing thoughtful content, programming, and opportunities for the Community to engage and connect. Sloan also leads business development for Kanbrick working closely with partners equally focused on helping CEOs, entrepreneurs, and founders grow and build businesses for the long term.

Greg joined Footprint Capital as managing director in 2023 and is responsible for leading both sell-side and buy-side engagements with lower middle-market business owners. He brings over 30 years of corporate development and financial management experience primarily focused on the M&A process of strategy development, financial analysis, due diligence, negotiation, and integration/separation. He has worked with both public and private companies in the automotive, retail services, chemicals and industrial manufacturing, and distribution industries.

Tyson Bickley counsels private equity firms and strategic partners in healthcare, manufacturing, distribution, business services, technology and other industries in a wide range of mergers, acquisitions, strategic corporate transactions and alternative business arrangements. Mr. Bickley's transactional experience includes the representation of publicly traded companies as well as private equity firms and their portfolio companies in complex mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures and dispositions. Mr. Bickley also assists a variety of investors in growth equity and alternative investments in new and emerging companies.

Accomplished Business Advisor with Insperity.

Serial Entrepreneur, Mentor, Angel Investor, Speaker - Mr. Brennan is a founder and/or co-founder of 10+ start-ups. In 1984 he launched DataMarketing Network and as CEO led the company's growth to become one of the largest direct marketing and data service companies in the Southeast. One of his other companies sold for $100+ million. With over 30 years of business experience, Mr. Brennan has deep knowledge in big data, technology, database marketing, analytics, and healthcare. He wrote and was granted a patent for one of his inventions.

Mr. Brennan is currently invested in a dozen start-ups and is an active board member. He divides his time between mentoring, angel investing, and speaking. Married for over 35 years, he enjoys traveling with his wife and three children. Or, just ask him to go snow skiing.

Chris Cochran is the co-founder and CEO of FreightWise, marking his second successful company founded in the application tech space. FrieghtWise is highly regarded as a Nashville organic growth story and just finished the acquisition of Kuebix from Trimble (Nasdaq: TRMB). Chris expertly navigates the logistics and technology sectors, showcasing a stellar track record of success in shaping and leading innovative companies. He is an active alumnus of Vanderbilt's Owen School of Management and the Financial Chair of the Nashville Tech Council.

Hiram Cox is the CFO and Chief Administrative Officer for SMS Holdings, based in Nashville TN. He also serves as the secretary and treasurer for each of the operating companies owned by SMS Holdings. He also served as CEO of the Company’s PrimeFlight Aviation business unit until it was sold to The Carlyle Group in late 2017.

In this capacity, he is responsible for the company’s finance, accounting, treasury, human resources, benefits, Information Technology, risk management, legal departments, acquisitions and divestitures. He also serves as one of 3 members of the Company’s executive committee.

He has been with the Company for 18 plus years and has helped lead the Company through a transformation in terms of business mix (with 4 divestitures and 11 acquisitions) resulting in more than doubling of the Company’s revenue base and a 10x increase in EBITDA. SMS has been recognized as a fast 50 winner on several occasions, as a NBJ’s Best in Business Winner and as a regional winner of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award. The company has over 7,000 employees across 45 states and Canada.

Prior to his career with SMS he served as an executive with 4 large global public companies (Delta Air Lines, YRC Worldwide, Northwest Airlines and Central Parking Corporation) , including serving as CFO for several of these companies.   

Angela Crane-Jones CEO of NBIC excels at helping entrepreneurs accelerate the development and growth of their enterprise at the NBIC. Collectively, these client companies created 222 new jobs, generated over $70.2 million in sales, and witnessed a 48 percent total sales increase upon completion of the five year program. Angela current and/ or past clients include the owners of Slim + Husky’s, Grilled Cheeserie, Arch Angel Protective Service, Polk Construction and Landon Development.

Brian Cronin is a Principal at Brightstar. Brian leads Brightstar’s business development strategy and is a Brightstar Sourcing Steering Committee Member. He serves on the Board of Oasis Technology & Engineering, a Brightstar portfolio company.

Prior to joining Brightstar, Brian was a managing member of BPC Capital and led direct investments by family offices in operating companies. He was primarily responsible for business development and execution of value-creation plans for portfolio companies, including operational improvements and revenue growth strategies.

Previously, Brian co-founded Prosperity Construction, LLC, a civil site work construction company, in 2009. In 2018, Brian merged the company into a premier general construction company headquartered in the Southeast, active in 13 states. Brian began his career as an analyst at SPB Partners in Las Vegas, a multi-family office, where he assisted with growth capital, restructuring, and management reorganization.

Brian has been a Young Presidents Organization (YPO) member since 2020. Brian received his MBA from the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University and his B.A. in History from Brigham Young University. He won a gold medal in the 2009 Summer Deaflympics in Taiwan as a member of Team USA basketball team.

Renee is Director of Wholesale Banking for the Middle Tennessee Region of First Horizon Bank. Renee leads a business unit that generates $50M in annual revenues and assets of approximately $1.8B. Renee is a graduate of Leadership Nashville, serves on the Board of the United Way of Greater Nashville and is currently a member of the Nashville Downtown Rotary.

Managing partner of a growth capital investment firm focusing on the beverage industry. Nashville Native, Belmont undergraduate and obtaining his MBA from Lipscomb University, Garrett has deep roots to Nashville. His experience includes debt financing, M&A transactions, and investment podcast co-host called The Cap Table.

Mr. Fedorchak has extensive experience across finance & accounting, corporate strategy, and operations. Nick is an accomplished executive with a proven track record of success in private equity, consulting, and various industry positions. Nick is adept at leveraging data-driven analytics to deliver transformational change that leads to sustainable growth and success.

Before joining Palm Tree, Mr. Fedorchak gained significant experience in industrial manufacturing, distribution, consumer products, and eCommerce.  Most recently, Nick was the Chief Strategy Officer at an upper-middle market, private equity-back company. He supported all operational aspects of the organization, corporate and business development activities, strategic planning, and budget development initiatives, managed the corporate cost structure, negotiated company contracts, and executed the business roadmap.

Mr. Fedorchak received an MBA from the Eli Broad Graduate School of Management at Michigan State University and a BS in Finance from Oakland University.

Shan Foster is the Co-Founder and CEO of Fostering Healthy Solutions, LLC where he cultivates healthy solutions to diversity issues through education, training, and execution. His experience includes work with several sectors, including entertainment, financial services, technology, media, environmental services, and law enforcement. Foster is passionate about diversity and is seen as a visionary amongst leaders. As a strong anti-racist, he has contributed to local and national news, corporate and higher education EDI efforts, as well as local and national non-profits. Foster is the author of “What Hurt Didn’t Hinder.” A story of perseverance, showing that it’s possible to reconstruct what it means to be a man, embrace, diversity, and raise everyone up in the process. He also serves as Executive Director of AMEND Together at YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee. AMEND Together is an initiative that engages men and boys to end violence against women and girls. He recruits, educates, and equips men and boys to serve as advocates for violence prevention and cultural change. Under his leadership, AMEND Together has grown to a nationally recognized program with expansion to Texas, Virginia, California, Washington, Ohio, Alabama, and New York. Described as an enthusiastic leader, gifted public speaker, and skilled facilitator, Foster explores the intersections of race, gender, and identity. He is a frequent speaker before national and international corporations, regional and national conferences, local and state government entities, and collegiate and national sports programs, including the National Football League and Major League Soccer.

Shan Foster graduated from Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor of Science in Human and Organizational Development in 2008. During his time at Vanderbilt, Foster was named SEC Men’s Basketball Player of the Year, All-SEC four years in a row, NCAA Division I All-America, and played for the USA Team in the 2007 Pan American games held in Rio De Janairo, Brasil. He was the Lowes Senior CLASS award winner, an award given to the nations senior leader in community, classroom, character, and competition. Foster finished his collegiate basketball career as the all-time leading scorer in school history and was drafted into the NBA by the Dallas Mavericks in 2008. He was inducted to the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2009, Vanderbilt Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010 and was honored as an SEC Legend during the 2016 SEC Basketball Tournament. Foster’s basketball jersey is retired at both Bonnabel High School and Vanderbilt University.

Shan served as a founding member for the Intrepid College Preparatory Charter School in Nashville where he now is a contributing board member. He is a graduate of the 2018 Leadership Nashville class, where he now serves on the board of trust. Foster also serves on the board for the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, Nashville Sports Council, and The Memorial Magic Collective. Foster is an advisor for Nurture the Next (formerly Prevent Child Abuse Tennessee), 100 Black Men of Middle Tennessee, the Nashville Predators and Vanderbilt University. He most recently was selected to Nashville’s 2019 40 Under 40, 2019 Nashville Emerging Leader Award Winner, Nashville’s 2020 Power 100 Disruptor, one of Nashville’s Most Powerful Influencers and Vistage Worldwide’s Top Performing Speaker in both 2021 & 2022. Foster is a graduate of Leadership Nashville, Leadership Middle Tennessee, Leadership Music, and Leadership Tennessee.

Paul Goldman is a serial entrepreneur and 3X INC 500 founder with a passion for music, technology and entrepreneurship. Muserk is a digital rights management platform that protects and monetizes music for millions of creators from around the world. They use their AI patented technology called Blue Matter to manage a global catalog of over 12 Million copyrights at scale on platforms such as YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music.

David Hancock has been with Truist for 20 years in several regions and several positions from commercial banking to credit administration.  He is currently the Middle Market Banking Manager for Tennessee leading the team that focuses on Middle Market Privately held businesses, private equity firms and family offices. 

Halle launched foh&boh in November 2019 to streamline hiring in the hospitality industry and provide optimal support for restaurants and candidates. She secured financing at the height of the pandemic, despite the instability of both the industry and labor market, and in only eight months, has grown revenues for the hospitality SaaS platform from $0 to $1MM in ARR. Today, foh&boh has secured partnerships with leading brands and businesses that include Snackpass, Slice and Marriott. Hayes previously spent nearly 15 years overseeing business development for major manufacturing, medical device, and healthcare service companies. In 2016, she co-founded Versher to connect Nashville businesses with top-tier, female talent. Through her work with the staffing venture, she witnessed the persistent hiring challenges within the hospitality industry, which initiated the idea for foh&boh. Hayes is a sixth generation Nashvillian and a graduate of Southern Methodist University.

Blake Hogan previously served as a Marine Officer and now the CEO of Bunker Labs, a national nonprofit organization, helping veterans and military spouses start and grow businesses. Hogan oversees the strategic vision, operations, and partnerships of 40 chapters across the country, serving more than 4,000 veteran entrepreneurs annually. He has two exits under his belt and is personally looking to acquire small businesses in TN.

What’s a successful leader with multiple PE-backed exits and a former professional drummer up to these days?

Bill's battle-tested experience in executive leadership and turnarounds inspired him to create 88 Keys, a company that rejects cookie-cutter approaches and applies unique methodologies to each opportunity, likening it to creating a new combination of keys and rhythms on a full-size piano keyboard to achieve greater success. His collaborative style creates a symphony of success, consistently delivering measurable results.

As a former CEO of nine organizations and a driving force behind several successful exits within PE-backed companies with exit multiples ranging from 4X to 12X, Bill strives to foster and nurture curiosity in his clients, challenging traditional thinking to uncover new opportunities and create innovative solutions to complex issues.

Ben Jacobs joined Ardent in October 2022 and oversees development across Ardent’s existing markets as well as the organization’s entry into new regions and services. He is responsible for the company’s strategic planning and implementation initiatives, including all hospital and non-hospital transactions.

Prior to Ardent, Mr. Jacobs gained nearly two decades of strategic development experience in healthcare, including serving as chief strategy and development officer at physical therapy provider Athletico, where he led market expansion for new clinics across the U.S., and chief development officer at Surgery Partners, a national ambulatory surgical center operator.

Mr. Jacobs is a graduate of Washington and Lee University and holds a JD from Tulane University. As an attorney, he also maintains memberships with the state bar in Texas, Louisiana and Tennessee. 

M. Eric Johnson is the Bruce D. Henderson Professor at Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management. His teaching and research focus on digital strategies and the impact of information technology on the extended enterprise. In addition to his academic research, Johnson has consulted with global companies such as Accenture, Hewlett-Packard, Nike, Oracle, and Philips Healthcare.

Eller Kelliher is the Chief Investment Officer of Launch Tennessee, leading all of the organization's equity investment programs including the $70M InvestTN Fund. InvestTN is a $70M fund for Tennessee-located startups and venture capital funds. InvestTN is made possible by the $10B SSBCI 2.0 program led by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Eller has over 10 years of experience in early-stage venture capital, portfolio management, and investor relations working for healthcare venture capital firms Jumpstart Foundry and SeedtoB Health.

Lee is managing partner of Smart Business Network Inc., a national events, media and marketing company founded in 1989, primarily responsible for expanding the company’s Aspire deal-making conference throughout the U.S. He plays a key role in establishing corporate policies and developing long-term strategy and growth plans. Previously, he founded and chaired the Growth Group at national law firm Arter & Hadden LLP (now Tucker, Ellis & West), which focused on working with middle-market and high-growth technology companies. 

A seasoned corporate attorney with more than 30 years of experience, Howard Lamar helps clients navigate significant corporate events, including mergers and acquisitions, various types of corporate finance transactions and corporate governance issues, including challenges from activist shareholders. He works with boards of directors, senior management of public and private companies, entrepreneurs, family offices, and early-stage growth companies.

Howard’s practice includes:

Corporate Governance – Counseling companies on a variety of corporate and securities matters, including boards of directors on governance, public company disclosure matters, strategic analysis, special committees and activist shareholders.
Mergers & Acquisitions – Advising on equity and asset acquisitions, mergers and other business combinations, including transactions involving publicly traded companies, restructuring transactions, workout transactions involving financially distressed or bankrupt providers, and sell-side dispositions of businesses and carveouts.
Corporate Finance – Assisting issuers and underwriters in debt and equity transactions, including initial public offerings, follow-on offerings, and Rule 144A and institutional private placements.
Prior to attending law school, Howard spent three years with Bank of America (formerly, and during the time he was there, NCNB) where he was a corporate lending officer in NCNB’s Corporate and International Banking Group.

Wanda Lyle is recently retired President of UBS Business Solutions US, the corporate service company for UBS Americas Wealth Management, Investment Banking and Asset Management businesses. She also served as the Managing Director and the General Manager of the UBS Business Solutions Center in Nashville, Tennessee. She was responsible for overseeing the Service Company and Business Solution Center's operating model and associated service delivery. She led and managed oversight for functions including Information Technology, Operations, Human Resources, Finance, Legal and Risk.

High energy entrepreneur and executive with over 10 years’ experience and professional success in software product design and development; architecture and construction; brand building and project management; entrepreneurial mentoring; public speaking; marketing and sales; team building and administrative management skills; and enterprise growth.

Bill McCleskey serves as Founder and CEO at Mitech Partners, LLC - a tech company based in Nashville, Tennessee that helps IT Consultants and Tech Sales Professionals earn money on business telecom/cable services like internet, phone and TV service by providing a white label platform to sell these services to end users.

Under Bill's leadership in year one, Mitech Partners attracted over 300 clients like Holiday Inn Express, Comfort Suites, NES, Oregon Army National Guard and Goodwill of Alabama. Recently, Mitech made it’s first acquisition of a prominent IT company to expand it’s brand and services in Georgia.

Rod McDaniel is the Chief Executive Officer of S3 Recycling Solutions, one of the fastest‐growing private companies in America. Since 2016, S3 has seen exponential growth with revenues increasing by more than 1,900 %.

A native of Nashville, Rod comes from humble beginnings and was raised by a single mother in public housing. Rod serves on the Board of Directors of the Nashville Entrepreneur Center, Nashville Technology Council and Tennessee Environmental Council. Rod was named Nashville Post InCharge List 2023, one of Nashville Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” and a finalist of the Nashville Chamber of Commerce Emerging Leader Award. He was named one of NBJ’s 2021 & 2022 Most Admired CEOs in Middle Tennessee, NBJ’s 2022 Power 100 List and as of 2023 has made the Inc. 5000 list three consecutive years.

Rod is married to his High School sweetheart, Antonia McDaniel. They are proud parents of RJ, Nathan and Gabrielle.

Born and raised in Nashville, TN, Andy has been in the insurance industry since 2017 and is responsible for Property & Casualty Due Diligence and Advisory Work. His experience includes helping businesses identify and mitigate specific exposures, improve existing policies and procedures, and work to reduce their total cost of risk. Clients and areas of expertise include businesses in Private Equity, Healthcare, Real Estate, and Manufacturing. Additionally, Andy specializes in supporting his clients by leveraging HUB’s Group Benefits Department and Private Client Unit. He holds a degree in Risk & Management and Insurance from the University of Georgia and is both a Commercial Lines Coverage Specialist (CLCS) and a Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC).

Andy attended the University of Georgia and received a bachelor's degree in Business Administration with a major in Risk Management & Insurance. He was a member of the UGA Insurance Society, as well as the UGA Professional Entertainment & Sports Association. Currently, he is involved with the Montgomery Bell Academy Young Alumni Board as well as the Nashville Downtown Partnership

Chris is a Partner at Shore Capital, a microcap private equity firm focused on partnering with companies that have between $1-10 million of EBITDA. Chris is responsible for sourcing, evaluating and enabling the growth of Shore healthcare investments. Chris is a Director for SENTA, Assembly Health, OMS360, Triumph, Great Lakes Dental Partners, Southern Orthodontic Partners, Empower Aesthetics and PartnerCare. He is a past Director of EyeSouth Partners.

Chris received a B.A. in Economics from Northwestern University and an M.B.A., with distinction, from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Brendan Moran is a Tax Partner in CRI's Nashville office who focuses on Tax Transaction Advisory Services. Brendan has over 16 years of experience assisting large and middle-market companies in solving their most complex tax challenges, and brings his unique blend of tax technical and industry knowledge to bear on a daily basis to relentlessly serve his clients' best interests.

Carter joined Petra in 2020 as Director of Business Development and focuses on growing the firm’s pipeline of investment opportunities. He is responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with intermediaries, co-investing partners, business owners, and other sources of deal flow.

Prior to joining Petra, Carter was with Gemini Investors, a lower middle market private equity firm based in Wellesley, MA. During his tenure, Carter was responsible for deal origination, interacting closely with investment bankers and business brokers, and was exposed to investment opportunities spanning a variety of industries. Carter began his career in sales at Oracle.

Tatjana is an M&A partner at Bass, Berry & Sims, PLC and focuses on middle market acquisition and disposition transactions across a range of industries including healthcare, manufacturing, food and beverage, and technology. To date, Tatjana has advised clients in M&A transactions valued at over $20 billion in the aggregate. She is a frequent speaker on M&A topics and serves as a Chair of the American Bar Association’s “Private Target Deal Points Study,” which has been widely recognized as the gold standard for market metrics of key negotiated legal issues in M&A agreements.

Darshan is a Partner at Whistler Capital and Member of the Investment, Management, and Valuation Committees. Prior to Whistler Capital, Darshan was a Managing Director at Starr Investment Holdings focused on growth equity and buyout investments across healthcare. Prior to Starr, Darshan was an Executive Director within the Global Healthcare Group at UBS Securities LLC. He serves as a Board Observer at Radiology Partners and has previously served as a Director on the Boards of CHG Healthcare and ConvenientMD. Darshan holds an M.B.A. from The Wharton School (Healthcare Management and Finance), at the University of Pennsylvania, and B.Eng. (Chemical Engineering) from McGill University.

Suzanne has more than 25 years of experience in the financial services, professional services, and payments industry.

Suzanne is a marketing strategist leader with a proven track record of enhancing brand equity, revenue and market share. She champions growth by using an integrated approach to marketing and sales that produces profitable results. An innovative entrepreneur, Suzanne has created new lines of business, new processes, groundbreaking policies and procedures for profit as well as not for profit organizations. Inquisitive from birth, she believes in challenging herself and those around her and continually striving to be better.

Suzanne’s career started in financial services with a large regional bank in their management training program where she was exposed to the financial services world. Over her career, she has worked for many widely known firms both in Nashville and nationally such as AIG, Deutsche Bank, and Regions. She has been exposed to all sides of professional services through her career in managing client service teams, providing internal consulting and building teams to drive aggressive growth through mergers, acquisitions and organic client acquisition.

Ryan is a Senior Associate on the Business Development team at LFM Capital. He assists with LFM’s business development activities with origination, evaluation and recommendation of investment opportunities. Prior to LFM, Ryan was an Analyst at The Halifax Group, a Washington D.C. based middle market private equity firm focused on health & wellness, outsourced business services, and franchising where he worked in business development. Previously, Ryan worked for three years as an Account Executive at Intralinks, where he worked closely with hundreds of private equity firms across the country to help facilitate fundraises, buy and sell side transactions, and investor reporting projects.

Becky Sharpe’s passion is to help people grow. Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts degree in German and French from Vanderbilt University and a master’s degree in international marketing from Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University. She is currently the CEO/Owner of three businesses, International Scholarship and Tuition Services, Collegiate Sports Data and WatchGameFilm where her focus is on effective leadership and innovation through the lens of continuous growth.

Mr. Stanley joined Lead Capital Partners in 2022. At LCP, Mr. Stanley focuses primarily on new deal origination. Prior to LCP, Mr. Stanley was a Director at Gen Cap America, a lower middle market private equity firm based in Nashville. Prior to Gen Cap America, Mr. Stanley was with Diversified Trust Company, a Nashville-based wealth management firm where Mr. Stanley worked in their private equity strategy group. Prior to Diversified Trust Company, Mr. Stanley served as an Intelligence Officer in the United States Navy. He holds a B.A. degree from The University of the South, in Sewanee, TN and an M.B.A. from The University of Chicago.

James is passionate about a proactive, patient-centered approach to managing population health. With an entrepreneurial spirit and nearly 15 years of experience in the employee benefits industry, he is committed to significantly altering the future cost of healthcare. James’ leadership at Wellview is the culmination of his passion for helping patients better understand the clinical and financial value of preventive care and his track record of growing businesses successfully and strategically. In serving as CEO, James ensures execution of the company’s vision to provide innovative well-being solutions in a convenient and consumer-friendly way. Whether it’s our team or a client’s entire member population, James seeks to inspire and impact those around him. With this goal in mind, he believes that we all desire to impact others’ lives and to be a part of something bigger than ourselves.

Monique Villa is a venture capitalist and ecosystem builder based in Nashville. She is a Senior Investment Advisor at Beyond Ventures, a venture capital and philanthropy strategy firm advising investors including Pivotal Ventures, the investment and incubation company founded by Melinda French Gates. She is also an Entrepreneur in Residence with Mucker Capital, and Co-Founder of Build In SE.

Ryan serves as the Market Executive for UBS in the South Central market, responsible for leading the UBS businesses in Tennessee, Kentucky, Louisiana, Arkansas, Alabama and Mississippi. In this role, she works closely with Financial Advisors and Support Staff to deliver wealth management solutions to clients as well as build UBS's brand in the local marketplaces. Prior to leading the South Central Market, Ryan led the UBS office in Greenville, SC and held a variety of roles for UBS in the greater New York City area. She joined UBS in 2009 as part of their Graduate Talent Program and currently serves on the firm's Leadership Advisory Council.

Zap is on a mission to build the Nashville startup ecosystem. She educates local founders at the Nashville Entrepreneur Center about capital and capital raising. She is an angel investor and advisors to several tech startups and a supporter of dozens more.