JeniVision Inc
Jenny Wang, CEO
UC Irvine

JeniVision Inc. have invented an extraordinarily powerful anti-glaucoma drug (JV-GL1) that lowers intraocular pressure to a level (<10mmHG) where further deterioration of vision is arrested. It is also very long-acting and a single drop is effective for 1-2 weeks.

JeniVision have also invented the first drug (JV-DE1) to treat ocular surface pain and discomfort. This a well recognized unmet medical need. A single dose of JV-DE1 lasts 1-2 days.

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Helicoid Industries Inc
Chad Wasilenkoff, CEO
UC Riverside

Millions of years ago, the “smasher” mantis shrimp, one of nature’s feistiest predators, evolved to develop an internal structure to protect its hammer-like club it uses to pulverize prey with incredible speed and force. This unique structure that wraps around the mantis shrimp’s club protects it from self-inflicting damage as it crushes hard-shelled prey. The University California Riverside (UCR) has spent over 11 years and almost $9 million dollars reverse engineering the club and has determined that it is not the material, but the structure that provides the strength and toughness. The material is organized in sheets of locally parallel fibers that are stacked upon each other such that each sheet is skewed by an angle from the sheet below it. This unique structure is called a helicoid and has now been broadly patented by UCR and licensed to Helicoid Industries to commercialize its use in composite materials.

Manufacturing ultra-strong composite materials and components using this helicoid structure will result in them being lighter, stronger, tougher, and more impact resistant. The benefits of the helicoid structure has been demonstrated regardless of the materials used to create the composite material. By simply shifting to a helicoid structure when manufacturing these same composite components will result in achieving further enhancements and improvements to an already well-established composite industry. This helicoid structure is a platform technology that can easily be applied to numerous industries that are constantly searching for lighter and stronger components.

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FreeGen Technologies
Saakib Akbany, Co-founder & CEO
UC San Diego

FreeGen Technologies is developing the SeaSkimmer,  a “Roomba” for the ocean. The SeaSkimmer is an autonomous marine drone that actively tracks and collects trash in ports and harbors. The vehicle utilizes machine learning algorithms to predict the locations of high-density trash hotspots correlated to oceanic data. The electrical systems are powered by solar energy, and the devices can also be used to capture critical oceanic data for researchers and government agencies alike.

Our drones will navigate autonomously using a GPS, Lidar, and graphical data from visual and infrared cameras. They will also utilize an API from the global Live Ship Tracker feed, which maps out the real-time locations and speeds of boats across the world. This combination will allow us to avoid all obstacles and collect trash around these closed waterways. In closed water bodies, trash accumulates in high-density locations known as hotspots. The locations of these hot-spots are linked to data points such as oceanic currents, temperature, and weather. However, this data is rarely updated and not very accurate. Instead, we plan to determine high-density trash locations in waterways tied to geospatial coordinates and use our machine learning algorithms to correlate that to oceanic data like currents, weather, and temperature. This will allow our drones to predict where those hotspots are moving, thereby enabling each drone to plan efficient routes and collect more trash at a lower cost of operation. Once the drones have collected the trash, they return to these centralized hubs. While there, they drop off their trash, have their batteries charged by solar systems, and transmit the data they receive.

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Basepaws
Anna Skaya, CEO
LA Biomed

Basepaws is building a DNA testing platform for pets, focused on health and nutrition, and powered by next-gen sequencing.

In 2018 we launched the world’s first consumer DNA test for cats – think 23andMeow – and sold 5000 catKits @ $95 since launch. We are expanding our offering to other animals and tests, including a focus on wellness and nutrition. Our current genetic tests give breed breakdowns and health information (i.e. we can tell if your cat is more Persian or Siamese, and if it is at risk on the disease markers we cover) and help owners save on unnecessary vet bills while understanding their pet better. We work closely with vets, breeders, and pet nutrition companies, and are building the largest database of pet genomic data to be used in a variety of fields.

Our products are built on proprietary cost-saving sequencing technology and our vision is to create an ecosystem of pet genomic data and a new market for personalized pet nutrition.

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NOWA Innovations
Nasam Chokr, CEO
UC Irvine

Asthma affects 334 million people and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease affects 65 million people in the world. The leading cause of death from asthma and COPD is poor management. As much as 90% of patients do not take their inhaled medications correctly. Our solution to the problem is the Unaresp.

The Unaresp is a non-invasive and quick tool to measure adherence to medication and promote asthma and COPD management. This works by detecting biomarkers from the patient’s exhaled breath. It analyzes different molecules within the breath and records their concentrations over time. This results in important qualitative information about the patient’s status and progress with their disease. It can detect the concentration of the medication that is inhaled by asthma and COPD patients and know how long ago the patient has taken their inhaler. This information is crucial for physicians, as they currently have no way to obtain real-time qualitative data about inhaled medication and oftentimes make treatment decisions based off of estimations. Over-prescribing inhaled corticosteroids is very common and often results in the overdosing of the drug, which requires emergency medical attention. Additionally, the Unaresp measures oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitric oxide in the breath, which are indicative of airway inflammation.

Not only can the Unaresp assess adherence to medication, but it can also establish patient-specific baselines and personal best, optimizing asthma and COPD treatment. The Unaresp functions as both a diagnostic and educational tool as it provides the user with instant feedback about the quality of their inhalation.

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RNAceuticals, Inc.
Frank Volvovitz, President
UC Irvine

RNAceuticals is developing a disruptive category of medicines based on self-amplifying RNA or SAR that promises better medicines across the spectrum of human diseases. Acting as cellular software, SAR medicines instruct a patient’s own cells to make proteins that prevent, treat and cure disease. SAR medicines have the potential to be more effective, longer lasting, safer and more affordable than the protein-based medicines made by cell culture today.

Although the idea of using RNA to function as a medicine is not new, putting it into practice has required new technologies to effectively deliver RNA to cells, and, for some uses, reduce anti-RNA defenses. The company calls its combination of SAR and delivery technologies “VECTORNA™”. Distinguishing features of VECTORNA compared to competing mRNA technologies include lower effective doses and longer therapeutic windows.

We are collaborating with University of California, Irvine scientists who have developed proprietary, synthetic nanoparticle formulations to effectively deliver SAR. Our product pipeline is focused on immunotherapeutic proteins, which are the subjects of collaborations with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the U.S. Army (Army) and plan to deliver candidates for evaluation by the NIH and Army in the second quarter of 2019.

Serial biotech entrepreneur Franklin Volvovitz and pharma industry veteran George Mark, III, Ph.D. lead RNAceuticals. Mr. Volvovitz previously founded Protein Sciences Corporation (PSC). Under his leadership the first and only FDA licensed, recombinant influenza vaccine, Flublok, was invented and brought to clinical trials. Sanofi purchased PSC for $650 million plus milestone payments in late 2017. Dr. Mark has led research teams at Merck and Celldex, which advanced a broad range of vaccine and antibody candidates including Merck’s Gardasil and RotaTeq vaccines from early development to clinical trials.

HouseCalls Mobile
Courtney Farr, Nurse Practitioner
Cal Poly

HouseCalls Mobile is a virtual medical house call that brings your medical provider to you using live video chat. By utilizing a special medical device, your provider can make a remote diagnosis virtually anytime and anywhere. House Calls Mobile uses a first of its kind patent pending dual virtual Stethoscope/otoscope technology.

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Basilard BioTech
Masaru Rao, PhD, Associate Professor
UC Riverside

Basilard BioTech – a transformative nanomechanical gene delivery platform to:

– unlock the full potential of ex vivo cell & gene therapies;

– improve the lives of tens of millions worldwide; and

– enable the expansion of billion-dollar markets already exploding with growth potential.

THE PROBLEM – prevailing gene delivery limitations
Ex vivo cell and gene therapies show promise for curing a wide range of diseases and disorders afflicting tens of millions worldwide (e.g., cancer, genetic disorders, degenerative diseases, etc.). However, full realization of this promise is constrained by limitations inherent to the prevailing (current) gene delivery methods used to engineer cells for such therapies. Problems include safety concerns, poor efficiency, limited scalability and limited versatility.

THE SOLUTION – nanomechanical gene delivery from Basilard BioTech
We are developing a proprietary nanomechanical device platform to provide unprecendented accuracy while delivering virtually any gene to the nucleus of cells, en masse, without compromising their viability.

Our innovation introduces opportunity to reduce cost and increase versatility relative to biological delivery methods (i.e., viral vectors), and to increase efficiency and safety compared to chemical and physical methods (e.g., liposomes, electroporation, & squeeze poration).

CarthroniX
Amir Nobakht, COO
USC

Pre-clinical stage biotech company developing small molecules for regenerative applications including modulating hair regeneration, topical anti-inflammaging, systemic anti-inflammaging, anti-autoimmune and osteoarthritis applications.

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bioProtonics, Inc.
Tim James, CEO
UC Santa Barbara

The µTexture technology is a paradigm change in how magnetic resonance scanner data is acquired, a change that greatly increases diagnostic capability. µTexture enables extension of measurement resolution, for assessing biologic tissue, into the tens of microns range even in the presence of significant patient motion. This ability enables measurement and tracking of the pathological tissue changes that are the earliest indicators of disease. As such, it has the potential to be a game changer in both disease treatment and in drug discovery, for a range of debilitating diseases currently stymied by lack of a robust and sensitive diagnostic (liver disease, lung disease, prostate disease, brain cancer, breast cancer, bone disease, dementia…) This novel diagnostic technology has the ability to target patients for trial inclusion at an early stage of disease, and sensitively measure their response to therapy, enabling more-informed development of treatments.

Our initial diagnostic validation targets are Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and prostate disease. Currently, therapy development efforts in AD are stymied by inability to measure the relevant early-stage pathologic tissue changes—something our new diagnostic holds great potential to enable. Multi-parametric MRI is increasingly used in the prostate disease workup, so addition of a high-information-content quantitative sequence has the potential to enable more informed treatment decisions.

The µTexture technology has the ability to replace highly invasive and error-prone biopsy-sampled pathology measures in a large range of disease diagnostic work-ups. The barrier to adoption is low, as the diagnostic adds negligible time/effort to an MR exam. while greatly increasing diagnostic information. The diagnostic output data is direct, quantitative, and highly structured, facilitating sensitive biomarker development through use of machine learning analytics.

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Tastry
Katerina Axelsson, CEO & Founder
Cal Poly

Tastry is a software and insights company that combines analytical and flavor chemistry and machine learning algorithms to predict consumer preferences for sensory-based products.

Tastry was born because we saw an opportunity to create a more transparent way to connect consumers to products they will love.

Here’s how it works:

First we chemically analyze products at the Tastry lab, then we feed the product data into our proprietary AI engine. This is where we process the data and the thousands of flavor compounds found in a bottle of wine, a process that we refer to as “breaking down the flavor matrix.” We then have an AI-generated quiz, with questions like “How much do you like coffee, baking spices, or cherries?” that can then identify the users palate preferences in 20 seconds.

The quiz and recommendations are based on the store where you are currently shopping.

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Angeles Therapeutics, Inc
Preet Chaudhary, Founder
USC

Chimeric Antigen Receptors (CARs) are synthetic immune-receptors, which can redirect immune T cells to selectively kill tumor cells. Despite the recent FDA approval of Kymriah (Novartis) and Yescarta (Kite/Gilead), the CAR constructs in current use have several limitations which will severely limit the commercial success of this technology in blood cancers and prevent its success in solid tumors. These limitations include

i) toxicities;

ii) CAR-T cell exhaustion and lack of persistence, which contribute to disease relapse in blood cancers and lack of efficacy in solid tumors;

iii) paucity of suitable targets for solid tumors; and

iv) high cost of manufacturing.

A number of these limitations can be traced back to the design of current CAR constructs which is nearly 30 years old. To overcome the design limitations of the current generation CAR constructs, we have developed a novel platform, designated SIR (Synthetic Immune Receptor), which provides physiological signaling. In contrast to CAR constructs, SIRs engage the full T cell receptor complex, including all receptors and co-receptors, resulting in strong signaling and effective destruction of tumor cells. Due to their physiological design, SIRs are also expected to be safer as compared to the current generation CAR constructs. We have obtained convincing evidence of superior efficacy of our SIR platform against both blood cancers and solid tumors using in vitro and animal studies. Additionally, we have generated over a thousand SIR constructs targeting more than 130 target antigens covering blood cancers, solid tumors, immune and infectious diseases, making our CAR-T portfolio one of the largest in the world. We have produced the cGMP grade lentivirus vector for our first construct and expect to file IND in 4-8 months. IND-enabling studies are currently in process for another 5 constructs targeting distinct antigens expressed in hematologic malignancies and solid tumors.

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Soft Health Technologies LLC
Thomas Berryman, Co-founder
UC Irvine

Soft Health is bringing new innovative solutions to the millions of women who experience a very common health/wellness condition and have had to put up with the same old solutions that were offered to their grandmothers.

The Finess Softpatch is a totally new approach to managing mild to moderate bladder leakage. As the first FDA-cleared over-the-counter (“OTC”) bladder leak product, it’s placed over the urethral opening, stopping leaks before they happen. It’s comprised of a foam body that fits comfortably and a gentle hydrogel adhesive that is easy to place and remove without pain or residue. With Finess there are no bulky pads, no uncomfortable inserts, no odor, no discomfort, no embarrassment … no leaks.

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Partner, TenOneTen Ventures

Partner at TenOneTen actively investing in great teams.  We are operators who invest early (pre-seed, seed, seed+) and love working with technical founders who are passionate about what they’re building.

Prior to TenOneTen, I was founder and COO at Shift, an online marketplace disrupting the $1.2T car industry by providing a better experience for buying and selling used cars.  Grew to a $100M+ business, a recent Series D, and still growing.

Started my career as an early product manager at Google where I co-founded the Access team; a cross-functional product, policy, and engineering team that spun off Google Fiber.  In my spare time I volunteer for city government, surf baby waves, and raise baby people.

soFC2 Inc.
Alireza Kargar, Dr.
UC San Diego

soFC2 Inc., founded in 2018, is a startup developing novel integrated solar fuel devices primarily for producing renewable methane (natural gas), using waste carbon dioxide emissions as input material and solar energy. Our devices not only offer to power our future renewable energy needs, they also help to fight global warming.

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Advisor/Consultant at UC Irvine + EIR, Alfred Mann Institute

Molly B. Schmid, Ph.D. has had a career that spans from “bench to boardroom” in academia and the biotechnology industry.  Her scientific research pioneered the development of tools to exploit microbial genomics for antibiotic drug discovery. In industry, she progressed through positions of increasing leadership in small and medium sized biotechnology companies, which raised money through venture investments, corporate partnerships, federal grants and public offerings.   Dr. Schmid has served as an advisor, reviewer and chair for numerous NIH and NSF proposal review panels. Currently, she serves as an advisor and consultant with UC Irvine’s Small Business and Technology Development Center, is an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Alfred Mann Institute for Biomedical Engineering at USC, is a faculty advisor and adjunct professor at UCLA Anderson and at USC Marshall’s Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies. She is a member of the Inland Empire Tech Coast Angels, a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology.

Chief Research and Development Officer, Kairos

Alex leads the team of investment analysts at Kairos that conducts research and due diligence on all the companies we consider to invest in, either through incubation or Series-A funds. Alex joined Kairos with 20+ years of experience at high-tech companies specializing in enterprise software, ranging in size from startups with a handful of employees to behemoths with tens of thousands of employees. In these companies, Alex led global teams of dozens of employees responsible for product strategy, intellectual property protection, engineering, professional services, sales, marketing, and business development, and actively participated in the efforts to close, and successfully closed, multiple rounds of financing by venture capital firms as well as the public markets. Moreover, while at Oracle, Alex led the research and strategic alignment efforts for numerous acquisitions ranging in value from a few tens of millions to billions of dollars. Alex has a degree in Electrical Engineering with a specialization in Computer Engineering and an MBA in Finance and Marketing.

Founding Managing Director of Westlake Village BioPartners

Dr. Beth Seidenberg has medicine in her blood. From standing on a stool as a child watching her father conducting heart surgery, to her groundbreaking work developing new treatments for diseases as diverse as AIDS and arthritis, Seidenberg has applied her medical expertise to the venture capital world. She helps entrepreneurs translate their scientific breakthroughs into new medicines to help patients. Along the way, she has built 15 successful biotech companies.

As a founding managing director of Westlake Village BioPartners, Seidenberg believes this is the Golden Age of Biotech. “The pace and quality of innovation has hit an inflection point,” she explains. “With Westlake Village BioPartners we have the freedom and expertise to turn the next big technologies into products and companies that benefit human health.”

Prior to life science investing, Seidenberg’s career focused on developing new treatments for AIDS, arthritis, asthma, cancer and psoriasis, cardiovascular, metabolic, neurological and renal disorders for over 20 years. During that time, she introduced 10 innovative products to market.

Seidenberg holds a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and anthropology from Barnard College and attended medical school at the University of Miami School of Medicine. She completed her medical residency at Johns Hopkins University and George Washington University, and Fellowship at the National Institutes of Health.

Chief Executive Officer of Leaf Group

Sean serves as Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board of directors of Leaf Group. Sean was previously the CEO of Saatchi Art, which Leaf Group acquired in August 2014, and the President and CEO of Ticketmaster, where he also served on the board of directors. Sean held positions of increasing responsibility during his tenure at Ticketmaster, including EVP, Technology and Chief Operating Officer. Sean has also served as an Entrepreneur in Residence at Mayfield Fund and he began his executive experience as EVP, Technology at Citysearch.

Sean sits on several private company boards of directors, including Eventbrite and TuneIn. Sean is also actively involved in non-profit work with CoachArt and the Pat Tillman Foundation.

Sean received his bachelor’s degree from the University of South Carolina and attended graduate school at Boston University and the University of South Carolina.

Senior Vice President and General Manager of Stage 13

Diana Mogollón is a senior entertainment executive who has impacted and fueled critically-acclaimed, award-winning, multi-platform content. A leader in creating cross-cultural, tastemaker audiences for studios, networks and talent, she is the Senior Vice President and General Manager of Stage 13, a distinctive brand in the Warner Bros. Digital Networks Group. With a curated team of creative executives, Stage 13 is the leader in creating award-winning premium scripted and unscripted programming for highly-coveted, multi-dimensional audiences.

Focusing on fearless original digital storytelling, Stage 13 showcases a new generation of talent and fresh creative voices, creating dynamic and unapologetic scripted and unscripted series, features and short-form content. Mogollón helped develop and incubate the brand, transitioning to Stage 13 after serving in Business Strategy and Development at the Warner Bros. Television Group, where she led a core business team as part of broader strategic initiatives for Warner Bros. Entertainment.

Previously, she served as a corporate executive at NBCUniversal as Executive Vice President and General Manager for the award-winning mun2 cable network, the leading lifestyle entertainment cable network targeting Latino millenials. In this capacity, she was responsible for developing and executing overall operational and P&L leadership for the business.  She spearheaded the brand’s unparalleled growth strategy across all business units, providing astute leadership within the Telemundo, NBCUniversal, and Comcast divisional portfolio, yielding major achievements with all stakeholders.

Mogollón has been recognized as an one of the “Industry Leaders, Top Women in Digital” by Cynopsis, a  “Woman of Impact” by Variety Magazine, one of the “Most Powerful Women in Cable” by CableFAX magazine, a “Wonder Woman to Watch” by Multichannel News, one of the “Most Influential Minorities in Cable” by CableFAX magazine, one of the “Most Powerful and Influential Latinos in Entertainment” by the Imagen Foundation, a “Top Woman in Music & Entertainment” by Billboard Magazine and a CableFAX Diversity Award nominee.

Partner at Upfront Ventures

Kevin looks for interdisciplinary entrepreneurs solving big problems in healthcare and the life sciences. He’s also a passionate gamer and invests in interactive media platforms, tools and content. Prior to joining Upfront in 2012, Kevin was at The Boston Consulting Group, where he advised on strategy, M&A and operations for technology, healthcare, and industrial goods clients in the US and Asia. Previously, Kevin worked at Verscend Technologies, a healthcare software startup in Boston, focusing on data analytics product development selling into payers and providers.

Principal, Alexandria Venture Investments

Hallie Kuhn is a Principal at Alexandria Venture Investments, where she focuses on life science investments in the LA region. Before joining Alexandria, Hallie was a Principal at LS Polaris Innovation Fund in Boston, MA, specializing in seed and early-stage venture investments. Concurrently, she served as Chief of Staff for Amy Schulman, a partner at Polaris Partners, supporting operations and business development for several Polaris portfolio companies. Prior to her work in venture capital she was a Senior Consultant at ClearView Healthcare partners. Hallie holds a Ph.D. in Systems Biology from Harvard University and was a Churchill Scholar at Cambridge University. She is a recipient of a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship, National Defense Science and Engineering Fellowship, and Harvard Ashford Fellowship. She holds a B.S. from Harvey Mudd College.

The Hurd Co
Taylor Heisley-Cook, Co-Founder & CEO
UC Santa Barbara

The Hurd Co makes fabric from cannabis waste to conserve resources for the next generation. By 2050, resource consumption by the apparel industry alone is projected to triple. This simply isn’t possible; we do not have the land and resources to keep up with this growing demand. The apparel industry is looking for alternative feedstocks to reduce their dependence on virgin raw materials.

There are 3 main kinds of fabric. The two we are most familiar with are natural fiber (like cotton, linen, or hemp), and polyester. The fastest growing market segment, however, are manmade cellulosics (MMCs). MMCs are “fibers extruded from wood pulp”; basically, they’re fabric made from trees. MMCs are considered semi-synthetic because of the intensive chemical processing required to turn the wood into fiber. We know them as viscose/rayon, lyocell, or modal. 155 million trees were logged for viscose production last year. This annual number is expected to double by 2025.

So we set out to find a waste stream to offset this impact. We needed a waste stream that was (1) abundant enough to reasonably feed into the apparel supply chain, (2) available to us here in California, and (3) had a high enough cellulose content to be turned into apparel-grade pulp.

That brings us to cannabis. The Hurd Co works with both hemp and marijuana. Both crops are grown in the US for seed, leaf, and flower, but the majority of the biomass — the stalk — is considered a waste. This stalk waste is sent to landfill or burned at a rate of about 1 million pounds per week in California. Fortunately, some of that waste is starting to be sold to oil extractors. That’s where The Hurd Co comes in.

The Hurd Co collects waste from cannabis oil extraction facilities, uses a low-impact pulping process to convert it to an apparel-grade pulp, and then sells it into the apparel supply chain to be turned into fabric.

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N3: Nanomechanical Neural Networks
Warren Fon, Research Engineer
Caltech

We have successfully built a system consisting of an eight node analog network with nano-electro-mechanical-system (NEMS) oscillators (see on our published work in Science, 08 Mar 2019: Vol. 363, Issue 6431, eaav7932). Our company is to relegate this technology to develop analog computational products used in optimization and neuromorphic data-intensive computations. Such calculations are in huge demand and actually form the backbone in machine learning and neural networks. Novel low-cost hardware providing energy efficient operations will have a huge impact on the market. Our business plan entails an initial network prototype of 1000 NEMS to be built in 1 year and a scaled-up network of NEMS to be completed in 4 years. The product can implement many network-centric computational paradigms, including parallelized combinatorial optimization, (classical) adiabatic annealing, and neural networks with learning and reinforcement. The NEMS network can perform faster than their digital counterpart by 1000x improvement in speed. The extremely high dimensionality of the NEMS network is the key; it enables realization of complex neural networks.

Our 4-year goal is to create systems of large network that is capable to cover large scale machine learning operations. In addition to hardware development, the engineering team will develop both machine-level and high-level software through interactions with early adopters and technical partners. The technology is being developed in the research lab of Prof Roukes at Caltech and the company is only in the beginning stages. The company will be operational in the 2nd half of 2019 to transfer the technology from an academic to a commercial entity in development of the prototype. We envision a small team of 6 people (CEO + 4 engineers + admin) in the first year. The small team is capable to deliver the prototype as the hardware and software are designed in house while the manufacturing is outsourced. Later, with support from investment and SBIR, we will expand to ~20 team members.

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Mesh Candy
Brand Caso, CEO
CalState LA

Mesh Candy sells smart sensor data networks to hospitals, surgery centers, pharmacies, laboratories, veterinary clinics and physician offices nationwide. This IoT solution is used for environmental monitoring, asset tracking, people tracking and wayfinding.

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ETC Solar Inc
Thomas Russell
Caltech

ETC Solar, Inc is commercializing world’s highest-performing front contact technology for solar cells: effectively transparent contacts (ETCs). ETCs are the first industrially viable approach to completely eliminate front-grid shading loss; the leading source of practical power loss for nearly all types of solar cells. By integrating ETCs with solar cells, the power output is increased by up to 10% and manufacturing costs are dramatically reduced.

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Vantronics LLC
Gary Lauterbach
Skysong Enterprises

Our disruptive technology – a swallowable, digestible pH biosensor: Our innovation is to resolve the incompatibility of traditional semiconductor materials with the GI tract by building the entire pH sensor utilizing digestible and benign materials. The proposed swallowable, digestible pH sensors have unprecedented merits that are lacking in the current ingestible electronics. The edible pH sensor can be used in many scenarios: this would be useful for monitoring response to therapy such as for patients on acid suppression therapy with proton pump inhibitors; this would allow for repeated administrations and measurements over time or even within the same day as gastric acid secretion is known to vary over the course of the day.

DTx Pharma
Artie Suckow, CEO
University of San Diego

RNAi medicines are unique in that they stop a faulty DNA message from creating a faulty protein, stopping a previously undruggable target at its source. RNAi present a trillion-dollar opportunity, much larger than the entire small-molecule and biologics therapeutics space combined.

Unfortunately, RNA medicines do not cross cell membranes and are quickly cleared from the blood by the kidney/liver.  Delivery methods to date, like lipid nanoparticles, have proven toxic. Targeting ligand approaches, like GalNAc conjugation, are suitable for liver uptake but so far solutions to effectively AND safely enable delivery beyond liver are limited. Still, the small number of currently approved RNAi drugs generate more than $1B in sales, command very high prices (drug price of $300k or more per year) and allow children with degenerative disease to walk again.

Our technology allows broad delivery throughout the body of all types of RNAi (bioactive siRNA, ASO and exon skipping drugs).

Our proprietary solution leverages fatty acids to facilitate cellular uptake, promote distribution beyond the liver and minimize toxicity. There are 3 main business opportunities that we are pursuing:

1. Develop novel RNA medicines target orphan disease;

2. Partner with Pharma to address identified targets for which small molecular or biologic approaches have not succeeded;

3. Partner with RNA medicine company to improve delivery/bioactivity.

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Clearbridge Biophotonics FPM Inc
Paul Sargeant, CEO
Caltech

Microscopy has changed little in the prior 200 years using conventional optics and moving stages. We exploit a computational imaging IP estate from Caltech that overcomes current limitations in conventional microscopes and providing larger field of view, better resolution, more data per experiment and all in focus. Microscopy for the computational age.

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Veocor Diagnostics
Lorenzo Rossini Co-Founder & CEO
UC San Diego

Veocor has developed the first personalized tool to provide a quantitative assessment of the risk of cardiac blood clot formation and associated stroke. Veocor’s patent-pending technology analyzes standard ultrasound images to provide a quantitative measure of blood flow within the left ventricle, identifying areas of blood stasis which are most susceptible to thrombus formation. It uses standard echocardiographic views, does not require special hardware nor special operator training. The analysis is performed in the cloud via a web interface and takes less than 5 minutes.

Veocor’s software can be transferred to the clinical setting to guide personalized decisions about the use of anticoagulation therapies. Veocor plans to pursue FDA regulatory clearance via the 510(K) route. The company will initially sell the technology directly to cardiovascular centers and hospitals as a cloud-based solution and use data generated through clinical use of the technology to ultimately obtain a reimbursement code, enabling a pay-per-report model.

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Radoptics LLC
Bahman Anvar, Professor & Founder
UC Riverside

Radoptics LLC is interested in development and commercialization of cell-based technologies for image-guided treatment of cancers, particularly ovarian. The company is developing optical probes derived from red blood cells that are doped with near infrared imaging agents for intraoperative visualization of small tumor nodules (< 1 mm) during surgery.

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RadCare
Chris Straka, CEO
UC San Diego

Radiotherapy is a cornerstone of modern cancer care, but most patients have minimal knowledge of this modality before starting treatment, and many remain unsure of what side effects they might experience and do not understand the logistics of their treatment even after meeting with their doctor. This patient knowledge gap is not unique to radiotherapy, rather it is seen across disciplines, age groups and socio-economic demographics. A variety of existing educational tools try to address this problem. However, these tools present their information “all at once,” leaving the patient to sort through what they might or might not need to know at any given time.

To address the need for better patient support tools, we have formed a digital health company, RadCare Health, Inc. We are building on the insights of several very successful apps supporting pregnant women, which predict what patients will need to know and present “just in time” information updating throughout pregnancy. Initially we are focusing on apps supporting radiation oncology patients, but later we plan to expand into general oncology and finally into general healthcare. We envision the creation of a digital health assistant that could be freestanding or integrated into existing virtual assistants such as Siri, Google Assistant, etc.

We have created an app called RadCare (developed at UCSD by company founder Chris Straka and licensed exclusively to RadCare Health, Inc.), which is a minimum viable product (MVP) serving prostate cancer patients receiving radiotherapy. RadCare syncs with patients’ treatment timeline and presents timely, pertinent information before, during and after radiotherapy. We overcame several obstacles in bringing this MVP to the iOS app store, including developing a system to track, and re-calibrate if necessary, patients’ treatment progress during radiotherapy, a paradigm for deciding what content should be presented when during treatment, and a framework to serve content appropriately and to enable “browsing” of knowledge modules if desired by the user.

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Milo Sensors
Bob Lansdorp, CTO
UC Santa Barbara

Our company has created the ION™ Platform: our patented wearable alcohol sensor together with an app and a cloud platform. We have recently shipped our first units to paying customers: researchers and early adopters in the Alcohol Use Disorder treatment space. In the future, we aim to leverage our customer base to help develop new treatment tools for Alcohol Use Disorder.

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Brainleap Technologies, Inc.
Jeff Coleman, CEO
UC San Diego

BrainLeap’s Attention Arcade trains attention in individuals with autism, ADHD, and other attention challenges. The games of the Attention Arcade harness the eye movement system to train attention using an eye tracker to play the games – where you look and where you plan to look is where you are putting your attention. Each of the games trains different aspects of attention, including quickly and accurately orienting gaze, fixation, and inhibitory control.

In a research study at UC San Diego, the attention training games increased orienting attention by 68% and reduced distractibility by 55%, as well as improved focus by 30% in individuals with ADHD symptoms. These results were measured by independent attention assessments and have been published in the peer-reviewed journal Developmental Neurobiology.

Increasing attention skills provides a foundation for better executive function and improved academic success.

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Abreos Biosciences
Bradley Messmer, Doctor & CEO
UC San Diego

Abreos Bioscience is a precision medicine company that wants patients to get the right drug AT THE RIGHT DOSE.

For most medications it is murky how much of an administered dose will show up in the patient’s blood stream or “target location”, and how quickly this effective dose is then broken down over time. This is due to every individual showing markedly different reactions to any specific drug, which can in some cases vary 100-fold from one patient to the next. As a consequence, standard doses are calculated at a very high level, with a huge proportion of patients in effect being overdosed. Especially in relation to “high impact” drugs like for cancer and auto-immune treatments, this overdosing is known to result in serious and sometimes lethal side effect.

Abreos Biosciences has developed the Veritope Precision Dosing platform for unparalleled measurements of these “pharmacokinetics” – the rate at which drugs are transported in the body. We are using this technology to enable precision dosing and novel indications for existing biologics (known as drug repositioning). Our lead program is a novel integrated therapeutic for treatment of multiple sclerosis, a chronic disease. Our approach combines a significantly de-risked development pathway (since the biologic drug component is already being successfully used off-label) with full IP and regulatory exclusivity – creating a unique competitive entry into the quickly growing $5.9B MS biologic market.

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Diadem Biotherapeutics
Milad Riazifar, CTO
CalState LA

Diadem Biotherapeutics is developing first-in-class biologics for a world-leading cause of disability and death: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

COPD is an inflammatory, progressive, life-threatening lung disease. It is the 4th leading cause of death globally but is projected to be 3rd by 2020. A global prevalence of 251 million cases was reported in 2016. A total of 3.17 million deaths were caused by the disease in 2015. Currently, at least 16 million Americans are affected with COPD and direct medical costs in the U.S. are soaring to an estimated $49 billion annually.

COPD results in an irreversible and progressive airflow limitation. It is characterized by chronic inflammation of the airways and lung parenchyma, which is increased during acute exacerbations. Small-airway fibrosis in COPD is a result of chronic inflammation. There is also systemic inflammation, which likely contributes to cardiovascular and metabolic comorbidities. The immunological features of COPD include lung infiltration of various immune cells including an increased number of alveolar macrophages, infiltrating neutrophils, T lymphocytes and innate lymphoid cells recruited from the circulation.

Bronchodilators, developed for asthma, provide some symptom relief but do not modify the underlying disease or halt disease progression. Broadly immunosuppressant corticosteroids can reduce the frequency of exacerbations but also increase susceptibility to dangerous infections. Only rofumilast, a PDE-4 inhibitor, is specifically indicated for COPD but has dose-limiting side effects. Fixed-dose combinations of bronchodilators and corticosteroids perform best in COPD, indicating that multiple pathways must be targeted simultaneously to see a therapeutic effect. Indeed, most new drugs with a single mechanism of action fail to provide much benefit. A case in point was the unexpected failure of anti-TNF, Remicade.

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CavoGene LifeSciences, LLC
Scott Fisher, Ph.D., CEO
UC San Diego

CavoGene LifeSciences is a biotechnology company committed to individuals worldwide who are impacted by various neurodegenerative diseases. We are dedicated to the discovery, development and commercialization of novel gene therapies that attenuate memory loss and increase synaptic neuroplasticity.

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BioVinc
Shuting Sun, CEO
CalState LA

BioVinc (BV) has leveraged a Bisphosphonate Bone Targeting Platform Technology to identify Therapeutic and Diagnostic leads for use in several Unmet Medical Needs. In vivo Proof of Concept data and a significant proprietary position has been established for several opportunities for development. The company now seeks Series A Investment to develop one of these promising leads through clinical evaluation.

Our current focus is a novel, more effective bone-targeted antimicrobial lead. Our commercial goal is to bring to the market the first anti-infective bone graft substitute for use in dental and orthopedic surgery for the treatment and prevention of bone infections. This will be the first bone graft material (classifiable as a medical device) to possess powerful bone-binding properties which enables selective delivery of antibiotics to anatomic sites of osseous infection, with sustained local release of the antibiotic. Our novel technology addresses the unmet need for a safe, effective treatment of bone and implant infections in both dental and orthopedic applications.

BV has also developed a pipeline of IP and future development products from its Platform Technology. BV has received impressive non-dilutive funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) further validating the strength of its platform, totaling nearly $4.7 million. BV is therefore uniquely positioned to quickly translate this high value asset to clinical development.

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Renee LaBran  is an Investor / Board Director

Renée LaBran is an active investor, advisor and board director with more than 25 years of operating, strategic and financial experience.  She currently advises a number of early stage companies and serves on the boards of Sambazon, Inc, Idealab, and TomboyX.  Additionally, she is Governor Brown’s appointee to the Board of the California State Bar as a non-attorney public member, and a faculty member at UCLA Anderson School of Business. Renée is also a co-founder of Women Founders Network, which provides access to capital, visibility and mentorship to female entrepreneurs.  Renée was a founding partner of Rustic Canyon Partners, an early stage technology investment firm, and RC / Fontis, which focused on investments in businesses targeting underserved markets.  Prior to the funds, Renée was an operating executive at the Los Angeles Times, where she was also co-founder and CEO of CareerPath (now CareerBuilder), and a management consultant with Monitor Company.  Renée graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in economics from UC Berkeley, and received her MBA with honors from the Harvard Business School.

Executive Director of Base 11

Ingrid serves as the Executive Director of Base 11.  She previously held the position of Senior Vice President of Programs & Partnerships for the organization from 2016 to 2019. A longtime education advocate, Ingrid’s experience includes 30 years in the K-16 education market in key roles ranging from business development to operations, marketing to strategic planning, and management to leadership development. Prior to joining Base 11, she served as a C-suite executive at successful and innovative education and education technology firms in the public, private and non-profit sectors including start-ups, mid sized, and large for-profit corporations. Her guiding principle has always been to provide equity and access to quality programs to ensure that all students can achieve high standards. Ingrid serves on the National Board of the NAACP Foundation and the Orange Country Excellent Public Schools Advisory Board.

Partner and Managing Director + Diversity & Inclusion Lead at BCG

Danny Acosta, currently Partner and Managing Director with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), has built a career that brings together global public and private sector experience, working on policy and strategic growth initiatives, and organizational transformations, with corporate and government leaders across a range of industries. Now based in his hometown of Los Angeles, Danny has worked heavily in industries ranging from Media & Entertainment to Infrastructure and Economic Development. Building on his background in international development – and having worked across the U.S., Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, Middle East, and Southeast Asia – Danny also works with BCG’s Social Impact and Global Advantage Practices, helping companies and governments bridge the gaps between developing and developed markets.

Born and raised in Southeast Los Angeles, Danny was fortunate to be one of those “first in the family” to go to college, building on the support and mentorship of many along the way. He carries that privilege forward by investing actively to create additional opportunity for an inclusive US community and economy. He is the co-lead of BCG’s Black+Latinx network, which brings together both Black/African-American and Hispanic/Latino colleagues; he has actively supported the activities and mission of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, where he serves as a Board Member; he is a Board member of the Univision Foundation and the Latino Donor Collaborative.

Prior to his work with BCG, Danny served as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State, spending time as an Economics Officer in Washington, D.C. and overseas. He earned his Juris Doctorate and Master’s in Business Administration, both with honors, from Georgetown University. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science, with honors, at Yale, and has participated in programs at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School and Oxford University.

CEO & Co-Founder, Women Founders Network

General Partner at Fika Ventures

Eva is a General Partner at Fika Ventures, an early stage technology fund investing in companies that leverage the power of data as a core component of their business model.  Prior to Fika, Eva was a founding GP at Susa Ventures. She is a serial entrepreneur and founder, with a company experience portfolio including Applied Semantics (AdSense), Factual, Google, Youtube and Navigating Cancer. She also serves on the board of California Community Foundation and is a founding member of All Raise, an organization committed to diversity in venture funders and founders. She was recently the Entrepreneur-in-Residence for the city of Los Angeles working with Mayor Eric Garcetti and his team. Eva holds an MBA from Cornell and a BA from Harvard.

Professor of Higher Education in the Graduate School of Education & Information Studies at UCLA

Linda J. Sax is Professor of Higher Education in the Graduate School of Education & Information Studies at UCLA. She received her B.A. degree (1990) in political economy from UC Berkeley, and her M.A. (1991) and Ph.D. (1994) degrees in higher education from UCLA. For over a decade, Dr. Sax served as director of the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) and Associate Director of the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) at UCLA, where she oversaw nationwide surveys of college students and faculty.

Dr. Sax’s research focuses on gender differences in college student development, with an emphasis on women in STEM fields. Dr. Sax has generated over $5 million in research funding and is currently Principal Investigator for BRAID Research, a national, longitudinal study of gender and racial/ethnic diversity in undergraduate computer science that has received funding from the National Science Foundation, AnitaB.org, the Computing Research Association, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Intel, Qualcomm, and Pivotal Ventures, Executive Office of Melinda Gates.

Dr. Sax was selected as a 2007-2008 Fellow for the Sudikoff Family Institute for Education & New Media. She is also the recipient of the 2005 Scholar-in-Residence Award from the American Association of University Women and the 1999 Early Career Award from the Association for the Study of Higher Education.

Dr. Sax has authored over 100 publications including The Gender Gap in College: Maximizing the Developmental Potential of Women and Men, as well as several book chapters, monographs, and articles in journals such as Research in Higher Education, The Review of Higher Education, The Journal of Higher Education, The Journal of College Student Development, and The Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering. She has served on the Editorial Boards for The Review of Higher Education and Research in Higher Education and is a Trustee of Mount Saint Mary’s University in Los Angeles.

McGregor-Girand Associate Professor of computer science at Harvey Mudd College

Colleen Lewis is the McGregor-Girand Associate Professor of computer science at Harvey Mudd College. At UC Berkeley, Lewis completed a PhD in science and mathematics education, an MS in computer science, and a BS in electrical engineering and computer science. Her research seeks to identify effective teaching practices for creating equitable learning spaces where all students have the opportunity to learn. Lewis curates CSTeachingTips.org, a NSF-sponsored project for disseminating effective computer science teaching practices.

Board Partner at Upfront and co-founder and former Chairman of MoviePass

Hamet Watt is a Board Partner at Upfront. He is also co-founder and former Chairman of MoviePass, a subscription service for movies in theaters, and co-founder and former Chairman of bLife, a wellness innovation company acquired by Canary Health.

Previously, Hamet was an EIR at True Ventures, after exiting another company that he founded called NextMedium (acquired by Brand Affinity Technologies). Prior to NextMedium, Hamet advised Nielsen Media Research in the development of the first product placement measurement service for network and cable TV. Hamet was also a General Partner in the New Africa Opportunity Fund, the first US-backed venture fund investing in post-apartheid South Africa. Hamet received a BS from Florida A&M.

President of Harvey Mudd College

Maria Klawe began her tenure as Harvey Mudd College’s fifth president in 2006. Prior to joining HMC, she served as dean of engineering and professor of computer science at Princeton University. Klawe joined Princeton from the University of British Columbia where she served in various roles from 1988 to 2002. Prior to UBC, Klawe spent eight years with IBM Research in California and two years at the University of Toronto. She received her Ph.D. (1977) and B.Sc. (1973) in mathematics from the University of Alberta. Klawe is a board member of the Alliance for Southern California Innovation, the nonprofit Math for America, the chair of the board of the nonprofit EdReports.org, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, and a trustee for the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute in Berkeley. She is the recipient of the 2014 Women of Vision ABIE Award for Leadership and the 2017 Academic Leadership Award from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Professor of Computer Science at Cal State Monterey Bay and Hartnell College

Computer Science Professor Sathya Narayanan is passionate about building actionable pathways that enable students from low-income communities to earn a quality computer science education and compete for opportunities in the tech industry. This passion has led him to develop a cohort-based model at his home institutions of Cal State Monterey Bay and Hartnell College, which has resulted in significant increases in retention, transfer, graduation, and job placement for URM students.

This work has been recognized with a $5M award for innovation in higher education from the state of CA, as well as multiple National Science Foundation grants including a $5M award to replicate the model at Cal State Dominguez Hills and El Camino College in LA. A paper describing the model, “Upward Mobility for Underrepresented Students: A Model for a Cohort-Based Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science” won a best paper award at SIGCSE 2018 and has been nominated for the SIGCSE Top Ten Symposium Papers of All Time award.

Sathya received his Master’s in Computer Applications from the College of Engineering, Guindy, India, in 1994, his M.S. in Computer Science from Temple University, Philadelphia, in 1998, and his Ph.D. in Computer Science from NYU-Polytechnic University, Brooklyn, NY, in 2006.

Partner, Lightspeed Ventures

I don’t want to just invest in the bubble of Silicon Valley. I want to listen to the core customer, and keep my eyes and ears open to new ideas.

Whether it’s discovering tomorrow’s platforms, marketplaces, media or ecommerce companies, the founder insight and company brand are core in Nicole’s mind. She began working with brands in the mid 2000s, specializing in consumer behavior; the retail landscape, both in the US and Europe; and taking brands to the public market.

When she previously worked on branding and marketing at Nutmeg, a London based fintech startup focused on online wealth management for millennials, Nicole experienced the importance of grit and focus for the founding team.

“Hard work, determination, and grit set apart the good from the great,” she says. “I want to work with founders who are willing to run through walls.”

Nicole was introduced to this mindset at an early age, by helping her father build an online pharmacy startup in the ‘90s. It was here that she first learned how hard startups can be.

When she’s not working one-on-one with founders, she’s researching potential investments, even if they take her on road trips to the middle of the country to meet the customer. “I don’t want to just invest in the bubble of Silicon Valley,” she says. “I want to listen to the core customer, and keep my eyes and ears open to new ideas.”

It’s one of the reasons she became involved in Planet of the Apps, the Apple-produced series that gives app developers a chance to receive funding from Lightspeed. “Getting into the mindset of the 99% is so important,” she says.

After earning a BSc in math and economics from York University, in England, and an MBA from Stanford, Nicole spent eight years on the equity sales and research side of Morgan Stanley. There, she worked on the IPOs for companies like Facebook, Groupon, and Pandora, which inspired her to become an angel investor and, later, a startup cofounder herself.

“All of this gave me an understanding of what exceptional founders look and act like,” she says. “They’re on a journey and I want to provide the support (in good and bad times), insight, empathy, and peripheral vision along that path.” Nicole is happiest when helping others realize their full potential and then amplifying it when needed

Chief Diversity Officer at the ArtCenter College of Design

Dr. Aaron Bruce, serves as the Chief Diversity Officer and Vice President at ArtCenter College of Design where he focuses on campus-wide multicultural understanding, social justice, and strategies related to diversity, equity and inclusion. In addition to developing ways of improving campus climate, Dr. Bruce helps strengthen the college’s connection to diverse local and global communities and organizations. His experience in the advertising and marketing affords him with the creative energy to promote diversity and inclusion in a variety of ways. He presently is a member of the National Association for Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE), and former President of the Southern California Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (SCADOHE). He is an International Multicultural Institute certified diversity trainer and consultant who has facilitated numerous professional development seminars in the U.S. and abroad.

Prior to joining ArtCenter Dr. Bruce served as the CDO at San Diego State University for over a decade. Helped the university earn the ranking of one of the nation’s top 5 campuses for study abroad. His strategic leadership efforts helped SDSU to significantly close the achievement gap for historically underrepresented students.

Dr. Bruce has held management positions in Latin America and Africa. His passion for global understanding has afforded him with opportunities to conduct research on management strategies, public health and education in Cuba, Mexico, and Kenya. As an advocate for inclusive curriculum design Dr. Bruce created an annual faculty led study abroad course in the Dominican Republic that made global education accessible to numerous first generation college students.

Originally from Princeton, New Jersey Dr. Bruce holds a BA degree from Michigan State University, where he majored in Economics and Political Science, and earned a certificate in Latin American and Caribbean Studies. He holds a Master’s degree in International Business Administration from U.S. International University. Dr. Bruce completed his Ph.D. in Education from the joint Rhode Island College and University of Rhode Island Doctoral Program in Education. He is the first African American male to hold such a distinction. He is a former participant in Global Education “Think Tank” at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. He volunteers for numerous organizations and serves on several boards. He is a lifetime member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. He lives by the motto “Awaken the sleep, empower the weak, and guide the strong”.

Chief People Officer

Susan is responsible for building, scaling and elevating BlackLine’s global talent practices and programs as the company continues to expand and add employees around the world.

Susan came to BlackLine with more than 20 years of experience building and leading successful human resources organizations at mid-size and large companies across multiple industries. She most recently was Chief Human Resources Officer at digital automotive marketplace TrueCar. Prior to that, she spent four years as Chief People Officer at ModCloth, a San Francisco-based online retailer of women’s apparel. Previously, Susan held senior human resource leadership positions with Electronic Arts and Medtronic.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Marketing and Management from Saint Mary’s University and a Master of Arts degree in Human Resources and Industrial Relations from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management.

Founder and Chief Executive Officer

Therese founded BlackLine in 2001. She designed the first offerings of BlackLine’s products, engineered its transition to the cloud in 2007, and has led the organization in automating the financial close process via the company’s flagship Finance Controls and Automation Platform. Under her direction, BlackLine has experienced strong growth since its inception.

Previously, Therese served as Chief Technology Officer for SunGard Treasury Systems. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and Mathematics from the University of Illinois.

Author and Former VP, Communications at Google

Jessica Powell is the author of The Big Disruption: A Totally Fictional but Essentially True Silicon Valley Story. The first novel ever published by the digital platform Medium, The Big Disruption has surpassed over 100,000 readers and was described by The New York Times as “a zany satire [whose] diagnosis of Silicon Valley’s cultural stagnancy is so spot on that it’s barely contestable.”

Until recently, Jessica was Google’s Vice President of Communications and served on the company’s management team. She is the author of Literary Paris, and her fiction and non-fiction has been published in The Guardian, the New York Times, Time, WIRED, and the Medium magazine. She is also the co-founder and CEO of an early-stage start-up that builds software for musicians.

Global Director of Diversity, Equity and Workplace Culture at Tala

Bonnie is one of the founding team members at Tala, and is currently the Global Director of Diversity, Equity and Workplace Culture at Tala. In this role she acts as a strategic consultant to Tala’s business leaders and People team focused on attracting, retaining and developing talent that reflects the company’s D&E values and promoting an inclusive environment where employees at all levels can perform their best. Previously, as Global Operations Director she has worked on a variety of projects to ensure that the wheels are always turning at the company. From people operations and culture to finance, compliance and investor relations, her role continues to evolve as the company evolves. Prior to working at Tala, Bonnie worked as a Bilingual Business Specialist for Empowerment Group, an SBA Women’s Business Center in Philadelphia, as a Program Manager for the NYC Department of Small Businesses Services and a Grants Manager at Good/Corps.  Bonnie received a BA in Government from Wesleyan University and an MPA at NYU’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. She is a StartingBloc Fellow and an Echoing Green Fellow. She serves on the Board of Trustees at De La Salle Academy in New York City and is a member of the Equity and Inclusion committee on Alumni Council at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts.

Arjen Mackaaij, SVP of People at FabFitFun

Originally from the Netherlands, Arjen is a business leader, people geek, and strengths-based coach, with 12+ years of experience in leading HR strategy and people functions. As the first SVP of People for FabFitFun, a fast-growing lifestyle company based in LA, Arjen oversees the end-to-end employee experience and people operations. As a member of their senior executive team, his mission is to further develop a unique employee experience that engages people to be their best fab self as the company scales, while retaining the foundational elements that have made the company so successful. In 2018 FabFitFun earned a Timmy Award for excellence in diversity. Prior to FabFitFun, Arjen was the People and Operations Director for BCG Digital Ventures, a corporate investment and incubation firm in Manhattan Beach, overseeing the people operations for their North America region. At BCG DV Arjen helped to build their diversity initiatives, inspired by their core company value to “Seek Difference”. Previous experience includes HR roles at LG Electronics and strategic advisory roles at the Boston Consulting Group. Arjen is driven by his passion for inclusion (his number one Clifton Strength is “Includer”) and empowering everyone to contribute to the best of their abilities.

Liji Thomas, CPA, CIA, CRMA, SHRM-CP
Head of Diversity & Inclusion, Southern California Edison

Liji began her career lobbying on Capitol Hill for an increase in housing for low income women and children. In 2005, Liji joined Countrywide as a Project Manager and quickly rose through the ranks to become Assistant Vice President of Compliance and Risk Management. In this role, she oversaw compliance and risk assessment in Countrywide’s offshore operations and authored Countrywide’s Model for Offshore Compliance, a cross functional, global, risk-based approach to the company’s compliance efforts. In 2008, Liji joined the Internal Audit Department of Southwest Airlines. During her time in Internal Audit, Liji led the company’s first Capitalization of Labor Audit and published an article advancing thought leadership in the space in the 2010 issue of Internal Auditor magazine. She then assumed a role as Manager of Business Strategy, implementing new business initiatives impacting over 3,600 individuals. These initiatives included strategies to increase revenue, improve customer experience and realize process efficiencies. In the first six months of 2012, Liji impacted revenue generation in excess of $40 million. In late 2012, Liji Thomas was shoulder-tapped to help build diversity and inclusion efforts for Southwest Airlines. In this role, she informed all aspects of diversity and inclusion for the nations’ largest domestic airline and helped align Southwest Airlines culture with an award-winning diversity and inclusion strategy. After consulting with several Fortune 500 clients, Liji now leads the diversity and inclusion journey at Southern California Edison, a Fortune 250 company at the forefront of creating the clean energy future.

Liji is married and is the proud mom of two girls. In her spare time, Liji contributes to various charitable and civic causes. She is a Former Jesuit Volunteer and a 1998 graduate of Vanderbilt University. She has an MBA in Finance, a Master’s degree in Accounting and a Master’s degree in Information Technology Management and Consulting and holds CPA, CIA, CRMA and SHRMCP designations. She was chosen to deliver her graduate school commencement address and is a graduate of the Leadership Dallas Class of 2017.

Founder & Managing Partner of The 22 Fund

Ms. Gray is the Founder & Managing Partner of The 22 Fund, an impact, growth firm with a mission to great the quality jobs of the future by increasing the export capacity of Southern California manufacturing companies, targeting women- and minority-owned businesses. She is also an Executive in Residence at the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) and chairs LACI’s Diversity in Entrepreneurship Advisory Council.

In addition, Ms. Gray is the founder of the non-profit We Are Enough (WAE). WAE’s only mission is to educate ALL women on how and why to invest in women-owned, for-profit businesses or with a “gender lens.”  WAE recently released the study Creating LAIA:The Feasibility of a Women-Focused Incubator and Accelerator in Los Angeles. Ms. Gray was named one of the 50 “Women of Influence” in business in Los Angeles and is featured in the recently released book “200 Hundred Women: Who Will Change the Way You See the World”.

Soha El-Sabaawi, Manager, Diversity & Inclusion at Riot Games

Soha El-Sabaawi leads diversity and inclusion at Riot Games, creator of League of Legends. She also sits on the Board of Directors of a non-profit in Toronto, Canada called Dames Making Games, where people of diverse genders learn how to make independent games using open source tools.

Formerly, she was a video game critic and community organizer with a focus on gender and race, reflecting on her own experiences as a Palestinian-Iraqi immigrant.

For fun, Soha loves creative writing, experimental game design, cats, and of course, playing video games.

Anthony Mays, Software Engineer at Google

Anthony is a software engineer at Google. Raised in Compton as a foster kid after suffering physical and sexual abuse, he taught himself how to program computers at age 8 and started his career as an INROADS intern.

Perhaps best known for the short BuzzFeed documentary about his journey from Compton to Google, he is a frequent public speaker at schools and other student organizations. He was awarded the 2016 INROADS Trendsetter Award for his work promoting diversity in tech.

Anthony graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. His GPA was horrible, so don’t ask.