Purple Arch Ventures Team

Bio: Craig is an innovator, leader, advisor, and educator. Technologist by training, human-centered designer by nature, and business professional by experience, Craig is founder of TBD Innovation and professor at the Segal Design Institute at Northwestern. He spent much of his career at IDEO, founding and leading the firm’s Chicago office and later their Global Health practice. Craig advises senior leaders and entrepreneurs, and his expertise ranges from the details of engineering and interactions to the big picture of strategy and brand purpose.

Bio: After years of working as a consultant in the Big Five, on Wall Street, and for a Fortune 500 Company, Eric founded Vergys in 2008 to have a positive impact on how the government operates. Over the years, he and his team have built a boutique multi-million-dollar consultancy focused on delivering strategic and project management services to federal civilian agencies. He has advised multiple early and seed stage ventures in HealthTech, ecommerce, SAAS, and manufacturing, and served as the Chairman of the Board for a major non-profit organization. Eric has an MBA from the University of Michigan and a BS from Northwestern University.

Bio: Mellie is a Senior IT/Technology and Management Consultant and Executive Director at CANADA Practice. Working with tech entrepreneurs ranging from Fortune 100 to early stage startups, she manages complex business transformation projects, builds digitally disruptive agile products, and provides growth advisory. She also serves on the advisory board for Electro-Medical Instruments Co. and The Vinetta Project investing in Women Tech Entrepreneurs. Mellie holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Waterloo, and an MBA from Kellogg and the Schulich School of Business at York University.

Bio: Grant is Co-founder and CTO of Vodori, an enterprise marketing solutions company providing SaaS software to help life science companies create, review, and distribute marketing and sales collateral. As an entrepreneur, a deep technologist, and chief product architect, he has led the commercialization of Vodori’s enterprise product portfolio, working across customer and product development while supporting sales and marketing efforts, partnerships, and pricing. Grant is the President of the Board for Equality Illinois, involved in NUVentionWeb, a mentor at Junto Institute, and an active Chicago angel investor. He also holds a BA from Northwestern University.

Bio: Mary Jo has been an active entrepreneur and investor for 30 years. She has invested in a variety of entities, but is now focused on healthcare. She is currently Managing Partner of Healthcare Angels and a GP in Keiretsu Capital. She has held executive positions with BDC Advisors, Highperlink, Sibson, and Omega. Her clients have included Kaiser, Partners, Trinity Health, WEBMD, Sutter, and Genentech. Mary Jo has a bachelor’s degree from Siena Heights University, a Master’s from Northwestern where she is on the School of Education and Social Policy Board, and completed an Executive program at Stanford in India.

Bio: Mahesh has deep interest and experience in helping clients build business models around digital advertising, UGC content, AI/ML, IoT and augmented, and AR/VR. Over the past 20 years, he has served as software engineer, product designer, startup COO, angel investor, head of operations, and P&L leader and board member. He has helped two startups achieve successful exits. He is now Global Head for Technology Industry Vertical in Cognizant’s Digital Operations Business Unit. Earlier, he worked at Accenture, Siemens and PricewaterhouseCoopers in strategy & M&A. Mahesh received a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Walchand College and MBA from Kellogg.

Bio: Kristin is a tech executive with 20 years’ experience who has been named as one of HBS’s Top 100 Distinguished Alumnae of Northern California. She is Managing Partner of Menlo Group, an advisor working with companies on growth strategies. She also serves on Northwestern’s Farley Center for Entrepreneurship Advisory Board and as mentor to NUvention’s startup teams. As a venture-backed CEO, COO, and CMO, she has worked with Fortune 100 corporations to startups and led teams who have raised $150M+ in VC. She was CEO and Co-founder of LimeLife, one of the first mobile software companies. Kristin has a BS in Industrial Engineering from Northwestern and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Bio: Bruce is currently the Co-founder and Co-CEO Of Q30 Innovations, a company developing a revolutionary, patented device that seeks to reduce traumatic brain injuries and concussions in athletes and military personnel using the body’s own physiology. Bruce has 20 years of experience in entrepreneurial ventures having started (and subsequently sold) multiple companies in the sports product and services sector. Bruce has an MBA from Kellogg and a BA from Duke University.

Bio: Parijat is currently a Partner at ZS Associates with their Strategy Practice. He has focused on healthcare for ~15 years. During that time, he has evaluated numerous acquisitions, led post-merger integrations, developed growth strategies, and implemented operational improvements. Prior to ZS Associates, he led the Corporate Development Practice and the Midwest Region for Campbell Alliance. He started his post-MBA career conducting transaction advisory for Rabo India focusing on technology companies. He has also advised start-ups and small professional companies for their growth.He graduated from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management in 2001. From Kellogg, he also completed the Science for Managers programme.

Bio: Vamsi is a seasoned executive in financial services with 15+ years investing in late-stage businesses. As a Partner and Co-Head of M&A at Focus Financial Partners, he led an ambitious acquisition strategy with nearly 200 transactions to create the US’s largest independent wealth management firm, with $100B+ in AUM. The firm recently went through a buyout by Stone Point Capital and KKR at a valuation over $2B. Prior to Focus, he worked in PE at Summit Partners—sourcing, evaluating, and executing deals—and as an investment banker at Salomon Smith Barney. Vamsi holds a BS from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an MBA from Kellogg.

Bio: Adam has 20+ years of experience commercializing technology in the wireless industry at Fortune 500 companies like Ameritech Cellular and Motorola and with several venture-backed companies. He was responsible for launching the first digital cellular system in the US while at Ameritech Cellular, and the rollout of a national prepaid wireless network for DBS Communications. As CEO of ICNet Systems, he grew the analytics software company to be a leading product in the US and engineered a successful exit. He is currently a partner at TechCXO, providing interim executive services for growing tech companies. Adam received his undergraduate and Master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and his MBA from Kellogg.

Bio: With a successful career spanning more than 20 years in biotech, pharmaceutical, medical device, electronics, chemicals and private equity, Matt is an experienced international strategy, operations, and supply chain executive. Living the last 8+ years in South East Asia, he has held a number of key leadership roles in the startup, turnaround, and integration of businesses in Singapore, China, UK, and the US. Matt graduated from the University of Illinois with a BS in Chemical Engineering and received an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management.

Bio: Jennifer is a healthcare entrepreneur and investor. Her passion is building innovative, tech-enabled platforms in medical practice that drive operational and clinical impact. She is the CEO and Co-founder of ExplORer Surgical, a workflow management software for the operating room. Previously, Jennifer was a Vice President at Park Lane Ventures, a late stage venture and growth equity healthcare fund. Jennifer began her career as a consultant at Bain & Company. She holds a BA in Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences and Economics from Northwestern and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

Bio: David is an executive with finance, accounting, and operations experience and 15 years of professional and investment banking (his advisory deals represent an aggregate value $5B+). He launched Synergy HomeCare and grew it into one of the most successful private duty homecare agencies in the NY/NJ area. Later he co-founded and became a Managing Partner of Kirenaga Partners, a private investment firm generating shareholder returns of 102%, with a 26% IRR. David also independently advises Consumer and Food & Beverage brands. He has a BS in Chemical Engineering from Northwestern and an MBA in Finance and Corporate Strategy from Michigan.

Bio: Todd divides his time between the tech industry and entrepreneurial educational ventures. He is a Managing Director at Divergent Ventures, focusing on early stage computing infrastructure companies. He is also an Adjunct Professor in computer science at Northwestern and co-teaches NuVention Web, a top entrepreneurship course in the country. Previously, Todd worked at Microsoft for 21 years in product management, general management, and product development. He is a past member of the Northwestern board of trustees, and currently serves on several school advisory boards. He holds a BA in Computer Science and Economics at Northwestern.

Bio: Robert has over 14 years of finance and business development experience in building global operations and financial platforms across investment, risk, wealth & accountancy management. He is currently COO of FinEx Asia, a global fintech platform. He also has a keen interest in healthcare, education, cleantech, and real estate-related businesses. Previously, Robert launched a new hedge fund platform as a Partner at Redwood Peak, and spent 10 years with Barclays developing and managing risk and margin platforms. He received a Master of Engineering degree from Imperial College London and an Executive MBA from Kellogg-HKUST.

Bio: Rahul is an award-winning technology executive with expertise in monetizing new technologies, creating new business models, establishing partner ecosystems, and developing innovative sales campaigns. He has generated over $500M in incremental sales during his 20-year career. He is currently the Founder and CEO of Coinscape Advisors, a blockchain-focused advisory. He previously held senior leadership positions at several Global 500 companies, where he drove exponential revenue growth of several business units. Rahul has an MS in Industrial Engineering from Northwestern and BS in Industrial Engineering from Delhi College of Engineering, India.

Bio: Kurt has over 25 years of experience in Fortune 500 and entrepreneurial leadership, has founded four tech companies, and has sold over $300M in goods and services. His expertise is in biotech, hospital supply, IT outsourcing, management consulting, retail, supply chain. He is currently the CEO at K8 Ventures, which invests in and accelerates early stage companies that address the human condition. He is also Managing Director at K8 Solutions, a consulting firm focused on building growth. Kurt has an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, MBA from Chicago’s Booth School of Business, and a BS from the University of Iowa.