Meet Your Investment Team
These are your classmates and other investment professionals who wake up every day on your behalf
Ali Byrd
Managing Partner
Ali is a builder and leader of high-performance finance and operations for early and growth-stage companies spanning cleantech, digital music, software, fintech, marketing, and more. As a serial startup CFO, he has executed financial modeling, transactions, and post-merger integrations.
In 1997, Ali joined Microsoft, leading developer evangelism and competitive engagement for East Coast enterprise sales and consulting teams. He later oversaw product management and the launch of Microsoft’s SharePoint business, as well as strategic planning and growth for Microsoft’s $10B Office business. He also was responsible for M&A due diligence and post-merger management for Microsoft’s venture acquisitions.
Ali subsequently joined the Global Technology Investment Banking group at Lehman Brothers, providing M&A and corporate finance advisory. He later joined the next-generation biofuels company Primafuel, a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer, where he led fundraising and infrastructure projects. In 2011, he joined SecondMarket as Senior Vice President, facilitating $2B+ in secondary transactions for the world’s best venture-backed private companies. He then joined Movable Ink as CFO, producing record growth and profitability for the marketing personalization company. He also served as CFO of Olapic, a visual marketing leader that he helped sell to Monotype in 2016.
Ali earned his BSE in Electrical Engineering from Duke and is now a regional board member for Duke New York. His MBA is from the Wharton, with a concentration on finance and entrepreneurship.
Tom “TK” Kuegler
CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER AT AVG
TK is Chief Investment Officer at Alumni Ventures Group, helping launch new funds, recruit deal teams, and oversee portfolio management. He also serves on the AVG Board of Directors. In addition, TK is the Co-founder and General Partner of Wasabi Ventures, a venture capital incubator and consulting firm that builds and advises early stage tech companies. Wasabi Ventures has launched, financed, and advised more than 200 startups. In his 25 years of startup activity, he has been a part of over 1,500 rounds of financing as an investor, founder, or adviser. He is also the author of Web Advertising and Marketing and dozens of articles about startups and software, as well as a frequent lecturer. TK earned a BS in Economics from Loyola and is a former member of the Board of Sponsors of Sellinger School of Business at Loyola.
Alumni Ventures Group Support Staff
The team behind the Towerview Investment team - freeing them to build you a great venture portfolio
Chris Sacharuk
Investor Relations Manager
Prior to joining AVG, Chris was a Customer Advocate at Graphic Packaging and in Sales & Marketing at Putnam Investments, where he created materials for reps and investors. He’s a graduate of the University of Massachusetts Lowell, Manning School of Business, where he studied Entrepreneurship and Entrepreneurial Studies.
Anne Miller
Investor Relations Manager
Previously, Anne was an Applied Behavioral Analysis Counselor for Melmark and a medical biller for Physicians Resources. She is also a certified Certifiied Personal Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor, with her own clientele. Anne has a Bachelor’s in Psychology from the University of New Hampshire.
Hilary Ncala
Director of Investor Relations
Prior to joining AVG, Hilary was a Staffing Executive and Program Manager at Robert Half. Previous positions include Retirement Planning & Guidance Consultant for Fidelity and an Investor Assistant for an independent investor. She has a Bachelor of Science, Business Management & Marketing from Fisher College.
Jamie Eitel
Community Relations Manager
Jamie was the Clinical Secretary Sr for Pediatric Gastroenterology at Dartmouth-Hitchcock. Earlier, he served as a Claims Processor Associate and then a Senior Associate at Cigna Health. He has also served in multiple church youth ministries for over 15 years throughout Ontario, Canada, in many different cultural contexts. He was part of the adjunct faculty in the youth ministry department at Tyndale University College. He has a BA in Psychology from York University, a Masters of Divinity from Tyndale Seminary, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Fuller Theological Seminary.