Westwood Ventures Team

Bio: Larry is an experienced investor, business adviser and investment banker. Before joining Westwood Ventures, Larry managed the investment portfolios for the family offices of two prominent Seattle technology and telecom billionaires. Earlier, Larry was a strategy consultant in McKinsey & Company’s Silicon Valley Office, Director of Finance at a Silicon Valley startup (Blue Pumpkin Software) and a hedge fund investor. Larry started his career as an investment banker with Salomon Brothers and later, Robertson, Stephens & Company.  He received his MBA from The Anderson School at UCLA, Masters in Finance from London Business School, and a BA in Economics from Stanford University, where he sailed for the Varsity Sailing Team.
Notable Deals: Alibaba, Sonos, Unity Biotechnology

Bio: Andy is VP of Investments at Alumni Ventures Group, where he supports investment operations, analytics, and portfolio management. Previously, Andy held several executive roles at a VC-backed start-up in Boston called MiniLuxe, where he led finance and operations during a period of significant growth. Andy was also a consultant at The Parthenon Group, and began his career as an actuary at the Liberty Mutual Group. Andy holds a bachelor’s degree from Penn State University, and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.
Notable Deals: Commonbond, Mezu, Honor, Kognition

Bio: Anton has 20+ years of technology experience as a proven venture capital investor, entrepreneur and operating executive in companies ranging in size from start-up to Fortune 10. Most recently, Anton founded and led Vener8 Technologies, a technology commercialization company he started with GE. Previously in his career, Anton led the Software and Internet Infrastructure Group at GE Equity where he directly invested $72 million in 10 companies generating more than $500 million of realized gains. Anton has substantial international experience in Canada, China, Europe and Israel, and has served on the board of directors of more than 20 private and public companies. Anton has a BSc. Engineering from Queen’s University in Canada, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Bio: Stephanie spent more than 15 years in higher education advancement as a fundraiser and alumni relations professional, getting her start at Tufts University. She also worked at Northeastern University, where she led the programming and engagement for 200,000+ alumni worldwide. Earlier in her career, she had her own consulting practice, which focused on fundraising, board development, and communications strategies in the non-profit sector. A strong advocate for mentorship and networking, she brings those passions to investor engagement at AVG. She holds a BA from the University of New Hampshire, where she was a member of the women’s soccer team, and a MA from Emerson College.

Bio: Sasha is a member of the Office of Investments, focusing on sourcing, analysis, and research. Previously, she was a Management Consultant at Stax, Inc., a boutique consulting firm specializing in private investment diligence and growth strategy engagements. Before Stax, Sasha worked at a private-equity-backed startup in the seafood industry, and prior to that, within the Strategic Planning and Marketing groups at Brown Brothers Harriman. She volunteers her time as Judge and Mentor for MassChallenge and also as an Alumni Ambassador for Cornell’s Johnson School. Sasha has an MBA from Cornell University’s Johnson College of Business and an MA (Honours) from the University of St. Andrews.

Bio: Taylor graduated from Southern New Hampshire University with a B.S. in Finance/Economics. Prior to joining Alumni Ventures Group, Taylor spent the early part of his career at Fidelity Investments as a licensed Financial Advisor, providing existing 401k clients with financial planning advice.

Bio: Daniel Berg is a Director at T Mobile and has decades of experience across the mobile and wireless industries.  He has also served as a past president of the Seattle Anderson Alumni Chapter.  Daniel holds an MBA from UCLA, MSEE from USC and a BSEE from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Bio: Sumanta brings a progressive 20 year career in technology innovation and a solid track record of creating new markets/categories, launching 30+ successful products from a variety of industry leaders including Siemens, LG, Sony, Qualcomm, NVIDIA, and Nuance. As the head of product, Sumanta is leading A3 Smart Home in developing state-of-the-art AI powered IoT systems to help protect and manage your home from anywhere in the world. Sumanta has a BS in Engineering/Electronics and Telecommunications from IIEST and an MBA in High Technology Management, Marketing, Entrepreneurship from UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Bio: Niraj is currently Senior Vice President of New Product Development and Global Programs at Avita Medical. Additionally, Niraj serves as a Quality and Regulatory consultant for Hyperfine Research, a start-up in Guilford, CT. Niraj is also an Adjunct Professor for South College in the Imaging Sciences Department. Prior to his current role, Niraj held numerous positions over a span of 18+ years at Siemens Medical in their Molecular Imaging Division. Niraj has a Ph.D. in Biomedical Physics from UCLA, a Master’s in Medical Radiation Physics from the Rosalind Franklin University, and a Bachelor’s in Cybernetics from UCLA. He also holds an Executive Juris Doctorate in Law and Technology from the Concord Law School.

Bio: Phillip Friedman is Senior Director of Global Partner & Startup Programs at Microsoft where he leads the team responsible for Azure partner programs and the Microsoft for Startups program. Philip has served in a variety of product marketing and product management roles at Microsoft. Previously, he was VP of Product Marketing at VoloMetrix, an enterprise SaaS analytics startup that was acquired by Microsoft and a marketing analytics consultant at Digitas. Phillip holds a BA in Business Administration from the University of Washington and an MBA from UCLA.

Bio: Julie is a Senior Executive with 20+ years scaling Go To Market teams focused on Enterprise & SaaS cloud offerings. Julie builds high performing teams with the goal of great outcomes for customers and shareholders. Successful exits include New Relic’s IPO in 2014 and Yammer’s $1.2B acquisition by Microsoft in 2012. Julie leads organizations to attain major revenue targets such as $5B in cloud revenue at Microsoft and $1.5B in renewal revenue during her 10 year tenure at TIBCO. Prior to joining Egnyte as Chief Customer Officer, she held key roles at notable tech companies including Ariba and Oracle. Julie holds a BA in Economics/Business from UCLA.

Bio: Tim is currently leading a Hardware Technologies program management team at Apple. Prior to Apple, he was part of the early Beats Electronics team that designed, built and shipped the first-generation of the now iconic Beats wireless speaker and headphone products. Tim started his career at Northrop Grumman working on delivering end-to-end communication systems for government and military applications in various engineering and business development roles. Tim holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering from UCLA.

Bio: Annu Kristipati is a Silicon Valley startup advisor, experienced in BI/Analytics, with a focus on early stage SaaS software. He has led Customer Success and Professional Services teams at various startups, including Looker, where he earned the coveted “Hero” award for exemplary achievement. Annu is well-versed in SaaS business models, and BI/Analytics go-to-market strategies and systems. Groomed as a consultant and project manager, he has led strategic initiatives at early stage startups and Fortune 50 enterprises. He earned an MBA from UCLA Anderson, and an Economics B.A. and Specialization in Computing, from UCLA. He lives in Fremont, CA with his wife and two young sons. He loves running, options trading, and cheering for the Bruins.

Bio: Todd Kupfer mostly recently managed the West Coast office for Barclays Capital High Yield and Distressed Bond business. He has spent 33 years in the Fixed Income business, starting at Kidder Peabody and migrating through Lehman Brothers and finally Barclays. His role was largely to manage the institutional account base on the West Coast, both for bond trading and capital markets bond and loan origination. He graduated with a finance degree from the Anderson School at UCLA in 1987 after dual majoring in undergraduate studies in Econ and Poli Sci at UCSD.

Bio: Hahn is an experienced corporate development and strategy executive and former senior equity research associate and investment banker. Hahn has deep subject matter expertise in consumer Internet marketplaces and digital real estate technology having served as Executive Vice President of Business Development and Strategy for realtor.com, the second largest digital real estate portal in the U.S. Earlier, Hahn spent 20 years in the media and entertainment space, helping television networks and studios transition to digital business models. He started his career in the Corporate Alliances group at The Walt Disney Company. Hahn also covered the digital media and video game sectors as a senior equity research associate at Jefferies and was an investment banker with Bear, Stearns. He received his MBA from The Anderson School at UCLA and BA in Business-Economics from UCLA, where he graduated summa cum laude.

Bio: Robert Millet has successfully worked in media and high tech for over 25 years as a senior executive in technology, media and marketing. Robert is EVP of ClixTV, a digital network featuring short form content series driven by celebrities from TV, movies and music as well as social media influencers, powered by their millions of fans and followers. Previously, Robert was Co-Founder & CEO of Nooji, an early stage technology company. Robert started his career at MTV/Viacom. As VP Business Development he worked closely with Mark Burnett, (creator and executive producer of reality TV franchises such as Apprentice, Survivor, and The Voice). Robert is a graduate of the UCLA School of Economics/Social Sciences.

Bio: Jennifer Openshaw is a nationally known consumer financial leader with expertise in technology, innovation, and women. Jennifer brings a unique background to Silicon Valley, having held top positions in media, government and the financial industry, including head of the Financial Women’s Association. She started her career as press secretary to California State Treasurer Kathleen Brown and has advised Fortune 500 organizations including Microsoft and EY’s People Advisory Service. Jen has served as a longtime columnist for Dow Jones’ MarketWatch and has appeared on multiple shows, including Oprah, CNN, and Public Television, where she hosted her own show. In 2016, Jennifer founded Girls With Impact, the nation’s only live, online entrepreneurship program for teen girls. A Rotary Scholar, Jennifer holds an MBA in finance and BA, both from UCLA.

Bio: David Sharifi is a startup attorney and business consultant with a focus in intellectual property law, digital asset transactions, deal structuring, and competitive barrier strategy in technology markets. David applies a blend of intellectual property law, personal startup experience, contract negotiation, and lean startup principles in advising innovation firms on product development and promotion strategies. He started his career as an entrepreneur and inventor. David has been recognized as Top 30 Most Influential Digital Media and E-Commerce Law Attorneys by the Los Angeles Business Journal. David is an active member of the California State Bar, holds a Political Science BA from UCLA, and JD, concentration in Entertainment, from Southwestern Law School.

Bio: Geoff Wolfe has over 25 years of leadership experience making customers wildly successful at technology companies such as PeopleSoft (Oracle), Ask Jeeves (IAC), and several high-growth startups. He is currently SVP of Customer Success for Everplans, a B2B2C software provider of life planning applications. Geoff is a technology and data enthusiast who is a co-inventor of one of the earliest mobile commerce patents and is a regular guest lecturer at UCLA on econometrics. He achieved his BA in Economics-Business from UCLA and his MBA from UC Berkeley.

Bio: Jayson Yardley, CEO, Avadyne Health has over 25 years of experience in the business of hospitals and health systems, Jayson Yardley is a CEO, innovator, entrepreneur, speaker, and Amazon.com bestselling author of Rev Up! Bold and Disruptive Strategies to Rev Up Your Revenue Cycle Hero’s Journey. Yardley holds a Master of Business Administration from California State Polytechnic University-Pomona and he earned an undergraduate degree in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles. He’s an active member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) and CEO of Avadyne Health. His prior career experience includes executive positions with Conifer Health Solutions, Navigant Cymetrix, Navigant Consulting, Capgemini and Ernst & Young, LLC.

Bio: Muneer is in his final year of business school at UCLA Anderson School of Management with experiences spanning traditional auto to Silicon Valley startup focusing on electric and self-driving technology. While at Ford, he led the product launch of the company’s second most profitable program and increased top line by $300mm+ by leading execution weeks ahead of schedule. Conversely, during the fundraising round at an early stage startup, he pitched the co-founder of Tesla and board members at Volvo on the company’s proprietary vehicle controls module and integrated vehicle to charging system solution. The dichotomy between big auto and California startup culture never ceases to amaze him. Muneer holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical and computer engineering from Wayne State University.

Bio: Sofia DeMay (UCLA’17) is a senior business analyst at Global Institutional Solutions, where she consults on go-to-market strategy and product positioning for new consumer offerings. Previously, she co-founded a transportation startup called Swifte, where she lead marketing and product efforts. The company eventually partnered with Waze carpool.

Bio: Lawrence is a co-founder and CEO of Wire, the first nationwide scooter subscription startup, which is dedicated to democratizing personal light electric vehicle ownership. While running his startup, he is pursuing his MBA at UCLA Anderson. A serial social entrepreneur, his background and experiences encompass healthcare, technology, and nonprofits. Lawrence advises various startups and nonprofits, and currently serves on the Boards of SV.AI, Global First Ladies Alliance, LifePaths Global Alliance, Global Adolescent Project, and the Pico Union Friends of the Library.

Bio: Pitcha has experiences in management consulting and financial services where she worked on developing analysis frameworks, deriving market insights, and providing recommendations to different business issues. Having exposure to several industries, she is particularly interested in technology as well as FinTech spaces. Pitcha holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Chulalongkorn University in Thailand and is pursuing her MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Bio: Pritam is a product lead at Arrcus, Inc. an exciting venture backed networking operating system startup where he is responsible for designing and implementing product/feature requirements into Arrcus products. Previous to Arrcus, Pritam was at Cisco Systems for a number of years wherein he worked on the Data Center switching and routing portfolio. Pritam has an MBA from UCLA Anderson with a specialization in Finance and Strategy and a Masters in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of Southern California.

Bio: Henry currently works as the Senior Product Manager at UpKeep, a Y-Combinator backed startup specializing in maintenance management software. Prior to UpKeep, Henry was the lead product manager at CreatorIQ, where he launched their Discovery application. Henry’s entrepreneurial experience includes co-founding a quantitative hedge fund and creating a mobile FinTech application. He currently sits on the Associate Board of Visitors for UCLA’s College of Economics, from which he also holds an undergraduate degree.

Bio: Jason is a multi-lingual data-driven strategist, operator, leader, and a 2X startup founder, formerly at Nike, and currently at Carvana — a company disrupting and changing the way people buy cars.

Bio: Ted is a Sr. Materials & Process Engineer at Wisk Aero, where he helps develop a novel new aircraft called Cora, an all-electric, self-flying air taxi that will change the future of daily commutes and urban travel. Prior to working at Wisk, he worked as a materials engineer at Northrop Grumman on the James Webb Space Telescope which will be the largest, most powerful and complex space telescope ever built and launched into space. Ted graduated from UCLA with a Master’s degree in Engineering focusing on Materials Science and Systems Engineering. He also holds a Master’s degree in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford University and a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.