Biographies
Michael Aronson
Managing Partner, MentorTech Ventures
Over 30 year career as entrepreneur and investor with significant expertise in company formation around business school concepts, software development, capital raising, strategic alliances and joint ventures, financial reporting and tax issues, executive compensation, employment matters and copyright law.
Founding shareholder and/or co-founder of 5 successful software companies, 2 were acquired by public entities, 2 by private investors, 1 has NYSE-listed corporate investor. Investor in 2 additional software companies, 1 was acquired by public company, 1 had successful IPO.
Co-founder, CFO, EVP & Board Member of SMG, Inc., a $28M simulation software company, named three times to “Inc. 500” fastest growing companies list. Board Member of Neat Company, Ticketleap, NeuroDX, EyeIC, DietTV, AllSeniorHomes, Soft Tissue Regeneration. Management Advisor/Mentor at Bioconnect, Merchant Circle, Yodle, Diapers.com
Board, Executive and Investment Committee Member for 20+ years, Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania. Broad business school alumni network amassed over 25-year teaching career at Wharton.
Thomas M. Balderston
President, Balderston Capital, LLC
Tom Balderston has been building and managing venture capital portfolios for 25 years, as a general partner, limited partner and angel investor in companies and funds.
Tom formed Balderston Capital, Radnor, PA, in 2001, and has developed a growing focus on angel investments in emerging companies in the environmental and social impact space. He is on the Board of Investors Circle, a national angel network of socially responsible investors, www.investorscircle.net, and recently became a partner in its affiliated angel funds, the Patient Capital Collaborative. In addition to investing in and advising companies, he has invested in, and advised venture and private equity funds.
Tom also served from July, 2006 to June 2009 as President and CEO of the Mid-Atlantic Capital Alliance, (now called Greater Philadelphia Alliance for Capital and Technologies), www.philadelphiapact.com , the regional venture community association in the Greater Philadelphia area.
Prior to founding Balderston Capital, Tom was President of SGI Capital, the private equity investment unit of Superior Group, a family-owned holding company. Balderston also worked with TDH Group from 1985-1998 where he was a General Partner of its TDH III, L.P. venture fund and Co-founder of its management company. After graduating from Williams in 1978, Tom worked for Bank of Boston, in middle-market lending first in Boston and then in Los Angeles.
Balderston holds an M.B.A. from the UCLA Graduate School of Management with a concentration in Finance and a B.A. from Williams College.
He serves on numerous private company Boards and fund advisory committees and is active on a number of community Boards as well. Currently, in addition to Investors Circle, he serves on the Board of the Ben Franklin Technology Center of Southeastern PA, and is Chair of the Finance Committee, Treasurer and member of the Executive Committee. Balderston is also a member of the Board of the Shipley School and a member of its Finance Committee. Tom has been an active volunteer at Williams College, joining its Board of Trustees in October, 2010. Previously, he served on the Executive Committee of the Society of Alumni from 1996-1999 and as Chair of the Alumni Fund from 2003-2005.
Tom and his wife Betsy and their three sons live in Ardmore, PA.
Joseph Bordogna, Ph.D.
Professor of Engineering, University of Pennsylvania
Joseph Bordogna is Alfred Fitler Moore Professor of Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania where he served also as Director of The Moore School of Electrical Engineering, and Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science. His career includes experience as an officer in the U.S. Navy, an engineer in industry, a member of the team that developed the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Ben Franklin Technology Partners (BFTP) instrument for stimulating entrepreneurial potential, a Presidential Appointee in the federal government, and worldwide President of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
From 1991 to 2005, he served at the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), first as head of the Directorate for Engineering, then appointed by the President as Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer of NSF. Complementary to these tasks he was a member of the President’s Management Council and chaired committees on Manufacturing, Environmental Technologies, and Automotive Technologies in the President’s National Science and Technology Council (NSTC).
He has made contributions to the engineering profession in a variety of areas including optical and radio communications, electro-optic recording materials, holographic video playback systems, educational innovation, and management of technological innovation. He led at Penn the creation of a liberal arts degree in an engineering school and an undergraduate management and technology dual-degree program between the Engineering School and Wharton Business School focused on graduating private sector entrepreneurs.
Among his recognitions, he was awarded a commendation as Operations Officer of the Flagship of the naval unit which achieved the world’s first space capsule recovery, was a member of the team that built the first semiconductor laser voice communication system that operated at room temperature, and a plateau in Antarctica is named Bordogna Plateau in recognition of his NSF Antarctic activities.
He graduated from John Bartram Public High School in Philadelphia and holds B.S.E.E. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, the S.M. degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and honorary doctorate degrees in engineering, science, humanities, and humane letters.
NSF speeches archived at http://www.nsf.gov/bordogna.
Walter W. Buckley, III
Co-Founder, CEO & Chairman, Internet Capital Group
Walter is co-founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Internet Capital Group. Prior to ICG, Walter was Vice President of acquisitions for Safeguard Scientifics, Inc., where he led many of Safeguard’s investments through the mid-1990s, including Diamond Technology, ChromoVision and Video Server. He also was responsible for developing and executing Safeguard’s multimedia and Internet investment strategies.
Before Safeguard, Walter was President and co-founder of Centralized Management Systems, Inc., a medical supply company, which he sold in 1987. Previously, he spent three years at CoreStates in the commercial lending group.
Walter was included in Business Week’s 2000 “eBiz 25,” listing of the 25 most influential people in electronic business, Price Waterhouse honored Walter with its “Entrepreneur of the Year” in 2000, and the Greater Philadelphia Venture Group honored him with its “Entrepreneurial Excellence Award” in June 2000.
In addition to serving as Chairman of the Board for ICG, Walter sits on the board of ICG Commerce. He is Chairman of the Starfinder Foundation, a non-profit organization, the Board of Advisors of the Carolina Entrepreneurial Initiative and on the Board of Visitors of the Kenan-Flagler Business School at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Education: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, B.A., political science
Board Seats: ICG Commerce, Internet Capital Group (ICGE)
Alan J. Cohn
Co-President, Sage Financial Group
Alan is a Founder and Co-President of Sage Financial Group, Sage Real Estate Group, Cohn Management Group, Sage Online, and is co-author of “The Sage Guide to Mutual Funds”.
Sage Financial Group is an Investment Management and Wealth Management firm, founded in 1989. Sage Real Estate Group is a Real Estate investment firm, founded in 2001. Cohn Management Group is a Private Equity investment firm, founded in 2002. Sage Online was a web based Investment Research company, founded in 1995. The Sage Guide to Mutual Funds was published by Harper Collins in 2000.
Alan has been named one of the most influential people in the investment world by The Wall Street Journal and SmartMoney Magazine. He has been quoted in Money Magazine, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, The New York Times. Additionally, Alan was named one of the top 40 business leaders under the age of 40 in the Philadelphia Area by the Philadelphia Business Journal, and was recognized by Philadelphia Magazine as one of “100 People to Watch.”
Alan is a Certified Financial Planner. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Delaware with a BS in Finance. He attended Temple University Law School and Wharton Graduate Business School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Alan is active in many civic associations and serves on the board of Ben Franklin Technology Partners. He resides in Penn Valley with his wife, Darlene, and four children.
Walter D’Alessio
Vice Chairman, NorthMarq Capital, Inc.
Mr. D’Alessio joined NorthMarq Capital in September 2003 when NorthMarq acquired the mortgage banking division of Legg Mason Real Estate Services (LMRES) where he was employed since 1982. Mr. D’Alessio is currently Vice Chairman of NorthMarq Capital and a member of NorthMarq’s Board of Directors. He is also President of NorthMarq’s real estate consulting group, NorthMarq Corporate Solutions. At LMRES, Mr. D’Alessio was Chairman and CEO. Mr. D’Alessio chaired the LMRES Executive Management and Executive Staff Committees, and was a member of the LMRES Debt and Equity Investment Committees.
Mr. D’Alessio has over forty five years experience in planning, developing, financing, and managing major real estate projects in Philadelphia, including 12 years as Executive Director of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority, and 10 years as the Executive Vice President of the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation.
Mr. D’Alessio is a member and an officer of several national professional associations including the National Association of Housing & Redevelopment Officials, the Counselors of Real Estate and the National Council for Urban Economic Development. He is an active board member and officer of several corporations and a member of several Philadelphia institutions and civic groups, and he has taught courses at the University of Pennsylvania for over 20 years. He has served in an advisory capacity to the Business School of Temple University and the Department of City and Regional Planning of the University of Illinois. He also received an Honorary Doctor of Science Degree from Drexel University in 2007.
Mr. D’Alessio has been recognized both locally and nationally for his various achievements. He received the Edward deLuca Memorial Award from the National Council for Urban Economic Development, the Citizen of the Year Award from the American Red Cross, the Thomas E. Cahill Leadership Award from Roman Catholic High School, the Business Leader of the Year from the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors and the William Penn Award of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce and Penjerdel.
Mr. D’Alessio holds a B.S. degree in Landscape Architecture from Pennsylvania State University and an M.S. in City Planning from the University of Illinois.
Judith E. Erwin
Executive Vice President & Founder, Square 1 Bank
Judith and the venture capital services team work with venture firms to craft both bank and nonbank solutions to meet their capital efficiency goals as well as other financial challenges they’re faced with today and in the years to come. Judith has worked with firms in various regions of the country to develop a network of venture CFOs and operating partners. She also sits on the Ben Franklin Technology Partners Board of Directors in Philadelphia, PA.
Judith founded Venture Funds Services at Imperial Bank in 1998, developing a client base throughout the United States, Canada, the UK and Israel. Prior to Imperial (later acquired by Comerica Bank), she spent over seven years with Plaza/Comerica Bank both developing a line of treasury management services and developing banking solutions for middle market companies throughout northern California.
Michael J. Heller
President & Executive Partner, Cozen O’Connor
Michael J. Heller is President and Executive Partner of Cozen O’Connor. Michael joined Cozen O’Connor in 1994, having previously practiced at Wolf, Block, Schorr and Solis-Cohen.
Michael’s practice is devoted to representing and counseling entrepreneurs and emerging growth companies in all industries from the formation and business planning stage to forming, structuring and negotiating joint ventures and strategic alliances, technology licensing, transfer and development, negotiating and structuring all types of angel, venture and other capital-raising transactions, mergers and acquisitions, initial public offerings and beyond. An important element of Michael’s practice is making the necessary introductions to assist his clients in raising capital and finding joint venture partners. Michael also focuses his practice on representing venture capital funds and angel investor groups in all forms of equity and debt capital-raising transactions. He was named a Pennsylvania “Super Lawyer” by Law & Politics.
Michael is a frequent speaker on venture capital and entrepreneurism in the Mid-Atlantic Region and is frequently quoted in local, regional, and national publications on the subject. He is a member of the board of directors of the Greater Philadelphia Venture Group, Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania and the Entrepreneur’s Forum of Philadelphia, Inc. He is also on the advisory committee for the University City Science Center’s Port of Technology.
Michael received his undergraduate degree in 1986, summa cum laude, from The Pennsylvania State University, and his law degree in 1989, magna cum laude, from Villanova University, where he was a law review editor and a member of the Order of the Coif.
Osagie O. Imasogie, Esq.
Senior Managing Partner, Phoenix IP Ventures
Osagie has over 28 years of experience in the fields of law, finance and business management, healthcare and the pharmaceutical industry. Prior to co-founding Phoenix IP Ventures, an IP based Merchant Bank, Osagie conceptualized and established GlaxoSmithKline Ventures and was its founding Vice President. Osagie led GSK Ventures in concluding thirty (30) worldwide transactions, within a 3 year period, in which he invested various GSK R&D non-progressed assets into various companies and/or as the basis of starting new companies.
Prior to this role within GSK, Osagie was a Vice President for Product Development Strategy at SmithKline Beecham. Prior to this role at SmithKline, Osagie was the Founding Senior Vice President for Business Development and General Counsel at Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc., a multi-billion dollar publicly traded specialist pharmaceutical company (NASDEQ: ENDP). Osagie previously served as a DuPont Merck Vice President for International Sales and Marketing and General Counsel to DuPont Merck’s International, Manufacturing and Generic Drug Divisions. Osagie has also been a Price Waterhouse Corporate Finance Partner as well as a practicing attorney with a leading US Law Firm in the fields of corporate, corporate finance, taxation and intellectual property law.
Most recently, Osagie was the co-Founder of Trigenesis Therapeutics Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing pharmaceutical products for the dermatological market which he sold to a publicly traded pharmaceutical company. Osagie is Chairman of the Board of Directors of iCeutica Pharmaceuticals, Inc. as well as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Iroko Pharmaceuticals LLC. In addition, Osagie was a co-Founder and former Chairman of Ception Therapetutics. Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of novel products to address unmet medical needs which was recently sold to Cephalon (NASDEQ: CEPH).
In addition, Osagie is a member of the Board of Overseers of the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Osagie is also a member of the Board of the Philadelphia Orchestra and, for six years (2000-2005), was Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the International House of Philadelphia. Osagie is also a member of the Wilson Council of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, in addition to a number of other non-for-profit companies and institutions. Osagie also served as a Senior Consultant to the President’s Emergency Plan For Aids Relief (PEPFAR), a unique initiative by the United States Government to have a direct, positive impact in the fight against the global Aids epidemic by committing over $48 Billion and a multifaceted approach to combating HIV/AIDS.
Osagie holds post-graduate degrees from the London School of Economics and the University of Pennsylvania Law School, is a member of the New York State Bar and has been the I Grant Irey Adjunct Professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School where he teaches a seminar on “Intellectual Property and National Economic Value Creation”.
Kef Kasdin
General Partner, Battelle Ventures & Innovation Valley Partners
Kef Kasdin is a General Partner and Cofounder of New Jersey-based Battelle Ventures and its Tennessee-based affiliate fund, Innovation Valley Partners, for which she focuses primarily on investments in emerging energy and communications technologies.
Kasdin has been involved in developing and executing strategy for high-technology companies for more than 20 years. She previously worked at Sarnoff Corporation, and at 3Com Corporation, where she held various positions, including Vice President of Marketing – Desktop Products Division and Vice President & General Manager – Ethernet Products Division. She was 3Com’s first Executive in Residence – Office of the Chairman.
She is the CEO of Proterro Inc. and sits on the Boards of Directors of Aldis, Inc.; Ampulse Corp.; Planar Energy; Rajant Corp., and the National Association of Seed and Venture Funds.
Kasdin holds an MBA from Stanford University and a BSE degree in operations research from Princeton University.
Robert E. Keith, Jr
Managing General Partner, TL Ventures
Bob Keith, managing general partner of TL Ventures, is one of the co-founders of the firm and has been the chief executive officer of the management companies from the outset. His 22-year career at Fidelity Bank in Philadelphia, a leading regional commercial financial institution, saw an ever increasing level of responsibilities. He left the bank in 1989 to become a venture-capitalist, at which time he was Vice Chairman responsible for most of the bank’s commercial lending and non-banking subsidiaries. He oversaw significant growth and market expansion during his tenure as well as entry into new service markets such as investment banking, where he recruited Mark DeNino who had been an operating executive at several venture backed companies. He is a graduate of Amherst College and Temple University School of Law. He was later recognized as a distinguished alumnus by Temple University School of Law in 2004.
Bob served on the board of the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) from 2000 to 2004. Until recently, he served as chairman of the board of Safeguard Scientifics, Inc. (NYSE: SFE) for 10 years, and helped guide the company through the challenging transition from the excesses of the late 1990s. In addition to his venture capital related work, he has remained on the board of Internet Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: ICGE), a highly successful business co-founded by TL where Bob served as its Chairman from inception, that provided 92x return to TL II/TL IV.
Bob is also chairman of the board of The Reinvestment Fund, a $400 million not-for-profit community investment institution in the mid-Atlantic region, which focuses on rehabilitating neighborhoods, real estate, charter school lending, and renewable energy.
Bob is the former chairman of Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania, a seed-stage financing source, funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In addition, he was the 2008 Early Stage East Honorary Co-Chair.
Bob was awarded the Blair Thompson award for lifetime achievement in venture capital by the Greater Philadelphia Venture Capital Group in 1999.
Anil (Bob) Kothari
Senior Vice President, ICG Commerce
Anil Kothari is the Senior Vice President of Sales and Business Development for ICG Commerce, where over the last five years he has transformed the fledgling e-commerce/consulting firm to a market-leading business process outsourcing firm with market leadership.
Kothari began his career at ICG as the Vice President and General Manager – East Region. Previously he worked at A.T. Kearney as a Principal, leading the new business development team for the Fortune 200 data management corporation. He has also worked at WMX Technologies, Incorporated as the Manager of Government Programs.
He currently serves as a Board Member for Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis & Education, and is a Deacon at Overbrook Presbyterian Church.
Kothari received his MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, his Master of Environmental Management degree from Duke University, and his BA from Franklin and Marshall College.
Kenneth G. Lawrence
(Former) Chairman, PECO Energy Company
Kenneth G. Lawrence retired on November 1, 2003 as Chairman of PECO Energy Company, which is the regulated electric and gas transmission and distribution company in Philadelphia and southeastern Pennsylvania with 1.5 million electric customers and 450,000 gas customers. The merger of PECO Energy Company and Unicom Corporation created Exelon Corporation, one of the nation’s largest electric utilities.
Lawrence previously served as Senior Vice President of Exelon and President and Chief Operating Officer of Exelon Energy Delivery. Mr. Lawrence had been with PECO for 34 years beginning in 1969 and held various leadership positions including Chief Financial Officer before taking over as President of PECO Energy in 1998. During that time PECO continued to grow profits and earnings in a market place with capped rates.
At Exelon, he was a leader in bringing together the energy delivery businesses within Exelon with $10 billion in revenue and 10,000 employees. He is a recognized leader in responding to the challenges of utility competition including the development of a comprehensive Customer Choice Program to address the challenges of deregulation in Pennsylvania. He was also responsible for the nation’s largest commitment to Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) technology as well as developing a comprehensive safety initiative that placed the company in the top tier in the country.
Mr. Lawrence is an active real estate investor and a board member of the Rosemont School of the Holy Child. He also served as a board member of the Philadelphia Orchestra until late 2008 and of Indus International, Inc. until its merger with Fortezza Iridium Holdings in early 2007. He has received numerous awards from a wide variety of civic, social service and community organizations.
Mr. Lawrence received a BS degree in Engineering from Cornell University and an MBA from Widener University. He also completed executive development programs at the Darden School of the University of Virginia and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He lives in the Philadelphia area with his wife, Molly, and their family.
Peter S. Linder
Board Member, Penn State Research Foundation
Mr. Linder is a member of the Board of Directors Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern PA and a member of the Board of Directors of the Penn State Research Foundation. He is Chairman Emeritus of the Mid-Atlantic Angel Group Fund, a member managed angel fund that makes investments in start-up companies. For many years he was also Chairman of LORE, one of the oldest angel investment groups in the country.
Mr. Linder is former Chairman of the Board of the Angel Capital Education Foundation., a member of the Board of Directors of Molecular Detection, Inc., and
a member of the Valuation Committee of Edison Venture Fund.
Mr. Linder recently retired as a member of the faculty and Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Muhlenberg College. He also served for 10 years on the Board of Trustees of The Jackson Laboratory, a genetics research and resources institution.
Mr. Linder was President of ETHIX, a managed care company operating HMOs and PPOs in 13 states. He founded the company in 1984 and grew the health plan membership to over 500,000 with revenues of $50,000,000. In 1994 the company was acquired by New York Life. Mr. Linder also founded American Interactive, a company specializing in hospital laboratory data processing systems.
He was formerly Chairman of the Delaware County Hospital Authority,
Earlier in his career he held sales and marketing positions at Burroughs Corporation.
Mr. Linder received a BSEE from Penn State in 1961, and an MS in Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 1964. He resides with his family in Malvern, PA.
John A. Loftus
Managing Director, Internet Capital Group
John is a Managing Director at Internet Capital Group. In this capacity, he leads acquisitions of partner companies and works with entrepreneurs to build great companies.
John has over 20 years of experience as a serial entrepreneur, private equity investor and operational executive. Prior to joining ICG, John was the founder of the Swinford Group LLC a management consulting firm focused on growth strategies and turnaround situations in private equity backed and F1000 companies.
Prior to forming the Swinford Group, John was the Manager Director and Executive Vice President for all technology investments at Safeguard Scientifics, Inc (NYSE: SFE). For Safeguard, he was an active director on partner company boards, led new and follow-on investments, and multiple successful exits. As Chairman of Mantas, John led the turnaround and successful exit of Mantas to Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) for a hundred million dollar plus gain for Safeguard.
Prior to joining Safeguard, John co-founded Gestalt LLC which focused on software solutions for government and energy customers and successfully was sold to Accenture (NYSE:ACN). John also served as Senior Vice President of Breakaway Solutions, where he managed all strategy and consulting engagements, and was part of the senior management team that took Breakaway Solutions public. Prior to Breakaway Solutions, John was the Senior Vice President and CTO of WPL Laboratories, which earned recognition as an Inc. 500 company. Early in his career, Joh held executive positions at PECO Energy and GE.
Education: B.E.E., M.S.E.E, and M.S.C.S from Villanova University and a M.S.O.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.
Ashley McEvoy
Worldwide President, Ethicon, Inc.
Ashley A. McEvoy is Worldwide President, Ethicon Products and a member of the Ethicon Franchise Global Management Board. In this role she is accountable for driving the growth of Ethicon’s $3B+ core businesses across the globe, including the company’s heritage suture brands; wound closure and hernia repair platforms. Ethicon, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson Company, is a member of the Johnson & Johnson Surgical Care Group of Companies.
Before joining Ethicon in 2009, Ms. McEvoy served as President, McNeil Consumer Healthcare Division, McNEIL-PPC, Inc., where she had worldwide responsibility for the company’s upper respiratory, pain and digestive health franchises, and oversight of the company’s over-the-counter (OTC) business in the U.S. During the course of her tenure, she led the business through the acquisition of Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, transforming the company’s global OTC footprint, and oversaw the transition of ZYRTEC brand cetirizine, the number-one-prescribed allergy medicine in the U.S., from prescription to OTC status.
Ms. McEvoy began her Johnson & Johnson career with McNeil Consumer Healthcare in 1996 as an assistant brand manager for TYLENOL and NICOTROL brands. She was later appointed Vice President of Marketing with responsibility for the TYLENOL, MOTRIN and ST. JOSEPH ASPIRIN brands. She was ultimately appointed General Manager of McNeil Consumer Healthcare Division of McNEIL-PPC, Inc., where she oversaw sales, business strategy and insights, and strategic marketing for the OTC businesses.
Throughout her career, Ms. McEvoy has steadily built a reputation for being a principal driver of continued innovation, strategic growth, and financial accountability. In 2005, she earned public recognition for her achievements, when Advertising Age rated her among the top 50 marketers. Ms. McEvoy serves on the CEO Council For Growth – Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce.
Prior to joining Johnson & Johnson, Ms. McEvoy worked at leading advertising agencies in London and in New York, managing branding and advertising for such consumer products as Jif Peanut Butter, Clairol, Unilever’s Personal Products, and the soap and food sectors for Procter & Gamble. She earned a B.A. in Communications from the University of Pennsylvania.
Ami Miron
President, A.M. Partners
Mr. Miron has 35 years of experience in leadership, entrepreneurships, technology, and business in the consumer electronics, multimedia, cable television, broadcast television, telecommunication and Internet industries. In 1981, Miron joined Philips Electronics in The Netherlands, and later Philips in the US. Miron developed and patented the first Picture-In-Picture (PIP) for Philips under the Magnavox brand name. In 1989 Miron was appointed development manager for TV and Video Systems. Miron developed a system to solve the problem of ghost images on TV. Subsequently, the FCC selected this Ghost Canceling System as the US standard and it won an Emmy Award. Miron led the development of the first digital High Definition TV (HDTV) system in the US. Subsequently, the FCC selected it as the US standard and it won an Emmy award.
In 1993, Miron joined General Instrument Corporation (now Motorola) as Vice President to lead advanced technology and new products for the cable TV market. In1997, Miron left Motorola and founded MoreCom Inc. and serves as its Chairman, President and CEO. MoreCom was a software networking company, providing an integrated solution for the delivery of entertainment digital video with Internet content to the television set. Liberate Technologies acquired the privately held MoreCom, Inc. in 2000 and it was later acquired by Comcast. Mr. Miron served as its President till 2001.
Miron is the founder and President of AM Partners. Miron works with companies, entrepreneurs and Venture Capital funds to develop successful ventures. He serves on the board of The Ben Franklin Technology Partners, and is a member of the Upper Dublin School District strategic planning committee.
Mr. Miron attended the Israel Defense Forces Officers Academy and graduated first in his class. He served as Captain, and received a distinguished recognition during his service. He earned a B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel, and an M.S.E.E. from the Polytechnic Institute of New York University, New York. He received his Professional Degree in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University, New York and he completed an executive MBA program at Babson College, Massachusetts. He received five US patents, and two Technology Emmy Awards.
Miron reside in Dresher PA and enjoy his four children: Ben (NYU ‘07) at NYU Medschool, Jon (Cornell ‘10) Environmental Engineer, Michelle (Colgate ‘13) and David (middle school).
Matt Rieke, M.D.
Partner, Quaker Partners
Matt Rieke is a Partner and founding principal of Quaker Partners. At Quaker, he leads equity investments in healthcare companies at all stages of development from early stage companies to later stage commercial businesses. Matt’s industry expertise includes pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and medical technologies such as devices, tools and human diagnostics. Since its founding in 2002, Quaker Partners has invested in dozens of innovative, high impact healthcare companies. The firm manages over $700 million in committed capital.
Prior to joining Quaker, Matt was a principal at an early stage venture fund, Novitas Capital. He also worked with the University of Pennsylvania Center for Technology Transfer where he helped create start-up companies based on Penn faculty inventions. During graduate school, he worked as a management consultant with CSC Healthcare, helping physician practices and hospitals implement best-practice disease management protocols. Prior to graduate school, Dr. Rieke researched novel plasma-based therapeutics and bone marrow transplantation at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Matt is involved with a number of community organizations related to entrepreneurism and venture capital. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Southeast BIO as well as Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania, and he supports the annual Wharton Business Plan Competition as a judge and mentor.
He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of several Quaker companies, including Neotropix, Tarsa Therapeutics, TearScience, and TransEnterix.
Matt holds a B.A. from Colgate University, a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Charles M. Robins
Managing Director, Fairmount Partners, Inc.
Mr. Robins focuses on serving emerging growth companies with strategic and financial advisory, mergers and acquisitions and private financing services in technology-related sectors including software and telecommunications. As Fairmount’s senior technology expert, Mr. Robins has over 30 years of experience as an entrepreneur, executive, strategic consultant and investment banker. Previously, he was Managing Director, co-head of Corporate Finance and led the technology practice in the U.S. for Investec Inc., an international public diversified financial services company. Mr. Robins was also a member of Investec’s commitment committee and management committee. Prior to Investec, Mr. Robins was a principal with PMG Capital where he was head of Technology Research and the Technology Investment Banking practice.
Prior to becoming an investment banker, Mr. Robins was an executive at Safeguard Scientifics, a high-technology investment firm, and was co-founder of Rabbit Software Corporation, a publicly traded pioneer that developed and marketed communications products for enterprise networks. In addition, he was president of Atlantix Corporation, a Perot Investment Group company, and managed advanced technology development for Shared Medical Systems and SEI Corporation. Mr. Robins was also co-founder of Multiple Funding Pension Inc., a developer of financial analysis software.
Mr. Robins has served on a number of public and private Boards of Directors, currently including the Greater Philadelphia Alliance for Capital and Technologies (PACT), where he also serves as lead judge of that organization’s annual Enterprise Awards, the Ben Franklin Partnership, and the Jewish Publication Society.
Mr. Robins was a Ph.D. research fellow at New York University where he also earned master’s degrees in computer science and mathematics. He graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Brooklyn College and is an honorary member of Sigma Xi in sciences and Pi Mu Epsilon in mathematics. Mr. Robins has lectured in computer science and mathematics at the college level and authored a number of articles as well as published a book on computer software.
Anthony M. Santomero, Ph.D.
(Former) President, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia
Anthony M. Santomero is the former President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. He holds the title of Richard K. Mellon Professor Emeritus of Finance at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Santomero serves on the Boards of Citicorp, Citibank NA, Renaissance Reinsurance Company Ltd, the Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company, and the Columbia Funds mutual fund family. At Citi, he is chair of the Risk Management and Finance Committee and the Regulatory Compliance Committees and member of the Audit and Executive Committees. At Penn Mutual, he serves on the Executive and Nominating Committees. At RenRe, he is chair of the Investments and Risk Management Committee. At Columbia, he serves on the Investment and Compliance Committees.
From 2006, he has served as a Senior Advisor in McKinsey & Company, full time from 2006 to 2008 and now on a more limited basis. In this role, he works closely with McKinsey clients and partners globally in the Financial Institutions and Risk Management Practices.
Prior to joining McKinsey, Dr. Santomero was the ninth President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia from 2000 to 2006. As a Federal Reserve Bank president, Dr. Santomero has been a voting member of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), which conducts U.S. national monetary policy by influencing the level of interest rates. While at the Fed, he also served as chair of the System’s Committee on Credit and Risk Management, and as a member of the Financial Services Policy Committee, and the Payments System Policy Advisory Committee. In addition, he was the Vice Chair of the Conference of Reserve Bank Presidents.
Before joining the Federal Reserve System, Dr. Santomero was the Richard K. Mellon Professor of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. During his 30-year tenure at Wharton, he held a number of academic and managerial positions, including Deputy Dean of the School. While at Wharton, Dr. Santomero established a reputation as a recognized consultant to major financial institutions and regulatory agencies throughout the world.
Dr. Santomero serves on the Boards of the Wharton Financial Institutions Center, the Penn Institute for Economic Research, and Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania. He is also a member of the Clearing House Academic Advisory Board and the Financial Economists Roundtable. Internationally, he is Chairman of the Economic Advisory Board of the Swedish Institute for Financial Research and serves on the advisory board of the Italian Bankers Association’s European Banking Report.
Dr. Santomero received an A.B. in economics from Fordham University in 1968 and a Ph.D. in economics from Brown University in 1971. He holds an honorary doctorate from the Stockholm School of Economics in Sweden, received in 1992, and an honorary degree from the University of Rome, awarded in 2003. He also holds the title of Cavaliere della Repubblica Italiana, an honorary knighthood from the Republic of Italy conveyed in 2005. He received the Dean’s Medal from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School in 1988 and was honored as recipient of the Global Interdependence Center’s 2005 Global Citizen Award.
He has written approximately 150 articles, books, and monographs on financial sector regulation and economic performance. His last two volumes are Financial Markets, Instruments, and Institutions and Challenges for Modern Central Banking.
Stephen Spinelli, Jr., Ph.D.
President, Philadelphia University
President Stephen Spinelli, Jr., Ph.D. has many years of leadership experience in academia and business. At Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, Dr. Spinelli held a variety of leadership roles during his 14 years. He chaired the entrepreneurship division, was director of the Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship, and held the Alan Lewis Chair in Global Management. He was a dynamic member of the President’s Cabinet and the Academic Council, as well as chair of the entrepreneurship task force that contributed to the College’s strategic plan. As Vice Provost, Dr. Spinelli was instrumental in strengthening and growing important Babson initiatives, including the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), the world’s largest collaborative research project studying entrepreneurship; Successful Transgenerational Entrepreneurship Practices (STEP); the Symposium for Entrepreneurship Educators (SEE); and the Babson/Historically Black Colleges and Universities Consortium, a partnership dedicated to improving the quality, quantity, and longevity of African American business.
Dr. Spinelli’s work has appeared in journals such as the Journal of Business Venturing, the British Management Journal and Frontiers of Entrepreneurship. He has also been featured in such popular press as the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, The Boston Globe, and Entrepreneur. He has authored numerous business cases and co-authored Business Plans That Work, Franchising: Pathway to Wealth Creation, How to Raise Capital, Never Bet the Farm, Entrepreneurship: The Engine of Growth and New Venture Creation for the 21st Century.
Dr. Spinelli has consulted for major corporations such as Fidelity Investments, Intel Corporation, IBM Corporation, and Allied Domecq. He has served in leadership roles for a number of community, business, and professional associations and has also been incredibly dedicated to his students – past and present – providing countless hours of mentoring, coaching and support to those in the entrepreneurial process.
Previously, Dr. Spinelli was co-founder of Jiffy Lube International and Chairman and CEO of the American Oil Change Corporation, helping to pioneer the quick lube industry nationwide and turning Jiffy Lube into the nation’s dominant competitor with more than 1,000 service centers.
Dr. Spinelli received his Ph.D. in Economics from The Management School, Imperial College, University of London, his M.B.A. from Babson College, and his B.A. in Economics from McDaniel College.
Dr. Spinelli is married to Carol Fulton Spinelli and has two children, Kathryn Fulton Spinelli and Stephen Spinelli, III.
Stan Silverman
President, Horizon Venture Group, LLC
Stanley W. Silverman is the former president and chief executive officer of PQ Corporation, a privately held global company operating in 19 countries (North America, South America, Europe and Asia Pacific) in two core businesses – chemicals and engineered glass materials.
Mr. Silverman is president of Horizon Venture Group LLC, a firm that invests as a limited partner in companies which have potential for growth and value creation. He has served as a guest lecturer on Executive Leadership at the Wharton School and at the LeBow College of Business of Drexel University, where he holds the position of executive in residence. Mr. Silverman has experience as a director on public company, private company, private equity company, trade association and not-for-profit boards.
He began his business career as a process engineer at Atlantic Richfield, subsequently acquired by BP, a global energy company. He joined PQ Corporation in 1971. During his career at PQ, Mr. Silverman has held positions in engineering, operations planning, marketing, sales and business unit executive management. He became PQ Corporation president and chief executive officer and a member of the board of directors in January 2000.
Mr. Silverman is a director on the boards of three publicly traded companies – A. Schulman, Inc., C&D Technologies, Inc. and Met-Pro Corporation, as well as three private equity owned companies – Femco Machine Company, innRoad, Inc. and Exocor Ltd.
He is a member of the board of trustees of Drexel University, and serves as chairman of the board’s finance committee. He is also a member of the board of trustees of Philadelphia Health and Education Corporation. He is the former chairman of the board of the Soap and Detergent Association, and a former board member of the American Chemistry Council.
Mr. Silverman earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering and a MBA degree from Drexel University. He also completed the Advanced Management Program at the Harvard Business School.
Stephen T. Zarrilli
Senior Vice President and CFO, Safeguard Scientifics, Inc.
Steve Zarrilli has been the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Safeguard Scientifics, Inc. (NYSE:SFE), a growth capital provider headquartered in Wayne, PA, since 2008. Steve has built a career spanning more than 25 years in strategic, financial and operational executive roles. He has held various positions as CFO and CEO of both public and private companies, where he has demonstrated an ability to successfully grow and manage a diverse selection of enterprises.
In addition to his responsibilities at Safeguard, Steve is also the Chairman of the Penn Valley Group, a middle-market management advisory firm which he co-founded in 2004. Steve’s prior experiences include serving as the CFO of Fiberlink Communications Corp. (2001 to 2004), CEO of Concellera Software, Inc. (2000 – 2001) and CFO then CEO of publicly traded US Interactive, Inc., where he led the company’s initial and secondary public offerings (1994 – 2000).
Steve began his career with Deloitte & Touche in 1983 and was responsible for developing an “emerging business” practice group for the firm in Philadelphia.
In addition to his current duties, Steve is a director for a several public and private enterprises including Nutrisystem, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRI) and Cadient, Inc. He is also the Chairman of the Board of the Arts & Business Council of Greater Philadelphia, a board member of Economics Pennsylvania and the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. Steve previously served on three other public company boards – US Interactive, Inc. (digital marketing) from 1999 to 2000, Clarient, Inc. (cancer diagnostics) from 2008 until its sale in 2010 to General Electric, and Progress Financial Corporation (banking/ financial services) from 2000 until its sale to Fleet Bank in 2004.
Steve is a frequent speaker on topics related to financial and operational management, capital markets, corporate governance, entrepreneurship and business ethics. He is a Director of the Corporate Governance Council of Drexel University’s LeBow School of Business and the Chairman of the Advisory Board of La Salle University’s Center for Entrepreneurship.
Steve graduated from La Salle University in Philadelphia in 1983 with an accounting degree and is a former Certified Public Accountant. He also completed the Advanced Management Program at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 2010.
