2018 New Venture Championship Judges | Lundquist College of Business

Introduction

Final Round Judges

Andrew Barofsky

Andrew Barofsky is an expert in managing complicated medical research and development programs, as well as commercializing the resultant technologies. In addition to his role as cofounder, president, and chief executive officer at RevMedx, Barofsky is an executive vice president and general counsel for the Oregon Biomedical Engineering Institute, Inc. (OBEI), where he is responsible for all aspects of technology commercialization, contracting, operations and financial management, as well as providing strategic input on research and development strategies.

Prior to joining OBEI, Barofsky was a member of the intellectual property and business groups of Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt, P.C., a leading Pacific Northwest law firm. Earlier in his career, Barofsky practiced law at Boston-based Testa, Hurwitz & Thibeault, LLP, a global legal services provider for emerging growth companies.

Barofsky began his research career as a scientist at the Oregon Medical Laser Center, where he helped establish the center’s biomaterial program. He currently serves on the board of directors for the Oregon Bioscience Association, the Oregon Translational Research and Development Institute and the University of Portland Center for Entrepreneurship's Technology Entrepreneurship Certificate Program.

Barofsky earned his Juris Doctor and MBA from Boston College and a biochemistry degree from the University of Oregon. Barofsky is a registered patent attorney and a member of the Oregon State Bar and the Bar of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Diane Fraiman

Diane Fraiman is a partner with Voyager Capital and focuses on finding market creators with a concentration on B2B early stage startups in the Pacific Northwest, primarily Oregon. She is on the boards of Act-On and Stackery, and a board observer for SheerID, Chirpify, and Lytics. Fraiman was previously a board observer for Geoloqi (acquired by ESRI), Elemental (acquired by AWS), and Skyward (acquired by Verizon).

Prior to Voyager, Fraiman was senior vice president of marketing and business development for Sanctum, a VC-backed startup providing web application security software (acquired by Watchfire), and vice president of worldwide marketing for the database company Informix Software (acquired by IBM), both based in Silicon Valley. She also held positions as vice president of marketing for Tektronix (acquired by Danaher) in their video and networking division, and a marketing executive with Sequent Computer (acquired by IBM), both based in Oregon. She previously spent 16 years in sales and marketing roles at Digital Equipment Corporation in the U.S., Europe, and Asia Pacific.

Fraiman is also on the boards of TiE Oregon, the University of Oregon Seed Fund, the Oregon State University Advantage Accelerator, and Providence Child Center. She graduated with a Bachelor's degree from Vanderbilt University in biomedical engineering, and received an executive MBA from Insead in Fountainebleau, France. Fraiman lives in Portland, Oregon.

Nitin Rai

Nitin Rai is a highly successful entrepreneur-turned-venture capitalist and is managing director of Elevate Capital, an Oregon-based early stage venture fund that also coinvests with TiE Angels. He has invested in more than 60 startups since 2011. He is the current chairman of the TiE Global board of trustees and chair of TiE Global Angels. Rai also serves as president of TiE Oregon as well as founder and CEO of First Insight Corporation, a Hillsboro, Oregon and Pune, India based electronic health records software company.

Tim Stout

Since 2013, Tim Stout has been the Sid W. Richardson Professor and Margarett Root Brown Chair of the Baylor College of Medicine department of ophthalmology, as well as director of the college’s Cullen Eye Institute. Prior to that he served as professor in the departments of ophthalmology and molecular genetics, as well as vice president for commercialization strategies at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Oregon. He has directed the Clayton Gene Therapy Laboratories since 1995.

Stout brings experience from both the research and clinical sides of medicine. His research interests include human gene and cell-based therapy for proliferative and inherited ocular disease, retinal disease genotype-phenotype correlation, and ocular disease gene mapping and discovery. These efforts have culminated in clinical trials for childhood retinal disease—such as Stargardt disease and Usher Syndrome—and improved outcomes in patients receiving corneal transplants. He has led extensive research in an attempt to discover therapies to treat children with degenerative retinal diseases such as retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). As the new chairman of ophthalmology at Baylor College of Medicine, he intends to expand these studies through the development of two new centers: a center for translational ophthalmology and a center for retinal studies.

Stout received his undergraduate degree from Rice University in Houston and his MBA from the University of Oregon. He earned his medical degree and doctorate in molecular genetics from the Baylor College of Medicine, where he also completed a post-doctoral fellowship in human genetics. He completed his ophthalmology residency at the Doheny Eye Institute at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, a medical retina fellowship at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, and a surgical retinal fellowship at the Doheny Eye Institute.

Michelle Tinsley

Michelle Tinsley is the founder of Tinsley Retail Insights, a boutique consulting firm that helps retailers drive actionable innovation. By adopting technology, retailers are able to improve their business and customer experiences.

Formerly, Tinsley held a 25+ year career at Intel, including 18 years in finance roles. Her positions included a lead role in the company’s “Internet of Things” (IOT) group and general manager of a $400 million revenue business unit within the same group. She also held a role as director of retail mobility, where she grew a segment from nothing to over $100 million in cumulative sales. Tinsley later moved into sales teams in the Americas for Intel, where she was responsible for leading Intel’s efforts in engaging the industry in silicon based solutions for the retail, healthcare, and emerging IOT segments.

Tinsley is an active member of the Arizona State University Dean’s Council of 100, an active angel investor in the Arizona Technology Investors group, a member of the board of directors of Quik Trip, Aava Mobile Oy, and Innowi, and a board of directors member for WNET—the Women’s Network in Electronic Transactions.

Tinsley received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Oregon and an MBA from Arizona State University.

Semifinal Judges

Tim Berry

Tim Berry is the founder and chairman of Palo Alto Software, which is now based in Eugene, Oregon. He is also the conceptual author of business writings including Business Plan Pro, LivePlan, Lean Business Planning, The Plan-As-You-Go Business Plan, and 3 Weeks to Startup. Berry taught at the University of Oregon, his alma mater, for 11 years.

Julianne Brands

Born into an Oregon-based business family, former research analyst Julianne Brands worked at an investment bank and an economic policy think tank. Her experiences bring expertise in market research, finance, and emerging technology to help solve complex problems for entrepreneurs and investors alike.

Kate Delhagen

Kate Delhagen is the founding partner of Oregon Sports Angels, a new investor network comprised of sports industry veterans and successful entrepreneurs and investors. Previously she spent 12 years at Nike in a variety of senior sales, digital, strategy, and management roles. Her varied background also includes career chapters at Forrester Research, lucy activewear, and Rodale Press.

Naomi Derner

Naomi Derner is the founder of the Portland, Oregon-based Derner Valuation Consulting (DVC). DVC has been an independent provider of valuations and appraisals of businesses, securities, and intangible assets since 2008, serving companies in all stages of development. Derner holds the designation of chartered financial analyst, a bachelor’s degree in managerial economics from Carnegie Mellon University, and a master’s degree in economics from the University of California Santa Barbara.

Bernard Fox III

Bernard Fox III serves as UbiVac’s chief financial and operations officer. He received his master’s degree in business administration from the University of Oregon’s executive program. Additionally, Fox serves as a consultant for biotech startups and has been involved with advising other small businesses.

Brian Glover

Brian Glover is the president and CEO of Sierra Capital & Investments, Inc., a private equity and real estate development company. He was an owner of the Triple A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants major league baseball team for ten years and has also owned soccer and hockey teams in the past. Glover earned his executive master’s degree in business administration from California State University, Fresno.

Joseph Hawes

As founder and CEO founder and CEO of several companies collectively known as Hawes Group, Joseph Hawes oversees all business activities. Hawes Group serves as a basis for strategic experts in accounts receivables, collection services, patient financing, accounts receivable outsourcing, leasing, and software and IT infrastructure. Hawes graduated from the University of Oregon with a BS in finance in 1988 and an MBA in 1994.

Paul Jones

Paul Jones retired as CEO of Payless ShoeSource in August of 2017. Jones was responsible for developing and driving the execution of global strategic business initiatives, including repositioning of the merchandise and marketing strategies across North America and international store growth across more than 30 countries. Jones holds a bachelor degree in business, finance, and economics from Mount Saint Mary’s University and an MBA from the University of Oregon.

John Kochis

John Kochis is the president and founder of Gemini Consulting with offices in both Santa Barbara, California and Portland, Oregon. Kochis focuses on achieving the financial and lifestyle goals of privately owned wineries and is a certified specialist of wine. He volunteers for United Way as well as Partners in Education and was on the 2014 ballot for a seat on the Hope School District board of trustees.

Aditi Martin

Aditi Martin aims to enable productive collaborations that drive technology development and enhance research and clinical programs across Oregon Health and Science University. Martin served at the Office of Technology Ventures at Johns Hopkins University, where she managed intellectual property and led a variety of technology development and collaborative agreements focused on biomedical advances. Martin received her undergraduate degree in microbiology and molecular genetics from Michigan State University and earned her PhD in pharmacology and toxicology from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Joe Maruschak

Joe Maruschak is the executive director of RAIN Eugene, a nonprofit, government-funded organization that works with entrepreneurs and university researchers to launch high growth traded sector startups. He is also managing director of the Coast to Crest Fund, which was formed to invest in companies in Lane County with high growth potential. In 2001, Maruschak cofounded his first company, BraveTree, which was later acquired by GarageGames.

Andrew Nelson

Andrew Nelson is an associate professor of management and associate vice president for entrepreneurship and innovation at the University of Oregon. Nelson holds an MSc from Oxford University, and a PhD and BA from Stanford University. Known for his research on the emergence of new technologies, he has published three books and numerous articles on entrepreneurship and innovation, and has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, and on National Public Radio, among other media outlets.

Robert Pease

Robert Pease is a partner at 44North Ventures and the fund manager for the Bend, Oregon-based Cascade Angels Fund. As a startup veteran, he has held a variety of executive, product, and marketing roles across six venture-backed software startups, including CEO of marketing automation software company LoopFuse—where he led the turnaround and sale of the company to Salesfusion—and vice president of marketing of Seattle-based customer relationship management (CRM) software company Gist, which was acquired by BlackBerry. He holds a BBA in finance from the University of Georgia and an MBA from the University of Tennessee.

Greg Roderick

Since 1989, Greg Roderick has dedicated his professional life to the senior housing and healthcare industry at an executive level. Roderick is an alumnus of the University of Oregon, a member of the Oregon Health Care Association and the National Investment Center, and an executive board member of the American Senior Housing Association.

Anthony Rodio

Anthony Rodio is president and CEO of YourMechanic. Rodio is an advisor and investor to many Silicon Valley startups. He has an MBA from the Olin School of Business at Washington University, where he was a dean’s scholar and graduated Beta Gamma Sigma. In addition, he received a MS in economics from Portland State University and a BS of business administration from the University of Oregon.

Jon Rygh

Jon Rygh has more than 20 years’ experience in business strategy and operations, leading companies through startup, turnaround, and growth modes. Prior to cofounding Velocidi, Rygh worked in a leadership capacity in advertising, branding, and design agencies, with a focus on digital. Rygh also has more than 10 years’ experience in the golf industry, where he has worked on various branding projects for companies like Ralph Lauren, Bobby Jones, Patricia Han, the PGA, the U.S. Open, and the USGA.

Vera Sell

For more than 15 years, Vera Sell has worked in product marketing and new product development roles in Portland-based technology companies. Sell actively participates in the Portland startup community; she serves as both a charter member and board member for TiE Oregon, is an Oregon Angel Fund investor, and is an avid champion of entrepreneurs. Sell received her master’s degree from Portland State University and her bachelor’s degree in international business from the University of Applied Sciences in Dresden, Germany and Plekhanov Academy of Economics in Moscow, Russia.

Jeff Stewart

Jeff Stewart is the president of Blue Star Gas, a retail propane distribution company that operates in seven western U.S. states. Stewart attended the University of the Pacific and received his master’s degree in business administration from the University of Oregon in 1995. He was awarded the Entrepreneur Visionary award from the college in 2002. Stewart has been involved with the Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship since 1993 when he started the center’s entrepreneurship club.

Matthew Treat

Matthew Treat is the vice president of AECOM’s Mission Critical and Advanced Technologies practice across the Americas, where he leads a talented team of design and engineering professionals. Treat is a graduate of University of New Hampshire, where he earned both his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in material sciences. AECOM’s practice groups collaborate to design, build, finance, and operate infrastructure assets for governments, businesses, and organizations in more than 150 countries.

Sanjay Vankudre

Sanjay Vankudre is an entrepreneur and seasoned Information technology executive. Vankudre has held technical leadership positions at large organizations—including IBM and Intel—and has also led startup ventures. Vankudre started his first U.S. venture when he cofounded SysPro Systems. He serves as a mentor for the MentorEdge network and TechLaunch business accelerator.

Startup and Lightning Judges

Theresa Buell

Theresa Buell serves as a consulting council member for the Gerson Lehrman Group in their healthcare and consumer goods practice area. Buell is a Fortune 100 general management executive widely recognized across a broad range of industries as an innovative, globally focused executive who delivers exceptional financial operational and strategic outcomes.

Sara Conte

Sara Conte is a principal at SGC Ventures. Her focus is strategic planning, marketing, and business development work in digital companies and niche industries. Conte has spent 15 years building successful companies. Her previous startup, Brand Genie (PrestoBox), introduced branding to the masses as the first automated branding agency. Conte is an active local early-stage investor through various angel groups.

Mitch Daugherty

Mitch started his entrepreneurial journey when he cofounded Arizona Outback Adventures after graduating from Arizona State University. Upon leaving AOA, he cofounded Morange Design and then Built Oregon, a 501c3 nonprofit focused on accelerating, connecting, and amplifying the consumer product ecosystem in Oregon. For the past 15 years, he has focused on brand, digital, and website strategy for clients ranging from startups to Fortune 100 companies.

Scott Davidson

Scott Davidson has over two decades of experience in working with entrepreneurs and management teams of startup and later-stage ventures across a broad spectrum of Pacific Northwest industry groups—including consumer brands, apparel, footwear, entertainment, and technology. Davidson leads White Summers’s consumer brands practice group and frequently works with clients on key strategic issues including angel, venture, and private equity financings, debt financings, and strategic partnerships.

KaLynn Gates

KaLynn Gates is an entrepreneurial lawyer and healthcare evangelist with a mission to make healthcare affordable for all. As president and corporate counsel of HealthFirst Financial, Gates’s expertise and leadership have doubled the company’s national footprint while helping hundreds of thousands of patients manage more than $400 million in medical bills.

Kathy Long Holland

Kathy Long Holland is a specialist in the development and launching of new products, strategies, and business models. She is an expert in entrepreneurship and her work focuses on helping owners, executives, and managers develop strategies for dealing with transitions.

Jim McCreight

Jim McCreight is director of strategic partnerships for the Oregon Technology Business Center incubator, president and chairman emeritus of the Museum Trustee Association, and has been involved in the museum community as a trustee, patron, and volunteer for more than 20 years. McCreight has been involved in the entrepreneurial community since 1966, dealing with the securities, real estate, software, and publishing industries. He currently assists startup companies through the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network and Oregon Technology Business Center.

Stephen McKeon

Stephen McKeon is an associate professor of finance at the University of Oregon. His research focuses on cryptoassets, mergers and acquisitions, and security issuance. His work has been published in top finance journals and popular press outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and New York Times. His professional experience includes six years as a chief financial officer in the wine industry, involvement with several venture-backed startup firms, and token projects as a cofounder, advisor, and board director.

Devon Nevius

Devon Nevius is a self-starter with a successful track record of business growth. He started working in technology immediately following his graduation from the University of Oregon with a BS in business administration. Nevius quickly climbed the ranks at one of the largest office technology companies in the Northwest before following his entrepreneurial ambitions and seeking a company with an innovative culture and exceptional potential for growth. Nevius joined Upward in 2014 as a co-owner.

Eric Pozzo

Eric Pozzo is semi-retired and continues to manage the finances of ChipLab.com and a real estate partnership. From 2008-2011 he was fund manager of the early stage investment fund Oregon Angel Fund. Pozzo managed the finances of a portfolio company, Pacific Light Technologies, from 2012 through 2014. Since leaving Intel in 1982 to start Microcosm, Inc., a pioneering PC-based instrumentation company, Pozzo has pursued a career in entrepreneurship and has helped found and manage a number of various successful startups.

Adam Stoll

Adam Stoll is a partner at Rogue Venture Partners, a Portland-based private equity firm. Previously, Stoll was the CFO and lead IT architect of Smart Choice MRI, a growth-focused, privately held healthcare services company based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Prior to Smart Choice, Stoll was a global program manager for Exit Games, a German-based, venture-capital-backed technology company. Stoll graduated with a BA in international comparative policy studies and political science from Reed College in Portland, Oregon.

Jon Summers

Jon Summers is an attorney and CPA who represents technology and emerging growth companies with respect to formation, financing, governance, and transactional matters. He counsels clients on venture capital and angel financings, mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances and joint ventures, technology licensing, commercial agreements, and general business matters.

Peter Cobb

Peter Cobb cofounded eBags.com, the largest online retailer of travel goods, handbags, backpacks, and accessories. Peter also cofounded 6pm.com, a footwear online retailer acquired by Zappos in 2007. He is on the board of directors of DSW, Inc. and serves on the technology, nomination, and governance committees.

Scott Grout

Scott Grout is an active angel investor and mentor involved in a number of entrepreneurial organizations aimed at driving economic growth in Oregon. Grout was president and CEO of Cedexis, a venture-backed cloud optimization company sold to Citrix systems in early 2018. Prior to that, he was president and CEO of RadiSys, a publicly traded global telecom solutions provider that underwent significant revenue growth—up to $500 million—and strategic transformation during his tenure.

Anika Hedstrom

Anika Hedstrom is a financial planner for Vista Capital Partners and leads the firm’s wealth management division, where she is responsible for developing and advancing advice and financial planning initiatives. She sets internal guidelines, develops best practices, and drives the firm’s wealth management communications. Prior to financial planning, Hedstrom was a financial analyst for Chevron, where she marketed and traded a billion-dollar commercial paper program to institutional investors and managed internal derivative policies for Chevron’s commodity trading.

Jessica Hilbert

While pursuing joint JD/MBA degrees at the University of Oregon, Jessica Hilbert cofounded Red Duck Foods, an artisanal, organic condiment and sauce company. Hilbert led sales and marketing growth from six initial stores in Eugene, Oregon in May of 2013 to distribution in over 2,300 stores internationally.

Blake Lyman

Blake Lyman is a technical product lead at the Jaguar Land Rover Technology Incubator in Portland, Oregon. An experienced product manager, Lyman leads efforts to define and execute integrations of new technologies into the Jaguar Land Rover vehicle ecosystem in partnership with companies participating in the Incubators early stage and automotive accelerator tracks. He also lends his experience to coach these partner companies on product development, product-market fit, and business development.

Jaren May

Jaren May obtained his MBA from the University of Oregon in 2012 before spending the following six years in Asia with TE Connectivity. During his time with TE, he has led product strategies in the data center, consumer electronics, and semiconductor markets. When May is not working, his passion is traveling to a new country each year and diving in the waters of Southeast Asia.

Bruce Melzer

Bruce Melzer is a strategic advisor to Oregon Small Business Development Center Network’s capital access team. He specializes in helping small business owners with business planning, finance strategy development, and accessing debt and equity funding. Melzer holds an MBA and an MS in journalism, both from Columbia University, as well as a BS from University of California, Davis.

Natalie Miller

Natalie Miller is the strategic operations and technology manager for North America brand marketing at Nike. A passionate problem solver, Miller has spent her career developing technology solutions that help people work more efficiently and effectively. Outside of Nike, Miller is an eclectic entrepreneur, the CEO of apply101.com, and the owner of the Cannon Beach Escape Room.

Kate Niedermeyer

Kate Niedermeyer is an entrepreneur-in-residence for Nike’s Innovation Accelerator, where she leads new venture opportunities and follows lean startup methodologies on the hunt for disruptive growth. Prior to Nike, Niedermeyer worked for Intel, most recently as a venture lead for Intel’s new business initiatives. In that role, she helped launch businesses and products in wearables, security, payments, and cloud services.

Shannon Oliver

Shannon Oliver is one of the cofounders of Red Duck Foods, Inc. and manages operations, supply chain, and research and development. She and two classmates started the company while earning their MBAs at the University of Oregon and have grown the company from three stores and three products in May 2013 to over 2,500 stores—including exporting internationally—and 11 products as of March 2018.

Eric Ringer

Eric Ringer is a cofounder and product director at Skyward, a Verizon company. Ringer had a dream of bringing commercial drone operators the tools they need to access the sky, and founded Skyward with fellow University of Oregon alumni while earning his MBA. Now, after four years, $8 million in venture funding, and customers in more than 40 countries, Skyward drives innovation and adoption for telematics fleet management services in high-growth markets.

Dara Westling

Dara Westling, principal of Do Well Consulting, is committed to working on impact capital projects in the Pacific Northwest that offer a return for investors and communities. Westling is also owner of Vancouver, Washington-based Bishops, and is focused on expanding to southwest Washington. She previously focused on the intersection of technology and impact as a vice president at the international enterprise TechSoup. TechSoup has matched changemakers with over $5.5 billion in tech donations and services in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.

Sustainability Judges

Rich Brown

A 26-year veteran of Bank of America, Rich Brown now serves as senior vice president in the company’s global environmental group. Brown is responsible for environmental business development, marketing initiatives, managing partnerships with national and international environmental organizations, and the bank’s MyEnvironment employee engagement program. Prior to joining Bank of America, Brown was legislative aide to the then-congressman (now U.S. senator) Ron Wyden. He received his BA in political science from the University of Oregon.

Michael Lindstrom

Michael Lindstrom is the lead architect for AECOM’s mission critical and advanced technology design group. He specializes in machine and technology driven architecture such as battery manufacturing, data centers, and research and development facilities. Prior to his career in architecture, Lindstrom served as a lieutenant and department head in the U.S. Navy aboard the guided missile cruiser USS Princeton. Lindstrom has a mechanical engineering degree from the University of California, Berkeley and a master’s degree in architecture from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Casey Roscoe

Casey Roscoe is the third generation of the Jones family to work at the Seneca Family of Companies. Roscoe graduated from Providence College with a bachelor’s degree in marketing. She worked for Congressman Bob Smith, the representative of Oregon’s 2nd congressional district and chairman of the House Agriculture Committee. Roscoe later went on to pursue a career in media and marketing, working for the Associated Press, Comcast, WDCW-TV, and The Washington Post. Roscoe sits on the board of directors of GreenLane Sustainable Business Network and Oregon Forest Resources Institute.

Elevator Pitch Judges

Chad Barczak

Chad Barczak is an entrepreneur with more than 30 years of experience in business startups and ownership among industries such as action sportswear, publishing, real estate development, and technology. Barczak cofounded IDX, LLC in 2003 and is currently the company’s CEO. IDX, LLC is the leading provider of real estate search applications for real estate agents throughout the U.S. and Canada. Barczak remains active in many entrepreneurial business and investor groups throughout Oregon. He helped create and start multiple businesses and commercial development projects including: Level Up, a popular bar and arcade; Odysys, a leading software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider in the hospitality industry; and The Russell Apartment building development.

Kimberly Branam

Kimberly Branam, executive director for Prosper Portland, is responsible for the overall leadership and management of the city’s economic development and urban renewal agency. Branam came to Prosper Portland after spending four years leading Mayor Sam Adams’s economic development agenda. Branam earned a master’s degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School. While at Harvard, she consulted to the U.S. Treasury on the strengthening of targeted public and private partnerships. Before attending Harvard, Branam worked for the Peace Corps in Burkina Faso, West Africa. After the Peace Corps, Branam remained in West Africa to serve as a community development project manager for Catholic Relief Services.

Sabrina Parsons

Sabrina Parsons is CEO of Palo Alto Software, developer of LivePlan, the best-selling business management software. Palo Alto Software develops software and tools specifically targeted for entrepreneurs and small-business owners. Persons assumed the CEO role in May 2007 and is responsible for Palo Alto’s business planning, fiscal and strategic goals, and all of the company’s traditional marketing. Parsons writes for Inc Magazine, Entrepreneur Magazine, Business Insider, Huffington Post, and Bplans.com. She is a staunch supporter of entrepreneurs and supports entrepreneurial organizations.

Mitch Vance

Mitch Vance is a general partner of TGV Partners, a private equity investment firm focused on making control investments in emerging growth and middle market companies. TGV specializes in purchasing branded product companies and their investment portfolio has included such brands as the B. Manischewitz Company, Childtime Learning Centers, Raging Waters Amusement Park, Thompson/Center Arms, and Garfield & Marx. Vance’s 25-year career in private equity includes stints with Levine, Tessler, Leichtman & Company, Pacific Mezzanine Investors, and First Westinghouse Capital Corporation.

Qualifying Round Judges

Undergraduate Competition Judges

Jeff Gaus

Jeff Gaus serves as the board chair for Young Entrepreneurs Business Week (YEBW), a nonprofit whose mission is to educate and inspire the next generation of business leaders. YEBW works with high school students to ignite their passion for business and provide them the hard and soft skills to begin their business and leadership careers. Gaus served as Prolifiq Software’s CEO from 2006-2017. With more than 30 years of experience in the telecommunications and software industry, Gaus has held roles in executive leadership, business development, and marketing sales. He has designed and marketed telecommunications systems for universities, large teaching hospitals, mail order pharmacy, and retail pharmacy networks. His inventions include several communications protocols and he has co-authored two U.S. patents.

Kari Naone

Kari Naone is the executive director of TiE Oregon, a nonprofit whose mission is to foster entrepreneurship through mentorship, programming, and angel investment. TiE Oregon provides support to adults and youth through signature programs, the TiE XL Entrepreneur Boot Camp, and the TiE Young Entrepreneurs. Prior to working with TiE Oregon, Naone led programming at the Technology Association of Oregon and has worked for several startups in sales and marketing roles. Naone has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wyoming and resides in West Linn with her husband and two sons.

Ron Sauer

Ron Sauer is the founder of Mazama Capital Management, an institutional portfolio management firm. He was the CEO and senior portfolio manager for all six of Mazama’s growth equity strategies. Sauer’s career spanned more than 36 years on Wall Street, and he is an active member of the board of advisors for both the University of Oregon’s Lundquist College of Business and its Portland-based Sports Product Management Program. Sauer is also on the University of Oregon’s foundation board, where he serves on the finance committee. Sauer is active on the Providence St. Vincent’s board of advisors and on its finance and investment committee. Ron earned a BS in finance from the University of Oregon, where he was awarded a distinguished fellowship of finance.

Matt Thomas

During his senior year at the University of Oregon, Matt Thomas was tasked with creating a business plan for a new business idea that would benefit an underserved, niche market. Inspired by his grandfather’s prolific love of tea, Thomas found a distinct gap in the market for quality teas in the ongoing coffeehouse boom. Thomas started his first teahouse in 2003 with only $45,000 raised from friends and family and now employs more than 250 people across three distinct tea-focused companies. Townshend’s Tea Company currently operates nine retail teahouses throughout the Northwest. Brew Dr. Kombucha is sold in all 50 states and across Canada. And Townshend’s Distillery, the world’s first tea distillery, has earned fast recognition and awards for its line of innovative tea-based spirits products. All three companies are based in Portland, Oregon.

High School Competition Judges

Charla Mathwick

Charla Mathwick is an associate professor of marketing at Portland State University. She teaches graduate classes on innovation and lean startup methods. She brought PSU Kickstart Weekend to campus in 2011 and designed and continues to advise graduate students in the university’s Launch-in-9 program. Mathwick received her PhD from the Georgia Institute of Technology following a decade of serving in various marketing positions in the financial services and telecommunications industries.

Katie Mercurio

Kathryn Mercurio is an assistant professor of marketing at the University of Oregon’s Lundquist College of Business. She joined in 2012 after completing a postdoc at University of California, Los Angeles’s Anderson School of Business. She received her PhD from University of Washington’s Foster School of Business in 2011. At the MBA level she teaches marketing management, consumer psychology, and brand management. At the undergraduate level she teaches marketing strategy with an emphasis on understanding psychological principles at the consumer or customer level in order will improve managerial decision-making with respect to brands.

Peter Rachor

Peter Rachor is director for entrepreneurship and innovation at the University of Portland. He teaches in and directs the university’s nationally awarded Entrepreneur Scholars undergraduate program. Prior to becoming involved in education, research, and economic development, Rachor cofounded three technology ventures and has also held senior positions with several international telecommunications firms. He has lived and worked on three continents. Rachor holds a BA in finance from Michigan State University and an MS in innovation from Northeastern University.