Semifinal Round Judges
Ibrahim Ban
Ibrahim Ban is a senior technologist at Intel, where he contributes to breakthrough semiconductor research. As a founding partner at Oregon Sports Angels, he has been an active angel investor for startups focusing on sports-centric technology, products, and services. As director of the Oregon Executive MBA's alumni board, Ban led the organization of the last two DuckTank Pitch events.
Chad Barczak
Chad Barczak is a serial entrepreneur with more than 30 years of experience in business startups and management. Barczak cofounded IDX, LLC—the leading provider of real estate search applications for real estate agents throughout North America—and served as its CEO until its sale in 2020. Barczak helped create and start multiple businesses and startups throughout his career, some of which include Level Up, a popular bar and arcade; Odysys, a leading software-as-a-service provider in the hospitality industry; and multiple commercial development projects in Oregon. He currently leads Barczak Group, LLC, an investment company that manages these and other projects in his portfolio.
Greg Byrne
As chief operating officer of Lone Rock Resources, Greg Byrne has helped diversify the company through the development of its timber investment partnerships and investments in commercial real estate and natural gas. The company’s core business continues to be the ownership and management of more than 150,000 acres (60,000 hectares) of Douglas fir timberlands in Southwestern Oregon.
Theresa Buell
Theresa Buell works in project manager in the product supply commercial operations division of Bayer Pharmaceuticals, where she facilitates new product development and manages the execution of commercial product launches. Buell has more than 20 years of experience in leadership roles at companies including Johnson & Johnson, Avon Products, and Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, and U.S. Nonwovens, and also formerly served as a Wall Street analyst specializing in macroeconomic strategy for emerging markets.
Jim Chi
Jim Chi is an accomplished business leader with a wide range of strategic and operational experiences in leading companies to build processes and scale up. He has served as a team builder across product, marketing, sales, and operations for companies in the apparel, consumer products, sports technology, and retail industries. Chi's career includes leadership roles with global brands, manufacturing, and retail organizations such as Nike, Mohawk Industries, and The Home Depot. Extensive international experience in Asia and Europe forms the foundation for his global business consultancy, which focuses on sustainability in the sports industry. He is also a founding member of Oregon Sports Angels.
Rick Jung
Rick Jung is managing director of Southold Partners, an investment advisory firm focused on healthcare private equity. For more than 20 years, he served as chairman, CEO, and board member in private equity, venture capital-backed healthcare IT, and real-world evidence enterprises from startup to exit. Most recently, his notable ventures include Clinicient and CorEvitas, both of which are disruptive innovators in the respective healthcare spaces they occupy and returned more than ten times the initial capital invested to shareholders upon exit and recapitalization.
John Kochis
As president and founder of Gemini Consulting, John Kochis focuses on achieving the financial goals of privately owned wineries. He currently consults on multiple winery projects throughout the West Coast that range from startups to those with decades of history. Kochis is also the CEO of Aspira Corporation, a wine company focused on developing and marketing California wines in Asia.
Devon Nevius
Devon Nevius is the CEO of Upward Technology, an IT company focused on helping businesses get the maximum return from their technology investment. After working in the private sector for nearly 10 years, Nevius acquired a significant stake in a Managed Technology Services business and redeveloped it into what is now Upward. The company became the first certified B corporation in the industry in the Pacific Northwest in 2017, was awarded the title of one of the 100 Best Places to Work in 2021, and has become a recognized leader in managed IT services.
