The Future of Work
Accelerator

ADAM BIRNBAUM is an experienced operator and entrepreneurial leader in tech, who most recently served as interim CEO of Buildout, a 100+ employee B2B SaaS tech company which exited to The Riverside Company. He has also worked in smaller startup environments and management consulting. Adam earned an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a B.S. from Northwestern University. He is a disruptive technology enthusiast, personal development aficionado, marathon runner, and avid musician.

ALEX NEWMANN is a sales coach & consultant helping tech companies grow revenue to $50 million/year. He works with young companies to gain traction and find their initial customers to building scalable, repeatable revenue producing systems. He was Co-Founder & CEO at FinanceFuel, COO at Storefront, CRO at TechDay, and VP of Sales at PivotDesk. He is a big foodie, traveler, skier and Krav Maga enthusiast.

BRIAN HALL is President and Founder of Carema Consulting. Brian Hall has over 25 years of growing revenues at founder-led B2B SaaS and technology companies. His expertise building and leading Customer Success organizations is informed by his experience in Marketing, Sales, Product Management, Product Marketing and Professional Services with early and growth stage technology businesses. Brian is an Entrepreneur in Residence with growth accelerator VentureSCALE and a co-founder of the Chicago Customer Success Leadership Group.

CANDACE WASHINGTON is a leadership and professional development guru helping to keep individuals and organizations on the growth track by empowering emerging leaders with professional development skills to accelerate performance, take ownership of their career journey, and thrive at their highest levels. Her career experience spans across Fortune 500 corporations, academia, and not-for-profit. Prior to founding Pivotal Impact, Candace served as Senior Lead of Training and Development at the University of Chicago. She’s an alum of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and received her MBA, with emphasis in Learning and Development from Roosevelt University.

CHARLES VOLK is the Founder and Producer of Mr. Thrive Media, which provides independently-produced media while helping to nurture a thriving international community for artists and professionals. A Los Angeles native that is incredibly aware of entertainment industry culture and its rising stars, he has worked on podcast production for a scope of clients from entrepreneurs to large companies. Charles holds a BA in Cinematography and Film/Video Production from San Francisco State University.

CHRIS SMITH is the Director of Business Development at inDinero. Chris has a long history of providing operational leadership, account management, and sales in start-up and fast paced organizations. He has a strong knowledge of our team members and how their specific skills can best benefit our client’s needs and create a more dynamic relationship. A Hoosier through and through, Chris has over twelve years of sales and business development experience in the Indiana/midwest area and a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University.

CHRISTINE SCHOEFF is SVP of Talent & Development at FourKites, a high-growth Chicago based Saas organization and the global leader in supply chain visibility. Christine has led Talent functions in multiple industries including Marketing SaaS, Consumer E-Commerce, Professional Services, Advertising & Brand Consulting, and Financial Services. She has partnered with high performance teams in North America, Asia, Europe and Latin America to achieve results during periods of aggressive growth and transformation. She currently serves on the Illinois Technology Association’s Talent Advisory Board and as Co-Chair for Women Influence Chicago. Christine also serves on the Board of Directors for Trilogy, Inc., a prominent mental & behavioral health non-profit serving clients in need throughout Chicago. Christine holds a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Administration from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as well as a Certificate in Organizational Development from DePaul University.

D.K. SMITH studied finance and math at the University of Miami (FL) and received his law degree from New York University School of Law. While in law school D.K. moved to China and bootstrapped a successful custom clothing startup, but ultimately decided to practice private equity law on Wall Street after graduation. Shortly thereafter, D.K. transitioned to Boston Consulting Group (BCG) as a Management Consultant in their Corporate Finance and Strategy Practice Area where he helped multi-billion dollar conglomerates build and execute acquisitive growth strategies. D.K. left BCG in 2019 to launch D.K. Smith & Co., a strategy and operations advisory firm for startups and middle market businesses.

DORIS NAGEL has more than 25 years’ experience leading cross-functional and global teams, particularly in the areas of strategic partnering, market entry strategy, change management, compliance, training, and risk management. Radio talk show host, podcaster, trainer, speaker, blogger, and published author.

JACK ECKBLAD is the Head of Partnerships in the Midwest for the HubSpot for Startups program. Before joining the HubSpot for Startups Program, Jack was a President’s Club Sales Rep who helped hundreds of companies scale their marketing, sales, and customer service efforts.

JAY RUDMAN is an experienced and successful leader of 5 businesses – 4 of which exited. After his last exit, he joined Topstep: first as a pro bono mentor, then CGO, and ultimately CEO. He grew Topstep’s topline ~5x in 5 years, dropping double-digit EBITDA, all-the-while bootstrapping the business (zero investors). His strengths are in scaling businesses, team development, change management, mentoring & leadership, go-to-market strategies, and mergers & acquisitions. He has been a finalist for 1871’s “Outstanding Tech CEO Award”, an EIR at Catapult Chicago, a CEO mentor for The Junto Institute, a fractional Biz Dev executive for Jump Capital, and a mentor at Polsky. Jay holds an MBA from U of Chicago’s Booth and his undergrad degree from Wharton.

JEFFREY DIRRENBERGER is a serial entrepreneur with 13+ years of experience creating consumer applications, B2B software, and launching tech startups. After starting his career in the eSports gaming industry, he went on to sharpen his skills in the various roles of developer, designer, and operator all while launching hundreds of digital products including work for the Chicago Tribune, Kate Somerville, Fooda, National Restaurant Association, Navteq, and BabyFirst TV. Jeff is currently the CEO of the venture studio, Vault Innovation, that specializes in taking new products to market and optimizing existing services with technology.

JEFFREY ESCHBACH is an entrepreneur and tech innovator, with over 20 years of experience creating new products and businesses. He is the founder and CEO of Page Vault Inc., a company that transforms Internet content into evidence for the legal world. Before that venture, Jeffrey built a career leading R&D initiatives at leading corporations such as Intel Japan and Motorola Research Labs. After moving to Chicago a decade ago, he became immersed in its growing startup scene, and now advises and invests in early-stage companies there. He received an MBA with honors from The Kellogg School of Management, teaches as a professor at the school, and serves as the Director of Program Outreach for the Kellogg Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative. He also holds undergraduate and master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University. Jeffrey is a National Science Foundation Fellow, has earned 11 USPTO patents related to cloud-computing, and frequently speaks on startup and innovation topics.

JOHN MAZARAKIS is Co-Founder and Principal of Chicago Atlantic, a specialty capital provider and alternative to traditional bank lending. John brings over 20 years of entrepreneurial, operational, and managerial experience to the table. Over the last two decades, he has launched successful ventures in real estate, retail, hospitality, and personal fitness. He has built a 30+ restaurant chain with more than 1,200 employees. In addition, John has built a real estate portfolio of over 30 properties, developed over 1 million square feet of commercial real estate, and completed multiple real estate financing transactions. He has invested in and served as an advisor to multiple successful startups. John has an MBA from the University of Chicago and a BA from the University of Delaware.

JOHN OSTLER is an entrepreneur, digital producer, speaker, and investor. John has been creating and empowering teams to create mobile & web software for over 25 years. He is Cofounder of Eight Bit Studios, spending the last 15 years helping develop custom mobile and website software solutions for enterprise teams. He is also CEO and Founder of Unicorn Road, focusing on helping accelerate entrepreneurs and early stage startups.

KATHLEEN MARCELL is a Consultant at Carema Consulting. Kathleen has spent the last 10 years of her career building Customer Success teams. She has extensive experience working with enterprise software across multiple verticals and guiding companies through hyper-growth phases. Kathleen has a passion for developing programs and solutions to ensure customers are obtaining a quick time-to-value and achieving their business outcomes. Kathleen’s experience includes hiring and managing Operations, Support and Implementation teams which has given her a keen understanding into how a seamless onboarding experience can positively impact retention. She works closely with each client to understand its unique challenges and to optimize its customer journey.

KEVIN DONNELLY is CEO & Executive Director of The PCPI Foundation. Kevin has over 20 years’ experience as a global healthcare executive and entrepreneur in diverse areas such as distribution, software, clinical data management, clinical performance measurement and consulting. Kevin’s corporate resume includes senior management positions with Cardinal Health, Baxter International, and American Hospital Supply Corporation. He has extensive experience with startup organizations as a founder, turnaround expert, coach and mentor. He is a member of Chicago Innovation Mentors (CIM) where he has mentored over 15 healthcare companies from the US, Canada and Belgium across many business models and disease states. He also serves as a corporate board member and works with several healthcare advisory boards. Kevin Donnelly is a graduate of The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Gies School of Business.

KRISTINA McMENAMIM is the Founder of askHUH? She is an entrepreneur, experience-creator, speaker, and space-holder, who believes we can change the world from the inside out. Kristina combines her global upbringing, 15 years of marketing at public companies and startups, an MBA from Kellogg at Northwestern, and her background in social emotional intelligence, team-building, and transformational leadership to support startups in developing more conscious, self-aware cultures, leaders and team members. She loves doing cartwheels and co-creating aha moments with others.

LANDON CAMPBELL is the Chicago GM at Columbus VC firm Drive Capital. Campbell is the creator of inTheir20s, an interview podcast in which business leaders, celebrities, and other influential folks talk about what life was like in their 20s. The show has featured Steve Wozniak, former NBA star Tim Hardaway, and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez. Drive recently announced the closing of two new funds totaling $1B to invest in Midwest startups.

LAUREN DECKER has 10 years of experience leading product marketing high-growth SaaS companies, including Salesforce and G2. Her integrated approach to product marketing is informed by her experience leading product management and brand management at B2B startups. As a senior consultant specializing in product marketing at Carema Consulting, Lauren works with clients to develop strategic messaging for their products and solutions, and helps lay the foundation for their product marketing practices using proven go-to-market frameworks that improve internal communication, enable client-facing teams to confidently solve customer problems, and increase product adoption.

LESLEE COHEN has been a principal at AllRise Legal since 2010. The firm specializes in helping its clients who are raising private funds or compensating service providers with equity in order to grow their businesses, start new enterprises or purchase real estate. Prior to founding AllRise Legal, Leslee practiced at a Wall Street corporate and securities law boutique, representing primarily publicly traded companies, then led the securities department at a mid-sized law firm in Chicago for 13 years. Since 2007, Leslee has served on the leadership team of the Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law. She also runs venture pitch sessions through the Small Business Advisory Council and is a member of the Board of Directors of that organization as well as the Demon Angels. Leslee graduated from the University of Michigan in 1989 and from New York University School of Law in 1992.

MARY BETH ARZAC has held a wide variety of Marketing, Sales and Consulting roles with healthcare manufacturers including Fisher Scientific, Medtronic, Baxter, Baxalta, Intelligent Medical Objects, Relia-Source and Shire. Within these roles, she focused on brand marketing, patient and healthcare provider clinical training, relationship management programs, analytical based decision making, new product launches and project management. Mary Beth is currently an Advisor and Point of Contact for the United States for NeuroPath. She is also an Advisor and Investor for Inference Analytics, Point B Mentor at Matter and is the Grant Chair for the District 113 Foundation in Highland Park, IL. Mary Beth received her BA and MBA from the University of Chicago.

MIKE HARRLANDER has over 20 years of experience in Sales, Sales Leadership, and Entrepreneurship, he has generated outrageous results while caring for his client’s best interests. After successfully starting several businesses his endeavors have produced many wins and many lessons. Those lessons are invaluable and it is Mike’s passion to share and support others in avoiding costly mistakes. He is currently the CEO and Founder of Orion’s Guild, creating and implementing tailored solutions and workshops covering, sales, marketing, and business strategy for a wide range of ventures.

PATRICK FARRAN is Co-Founder and CEO of Ad Lucem Group and brings 25+ years of experience as a senior leader and consultant in change management. Patrick also currently serves as Associate Director for Graduate Business Career Development at the University of Notre Dame where he teaches and mentors full-time MBA program students with concentrations in consulting/strategy and entrepreneurship. Prior to founding Ad Lucem Group, Patrick served as Director of Consulting for the SAS Institute serving state and local government agencies, educational institutions, and health care organizations. Patrick holds a BS in Chemistry/Mathematics Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, an MBA from DePaul University, and a Ph.D. in Values-Driven Leadership, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Sustainability from Benedictine University. Patrick researches and writes on topics of organizational change, culture transformation, work meaningfulness, and engagement.

PHILLIP LESLIE is Managing Partner at Workbox Ventures, where he seeks to grow the firm’s impact on the Future of Work.  Previously, Phillip was Managing Director at TechNexus, a multistage firm with a portfolio of 125+ ventures including investments at the Seed and Series A stages.  Earlier, Phillip grew and sold two B2B SaaS ventures, after concluding his time working on Microsoft’s earliest IoT technologies.  Phillip holds an MBA from University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a Computer Science degree from Purdue.

RUSS KRAJEC is a “recovering patent attorney” who was dissatisfied with the conflict of interest between startups and their IP attorneys. He is the author of “Investing in Patents” and the host of the “Patent Myths” podcast. He invests in startup companies where IP makes a difference.

STEVE SUBAR is a partner with TechCXO, the on-demand fractional C-level services firm. Steve brings 25+ years’ experience founding and leading high-growth software companies in hyper competitive markets; from inception to IPO and Fortune 500 acquisition. Steve is recognized for novel product and business model innovation. As a founder, CEO, investor and board member, he’s earned a reputation for building clever strategies and winning teams, driving accelerated growth, developing strong customer relationships and creating superior shareholder value. Steve is chairman of the Cyber Threat Intelligence Network and on the advisory board for Northwestern University’s Farley Center for Innovation. He received a Bachelor of Science with a concentration in Computer and Information Technology from Miami University.

TAYLOR MORRISON began her career in Allstate’s Leadership Development Program before becoming the first full-time employee at a health and wellness startup. Today, she is the Founder of Inner Workout, a self care support system that builds practices, partnerships, and products to help individuals reclaim their role as the true expert on their wellbeing. Taylor holds a BS in Human and Organizational Development from Vanderbilt University.

VINCE PANOZZO has worked as a senior leader in Chicago’s healthcare technology community for nearly two decades. He currently serves as Vice President of Revenue at SwipeSense (An SC Johnson company) where he leads sales and marketing activities. Prior to joining SwipeSense, Vince led the Enterprise Health System team at Outcome Health where he worked with large health systems on patient education solutions. He spent the majority of his career at Strata Decision Technology where he was Chief Revenue Officer and guided Strata through a significant phase of growth.