AGENDA

CEO & Co-Founder | DaVinci Education

Allison Wood

Best known as CEO and co-founder of DaVinci Education, the award-winning enterprise software platform spun out from Duke School of Medicine to help educate the world’s future healthcare professionals. In 2024, DaVinci Education became a portfolio company of Achieve Partners.

Prior to launching DaVinci Education, Allison held creative and account roles at Grey Advertising in Los Angeles and also ran her own boutique communications firm offering branding, speechwriting and presentation coaching skills for executives in education, business and non-profit leadership. While raising three children, she managed to squeeze in a local PTA presidency and a few cabaret singing gigs on the side.

Founder & CEO | ArchiveSocial

Anil Chawla

Look for Anil in the Founder Lounge!

Anil has spent the last decade leading ArchiveSocial, growing it into the #1 provider of social media archiving software. As CEO, he scaled the company to eight-figure revenues, 70 employees, and 2,300+ customers, delivering a 34X return to investors. While proud of its success, he values most the high-energy, results-driven culture the team built. Before entrepreneurship, he was a software engineer at IBM and earned a B.S. in Computer Science from Georgia Tech.

COO | Wild Earth

Antony Evans

Look for Antony in the Founder Lounge!

Antony is on a mission to create a sustainable circular economy by driving the adoption of advanced biotechnologies. As an experienced COO, he specializes in building and scaling consumer product companies, managing supply chain operations, finance, technology, fundraising, data analytics, and DTC growth. At Wild Earth, he helped scale revenue from zero to over $40 million in five years. Previously, he worked as a strategy consultant, earned an MBA from INSEAD, and founded the first biotech company funded by Y Combinator.

Treasurer | State of North Carolina

Brad Briner

Hear from Brad during his Fireside Chat!

Treasurer Bradford B. Briner was sworn in on January 1, 2025. As Treasurer, Mr. Briner is responsible for managing about $250 billion in assets, overseeing the state’s pension and healthcare plans, helping to assure the financially sound issuance of debt for state and local governments and maintaining the state’s “AAA” bond rating.

Prior to running for office, the Treasurer was most recently the Co-Chief Investment Officer for Willett Advisors, where he worked from 2012-2023. Willett manages the philanthropic and personal investment assets for Mike Bloomberg. Before Willett, Mr. Briner held positions at Morgan Creek Capital, the UNC Management Company, ArcLight Capital and Goldman Sachs.

Senior Associate | RA Capital Management

Brett Noel

At RA Capital Management, Brett’s role as Senior Associate leverages deep expertise in biopharma to drive investments in innovative and transformative companies, supported by strong data and financial analysis skills. The team’s strategic vision is guided by an unwavering commitment to bridging the gap between unmet medical needs and maximizing shareholder value, ensuring that cutting-edge treatments reach those in need while delivering strong investor returns.

Co-Founder & CEO | Relay

Chris Chuang

Chris Chuang is the co-founder and CEO of Relay, a communications and safety platform for frontline teams. Prior to starting Relay, Chris was CEO of Republic Wireless, which he also co-founded as a business unit within Bandwidth (ticker: BAND). Chris and team scaled Republic from zero to ~$100M in annual revenue, drove it to profitability, spun it out of Bandwidth, and later sold it to DISH in 2021. Before Republic, Chris held various leadership positions at Bandwidth, including Chief Strategy & Product Officer and his last role as Chief Operating Officer, with P&L responsibility for multiple business units. During his tenure, Bandwidth scaled from tens of millions to hundreds of millions of revenue. Prior to joining Bandwidth, Chris served as VP of Strategic Development for Motricity, an early app store technology platform powering billions of content/ app transactions for the major mobile carriers. Chris helped Motricity raise hundreds of millions of capital from leading investors and scale annual revenues from ~$10M to $100M, enabling Motricity to go public and reach a market cap of over $1 billion. Prior to joining Motricity, Chuang was an investment professional with Technology Crossover Ventures (TCV), a venture capital investor with over $25 billion under management. While at TCV, Chuang led the firm’s investment coverage of the communication markets, including the completion of a $27 million investment round in Motricity. Previously, Chuang was also a management consultant with McKinsey & Company and worked in investment banking roles at Morgan Stanley and JP Morgan. Chris is a graduate of Stanford University.

CEO & Founder | Lindy Biosciences

Deborah Bitterfield

Deborah has over 10 years of Pharma/Biotech industry, which reflects positions across a broad range of strategic and operational disciplines including biotherapeutics and medical devices. Prior to launching Lindy Biosciences in 2017, Deborah joined Southeast TechInventures, an innovation lab that partners with university inventors to further develop promising university technologies. Deborah began her career at Duke University in the Program on Values & Ethics in the Marketplace. She holds a PhD in Materials Science from Duke University with a focus in biomaterials.

Co-Founder & CEO | Validic

Drew Schiller

Look for Drew in the Founder Lounge!

Drew is the CEO and co-founder of Validic, transforming healthcare with Intelligent Digital Care Solutions. Their industry-leading Health IOT platform integrates data from 650+ devices, enabling AI-powered, EHR-integrated remote patient management. He co-founded Validic in 2010, became CEO in 2016, and has served on multiple industry boards, including CTA’s Health Division and Highmark Health’s Technology Advisory Group. Before Validic, Drew ran a web development firm, founded a health website, and taught at the University of Iowa.

Co-Founding General Partner | TrueBridge Capital

Edwin Poston

Hear from Edwin during his Fireside Chat!

Edwin has over 20 years of experience in private equity, managing assets for foundations and endowments since the early 2000s. Before co-founding TrueBridge, he was Managing Director and Head of Private Equity at The Rockefeller Foundation, overseeing its venture portfolio as part of a $4 billion endowment. Prior to that, he managed over $4 billion in assets at Brandywine Trust, building strong relationships with top venture capitalists. Edwin began his career in investment banking and real estate before transitioning to private equity. A licensed attorney, he serves on multiple investment and advisory boards and was named an Honorary Kauffman Fellow.

VP, Head of Genomics | Vividion Therapeutics

Eoin McDonnell

Eoin McDonnell, Ph.D., joined Vividion in 2025 after its acquisition of Tavros Therapeutics, a precision oncology company he co-founded. At Tavros, Dr. McDonnell developed and scaled proprietary functional genomics platforms for discovering novel cancer therapies. His career has focused on cancer biology and CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing, with prior roles at Pfizer, UCB Pharma, Element Genomics, and Integrated Oncology Solutions. He earned his Ph.D. in molecular cancer biology from Duke University and a B.A. in biology from Virginia Tech. At Vividion, he continues to advance functional genomics technologies for improved cancer treatments.

CEO | SWIR Vision Systems

George Wildeman

Strategic, entrepreneurial, senior executive with a proven track record of driving growth and innovation, and the introduction and business development of new products from within emerging businesses. Most recent experiences resulted in delivery of strategic exits via acquisition for two startup companies. Most recently, as CEO of a semiconductor materials startup, led the company from it’s foundation through product development and commercialization phases, resulting in a successful exit via acquisition of the company to a top-tier global semiconductor company. Specialize in building and leading high-performing teams, forging key partnerships, leading commercial and marketing teams, and launching hard tech businesses across multiple industries including photonics, machine vision, optics, consumer electronics, telecommunications, and automotive. With experience spanning both small and large companies, consistently deliver successful products, critical business partnerships, strong commercial growth, and positive strategic outcomes. Experienced private company board advisor, and startup and early stage business advisor.

Founder & Strategic Advisor | Big Ripple Innovations

Giles Shih

Dr. Giles Shih co-founded BRI with his father, Dr. Jason Shih, in 1999 and has been managing BRI’s business development efforts since. Along with serving on the NCALS Research Foundation Board, Giles serves on the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Biosciences Organization. Upon receiving his undergraduate degree at Cornell University, Giles went on to complete his graduate training at North Carolina State University (MS in Microbiology) and Emory University (Ph.D. in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics), followed by an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. BRI is a leading developer and supplier of feed additives that help poultry, swine and aqua producers optimize performance and gut health while maximizing profits in a sustainable manner. Based in the Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, a major U.S. biotechnology hub, BRI applies the latest scientific techniques and rigorous data analysis to fuel the discovery, design, and production of specialty feed additives with functional characteristics that generate high value for animal producers.

Mayor | City of Raleigh

Janet Cowell

Hear Janet during Day One Opening!

Raleigh Mayor Janet Cowell has fifteen years of prior public service, including Raleigh City Councilor, NC State Senator, and North Carolina State Treasurer. The first (and only) woman elected Treasurer, she managed over $100 billion in pension assets and administered the state health plan for over 900,000 state and local government workers and retirees. Before being elected Mayor, Janet worked closely with the City of Raleigh as the President and CEO of Dix Park Conservancy. The Conservancy works with the City to create Dorothea Dix Park, a 308-acre site less than one mile from downtown Raleigh.

Head of Global Talent and People Programs | Pendo.io

Jessica Lynch Jolley

Look for Jessica in the Founder Lounge!

Jessica (Lynch) Jolley is the Senior Director of Talent and People Programs at Pendo.io, where responsibilities include overseeing People Programs and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives since November 2020. Prior to this role, Jessica co-founded Generation Titans in 2018, providing social impact consulting with major clients such as Ben and Jerry’s and the NBA. Jessica’s extensive experience includes serving as Deputy Director for the MBK Alliance at the Obama Foundation and as a Senior Consultant at Deloitte, where Jessica co-founded Communities of Color from Coast-to-Coast to support the retention and advancement of black women within the organization. Jessica’s educational background comprises a Master of Science in Management and Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University, along with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Public Policy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Sr. Manager, Product Management | Pendo

Josh Rainer

Josh is currently Senior Manager, Product Management at Pendo.

Co-Founder | Woobles

Justine Tiu

Justine Tiu is co-founder of The Woobles, a company that makes learn-to-crochet kits for complete beginners, and within its first year, has taught 50,000 people how to crochet. Before starting The Woobles, Justine was a User Experience Designer at Google. Drawing on her background in user research and product design, she creates easy-to-follow and aesthetically pleasing experiences for the beginner crocheter.

Co-Founder & CEO | Isolere Bio

Kelli Luginbuhl

Kelli received her PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University where she studied the design and development of phase separating proteins for various biomedical applications. She co-founded Isolere Bio in 2018 with the mission of reimagining the way the industry approaches advanced therapeutics manufacturing. Initially serving as Chief Scientific Officer, Kelli is an inventor on many of Isolere’s core patents. She transitioned into the CEO role in 2019 and helped secure a $7M seed round in 2021. She continues to lead the Isolere team in the role of General Manager, reporting to the President of Life Sciences after the acquisition and integration into Donaldson Company in 2023. The company is focused on the launch, scale up, and commercialization of first of its kind purification reagents for AAV, LV, and ssRNA.

CEO | 410 Medical

Kyle Chenet

Look for Kyle in the Founder Lounge!

Kyle has 20 years of life sciences business and operations experience. Prior to 410 Medical, he was founder and CEO of Lq3 Pharmaceuticals, a company dedicated to developing novel medicines to treat oral, head, and neck diseases. Prior to launching Lq3, Kyle had a variety of leadership operational and business roles at Liquidia Technologies, GlaxoSmithKline, Abbott Laboratories and Biolex Therapeutics.

Sr. Director, Communications & Community | Pendo.io

Laura Baverman

Look for Laura in the Founder Lounge!

With more than a decade of experience as a reporter, columnist, freelance writer, and editor for both local and national publications, Laura now leads communications at one of North Carolina’s fastest-growing companies. As Head of Communications at Pendo, she helps share the company’s mission of making software more intuitive and user-friendly. Pendo supports over 2,500 companies across industries and sizes, driving adoption and engagement with their software products. After years of covering entrepreneurs and startups, Laura finds it both rewarding and inspiring to be part of one. Pendo’s ambitious vision, passionate founders, and talented team make it an exciting place to work—and she considers it a privilege to tell its story.

CSO | Alpha-Stim, by EPI

Leah Townsend

Executive with a broad foundation in life sciences research and business consulting with over 10 years of experience in various therapeutic areas including neurobiology and neurotechnology development. Since 2019, Dr. Townsend has utilized her expertise in biotechnology consulting and neuroscience to lead Pulvinar Neuro, a neurotechnology startup, which was acquired by EPI in 2022. To date, she has secured $4.5 M+ in non-dilutive grant funding to facilitate Pulvinar Neuro’s R&D goals and developed numerous academic and industry collaborations.

Managing Director | NYBC Ventures

Meg Wood

Meg Wood is a key member of the team at NYBC Ventures, where she leverages her expertise in venture capital and strategic investments to identify and support innovative companies. With a strong background in investing and a passion for emerging technologies, Meg plays an integral role in driving the firm’s investment strategy, fostering growth and value creation across the portfolio. She earned her master’s degree from Boston University’s School of Public Health, where she developed a deep understanding of finance and entrepreneurship. Meg is committed to advancing NYBC Ventures’ mission of shaping the future of industries through transformative investing.

Head of Insights | Carta

Peter Walker

Hear Peter speak during Day Two Opening!

A recovering founder and self-proclaimed data junkie, Peter Walker launched the insights practice at Carta in 2021. He now produces The Carta Data Minute, a podcast and newsletter delivering bite-sized analysis on startup and venture capital trends. Leveraging Carta’s extensive database, he distills key metrics into actionable insights.

CEO | TARGAN

Ramin Karimpour

Ramin Karimpour, founder of Applied LifeSciences & Systems, has over 30 years of experience in leading Business, Sales and R&D efforts of companies such as PerkinElmer, Spire Corporation, Kodak Molecular Imaging, Pfizer Animal Health, and Zoetis. His professional career includes divisional general management, establishment of International Sales, Marketing and Operations in Latin America, Asia, India, ME and EU for Kodak Molecular Imaging and Spire Corp. Ramin has led design, development and launch of over 140 new products with cumulative annual revenues of ~$1 Billion. He has established International Supply Chain Optimization Operations, hired, trained, coached and led professional teams across the globe with highly diverse technical, racial, religious, cultural and national backgrounds. He has a strong turn-around record of accomplishment in driving business change and delivering strategic and financial objectives in bio-medical devices and systems, diversified technologies and associated services.

Founder & CEO | Baebies

Richard West

Look for Richard in the Founder Lounge!

After selling Advanced Liquid Logic to Illumina for $96 million, Rich has have founded an new company focused on newborn screening. Baebies will save lives and make lives better for millions of babies by delivering a new paradigm to newborn screening. The company will bring new technology, new tests, and new hope to parents and healthcare professionals worldwide. In 5 years they plan to be testing 10 million babies each year.

EVP | Medical Solutions

Rob Crowe

Rob Crowe is a seasoned professional with over two decades of experience in the staffing industry. Although he didn’t initially set out to work in this field, he found his way into it, much like many others, and over the years has developed strong opinions on workforce-related trends. Rob is known for his candid and rebellious approach, often challenging the status quo in everything he does.

In recent years, Rob took on the role of an entrepreneur, starting his own company and guiding it from concept through capital raising, scaling, and team building, ultimately leading to an exit to a large strategic partner. As a result, Rob has developed a deep passion for entrepreneurs—those driven by a fervor to take charge of their ideas, regardless of whether or not they’ve founded a company.

Managing Director | Automated Consulting Group

Robbie Allen

Robbie Allen is a serial entrepreneur who has founded three successful AI companies: Automated Insights (one of the first commercial generative AI companies), Infinia ML (one of the first enterprise deep learning solutions), and Bionic Health (proactive healthcare for busy professionals). He currently serves as Managing Director at Automated Consulting Group, helping companies implement AI strategies, and as General Partner at Triangle Tweener Fund, investing in early-stage startups.

CEO & Founder | Pendo

Todd Olson

Todd Olson is co-founder and CEO of Pendo, which provides software that makes software better. A three-time entrepreneur, Olson teamed up with fellow product leaders and technologists from Red Hat, Cisco and Google to launch Pendo in October 2013. The Raleigh, N.C.-based company has since raised $356 million in venture capital, landed more than 2300 customers and now employs 900 people across eight offices around the globe. In 2021, Pendo landed on the Forbes Cloud 100 and Inc. Best Workplaces lists for the fourth year in a row.

Todd’s passion for helping digital teams build great products led him to write his first book. “The Product-Led Organization: Drive Growth By Putting Product at the Center of Your Customer Experience” was published by Wiley in September 2020.

CEO | Pairwise

Tom Adams

Dr. Tom Adams co-founded Pairwise and serves as Chief Executive Officer. Tom has over 25 years of leadership experience heading up biotechnology for global companies, serving most recently as Vice President of Global Biotechnology at Monsanto where he led the team developing a broad range of innovative products. Tom wanted to realize the possibilities of CRISPR and gene editing in plants, and co-founded Pairwise to realize this potential in a mission-based environment. Formerly a faculty member at Texas A&M University, Tom holds a PhD in microbiology and plant science from Michigan State University and a BS in botany and plant pathology from Oregon State University. Tom is a long-time distance runner and often competes in local events.

Founder/CEO | CureMint, Saylent

Tyson Nargassans

Look for Tyson in the Founder Lounge!

Tyson founded and led Saylent Technologies for over 15 years, growing it into a ~$10 million company focused on data analytics and customer engagement. After exiting Saylent, he served as CEO of CureMint, a procurement platform for the dental industry, where he led strategic initiatives and leadership transitions. Currently, Tyson is an Operating Advisor at Jurassic Capital, where he leverages his extensive experience to mentor and guide emerging companies.