ANGEL INVESTORS PANEL

Panelists

Mark Vreeke
Chemical Angel Network

Dr. Vreeke has had a successful career translating innovation from the bench into commercial products. He is a coinventor on over 100 US patents. These patents were realized in products with combined revenues exceeding $20B USD, were used for over 20B diagnostic measurements, and have impacted millions of patient lives.

Dr. Vreeke is currently the President of the Chemical Angel Network, VP of R&D at myBiometry, and Managing Member of TransAtlantic Science LLC. The Chemical Angel Network invests in early-stage hard science companies that converge with the chemical sector in the materials, measurement, and manufacturing space. myBiometry provides an asthma management solution that combines a novel biosensor and patient support tools. TransAtlantic Science is a boutique technology consulting organization.

Previously, Dr. Vreeke held positions from bench scientist to Senior VP of R&D. As Director of Sensor Technology at West Pharma, he created the operational roadmap to realize West’s ambitions to participate in the hospital-to-home continuum. At Edwards Lifescience he served as the Director of Product Stewardship, founded the polymer center of excellence, and transferred a hospital CGM production line from Dexcom to Edwards. As Senior Vice President of R&D for Rational Biotechnology he identified a personalized medicine opportunity through the development of a combined IVD and drug therapy product. As the Senior VP of R&D at Pepex Biomedical he reestablished Pepex’s ability to develop, manufacture, and market disposable miniaturized electrochemical biosensors.

Andrew Romans
General Partner

Andrew Romans is a successful, consistently top quartile performing VC, VC-backed entrepreneur, former tech VC and M&A investment banker, cofounder of an angel group, CEO and General Partner of 7BC Venture Capital and previously the founder and General Partner of Rubicon Venture Capital. He is a university professor and 3x published author on VC and technology. Romans also advises large corporations and governments on policies about Venture Capital and Corporate Venture Capital (CVC). Romans raised over $48m for tech startups he founded by the age of 28. Romans founded numerous startups and raised hundreds of millions of dollars in VC funding and led startups to exits. He is also a frequent guest speaker on MSNBC, CNBC, and ABC. Fluent in English, French and German he holds an MBA in finance from Georgetown University, which he completed on scholarship.

Dan Ellis
Startup Investor

Dan Ellis is a Canadian Serial Entrepreneur, Angel Investor, Startup Strategy Advisor, and Product Manager based in Silicon Valley. Co-founded Rallyteam - San Francisco-based, venture-backed HR Startup (Acquired in 2018 by Workday) Angel Investor in unicorns Calm.com / Grove Collaborative / BillionToOne / Grin and 30+ other companies, product manager, options/day trader, skier, father, husband, love photography, cooking, art and supporter of economic empowerment through entrepreneurship and investing.

Mohammed Ahmed
General Partner

Mohammed brings over 20+ years of Technology, Strategy, Operations, Startup Investing and Advisory experience. He's invested in domestic and international startups. He launched an Angel Investment group in 2020 to help educate investors on this investment class. Since then, he's syndicated several investments and launched a Venture Capital Fund. As the Co-Founder and General Partner at Start Equity Ventures, he leverages over 20 years of experience in strategic product management, operations, and investment. His diverse background includes leadership roles at EMC Consulting, Dell Technologies, and VMware, where he drove significant growth and operational efficiency.

At Start Equity Ventures, Mohammed has been instrumental in shaping the investment strategy and portfolio management, focusing on startups in the SaaS, e-commerce, health, and logistics sectors across the US and emerging markets. His advisory roles extend to providing strategic guidance on go-to-market strategies, product development, and organizational alignment, unlocking multimillion-dollar revenue streams and fostering innovation.

Mohammed's investment portfolio includes numerous successful ventures, such as GoShare, Rolebot, Thalamus, Fathom, Uplift, Anyplace, Pitchly, Chaldal, Fitbod, and AiDEN, showcasing his ability to identify and nurture high-growth companies. His academic credentials include an M.S. in General Management from Harvard University and a B.A. in Economics from Rutgers University.

Beyond his professional accomplishments, Mohammed is passionate about youth empowerment and economic development through entrepreneurship and investing. He actively participates in initiatives that support aspiring entrepreneurs and promotes diversity and inclusion within the venture capital ecosystem.