TECHSTL - Key Persons

David Karandish, CEO of Capacity and former founder of Answers.com, is leading the charge in the St. Louis tech startup scene. Capacity's automated support platform is revolutionizing the way customer service works with AI-powered bots that can answer up to 90% of customer questions. Karandish's vision for the future of St. Louis includes investing in startups and bridging the digital divide by providing computer science instruction to students from low-income backgrounds.

David Reddick

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Member of the Steering Committee
Executive Director, Gateway Higher Education Cybersecurity Consortium ( GHECC )

David Weaver

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Attorney
Member of the TechSTL Leadership Team

Deann Donohue

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Member of the Steering Committee
Vice President of Technology Hub, Mastercard

Devon Moody-Graham

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Member of the Founder Friendly Committee
CEO, CEO Mom Empire
Chief Strategy Officer of CEOMom Empire, LLC

Don Harvey

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Member of the Steering Committee
CEO, Harvin AR

Dr. Patty Hagen STEM

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Executive Director, T - REX
Founding Executive Director of T - REX
Scholarship

Ebony Williams

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Member of the Tech Talent Committee
Associate Director of Technology Development Program ( TDP ), at & T

Eduardo Platon

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Member of the Advisory Team
Executive Director of Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan St. Louis

Edwin Williams

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Member of the Founder Friendly Committee
Member of the Steering Committee
CEO, ZenHammer

Ellie Scott

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Member of the TechSTL Leadership Team
Director of Systems & Strategy

Emily Hemingway

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Member of the TechSTL Leadership Team
Founding Executive Director

Eric Moraczewski

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Member of the Steering Committee
CEO, NMBL Strategies

Erik Lutenegger

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Member of the Digital Infrastructure Team
CEO, Tenacity

Frank Hopper

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Member of the Steering Committee
Managing Director, Capital Innovators

Gage McCallister

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Member of the TechSTL Leadership Team
Director of Digital Equity

George Holmes

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Member of the Steering Committee
CEO, Hire Henry

Greg Laposa

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Member of the Steering Committee
Director of Workforce Development, St Louis County

Hayley Johnston

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Member of the Steering Committee
Community Manager, Spark Coworking St Louis

II Luscri

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Assistant Vice Provost / Managing Director, Skandalaris Center at Washington University

Jack Bader

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Chairman, 1904Labs Inc

Jack Scatizzi

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Executive Director, Missouri Technology Corporation

Jason CarterCEO - Founder

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Founder

Jason CarterCEO/Founder, UNCOMN In which sector is your company most closely aligned? Cloud, Cybersecurity & Big Data What does your company do? We analyze, design, and deliver customized people, processes, technology, data, and cybersecurity solutions to solve...

Jason Hall

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Chief Executive Officer, Greater St Louis, Inc

Jeff Coburn

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Member of the Advisory Team
Co - Inventor and Chief Strategy Officer, Total Orbit

Jeffrey Mazur

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Executive Director, the LaunchCode Foundation

Jerod Williams

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Leasing Manager, WeWork

Jessica Maurer

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Director of External Partnerships, Rung for Women

Jimmy Cornbleet

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Founder, Network for You

John Parker

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Member of the Advisory Team
Senior Director of Corporate Communications, Public Relations & Human Resources, Evolution St Louis

John Unger

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Member of the Advisory Team
Vice President of Data Services at Alliance Advisors, LLC

Jomo Castro

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Member of the Digital Infrastructure Team
Regional Director of External Affairs, at & T
Regional Director, External Affairs, State Legislative & Regulatory Affairs, at & T

Joseph Blanner

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Partner, McCarthy, Leonard & Kaemmerer, LC

Justin Raymundo

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Manager of Regional Workforce Strategy, BioSTL

Kara Corches

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Vice President Governmental Affairs, Missouri Chamber of Commerce & Missouri Technology Alliance

Karla Roeber

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Vice President Public and Government Affairs, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center

Kate Polokonis

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Member of the Tech Talent Committee
Executive Director, STEMSTL

Ken Mocabee

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Member of the Founder Friendly Committee
Senior Strategist, Alliance Systems

Kevin Wilson

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Executive Director, Small Business Empowerment Center

Kieran Blanks

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Member of the Advisory Team
Chief Growth Officer at OHUB

Kimberly Erskine

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Workforce Development Strategic Partnership Manager, Ameren

Koran Bolden

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Member of the Tech Talent Committee
CEO, Bold Moves Agency
Founder, Bold Moves Agency

Kyle Anderson

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Executive Director, Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois

Laura Burkemper

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CEO, the Catalyst Center

Lewis Sheats

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Director, Chaifetz Center of Entrepreneurship at Saint Louis University

Linda Harris

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Vice President of Impact Strategies and Systems, United Way of Greater St Louis

Lindsey Forsythe

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Director of Employee Relations, STL Youth Jobs

Lori Becker

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Member of the Advisory Team
COO, Starkloff Disability Institute

Marvin Francois

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Member of the Founder Friendly Committee
CEO, OneKIN

Mary Brice

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Board Member, St Louis Arch Angels

Mary Gay

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Member of the Advisory Team
Connected Communities Broadband Fellow, Leadership Council SWIL

Matt Menietti

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Executive Director, Conflux Co - Learning

Matthew Porter

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Entrepreneur & Founder of Contegix

Melissa Grizzle

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Director of Entrepreneurship, ITEN

Michael Gallagher

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Member of the Advisory Team
Senior Strategic Advisor at World Wide Technologies

Michael Holmes

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Member of the Advisory Team
Regional Vice President of Economic Development, Workforce Development and Strategic Partnerships Urban League

Michael Lamb

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Member of the Digital Infrastructure Team
CEO, NativeMSG

Michael Margraf

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Member of the Founder Friendly Committee
CEO, Total Orbit, Inc

Natalie Self

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SVP Equitable Economic Impact, Cortex Innovation Community

Neal Richardson

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Executive Director, St Louis Development Corporation

Olakunle Ayeni

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President & Founder, Claim Academy

Paul Sorenson

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Director, St Louis Regional Data Alliance

Peter Davidson

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CEO, P. Davidson & Company

Phyllis Ellison

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Vice President of Partnerships, Cortex Innovation Community

Pravina Pindoria

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Co - Founder, Tallyfy

Quentin Ortega

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Executive Director, ITEN

Richard Schumacher

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Manager of Tech Initiatives, St Louis Community College

Rikki Henry

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Program Manager, Center for Emerging Technologies

Robert (Bob) Guller

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Founder & Board Member, Arch Grants

Rory Beelek

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Member of the Tech Talent Committee
Director of Grants, and Institutional Development, St Louis Community College

Ryan Richt

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Member of the Founder Friendly Committee
CEO, Well Principled

Sam Cummings

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CEO of Data

Sam Cummings, CEO of DataPlant, is revolutionizing the way companies collect and analyze their business data with AI-driven software. His experience as head of data science at Gainsight and enterprise teams at companies such as Indeed inspired him to create DataPlant, a tool that enables companies of all sizes to develop data architecture and produce valuable insights rapidly. By relying on automation and freeing up human energy, businesses can become more efficient and empathetic partners for their customers. Cummings anticipates rolling out Success GPT, which provides businesses with suggestions on how to reach their goals, in the near future.