GOOD NEIGHBOR FUND - Key Persons
Alison serves as Chief Marketing Officer of the Erie County Agricultural Society. A 40 under 40 recipient that is on a mission to empower more young professionals to make an impact.
Job Titles:
- Allie Reitz Limited Partner
- Chief Marketing Officer of the Erie County Agricultural Society
Allie is an experienced product pro, UX designer, and entreprenerd with a huge passion for the power of design thinking and no-code tools to fuel impact-driven startups. Allie is the founder and CEO of Meep, a Denver-based studio that jumps in alongside impact startups to move them from idea to traction through founder coaching, design thinking workshops, UX strategy, and no-code MVP development.
Job Titles:
- Brand / Creative Strategist
- Limited Partner WNY
Andy is a Brand / Creative strategist and New York Film Academy alum who's led activation for global brands like Alibaba, BMW, and Xerox. His professional journey has been punctuated with acclaimed pro-bono campaigns, and he's excited to channel that same passion back into the Buffalo startup community.
Bobbie leads the sustainability efforts of NOCO Energy Corp., serving as their Director of Sustainability and Innovation. Additionally, she serves as the Managing Director of Stratium. Bobbie has a long history in policy making with a focus on clean energy and greentech.
Job Titles:
- Limited Partner WNY
- Partner at Interlace Digital
Brian is a partner at Interlace Digital-- with a focus on innovative digital solutions, his goal is to educate, empower, and support brands in elevating their business to new heights.
Job Titles:
- Clinical Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship
- Limited Partner WNY
Celine is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship and Program Director of the M&T Bank Minority and Women Emerging Entrepreneur Program at the UB's Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership. She is passionate about working with entrepreneurs and helping them reach their full potential.
Job Titles:
- Limited Partner WNY
- Senior Platform Manager for 43North
Cindy serves as Senior Platform Manager for 43North, where she connects the dots between the portfolio companies and the community, using data to tell the story. Cindy is passionate about the intersection of VC and entertainment creators.
Job Titles:
- Finance
- Student Ambassador WNY
Daniel is a Finance major at the University at Buffalo and active member of the UB and greater Buffalo startup community. Additionally, Daniel is the Co-Founder of Exergi, a startup that is building a better solar power system.
Job Titles:
- Limited Partner WNY
- Partner at BOLD Ventures
Danielle is a Partner at BOLD Ventures and Project Manager at Launch NY. Additionally, she leads the Buffalo Chapter of the Awesome Foundation, a grassroots organization that awards cash grants to weird and wacky projects that make Buffalo more awesome.
David is a well-known figure in the Western New York startup scene, currently volunteering his time with BootSector and as an organizer for Buffalo Startup Weekend.
Flossie, a Veteran Navy spouse, is a serial entrepreneur with exits in sectors like e-commerce and ed-tech. As CEO of Stella, she connects women founders with vital resources. She's founded global programs, impacting thousands. With partnerships like Amazon and USAA, she's been featured in Forbes, Inc., and Entrepreneur.
Jared is currently leading the launch of SkySquad at Denver International Airport, a traveler assistance and security expediting service for the everyday traveler or those needing extra help with baggage or navigating the airport. Previously with ACV, Jared spent over five years in various roles through the rapid expansion from Series B to IPO and beyond and discovered a passion for scaling sales teams and companies.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Member of the Founding Team
- Head of Growth at Vero Technologies
Jason serves as Head of Growth at Vero Technologies and Co-Founder of Refraction. Previously, Jason was a founding member of ACV Capital.
Currently employed as Director, Supply Planning at QuidelOrtho, helping integrate the two supply chains after a merger. Previously spent 5 years on the Executive team at SomaDetect leading all internal operations. Passionate about building teams and helping people reach their goals.
Job Titles:
- Lead Software Engineer at Lifion
- Limited Partner WNY
Joseph serves as lead software engineer at Lifion by ADP, a next generation HR platform. While in NYC, Joe led a volunteer program that assisted students from CUNY schools and non traditional software backgrounds gain employment.
Job Titles:
- Limited Partner WNY
- Senior Director of Business Operations for Buffalo
Jon is a Senior Director of Business Operations for Buffalo unicorn ACV Auctions. Previously, Jon was a co-organizer of TedxBuffalo.
Job Titles:
- Director of Legal & Business Affairs at Mattel, Inc
- Limited Partner WNY
Jordan is the Director of Legal & Business Affairs at Mattel, Inc. and serves as Executive Director of BootSector, which has a mission to empower, educate, and support the next generation of local entrepreneurs and startup leaders.
Kamal is currently serving as the Product and Operations lead for AireXpert, Director of Community Engagement for the non-profit BootSector and writer for the Buffalo Bridge newsletter.
Job Titles:
- Founder of Phoenix Innovation Group
- Limited Partner WNY
Najja is the Founder of Phoenix Innovation Group in Buffalo, NY, dedicated to fostering growth through innovation training, leadership & entrepreneurial development, and community engagement.
Job Titles:
- Clinical Assistant Professor of Finance
- Limited Partner Denver
Nicole is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Finance in the School of Management at the University at Buffalo. She is a Qualified Administrator of the IDI and ICS assessments, and uses them to spread intercultural awareness and understanding in classrooms and organizations.
Job Titles:
- Interim CEO at Energize Colorado
- Limited Partner Denver
Scott serves as the Interim CEO at Energize Colorado. Prior to Energize, Scott led a digital consulting firm, helping public-interest projects adopt new technologies. Scott has been recognized as one of Colorado's Top Innovators under the age of 25 in both 2019 and 2021.
Shannon has a background in VC, currently serving as a Market Research Analyst with Moog's new venture team. Previously, Shannon has worked at 43North and mentored the next wave of entrepreneurs through GenZ VC.
Job Titles:
- COO of Team Real Talk
- Limited Partner WNY
Sonya is the COO of Team Real Talk, and Program Manager at The Exchange at Beverly Gray. Additionally, Sonya serves as a Lead Course Facilitator for Kauffman FastTrac and an EiR for the University at Buffalo's Inclusive Launch Foundry.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Member of the Founding Team
- VP of Sales at EV Automotive Startup
Susan is the VP of Sales at EV automotive startup Plug and formerly an early employee of ACV Auctions. Susan leads the GNF Denver Chapter.
Job Titles:
- Limited Partner WNY
- Principal Security Engineer for New Relic
Zack works as a Principal Security Engineer for New Relic on the Customer Trust Engineering team. He has been on the steering committee for Buffalo Startup Week 2022, and DevOpsDays Buffalo 2023