Thara Pillai,
HBS Rock Center for Entrepreneurship

Thara Pillai

Thara is a veteran marketing & business development professional who has mentored and advised 75+ companies in Boston and beyond. She is a Board Member at TiE Boston, a mentor at Founder Institute, and the founder of a networking and mentoring group for female entrepreneurs, RebelWomen. Over the past three years, she has held roles at Harvard Business School’s Rock Center for Entrepreneurship, running programs to support alumni ventures. Prior to this, she ran a successful consulting firm that advised seed and Series A startups.

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Jodi-Tatiana Charles, Author, Marketing Strategist, Global Speaker
LCG Brands

Jodi-Tatiana Charles

Marketing strategist with 20+ years executive leadership in marketing, branding and communication successes with high profile organizations including Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, MassChallenge, Massachusetts Governor’s Office, Massachusetts Conference for Women (MCW), NECN (owned by NBCUniversal) and Clear Channel Communications/iHeart Radio.

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Susan Duffy, Executive Director 
Babson College

Dr. Susan Duffy

Dr. Susan Duffy is the Executive Director of the Babson College Center for Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership (CWEL), a co-founder of the Women Innovating Now “WIN” Lab venture accelerator, and an inspired educator and advocate for gender equity as a driver of social and economic growth. Susan earned her Ph.D. from GWU, is an investor and advisor to several early-stage companies, and serves on the boards of the Tory Burch Foundation, the International Council for Small Business, and Babson’s Women in Technology Task Force.

Maria Forney, Director, Oracle Global Startup Ecosystem
Oracle Corporation

Maria Forney, Director, Oracle Global Startup Ecosystem, Oracle Corporation

Maria Forney has spent her career building new businesses, new technologies, and new business models, in both startup and enterprise structures. In her current role with the Oracle Global Startup Ecosystem, Maria leads global business development including partnerships with accelerators, innovation hubs, universities and community groups. She serves as a mentor with the Maine Center for Entrepreneurs and a Trustee at a local school in Northern California. An avid swimmer, Maria starts most mornings swimming with her U.S. Masters swim team.

Tish Scolnik, CEO
GRIT

Tish Scolnik, CEO of GRIT

Tish Scolnik is the CEO of GRIT, a social enterprise co-founded with other MIT students. GRIT created the Freedom Chair, all-terrain wheelchair. Tish graduated from MIT in 2010 with an SB in mechanical engineering and a minor in applied international studies. She has previously worked at the World Bank and the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Aagya Mathur, CEO & Co-Founder 
Aavia

Aagya Mathur, CEO & Co-Founder of Aavia

From starting a volunteer service to fill a community need in high school and founding a small business to provide affordable transportation to her undergraduate classmates, to now leading Aavia to improve women’s health and wellness, Aagya is consistently bridging gaps and solving inefficiencies. Through diverse experiences, she found her passion at the intersection of healthcare, innovation, and analytics-driven insights. Mathur graduated from MIT Sloan (MBA) and the University of Virginia (Neuroscience BA & Biomedical Engineering thesis).

Julie Nashawaty, CEO & Founder
Aste

Julie Nashawaty, CEO & Founder of Aste

Julie Nashawaty is the Founder of Aste, a company established to verify that your online date truly is who they say they are. Aste is the only human-powered solution leading the fight against online dating fraud, committed to keeping our world safe one date at a time. When Julie isn’t out and about speaking about the dark sides of online dating, she is joining forces with like-minded companies on a mission to make the world a little safer. She has been featured on radio, news shows and various events speaking on her entrepreneurial journey.

Sophia Lin, Founder 
Keel

Sophia Lin, Founder of Keel

Sophia Lin is a fintech entrepreneur with years of experiences in capital markets, investment banking, and private equity. Sophia was the Chief Investment Officer at Steinbock Financial Group, where she led the investment activities in agriculture and beverage sectors. She co-founded Keel to help people make better-informed decisions with personal investment data. She also serves as the EIR at UMass Boston and frequently speaks on fintech and entrepreneurship. Sophia Lin received an MBA from MIT and a BA from National Taiwan University.

Ronika Lewis,CEO 
RLI Consulting

Ronika Lewis, CEO, Founder of RLI Consulting

Ronika Lewis is the CEO and Founder of RLI Consulting, an Information Technology and Management Consulting firm founded in 2006. RLI is an Oracle [NYSE:ORCL] World Wide Gold Partner that designs, develops, implements, and supports Enterprise Cloud Applications embedded with technologies like AI, Machine Learning, Blockchain, IoT, Advanced Analytics and focuses heavily on Cloud Security and Identity Management.

Kendall Tucker, CEO
Polis Inc.

Kendall Tucker: “Going From $0 to $4.5 million as Young, Female CEO: Lessons I’ve learned”

Kendall is the CEO and Founder of Polis, the fastest growing in-person data and door-to-door technology company. Kendall has raised over $4M for her company and she is a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree. This will be an intimate chat about her journey to build her company and overcome challenges that young, female entrepreneurs often face. (Octave Conference Room)

Stefania Di Bartolomeo, Impact Fund Manager
Physis Investment

Stefania Di Bartolomeo: “The importance of driving capitals to sustainable investments”

Stefania is a first degree Impact Investing Fund Manager in Italy and institutional investors advisor. Stefania is also a sustainable Fintech founder and lecturer and public speaker at local Universities, including Harvard. Stefania will hit on thinking critically on sustainable investment, market overviews and new trends, communicating sustainable investment to retail investors and how time for an indisputable change of action: the good of finance.

(Presto Conference Room)

Virginia Berman, Founder 
Two Minute Turtle

Virginia Berman: “3 Things to Know Before You Quit Your Day Job”

After 17 years at an organization I was preparing to do something I’d bern wanting to for years-start my own group, a business. To make this decision I needed guidance. I formed a Clearness Committee, a free underused tool available to all. It worked for clarity. Learn how to know how to take the leap from a stable job to going out on your own.

(Intermezzo Conference Room)

Betty Francisco 
Amplify Latinx

Betty Francisco, Co-Founder Amplify Latinx

Betty Francisco is an entrepreneur, business executive, attorney and community leader. Currently, Betty is the GC at Compass Working Capital where she oversees the organization’s legal affairs and national network. Betty is an investor with Pipeline Angels, a network of new and seasoned women investors focused on creating capital for women social entrepreneurs. She’s also co-founder of the Amplify Latinx initiative to increase Latino civic engagement, economic opportunity, and political representation.

Sheila Narayan, Managing Director
Golden Seeds Boston Chapter

Sheila Narayan, Managing Director of Golden Seeds Boston Chapter

Sheila Narayan is a Managing Director and the Leadership Chair for Golden Seeds Boston Chapter. Golden Seeds is a national angel investment organization that invests in early-stage women-led companies. Sheila leads deal flow, membership, education, and operations. She is an active early-stage investor, mentor to entrepreneurs, and advisor to several start-up companies. Sheila has spent over 20 years in the payments and financial technology industries in Executive Leadership roles.

Julianne Zimmerman, Managing Director
Reinventure Capital

Julianne Zimmerman, Managing Director of Reinventure Capital

For over 25 years, Julianne Zimmerman has focused on putting technology (and capital) to work for the greater good. In her current role as Managing Director with Reinventure Capital, she is raising a fund to invest in a chronically overlooked pool of entrepreneurs: people of color and women. A frequent speaker, reviewer, and judge for innovation and entrepreneurship programs in the US and abroad, she serves on the MIT Venture Mentoring Service, among others. She also teaches Innovative Social Enterprises at Tufts University.

Kate Anderson, Co-Founder and Operations Director
iFundWomen

Kate Anderson, Co-Founder and Operations Director of iFundWomen

Kate Anderson is a leader in generating change and gender equality within the private fundraising space. As co-founder and Operations Director of iFundWomen, she has driven millions of dollars into the hands of female founders. Named one of NASDAQ’s “10 Best Resources of Funding for Women Entrepreneurs,” iFundWomen’s flexible crowdfunding platform combines a pay-it-forward model, expert startup coaching, professional video production, and a private community for its entrepreneurs, all with the goal of helping female entrepreneurs launch success

Robin Samora, Founder 
Partner Promotions

Robin Samora, “How to Get Free PR in 15 Minutes a Day”

Robin is a member of the National Speakers Association and her sweet spot is small business marketing & Free PR. This talk will focus on tips, tools & strategies to get Free PR, including how to write a pitch for HARO, how to use Buzzsumo to research influencers & more. Robin presents at associations, conferences, workshops, mentors private clients, and writes can help formulate marketing plans.

(Presto Conference Room)

Dr. Felicia Newhouse

Dr. Felicia Newhouse, “Supporting Mother Entrepreneurs”

A few months ago, Felicia finished the world’s first PhD on mother entrepreneurs. With a committee across MIT, Lesley & Harvard – they learned how to optimally use technology as a scalable catalyst in empowering women entrepreneurs economically, socially and emotionally around the world with scalable support, resources and education as they launch businesses while raising children.

(Octave Conference Room)