Kristen McClellan is a Senior at Cornell University. For the past three years, McClellan has been refining her product, SnappyScreen. As a freshman, she pitched her idea in a Cornell Elevator Pitch Competition and came in second to a graduate student. From there, the Industrial Labor Relations major has fine-tuned her business and her product in the eLab, Cornell's business accelerator for Cornell Undergraduate entrepreneurs. Last year, McClellan was highlighted on a MTV mini series, "Movers and Changers". As 1 of 3 finalists, McClellan pitched SnappyScreen to established entrepreneurs, winning $5,000. She was able to use that capital to continue to advance her business, launching a trial period this past summer at the Aruba Marriott Resort. McClellan is confident that her course work in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations, combined with the many entrepreneurship courses she has completed at Cornell, in addition to her hands-on business development gained in the eLab, will render SnappyScreen a success.
Seth Sarelson is the Co-founder & Chief Operating Officer of RevTrax. He has run the daily operations at RevTrax since the company's formation, managing client services and RevTrax's digital media partners. Prior to RevTrax, Seth worked in Citigroup's Global Commercial Cards business in brand management for the Purchasing Card, Fleet Card, and Electronic Account products. In addition to his corporate activities, Mr. Sarelson has been published and quoted in a number of marketing industry publications, including AdWeek, MultiChannel Merchant, iMedia Connection, Chain Store Age and CRM Buyer.
Seth Sarelson holds a Bachelor of Science, Magna Cum Laude, from Cornell University.
Bob Forness is a Managing Partner of alTreo. He has 23 years of international experience launching, growing, acquiring and restructuring insurance and reinsurance companies. His areas of expertise include underwriting, business development, operations, capital raising, strategy and M&A. His international market expertise spans the US, Lloyd's/London, Bermuda, Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Caribbean.
Forness has product experience in property catastrophe, marine, construction, transportation, general and professional liability, worker's compensation, financial institutions, life & health, and alternative risk. His work experience includes eight years with Prudential Insurance, four years at Odyssey Re and eight years at the Imagine Group.
Bob Forness has resided in the US, London and Bermuda, and holds a BS from Cornell University and an MBA from Columbia University.
Caitlin Strandberg is an Associate at Flybridge Capital Partners whose investment interests and experience broadly cover companies and technologies across the information technology sector including ad tech, digital media, fin tech, and consumer internet.
Caitlin joined the firm in August 2012 from LearnVest, a personal finance start-up in NYC, where she served as Director of Business Development. Previously, she was the Associate Director of Business Development at Behance, a platform for showcasing and discovering creative work online. Caitlin was also the President and Co-founder of Slope Media Group, a student-run media organization based out of Cornell University that includes internet radio, internet television and a digital magazine.
Caitlin Strandberg holds a BA in History from Cornell University with a minor in Science and Technology Studies.
Elliott Garlock is currently the Business Development Director at Raymor Industries & NanoIntegris. Prior to this position, Garlock was an Assistant Brand Manager at Procter and Gamble.
Elliott Garlock is a graduate of Cornell University. While at Cornell, he worked at Student Agencies, Inc. (SAI).
John Wilkinson is the developer and managing partner of Bin to Bottle Winery. In 2005, he identified a need for a service minded, custom crush only winery and found partners who had the same sensibilities.
John's focus on service and client's needs comes from his tenure in the hotel industry and his education at Cornell University's Hotel School. John was an integral part of the team that developed the small Ultra-luxury hotels Campton Place in San Francisco and Checkers in downtown Los Angeles. John also worked for Montgomery Realty Investors in the research and acquisitions department acquiring hotels for their many real estate partnership funds. John performed feasibility studies and valuations for hotels, restaurants, casinos and ski areas throughout the West for Laventhol & Horwath a multinational accounting firm. John was also the Director of Real Estate for the Sharper Image and successfully located and negotiated the leases for the Sharper Image's first 30 stores.
John Wilkinson holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration. John also owns Total Adventures; 22 year old nationally recognized corporate team building and corporate entertainment service companies. John also makes his own wine from fruit off his ranch in the Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley. Wilkinson Family Vineyards is a Napa Valley Red Wine consisting primarily of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Only 200 cases per year are produced.
Matt Ackerson is a self-taught artist and computer programmer who started three businesses as an undergraduate at Cornell before graduating in Spring 2009. One of thoese businesses was Scrimple.com - a Web site featuring printable coupons for Ithaca establishments.
His latest venture, PetoVera, is best described as a web design business, and is Ackerson's fourth and final company which he plans to run and grow for the rest of his life.
Matt Ackerson is a graduate of Cornell University.
Michael J. Beller is President and CEO of Lightship Partners.
Mr. Beller has led start-up, turnaround, and high growth organizations as a COO, CIO, and consultant. This experience has involved developing business technology and operating strategies combined with "in the trenches" execution and leadership.
Mr. Beller was recently featured in a cover story in Retail Information Systems News magazine for IT's role in business strategy, listed #4 in Apparel Magazine's list of Top 50 Innovators, nominated for ComputerWorld magazine's list of Premier 100 IT Leaders, and won the Smart Enterprise magazine award for Outstanding Achievement in Enterprise IT Management.
Mr. Beller has held various senior executive and consulting positions including CIO and EVP of Strategy Management for a national specialty retailer, Chief Operating Officer for a pharmaceutical packaging and distribution company, and COO and CIO for a venture backed technology re-manufacturing and e-commerce start-up.
Mr. Beller has also held senior positions with consulting firms that included Accenture, Technology Solutions Company, and Diamond Management and Technology Consultants. At Diamond, Mr. Beller was a founding partner and helped lead the company through a successful IPO.
Mr. Beller received a Bachelor of Science degree in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering from the Cornell University College of Engineering.
Donald Gulbrandsen is the founder of Gulbrandsen Technologies and Gulbrandsen Chemicals. Gulbrandsen Technologies manufactures water treatment products, intermediates and electronic etchants. Gulbrandsen Chemicals manufacturers chemical intermediates, fine chemicals and catalysts used in the process industry.
Donald Gulbrandsen is a graduate of Cornell University.