Introducing E2 the groundbreaking podcast series that brings you exclusive insights from the forefront of sustainable innovation. Join host Leroy Brown as we dive deep into the dynamic worlds of green energy and digital entrepreneurship, where visionary leaders are shaping the future of our planet and our economies. In each episode, we sit down with industry trailblazers, thought leaders, and game-changers, giving you a front-row seat to their inspiring journeys, groundbreaking ideas, and the strategies they employ to drive meaningful change. If you're passionate about environmental sustainability and the power of technology to transform our world, this podcast is your gateway to a brighter, more equitable energy future. Subscribe now and embark on an illuminating journey with E2.

E2 is proudly produced by OHUB, the visionary parent holding company driving change in the fourth industrial revolution. OHUB is not just a podcast producer; it's a catalyst for meaningful action. As part of a dynamic suite of businesses, OHUB includes a not-for-profit foundation and an ecosystem-building investment fund, all dedicated to advancing racial equity. By subscribing to our podcast, you're not only accessing cutting-edge insights into green energy and digital entrepreneurship but also supporting OHUB's mission to empower underrepresented communities in the transformative journey of the fourth industrial revolution. Join us today in shaping a more inclusive and equitable future.

May 7, 2025 • 6P CST

Grant Rogers

CEO & Founder • Maven Scouts

Managing Partner • Grind Ventures

A former U.S. Army Intelligence Officer and national security technologist, Grant has
sourced and evaluated over 300 startups and advised 30+ companies transitioning into
the DoD and commercial markets. His dual-use accelerator strategy has driven $ 45 M+ in DoD research contracts and commercial pilot adoption. Grant’s expertise spans multi-
domain asymmetric warfare, innovation pipeline development, and federal contracting.

Host

Previous Speakers

Josh Fleig

Chief Innovation Officer • Louisiana Economic Development

Josh Fleig is responsible for fostering innovation and entrepreneurship across the state, while assisting small businesses with access to award-winning programs and services designed to accelerate growth and elevate Louisiana’s standing as a hub for innovation and high-value jobs.

He is an experienced senior executive with over 20 years at the intersections of technology, economic development and education.

Most recently, Fleig served as the Senior Vice President of Business Development at Greater New Orleans, Inc., where he led his team to developing a project pipeline of over $20 billion. Under his guidance, the team engineered strategies to develop key industries across Louisiana’s Southeast Region, with initiatives ranging from entrepreneurship and innovation to future energy and entertainment.

Before his tenure at GNO, Inc., Josh was a trailblazer in the growth of Louisiana’s technology industry. Starting with the Jindal administration in 2012, he was the architect of a recruitment strategy that sparked dozens of software and digital media project wins at Louisiana Economic Development. His contributions included the co-creation of the state’s Entertainment Development Fund.

Earlier in his career, Josh established a track record of innovation as the Director of Media and Brands at SinglePoint (now Bally’s Corporation). There, he managed publisher relationships for the SaaS business, driving interactive TV engagements that captivated audiences across major broadcasters like CBS, Disney, Viacom and Discovery. His journey into the media industry began at NBCUniversal, where he thrived as a technical producer in interactive media product design, creating hundreds of groundbreaking fan engagements for NBC Sports, Bravo, Syfy, MSNBC, CNBC and more.

Josh’s spent four years as an instructor at St. Joseph’s Academy in Baton Rouge, where he chaired the computer science department and developed the school’s first multimedia program.

He is a proud graduate of Lafayette High School and holds a B.A. in Art History from LSU and an M.F.A. in Interactive Design from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. He serves as an adjunct instructor in LSU’s College of Art + Design and serves on the advisory board for Tulane’s SoPA Digital Design program.

Josh, his wife Amanda, an HR professional and Baton Rouge native, and their two young daughters, Eva Jane and Eloise, live in Uptown New Orleans.

Sam McCabe

Director • Center for Entrepreneurship and Community Development

Loyola University New Orleans

Sam McCabe is a design-driven thinker dedicated to strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem in New Orleans and beyond. As the Director of Loyola University’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Community Development, he focuses on building innovative programs that connect students, alumni, and the broader community. Through initiatives like the Wolf Pack LaunchU, the IDEAcorps MBA Consulting Challenge, and the Side Hustle Expo, he has helped make entrepreneurship a dynamic, campus-wide experience. Under his leadership, Sam and his team at the Center have gained national recognition for its student engagement, growing into a hub for aspiring founders and changemakers. In 2025, Sam and his team at the Center will co-produce New Orleans Entrepreneur Week with The Idea Village.

With a background in music, Sam brings a creative edge to his work, having spent years playing in touring bands while earning a degree in psychology. His experience in the arts has shaped his approach to innovation, blending creativity with strategic thinking. Before joining Loyola, he worked as the Impact Manager for Entrepreneurship at Junior Achievement of Greater New Orleans, where he helped expand the Trust Your Crazy Ideas Challenge statewide. Sam's expertise in digital marketing and event management continues to support entrepreneurs and organizations in New Orleans.

Damon Burns

CEO • Finance New Orleans

Damon Burns is an executive leader and entrepreneur with experience spanning the areas of investment banking, affordable housing, economic development, climate sustainability, and financial technology. His professional career began in 2004 and includes time as a banker serving public agencies, launching a financial technology startup, and public sector leadership. Since July 2016, he has served as Chief Executive Officer of Finance New Orleans, a quasi-governmental green financial institution with a mission to invest in climate-resilient affordable housing and economic development projects that physically transform New Orleans.

Latane E. Brackett, III, Hon NAI

Innovation Program Manager, Division of Research and Economic Development • Jackson State University

Latane is a highly accomplished Supply Chain/Manufacturing Operations Executive developing future leaders, creating performance cultures, and driving sustainable productivity. He has 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and food manufacturing industry working as a corporate engineer, plant manager, director of operations, and vice president of supply chain and operations. He also served as Executive Director of Student Affairs at Tennessee State University.

Latane is an intentional collaborator and a builder of relational equity. He has a proven track record of building high performance teams. Latane is a Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 31 Certified Mediator, a Certified Educational Facilities Professional, a Specialist in Safety in Health, and an APPA Computerized Interactive Learning Facilitator. He has served as an Core Instructor for the Great Lakes, Mid-Atlantic, and Mid-South Regional Hubs. He also served as a lead member of the HBCU Consortium for Transformative Teaching Practices in 21st Century Career Pathways Entrepreneurial Leadership Cohort. Latane has successfully completed the Price-Babson Symposium for Entrepreneurship Educators. In 2023 he was honored by the National Academy of Inventors, being named an Honorary Member. He serves as Jackson State University‘s Innovation Program Manager.

He served as the Principal Manager of Innovation Programs at the National GEM Consortium, partnering with the National Innovation Network to create pathways for graduate research Fellows to pursue entrepreneurial pathways. Latane is an Executive Coach, a National Instructor for Energy I-Corps, an Innovation Coach for the DOE SBIR Workshop, and the Lead Instructor for ACCESS – Accelerating Contractors of Color in Energy for Sustainable Success – a 10-week program for aspiring clean energy (energy efficiency & renewable energy) business owners. He is an Expert Advisor for the National Science Foundation and an Advisory Board Member for Argonne National Laboratories Chain Reaction Innovation Lab Embedded Entrepreneurship Program.

He has been a featured panelist for Osage University Partners Webinar: “DEI Initiatives in Tech Commercialization and Entrepreneurship at Universities,” Princeton Engage 2022 Panel: “Equity in Research Innovation,” and the Common Mission Project’s 2022 Lean Innovation Educators Summit Panel: “Innovation and Educational Ecosystem: Empowering underserved student populations to participate in high potential new venture creation. The special opportunity for HBCUs.” In 2023, Latane served as a reviewer for three (3) of the Lab Embedded Entrepreneurship Programs: West Gate, Innovation Crossroads, and Chain Reaction Innovations. He has served as a proposal reviewer for both NIH and the NSF.

Latane Brackett earned his Bachelor of Science in Electronics Engineering at Norfolk State University as a member of the inaugural Cohort of the DNIMAS Scholars. He earned his Master’s of Business Administration from Texas A&M Commerce.

Jalaal Hayes, PhD

CEO & Founder • Elyte Energy

Dr. Jalaal Hayes, a North Philadelphia native, earned his Ph.D. in Applied Chemistry at 22, becoming Delaware State University’s youngest doctoral graduate. He defended his dissertation on hydrogen storage systems in 2015. A prodigy, Dr. Hayes graduated from Northeast Preparatory School at 15 and Lincoln University by 18 with dual degrees in General Science and History. Before graduate school, he interned at Howard University’s NASA URC program, focusing on atmospheric chemistry. During his Ph.D., he worked at the Center for Hydrogen Storage Research, contributing to a U.S. patent and publishing four peer-reviewed articles.

Dr. Hayes was a Carl Storm Fellow and presented research in Italy and the UK. Following his doctorate, he became an educator, committed to simplifying STEAM subjects. He founded Elyte Universal Network and Elyte Energy, the latter focusing on hydrogen storage and clean energy. In 2017, he received a U.S. patent, authored two books, and gave a TEDx talk. Recognized as a Top Influential Chemist in 2018, Dr. Hayes has spoken at global events, including Oxford University and Course Hero's Educator Summit. In 2021, he released the documentary Exploding Dreams: A STEAM Story, showcasing his journey as America’s youngest Ph.D. in Applied Chemistry.

Dr. Trivia Frazier

Founder & CEO • Obatala Sciences

Dr. Trivia Frazier, a New Orleans native, is the Co-Founder, President, and CEO of Obatala Sciences, Inc. She is an experienced adult stem cell researcher and biotech business professional with 15+ years of experience in biomedical sciences and management. She holds bachelor's degrees in Physics (Dillard University ‘07’) and Biomedical Engineering (Tulane ‘08’), an MBA (Tulane ‘18’), and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences (Tulane ‘12’). Dr. Frazier completed her postdoctoral work under an NIH R21-funded fellowship in tissue engineering at Pennington Biomedical Research Center and the Tulane Center for Stem Research and Regenerative Medicine.

She has collaborated with national and international key opinion leaders and held Academic Chair appointments prior to her leadership role at Obatala. Under her leadership, the company has received national and international recognition and federal funding from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences and the National Institute on Aging to commercialize the Obatala suite of human-derived stem cells and products. These products are used to model human adipose tissue from patients of varying demographics to accelerate research in the fields of obesity, diabetes, cancer, and related metabolic disorders.

Dr. Frazier is passionate about promoting diversity in research and she is recognized as a civic leader. She has received numerous awards, including the Key to the City of New Orleans, and she has served as an Advisory Board member for the New Orleans Task Force in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Frazier is also a wife and mother of three young men.

Daphine Barnes

Executive Director of Economic Mobility • GNO, Inc.

Daphine Barnes is the Executive Director of Economic Mobility at GNO, Inc., whose portfolio includes leading the Greater New Orleans Region One Center for STEM (GNOrocs), Startup Noir NOLA, and the NOLA Coalition. She drives initiatives to advance the STEM ecosystem, fosters partnerships between education and industry to develop a resilient talent pipeline, and spearheads efforts to drive sustainable improvements within public safety and youth services in New Orleans. She has established and led a number of initiatives designed to increase the pipeline of BIPOC graduates and future innovators and entrepreneurs in the GNO region. Along with her work to create pathways for Black and Brown New Orleanians, she is also an advocate for underrepresented talent throughout the region. Additionally, she is a lead in the Greater New Orleans Aerospace and Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (GNO RAAMP), and serves as a member of the district-level. Prior to transitioning into economic development, Ms. Barnes worked for 14 years as a high secondary science educator, school administrator, and district-level curriculum leader in the Greater New Orleans region.

Keion Hennessey

Program Director • Fund 17

At 13, a counselor at UNO's Enrichment Summer Camp once said, "Your name is Keion, like neon, cuz you shine bright", and it stuck ever since. Raised in the city and Shrewsbury, by oldheads and hot girls from the '99 and the 2000s, she is as versatile as they come. As a local that wears many hats, she's a mama, an artist, activist, entrepreneur, and Program Director. Keion graduated from Loyola University New Orleans, with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. Having worked in non-profits since 2016, Keion brings audacity, critical thinking and an open minded approach to fight and rep for the underdog.

Jasmine Brown DeRousselle

Senior Vice President of Policy • GNO, Inc.

Jasmine Brown DeRousselle currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Policy at GNO, Inc., the economic development firm for the Greater New Orleans region. She is primarily responsible for leading GNO, Inc.’s policy initiatives and governmental relations, both at the state and federal level. Jasmine also provides oversight to a number of GNO, Inc.’s programmatic initiatives, with a specific focus on economic mobility, coastal restoration and resilience, and music business.

Mrs. DeRousselle has worked for a number of corporations, including the corporate headquarters of the National Urban League (New York, NY) and JP Morgan Private Wealth Management (New Orleans, LA). She also worked as a consultant for the global accounting and consulting firm, Deloitte and Touche, LLP (Los Angeles, CA), where she provided strategic compliance counsel to some of this country’s largest energy corporations and financial institutions. As an attorney, Mrs. DeRousselle served as a complex litigation attorney at a prominent defense firm in the Greater New Orleans area.

Mrs. DeRousselle is a cum laude graduate of Loyola University New Orleans, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, with a concentration in Marketing, and obtained a Juris Doctor from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University. She also studied comparative law at Université Jean Moulin Lyon III - Lyon Law School in Lyon, France.

For her professional and civic contributions, Mrs. DeRousselle has been awarded the following: CityBusiness 2023 Women of the Year, Biz New Orleans 2022 Top 500 Business Influencers, Louisiana Super Lawyers Rising Star, Louisiana State Bar Association’s Citizen Lawyer Award, and the Louisiana State Bar Association's Leah Hipple McKay Award for Outstanding Volunteerism. She proudly serves on the board of directors for Touro Hospital, the Louisiana Parole Project, and a number of local business chambers.

Dr. James Guenther

Director • StartupGrind New Orleans

Dr. James Guenther is a highly accomplished scientist and entrepreneur who currently serves as the Chief Science Officer at Mariposa Technology. He is a protein chemist turned data scientist expert in developing Artificial Intelligence algorithms for innovative technology, assisting in research and development, and preparing funding proposals. Dr. Guenther originally hails from New Orleans and completed his undergraduate studies at Southeastern Louisiana University. He then pursued his doctorate in Biochemistry from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Dr. Guenther has authored several peer-reviewed publications in diverse fields, including plant membrane protein structure and function, plant defense responses, lung disease, and inflammasome-mediated inflammation responses. After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, he returned to New Orleans to help rebuild and rebrand the city as a technology and innovation hub. He developed and directed a biotechnology program at a local community college while serving as the Principal Investigator on a National Science Foundation Advanced Technology Education (NSFATE) proposal. Dr. Guenther's work with the NSFATE allowed him to interact with a wide range of technology-driven industries, including advanced manufacturing technologies, agricultural and biotechnologies, energy and environmental technologies, engineering technologies, information technologies, micro- and nano-technologies, security technologies, and geospatial technologies.

Dr. Guenther has since transitioned to consulting for both academic and private industry development needs, specializing in Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) funding in conjunction with community college programs. In 2018, he was appointed as the Chapter Director for StartupGrind New Orleans, the largest independent business entrepreneurial community, actively educating, inspiring, and connecting more than 2,000,000 entrepreneurs in 600+ chapters and 125+ countries. In 2021, Dr. Guenther joined Mariposa Technology as the Chief Science Officer where he oversees data analysis and Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence algorithm development. With his extensive experience and knowledge, Dr. Guenther has become a leading figure in the field of business development and technological innovation.

Hope Shimabuku

Director • Texas Regional United States Patent and Trademark Office

As the Regional Director of the Texas Regional United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Hope Shimabuku carries out the strategic direction of the UnderSecretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO, and is responsible for leading the Texas regional office. Focusing on the region and actively engaging with the community, Ms. Shimabuku ensures the USPTO’s initiatives and programs are tailored to the region’s unique ecosystem of industries and stakeholders.

Ms. Shimabuku brings to the USPTO nearly two decades of experience as an engineer and intellectual property attorney. Most recently, Ms. Shimabuku was part of the Office of General Counsel at Xerox Corporation serving as Vice President and Corporate Counsel responsible for all intellectual property matters for Xerox Business Services LLC. She also worked for BlackBerry Corporation advising on United States and Chinese standards setting, cyber security, technology transfer, and intellectual property laws and legislation. As an engineer, she worked for Procter & Gamble and Dell Computer Corporation.

Ms. Shimabuku is a leader in the Texas region. She currently sits on the Board of Visitors for the University of North Texas Law School and is an honorary member and inaugural member of the Barbara M.G. Lynn IP Inn of Court. She is a past chair for the Intellectual Property Section of the State Bar of Texas, served as past president of the Dallas Asian American Bar Association, chaired the Dallas Diversity Task Force, served as a facilitator for the DFW Women in Intellectual Property group and served on the board of the Dallas Bar Association and as a member of the Grievance Committee for the State Bar of Texas – District 6.

Throughout her career, Ms. Shimabuku has championed diversity efforts, including service as the first Asian-American Chair of the Intellectual Property Law Section of the State Bar of Texas and was honored with the Champion of Diversity Award by the Association of Corporate Counsel and separately by the Asian Pacific Interest Section of the State Bar of Texas. She has received numerous professional honors, including being honored as a Hero of Innovation by the Center for American and International Law, being selected as a Dallas Business Journal “Top 40 Under Forty,” named Dallas Business Journal’s Corporate Counsel Rookie of the Year, selected as one of DCEO’s “500 Most Powerful Business Leaders”, and being awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award for Government Services for SMU Dedman School of Law in 2018. Ms. Shimabuku has had the opportunity to participate in various events throughout her tenure with the USPTO, including SXSW Interactive, the Houston Tech Rodeo, Craft Brewers Conference and Brew Expo America, Center for American and International Policy, the Conrad Challenge Innovation Summit, FIRST Championships, and as a casting call guest on ABC’s Shark Tank.

Ms. Shimabuku received a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, and graduated cum laude with a J.D. from the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law. She is a native Texan, born and raised in Houston. She currently lives in Flower Mound, Texas, with her husband and two daughters.

Steven Fance

CEO & CTO • Cultiv8 Hemp Solutions

Steven Fance is a distinguished leader and innovator in the energy sector, currently serving as the CEO and CTO of Cultiv8 Hemp Solutions. With a strong foundation in Mathematics from Morehouse College, supported by JPMorganChase & UJIMA/John F. McGillcuddy UNCF Full Scholarship, Steven has established himself as a prominent figure in the field.

Following his tenure at Lockheed Martin, Steven ventured into entrepreneurship, establishing a consulting firm specializing in enterprise software architecture, AI/ML, and cloud migration. His experience at Lockheed, where he played a pivotal role in developing military airplane software automation code for the C-130J aircraft, underscored his technical acumen and laid the groundwork for his entrepreneurial journey. Through his consulting firm, Steven demonstrated his entrepreneurial prowess by leveraging cutting-edge technologies such as Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, and IoT sensors to streamline operations for Fortune 500 companies across diverse sectors.

At Cultiv8, Steven leads strategic efforts to decarbonize logistics companies through the production of clean transportation fuel from hemp. Under his leadership, the company achieved a significant milestone by producing its first hemp diesel product at a pilot plant in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Currently, Cultiv8 is in the process of establishing a hemp renewable natural gas plant, aligning with its goal of supplying a portfolio of hemp-based clean energy products and carbon storage solutions globally.

With over two decades of experience spanning aeronautics, clean energy, AI/ML, IoT, software architecture, and real estate, Steven brings a wealth of expertise to his role.

Steven’s visionary leadership and commitment to sustainability position Cultiv8 as a trailblazer in the energy industry, driving innovation and fostering a greener future for generations to come.

Salem Habte

Energy Inclusion Associate • Greater New Orleans, Inc.

Salem's background is in social entrepreneurship – leading community initiatives to address needs in food waste, water access, and financial literacy. Prior to joining GNO, Inc., she created awareness campaigns and provided sales analytics for companies in government and education technology and lent her design skills to startup incubators such as Techstars. As Energy Inclusion Associate, Salem supports the development of workforce training for displaced workers, rural citizens, and minorities, builds programs with higher education allies, and promotes research and innovation in the renewable energy field.

Nina Balan, Ph.D.

Director of Strategic Initiatives • The Beach at UNO

Nina received her Master of Science degree from the Lester E. Kabacoff School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Administration and her Ph.D. in Planning and Urban Studies from the University of New Orleans. In her role, Nina is developing new programs and collaborations to support the University and community that has become her home over the past years. Nina is passionate about climate resiliency and sustainability in coastal cities and works daily towards adopting safe and clean tech practices for a vibrant Louisiana.

Kelli Saulny

Co-Founder & Managing Partner • Corridor Ventures

Kelli Saulny is a Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Corridor Ventures, an Early-Stage investment firm with a mission to enhance venture capital in the U.S. Southeast. She brings nearly 20 years of experience scaling startup businesses, spanning multi-channel expansion, market analysis, strategic business planning, and collaborative supply chain management.

Before Corridor Ventures, she was the Director of Strategic Partnerships and Fundraising at Camelback Ventures (New Orleans, LA). During her time, she led fundraising activities focused on increasing access to opportunity and capital for entrepreneurs through direct investment in their companies, ecosystem building, and advocating for fairness in their funding.

Kelli began her career at Carol’s Daughter in N.Y., NY. As the Director of Operations, she was a key executive in its growth and scale, taking the company from startup to acquisition L’Oreal, the world's largest cosmetics company.

Kelli is a Florida A&M University 5-year MBA School of Business graduate. Her hometown is New Orleans, LA.

Dr. Rochelle L. Ford, Ph.D., APR

President • Dillard University

Rochelle L. Ford, Ph.D., APR is the eighth president of Dillard University. Prior to leading Dillard, she served as the dean of the School of Communications at Elon University, the second to serve in that position in the university’s history. There, she led more than 80 faculty and 1,500 students with six undergraduate major programs of study and one graduate program.

President Ford is recognized nationally for her work in public relations. In 2021, the Arthur W. Page Society presented President Ford with the Distinguished Service Award for her service to the public relations profession and her commitment to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the field in 2021. That same year, ColorCOMM listed her as one of the 28 Most Influential Black Females in Communications. In 2019, President Ford received the Public Relations Society of America’s Outstanding Educator Award; and, in 2018, she was inducted into the PRWeek Hall of Fame.

Prior to her role at Elon, President Ford served for four years as a professor and the chair of the Public Relations Department at the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, helping the program to win the PRWeek Education Program of the Year.

Through a provost faculty fellowship, President Ford co-chaired Syracuse's successful Middle States Commission on Higher Education re-accreditation; and she initiated a university-wide required common first-year experience. President Ford also taught as a professor for 16 years at her alma mater, Howard University, in the School of Communications, where she served as the associate dean for research and academic affairs for six years and as the former director of the Preparing Future Journalism Faculty Program. Her last assignment at Howard was to lead the university's initiative to establish a campus-wide Center for Academic Excellence.

A native of Gahanna, Ohio, President Ford earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism with a concentration in public relations from Howard, her master’s degree in journalism with a specialization in public relations from the University of Maryland, College Park, and her Ph.D. in journalism from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. She also earned a graduate certificate in higher education administration from Harvard University.

Active in both her discipline and her community, President Ford is a member of PRSA and the Arthur W. Page Society. She is also a member of the National Black Public Relations Society, the American Advertising Federation, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., the Alamance County Chamber of Commerce’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee, the United Church of Christ and the United Methodist Church.

Darrel Frater, MBA

VC in Residence • OHUB x NOLA

Darrel is an Investor at Visible Hands where he invests in early-stage companies led by underrepresented founders. Additionally, he serves as a mentor in several accelerator programs such as Techstars, ACT House, ideas42 Ventures, and OHUB.

Darrel previously served as an Investment Analyst at Comcast where he led research and sourcing for diversity investing in minority-led startups and funds. Darrel is a 3-time founder with his latest company being a live-streaming platform for entrepreneurs called TheClub. He is an MBA graduate from The College of New Jersey where he studied strategy, innovation, and leadership.

Dave Parker

Founder, Investor & Author • Trajectory: Startup—Ideation to Product/Market Fit

Dave is a five-time founder and has been part of >15 transactions, as founder, operator, board member, and advisor. He splits his time between funding early-stage companies and helping them exit. He’s a Senior Partner at Fearless.fund. The fund is focused on investing in Women of Color Founders across the US in Consumer and Tech companies. At the other end of the spectrum, he helps founders exit their companies through his work at NextPath Advisors.

His “20%” time (that can sometimes be 80% time) is as a community builder and speaker he works with accelerators and startup programs worldwide.

The author of “Trajectory: Startup – Ideation to Product/Market Fit“. The book helps early-stage founders understand what they can test and know about their startup idea before they take the leap and leave their day job. The book also includes research on 2,564 funded companies and the 14 revenue models that made them successful. A free excerpt here. Many of Dave’s talks are available on his YouTube Channel.

A partial list of programs can be found here.

As the Board Chair for the Washington Technology Industry Association, WTIA, Startup Programs, he’s established a community program to support early and growth-stage startup founders. The Trajectory Series and Meetup were based on the original “6 Month Startup Program” as a pre-accelerator program. The Founder Cohort Program is a post-accelerator program designed to help founders navigate the startup ecosystem in six months vs 18-24 months.

Dave was fortunate to join a “movement in progress” while at Startup Weekend, a program that helps founders launch their dream companies in 54 hours. From 2013-2015 he served as COO and Senior VP Programs & People for UP Global ­ the merged parent company of Startup Weekend/Startup America. In 2014, the UP Global team held over 1,250 events in 120 countries and 640 cities worldwide with over 74,000 attendees.

During his time at UP Global, he launched two new programs:

• Startup Next – a six-week pre-accelerator program that helped early-stage founders transition from Startup Weekend to funded early-stage companies in over 20 cities worldwide.
• Startup Week – launched in six cities in the first year with over 50,000 attendees and grew to 74+ cities worldwide in the third year.

The non-profit company was sold to Techstars in June 2015. This non-profit to for-profit was the unique experience of Dave’s transactions. He served on the Board of the non-profit in the distribution of final grants.
Today he serves on the Board of Directors for four NW mid-market companies and as an Advisory Board Member to dozens of early-stage tech companies on the West Coast. His role with these companies is to provide governance, go-to-market strategy, and growth advisory in preparation for fundraising and exit strategies.

For the last 20+ years, he has held executive positions in software development, enterprise IT and professional services, software distribution, and hardware companies. Companies have included Founder and CEO at License Online (sold to SNX), Board Member roles for Classmates.com (sold to UNTD), Digital Marketing (sold in 2004), Cauldron Solutions (sold in 2006), and Bundled.com (sold in 2012).

Dave was an Entrepreneur in Residence at Mitsui & Company IT Investment Group in Cupertino, CA, a $250M venture fund where he evaluated investments and was a board member and observer for portfolio companies. He has worked with Mitsui in a variety of advisory roles since 1998.

He has over 10 years of experience doing business in Japan and five in China bringing technology to Asia and others back to the US. An alumnus of the University of Washington, Dave has been recognized by the World Technology Network for Innovation in the Software Industry, and Forbes “Best of the Web”.

Dave joined Code Fellows as CEO in June of 2015. Code Fellows is an immersive, in-person code school offering job-ready web and mobile software development training. The company has a > 90% placement rate of grads with a starting salary of over $70K. Code Fellows is part of the emerging “boot camp” market that helps bridge the gap not currently filled by four-year degree Computer Science programs. When he started with Code Fellows <20% of the program applicants were accepted into the training. The curriculum didn’t address those who didn’t have access to this type of programming. By launching a new curriculum, he significantly increased admissions and gained the Veterans Administration Approval as the only Coding Program in Washington State. He also launched a “Pay it Forward” scholarship program, funding >$600,000 in funds for women, underserved minorities, and veterans as part of a personal mission on diversity.

In addition to his hometown of Seattle where he’s a highly ranked mentor for Techstars, Flat6 Labs, 500 Startups, and Founder Institute, Dave has mentored for accelerator programs from Brazil to Moldova, Budapest to Singapore. He’s a frequent blogger on Startup topics through DKParker.com.