Christopher Burniske
Chris Burniske is a co-founder of Placeholder, a New York venture firm that specializes in cryptoassets, and co-author of the book, Cryptoassets: The Innovative Investor’s Guide to Bitcoin and Beyond. Prior to Placeholder, Chris pioneered ARK Investment Management’s Next Generation Internet strategy, leading the firm to become the first public fund manager to invest in […]
Kerry Denerstein
Kerry Denerstein is Regulatory Affairs Lead at CLS Bank International, where she manages the firm’s relationship with the Federal Reserve, as well as the 23 central banks that comprise the CLS Oversight Committee. She is also responsible for monitoring, analyzing, and engaging with authorities on relevant regulatory and legislative developments, including those related to blockchain […]
Zia Khan
As Vice President for Innovation, Zia oversees the Foundation’s approach to developing solutions that can have transformative impact on people’s lives, with a focus on innovative finance, data & technology, and science. He writes and speaks frequently on leadership, strategy, and innovation. Zia has served on the World Economic Forum Advisory Council for Social Innovation […]
Ashish Thakkar
Ashish J. Thakkar is the Founder of Mara Group and Mara Foundation. He is also the co-founder of Atlas Mara. Ashish and his family have driven the growth of the Mara from a small IT business in East Africa to the globally recognized multi-sector investment group that exists today. Through its investments, Mara Corporation now […]
Karen Bhatia
Karen Bhatia is Vice President at the New York City Economic Development Corporation, leading tech strategies in blockchain, VR/AR, and artificial intelligence to promote economic development and entrepreneurship throughout the city. Karen is also an attorney, entrepreneur and startup advisor. She founded Stanford Startups NY, a business network of over 700 Stanford University entrepreneurs and […]
Evans Wadongo
Evans Wadongo is a Co-founder & CEO at GreenWize Energy, which is advancing cutting-edge African-designed renewable energy solutions in Sub Saharan Africa. He is also the founder of Sustainable Development For All, an organization that has helped lift thousands of mostly rural people out of poverty. Mr. Wadongo is also the founding partner of Wadson […]
Hon. Jerry McNearney
Lisa Button
Lisa Button has extensive knowledge and experience in relation to domestic, regional and global refugee policy and holds a Masters in Public and International Law. She began her career as a commercial lawyer with a large Australian firm but over the past decade has worked primarily in the area of Australian and regional refugee law […]
Lawrence Williams
Lawrence is a technology entrepreneur who has dedicated his career to developing solutions for some of the world’s most intractable problems. In 2020, Lawrence started Merlin Mobility and the Merlin Mobility Foundation to develop advanced technology solutions to make driving easier, safer, and more accessible for all. The company’s first product, the Merlin Copilot, is […]
Ron Margalit
Ron is the Founding Partner of Venture Kinetics, an impact venture capital that invest exclusively in technology-led companies that address gaps in the delivery of primary products and services previously excluded population. For the past 15 years, Ron became a veteran principal investor and entrepreneur working at the intersection of innovation, blended capital, and impact. […]
Dr. Christian Marin-Müller
Dr. Marin-Müller is an expert in the area of molecular oncology. He is Founder and CEO of Speratum where he leads a team of scientists developing novel technologies to fight cancer. Christian received his B.S. degree in Molecular Biology from Florida Institute of Technology in 2003, and an M.S. in Biotechnology-based Entrepreneurship from Case Western […]