Global New Venture Challenge (GNVC)

Susan is a business and community leader who is passionate about guiding companies and not-for-profits to transformative growth and innovation. She serves as Managing Director of Golden Seeds, a venture and angel investing firm, and as Board Director at Chicago Public Media. Previously, as CEO of Illinois Holocaust Museum, Susan led the Museum’s application of cutting-edge technology in interactive Survivor holograms, featured on CBS’s 60 Minutes, and in VR products, which enabled global scaling and transformed IHMEC from regional player to international leader. She also led the 700% growth in customers and financial turnaround, that enabled paying off all debt 30 years early and more than doubling net assets and other metrics. Previously, Susan served as COO of JCC Chicago, President of JCA Properties, Consultant at McKinsey & Company, and Analyst at Goldman Sachs. She is the author of The New Success Rules for Women: 10 Surefire Strategies for Reaching Your Career Goals (Random House), and speaks regularly on leadership, women’s business success, and leveraging technology. Susan has served on the boards of Illinois Finance Authority, IHMEC, Chicago Children’s Museum, and Leadership Illinois. She earned her MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, and a BSE and BA from the University of Pennsylvania.

Melissa Harris is the founder and CEO of Chicago-based marketing agency, M. Harris & Co. Its job: Make its clients unforgettable.

With Pulitzer Prize winner Mary Schmich, she also owns media company Mary & Melissa Productions, which is producing an upcoming seven-part limited podcast series in partnership with PRX.

Simon & Schuster publish3e her first book, Everybody Needs an Editor, in September 2024.

After founding her the agency in 2016, it quickly began racking up awards. She was part of the 2018 Clio Award-winning team behind the Cards Against Humanity Saves America campaign, as well as the 2017 Reed Award from Campaigns & Elections for best earned media, and a 2017 Golden Trumpet Award from the Publicity Club of Chicago.

The firm operates on the reputation and experience of its team members: Its 50-and-growing collaborators comprise former top editors and reporters; Netflix film directors; Pulitzer Prize and James Beard Award winners.

Harris began her career as a journalist, capping 15 years in media as a business columnist for the Chicago Tribune. While earning her MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, she joined a real estate private equity firm, where as vice president of marketing she helped raise more than $70 million and launched its online investing platform.

Harris also holds degrees from Johns Hopkins University and Northwestern University. In addition to her position as Adjunct Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship, she serves as Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, where she frequently teaches seminars and advises startups on marketing and communication. She also serves as a governing board member for The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

Troy is a seasoned entrepreneur who has built multiple successful technology-based businesses from the ground-up over a 30+ year period. With one foot firmly rooted in technology and the other firmly rooted in business he seamlessly bridges the divide between business and technology to create profitable organizations quickly. Troy excels in situations where innovation and creativity are required to solve real business problems.

Victoria Leon is an investor with entrepreneurship and operator experience. Named 2007 Global Young Social Entrepreneur and built and operated companies in several industries including coding bootcamp Codesmith and co-founding adtech company Prizeout. She interned with HPVP during her MBA program.

She holds a MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a BS in Chemical Engineering with a concentration in Biomolecular Engineering from UCLA.

Dipa is a cofounder and managing partner at Valeo Ventures. Valeo is the exclusive investment manager for Cobalt Ventures, the strategic venture capital arm of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City. She sits on the boards of Bicycle Health, Handspring Health, MedArrive, OncoHealth, and Spectrum.AI. Valeo is building a new venture capital fund partnering with hospital systems and health plans to create bespoke corporate venturing vehicles.

Dipa formerly led Corporate Development and Ventures group at Advocate Health Enterprises (AAE), an Advocate Health subsidiary that aims further the AH mission to help people live well by advancing innovative solutions that go beyond traditional clinical care. She led investments into Foodsmart, Xealth, and acquisitions into companies helping seniors to age in their home for longer. Dipa was also previously a managing director at Sandbox Industries, a venture capital firm which is the investment manager to the Blue Venture Fund. During her time at Sandbox, Dipa served on the boards of Contessa Health, Upward Health, Oncology Analytics, AbleTo, and Lumiata. Prior to Sandbox, Dipa was at Amgen Ventures, the corporate venture fund of Amgen. Dipa started her career in the Global Healthcare Group at UBS and the Healthcare Fund at Paul Capital Partners, which invested in late-stage pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

Dipa holds a BS from the New York University Stern School of Business and an MBA from Chicago Booth where she received the Chicago Booth Leadership Award of Distinction. She has also completed the Kauffman Fellowship, a prestigious two-year program for venture capitalists. Dipa is currently an investor in residence with the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship at Booth where she advises students and teaches workshops.

Dipa lives in Chicago with her husband and twin boys.

Sonia Nagar is a Venture Capitalist, angel investor, and board director. Sonia is currently a General Partner at Pritzker Group Venture Capital responsible for sourcing, diligence and oversight of the firm’s investments in marketplaces, consumer products and services, and emerging technology companies. Before joining PGVC Sonia was vice president of product and head of mobile apps for RetailMeNot, responsible for leading an app redesign that earned a People’s Voice Webby Award for Best Shopping App. Sonia joined RetailMeNot in 2014 following its acquisition of Pickie, the venture-backed mobile shopping start-up she co-founded in 2011. Prior to Pickie, Sonia was a senior associate for Booz & Company, and worked in product management, investment banking, and engineering roles with Amazon, Goldman Sachs and General Motors.

Kathleen focuses her practice on venture capital, private equity, and institutional private placements. She represents clients within the health care, retail, technology, insurance, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, and utilities operations industries. Kathleen represents venture capitalists, angel investors, angel groups, institutional investors, startups, emerging growth companies, corporate venture funds, investment bankers, and equity sponsors in equity and debt transactions.