Transform

Mark is the Managing Director of Math Venture Partners, an early to mid-stage technology venture capital fund, and an Adjunct Lecturer of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Business.

He is a serial entrepreneur who started four companies, managed three venture funds, and was head of Innovation for Redbox as well as an early employee of Apple. He is the co-author of Exit Right – how to sell your startup, and has a popular podcast on the Noteworthy network: The Real Work with Mark Achler.

Mark is a frequent speaker, resource and ardent champion for the entrepreneurial community; where he is a mentor for TechStars, and several other entrepreneurial organizations.

Research and Engineering Leader with extensive experience in mentoring and leading multiple geographically distributed teams on employing various approaches in Machine Learning, towards designing and developing broad spectrum of real-world applications and production quality big data systems; with proven accomplishments in technical domains of Computer Vision, Image Processing, Natural Language Processing, Predictive Analytics and Modelling and business sectors of Internet of Things, Locomotives, Automotive, Energy, Situational Awareness and Understanding, Robotics, and Healthcare Analytics.

Dr. Arnab Bose is an Associate Senior Instructional Professor, Faculty Director of the online program, and Curriculum Director in the Master of Science in Applied Data Science program at the University of Chicago Data Science Institute. He has over two and a half decades of industry experience and enjoys working with data to influence behavioral outcomes. 

As an entrepreneur, Arnab had a startup focused on industrial applications of AI in healthcare, finance, semiconductor, and retail that he successfully exited post-acquisition. At the University of Chicago, Arnab teaches Machine Learning, Machine Learning Operations, Time Series Analysis and Forecasting, and Data Science in Healthcare. 

Arnab has published a book, book chapters, and numerous peer-reviewed conference & journal papers. He enjoys public speaking and has given talks in US, Australia, and India. He is an avid traveler and has visited the 7 wonders of the world. Arnab holds MS and PhD degrees from the University of Southern California and a BTech from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India.

Alex Castrounis is the founder and CEO of Why of AI, a book author on AI, and a professor of AI for Northwestern University’s Kellogg & McCormick MBAi program. He has over two decades of experience advising startups to Fortune 100 companies on using data, analytics, and AI models to drive business growth and customer success.

Alex is also a former INDYCAR engineer, race strategist, and data scientist who drove winning results for teams such as Andretti Autosport in world-renowned races, including the Indy 500. His experience applying analytics to make smarter, data-driven decisions in racing now helps businesses gain and maintain a competitive advantage in their industry.

Michael is a seasoned business and engineering leader, currently working as AXS’ Senior Director of Global Data Strategy and Analytics, where he leads business intelligence, analytics engineering and web analytics for the US, Canada and Japan. He is a regular speaker at Snowflake, dbt labs and Google technology conferences and events. 

Michael also teaches AI and Data Science for Leaders as well as Python Programming for Data Science at the University of Chicago. He guest lectures in the Generative AI courses at both the University of Chicago and Columbia University in New York City.

Prior to working at AXS, Michael was a chief data scientist and technology leader at the Boston Consulting Group through Gamma (Retail Catalyst), their advanced analytics and AI powerhouse. 

Michael started his career doing genetics as well as cognitive and behavioral neuroscience research, eventually falling in love with data science – since making that career change, he has never looked back. 

Michael has held various senior leadership roles within analytics, including leading global analytic innovation at Kraft Heinz and functioning as the Chief Data Scientist at Upshop. 

He has a passion for helping organizations find ways to leverage advanced analytics to hit their financial and marketing goals, scale with success and make AI real for business. 

He is a graduate from the University of Chicago and has completed post-graduate work at both MIT and Northwestern. He is currently completing his executive “Tech MBA” at Columbia University in New York City.

In his free time, Michael studies foreign languages, salsa dances and travels the world. He speaks English, Spanish, Italian and Brazilian Portuguese, as well as some Gujarati and German. Michael is a proud US and Italian citizen.

Hemant Elhence is a seasoned tech entrepreneur, investor, and advisor to tech companies. His core expertise is helping tech companies achieve their Product x Market Fit (PMF) and then to scale their sales.

Hemant was the co-founder and CEO of Synerzip, a leading Agile product engineering company which merged with Prime Technology Group in December 2020, to become Excellarate, a global saas platform engineering services company. At Synerzip, Hemant put in place a sales and marketing process, on-going sales training, and a kick-ass sales team to drive consistent, over its 16 year history, new logo acquisition and current client growth.

Hemant led the successful exit of Synerzip to a private equity (Frontenac) backed strategic acquirer (Prime Technology Group) and then stayed on to ensure successful post-merger integration of the companies and rebranding to Excellarate. Hemant served as the President of Excellarate, leading all sales, marketing, and account management functions. With new leadership team solidly in place, Hemant moved on from Excellarate in July 2022.

Before starting his entrepreneurial journey, Hemant was VP Products at i2 Technologies. Prior to i2, Hemant was with McKinsey & Company where he served numerous blue-chip clients on operations and business strategy issues. Hemant started his career as a software developer with Digital Equipment Corporation in Massachusetts.

Hemant holds an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, MSEE from the University of Massachusetts, and BSEE from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, in India.

Greg Green is Senior Instructional Professor and Director of the MS in Applied Data Science Program at the University of Chicago, and Senior Director for Industrial Partnerships and Strategy at the Data Science Institute. Dr. Green helps the University of Chicago professional data science students learn to apply data science to solve complex industry problems with greater impact.

Dr. Green is reshaping the content and approaches used to educate the next generation of professional data scientists at the University of Chicago.  Additionally, Greg is designing new, creative offerings more deeply connected to MS and PhD research programs in Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, and Financial Mathematics. New course offerings developed and launched since joining the University of Chicago include an innovative approach to “Leadership in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence”, “Consulting in Data Science” and “Your Career in Data Science”.

Throughout his professional career, Greg has used his expertise in digital strategies, business analytics, and new product development to drive rapid revenue growth and accelerate business transformation. His previous work bringing innovation to an academic environment included authoring a Marketing Analytics course, designing a pre-requisite applied statistics course and serving as a lecturer for Marketing Analytics at Northwestern University.

Greg’s industry roles include Chief Analytics Officer at Harland Clarke Holdings, Director at Google, EVP/Managing Director at Publicis Groupe, and Analytics Practice Lead at PwC. Greg’s patented cloud-based media analytics platform was highlighted in Harvard Business Review and Fast Company.

Greg holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics from Claremont Graduate School and a Master of Science in Statistics from Michigan State University. Born in Owosso, Michigan, Greg is married to Jill, an artist, and their adult children include two more artists, a teacher, and an engineer. Greg and his family enjoy snowboarding, snow/water skiing and live theatre—as well as good food and friendships. Their passion for the environment is reflected in a love for Lake Michigan where they like to spend as much of the summer as possible.

Seenia is a strategic angel investor focused on early stage B2B solutions around the AI stack. She is most interested in bridging the distribution gap between emerging technology and meaningful applications. As an investor/advisor, she partners with technical founders onproduct and GTM strategy. Seenia started her career analyzing market competition for antitrust litigations. In more recent roles, she built AI-enabled products across different scales, from seed-stage startups to large enterprises, including building with an AI/ML R&D team at Apple.

Anush Mohandass is the COO and co-founder of Asato Corporation, an enterprise copilot platform powered by AI designed for CIOs. He is responsible for driving the company’s product development, operations and execution strategy. Most recently, he was Vice President and Co-General Manager of Incubation and Disruptive Innovation Group at Intel Corporation leading a 750-person multidisciplinary team responsible for organically sourcing, incubating, and accelerating the next multi-B$ growth businesses for Intel.Previously at Intel, Anush was the vice president and general manager of the System, Infrastructure IP and Solutions Group (SISG) leading the development of fabric, system, and infrastructure IP for the company’s server, networking, artificial intelligence, and client segment products.

Prior to rejoining Intel in 2018, Mohandass was the chief operating officer at NetSpeed Systems, where he led the product management, business strategy and operations functions of the company. Mohandass guided the successful launch of seven precedent- setting products during his time at NetSpeed. A technical expert with a breadth of experience across industries, Mohandass started his career at Intel in 2001 as a design engineer for Intel® Pentium® processors. He went on to hold various technical and leadership roles in component and design methodology for microprocessors and graphics processors until leaving Intel in 2008. He subsequently spent several years working in the renewable energy industry — first, as a lead product manager at Skyline Solar LLC overseeing the development of concentrated photovoltaic cells, and then as a business development manager at Power-One Renewable Energy Solutions LLC prior to its acquisition by ABB Group.

Mohandass holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical and electronics engineering from the College of Engineering, Guindy, at Anna University in Chennai, India. He went on to earn a master’s degree in computer engineering from The Ohio State University and an MBA degree from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago.

Roger is the CEO and Managing Director at NLITX (www.nlitx.com) where he is an insight and growth fixated, high energy leader doggedly pursuing competitive advantage through strategic application of data and advanced analytics. Roger is also a well-respected lecturer at the University of Chicago in the Master Applied Data Science Program. Previously Roger was VP, Analytics and Customer Operations at Entytle, driving increased installed base revenue utilizing AI and machine learning. Roger has also delivered value to his clients at Gartner, Sagence, Booz & Co, Diamond Advisory Services, and the Boston Consulting Group. 

Roger is active in the data, analytics, and technology communities in the Chicago area. He attends and is a frequent speaker at many MeetUps, roundtables and industry events. Roger founded and chairs the Chicago Booth Big Data & Analytics Roundtable. 

Roger holds an MBA with focus in Finance and Statistics from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. He also received a BS in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. 

Matthew is the Head of Investor Relations at The Institute of Free Technology (IFT), a startup studio that supports the development, adoption, and accessibility of solutions to digital-age problems. IFT transforms groundbreaking ideas into impactful market realities by backing startups that build public goods to protect civil liberties. Matthew collaborates with IFT’s founders and portfolio companies to ensure financial sustainability while advancing IFT’s mission.

Before joining IFT, Matthew founded Linus, a U.S.-based startup that leveraged DeFi (decentralized finance) protocols to create an accessible investment experience for everyday investors. As CEO, he led Linus through its 2019 launch, raising $1.5 million in funding. Matthew’s leadership guided Linus to a successful exit, resulting in its acquisition in May 2022.

Matthew’s background in capital markets, trading, and corporate finance gives him a strong foundation for his role at IFT and his consulting work. His expertise in strategy, go-to-market planning, and regulatory compliance makes him a valuable resource for emerging technology projects. He actively advises several startups in the Web3 and AI space, providing guidance on navigating the evolving technology landscape.

Beyond his professional roles, Matthew is passionate about technology and its potential to transform industries. He believes in innovation as a force for positive change and is committed to fostering a collaborative ecosystem where new ideas can flourish. This dedication to supporting startup founders, investors, and advisors in the tech community drives his work at IFT and beyond.

Larry is an angel investor and an active mentor to Chicago’s early-stage digital healthcare innovators. 

Most recently, Larry held two appointments at the University of Chicago Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation as the Executive in Residence for the Spring and Fall 2023 cohorts for TRANSFORM Data Science Accelerator and as the Instructor for the Fall 2023 I-Corps Program. Larry is currently the visiting Entrepreneur in Residence at Discovery Partners Institute, a part of the University of Illinois System. 

Prior to joining DPI, Larry was an advisor and Chief Growth Officer (Jan 2019 – Nov 2023) and angel investor in Clearstep, a leading provider of ai-enabled digital self-service triage. In this role, he leverages a 35-year career in direct enterprise sales, corporate development, strategy, and new market development where he’s accelerated growth and performance for health technology ventures at all stages — from seed to scale.

Don is passionate about working with entrepreneurs who build durable, generational businesses. The GFC portfolio features over a dozen $1b+ disruptors, including companies like Deel, Headway, Canva, Cultureamp, Brex, and Next Insurance.

Previously, he co-founded CityDeal, which was sold to Groupon in the early days, worked with Airbnb and Handy and advised a variety of high growth startups. Right out of college, he was an M&A banker and worked on multi-billion dollar deals, including Submarino/Lojas Americanas (B2W) and Google/Youtube.

During his junior and senior years in high school, Don ran an online marketplace, which sold virtual and real world goods to Ultima Online and Everquest gamers.

Anka brings over 25 years of experience leading high-impact initiatives and global teams with expertise in integrated marketing, loyalty, customer experience, lead generation, go-to-market, account management, customer acquisition, digital, CRM, insights, enterprise solutions, product development, and strategic alliances. She has domain expertise across tech, banking, telecom, payments, retail, manufacturing, customer loyalty, e-commerce, travel and lifestyle industries.

Over the course of her career, she has worked with Fortune 500 companies such as Microsoft, Amazon, Marriott International and American Express within Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. In addition, she has launched start-ups and regularly coaches c-suite leaders with early-stage and mid-stage ventures around the world.

Anka earned her MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business where she was a Rath Foundation Merit Scholar and completed a joint program in Economics and International Business at the London School of Economics and Political Science. She holds an AB from the University of Chicago in Political Science and Economics.

Anurag Wadehra is a growth coach to technology companies, leveraging over 30 years of experience in operating roles at renowned organizations such as Google and P&G. He has played a pivotal role in coaching and mentoring over 100 tech founders and operators. His blog, “Growth Matters,” reflects his extensive experience in scaling companies from their inception stages to IPOs and achieving valuations up to $500 Million. Anurag is known for teaching online cohort-based courses focusing on Product Market Fit, Go-To-Market strategies, and U.S. market entry, along with offering self-guided video-based courses.

In his career, Anurag has been a tech founder or operator at six startups, specializing in data, cloud, and AI technologies, and has served as the Chief Marketing Officer at two public technology companies. He is also actively involved in mentoring CEOs and founders through several accelerators, including Stanford’s StartX, Alchemist, the Polsky Center for Innovation at the University of Chicago, and SaaSBOOMi, which is India’s largest SaaS founder community.

Outside of professional commitments, Anurag engages in diverse creative pursuits. He has authored a play and produced a documentary, showcasing his flair for storytelling and filmmaking. Additionally, he has contributed to the literary world by translating Punjabi poetry into English, bridging cultural and linguistic gaps. Anurag also hosts a monthly South Asian podcast named “Baithak,” where he explores and discusses various aspects of South Asian culture and issues.

Robert Whiteman is the owner of Better Future Advisors, a firm he founded upon retiring from his consulting career. Through this venture, he assists organizations in redesigning their operations to get the most out of automation and AI. Additionally, he lends his expertise to startups in the technology sector, mentoring them as they scale their organizations.

Before retiring at the end of 2022, Rob was a Partner at McKinsey & Company. There, he led Digital Service Operations in North America, working with over 200 private and public sector organizations on automation and AI topics. Rob documented his experiences and insights in the book Artificially Human: Making Sense of Automation and AI.

Before joining McKinsey, Rob was a Vice President at Cerberus Capital Management, a private equity firm based in New York. Prior to that, he worked for multiple divisions of General Electric, most recently as a Six Sigma Master Black Belt at GE Commercial Finance. Rob holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University.

Jonathan Williams teaches statistical inference, research methods, and professional skills in his role of Clinical Professor for the University of Chicago’s M.S. in Applied Data Science program.  Before teaching full-time, he worked for ten years as an economic consultant in financial litigation, authoring expert reports and supporting other experts in their reports and testimony.  He also worked for four years as a data science team lead in a startup firm offering consulting services to state, local, and federal governmental agencies, and studied at two national laboratories as a Department of Homeland Security Scholar.

Jonathan enjoys teaching, tutoring, advising, and mentoring students and professionals of all experience levels.  He dabbles non-professionally in origami, cryptanalysis, and the quest for a perfect pourover coffee, and spends much of his day accompanied by a lazy greyhound.

Max Witt is an Investor at Vernon & Park Capital, a multi-stage, thesis-driven investment firm. During his tenure at the firm, Max has invested in innovative companies spanning across the consumer, logistics, agriculture, and healthcare sectors. His passion for investing stems from a deep love of learning, creation, and competition.  Prior to Vernon & Park Capital, Max served as the Director of Strategy at SteelSeries, an L Catterton portfolio company. Previous to that, Max worked on energy industry transactions as part of Citi’s Corporate and Investment Banking Group. Max received his BSBA from the Washington University in St. Louis Olin School of Business.  Max is a lover of books, an avid outdoorsman, and an enthusiastic cook. 

Dr. Kate Wolin is a behavioral epidemiologist who left academic medicine to launch and lead a digital health start-up, which she bootstrapped to profitability before selling to Anthem. She has since been a C-suite leader and advisor to digital health start-ups and enterprise organizations on bridging clinical and behavioral science with product strategy and execution. She is a partner at PACE Healthcare Capital and teaches entrepreneurship at Kellogg.