Joel Adams, CEO (Fast Pitch)
RJS, LLC
With the 2008 launch of Rhythm, a citrus liqueur infused with energy ingredients, Adams leads an entrepreneurial venture first developed and refined in business plan competitions, including earning a spot at the 2007 Moot Corp competition. Prior to founding the company with partners, he was a provider relations analyst at Humana Inc. for three years. He earned his BA and MBA from the University of Louisville.
Dale Boden, President and CEO (Track 1)
BF Capital, Inc.
Investing primarily in real estate, venture capital and early-stage or special situation growth companies, BF Capital provides both equity capital and management assistance. Since founding the company in 1993, Boden has overseen investments in more than 65 different companies and partnerships. In 2003, the Yearling Fund I, L.P. was formed by Boden and two partners, Tyree Wilburn and William Lomicka. The Yearling Fund is an early stage venture capital fund focused on Kentucky-based companies. He also has considerable experience in corporate development, M & A, corporate finance and general management.
Rebecca Brady, Director of Practice Development
(Fast Pitch)
Chilton & Medley, CPAs
Brady leads the firm’s practice development department and is a member of the firm’s Leadership Team. She is responsible for Chilton & Medley’s marketing strategy and tactics, business development, and niche practice teams. Brady also is a key-driver of the firm’s vision, strategic development and growth strategies, and manages and facilitates Chilton & Medley’s advisory board and strategic partnerships. She earned her BS and MBA degrees from the University of Louisville.
Vik Chadha, Commercialization Director (Fast Pitch)
Greater Louisville Inc.
Prior to joining the Enterprise Corp, Chadha was entrepreneur-in-residence at bCatalyst where he assisted in the process of identifying, evaluating, and funding innovative startups. He also is director, member of the executive committee and chairman of the presentations committee of the Venture Club of Louisville. Previously he was a senior consultant at GE Consumer Products where he was a founding member of the Internet team that created the first system to sell microwave ovens over the Internet. He is the co-founder and chief technology officer of Passion4Art, one of the largest online communities of visual artists in the world, with over 2,000 registered artists from 65 countries.
George Emont, Partner (Finals)
Triathlon Medical Ventures
Emont is a partner with Triathlon Medical Ventures and a managing partner of the Kentucky Seed Capital Fund. His two decades of health care industry experience include 12 years in venture capital. Prior to joining Triathlon and KCSF, he was the director of venture capital for Humana Inc. where he managed a venture capital fund that made investments totaling over $75 million in 11 portfolio companies and three venture funds. His experience includes service with Baxter Healthcare Corporation, IAI Venture Capital Group and the successful launch and sale of oncology-focused biotechnology start-up OncoTherapeutics. He holds a BA from Oberlin College and an MBA from the University of Chicago.
Kevin Etzkorn, Managing Director (Track 1)
Heron Capital
Etzkorn has over eight years of venture capital experience and more than a decade of operational and technical management experience. Prior to joining Heron, he was a principal at CID Capital, a life science and technology venture fund. His portfolio responsibilities included Axiomed Spine Corporation, Bridge Semiconductor Corporation, EKOS Corporation, HyperNex, Inc. (acquired by Nova Measuring Instruments) and Renal Solutions, Inc. (acquired by Fresenius Medical Care). He also has served as an advisor to the National Science Foundation for the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program. He received his MBA from the University of Illinois and a BA from the University of Wisconsin.
Kevin Fuqua, CPA, CVA (Track 3)
Chilton & Medley, CPAs
Fuqua leads Chilton & Medley’s tax services department and is the chair of the firm’s entrepreneurial company practice group. His practice emphasis is providing tax services to fast-growth businesses in construction, real estate, restaurant and service industries. He also provides business valuation services including valuing growing and established businesses, acquisition, estate planning and litigation support.
A Certified Valuation Analyst, he earned his BS degree from the University of Louisville.
Ken Green, MD, Co-Founder, Managing Partner
(Track 2)
Spring Mill Ventures
Prior to Spring Mill, Ken was CEO of Cutanogen Corporation, a medical device company developing tissue-engineered skin substitute for the treatment of burns and chronic wounds, and reconstructive surgery. Previously, he was with Senmed Medical Ventures, a corporate venture capital firm focusing on early stage life science business opportunities. Prior to Senmed, Ken worked at Bristol Myers Squibb, and had his own private medical practice for 10 years. He received his MD from the University of Toronto and his MBA from the University of North Carolina, Kenan Flagler School of Business.
Martin McClelland, Managing Director (Track 2)
Mainstream Investment Advisors
McClelland is a portfolio manager for Mainstream, which manages hedge funds and separate accounts for individuals and institutions. Previously, he founded MFG Solutions, a sales and consulting service for manufacturing software. He also started Alta Capital, which merged in 1997 with Regent Group, an investment advisory firm. He has a BS degree in engineering from Purdue and an MBA from Harvard. He is a member of the college’s Board of Advisors and the Entrepreneurship Council.
Matt McGarvey, Vice President, (Track 1)
Commercialization and Venture Finance Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation
McGarvey joined KSTC in October 2002 as the venture finance director of The Innovation Group. A Kentucky native, Matt spent 20 years in Washington DC, most recently serving as the Vice President and Corporate Controller for XM Satellite Radio, a high-tech start-up that raised over $1.8 billion. Prior to XM, Matt was a financial consulting executive for Accenture. Prior to Accenture, Matt also served in various executive financial accounting positions at Verizon Communications. Matt holds a BA from Lambuth University and is a licensed CPA.
Edmund G. Nasief, Jr., Senior Vice President (Track 2)
UBS Financial Services
Nasief has been an investment broker since 1975 with UBS|PaineWebber, E.F. Hutton and Merrill Lynch. He also was involved in a family business for a decade. He is on the executive committee of the College of Business Entrepreneurship Council and holds a BA degree from the University of Louisville and an MBA from Southern Illinois University.
Mark Richey, Managing Director (Finals)
Draper Triangle
Richey is a managing director of Draper Triangle and a successful entrepreneur with extensive experience in creating and managing early-stage companies. Prior to joining Draper Triangle, Mark had been involved in many entrepreneurial ventures. Most recently he was part of the PlanSoft management team that successfully merged with seeUthere in 2004 creating OnVantage. He also founded Synchrony Communications in 1997, raising $40 million in VC funding. He earned his BS from Miami University and an MBA from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School at Northwestern University.
Shannon Rothschild, Venture Partner (Fast Pitch)
Heron Capital
Prior to joining the fund, she was manager of Product Design and Development with Humana, Inc., one of the nation’s largest health benefits companies. Her diverse prior experience includes strategic advisor for McKesson HBOC; designing and managing large payer and venture financed healthcare IT initiatives at RealMed; executive level education at Indiana University, and consulting with Caduceus Partners. Rothschild received her BA from Tulane University, and both her MBA and MHA from Indiana University.
Elizabeth Rounsavall, Associate (Track 3)
Chrysalis Ventures
Rounsavall provides analytical and transactional support to the investment team for Chrysalis’ three primary investment sectors: healthcare services and technology, media and communications, and business services. Prior to Chrysalis, Elizabeth worked for Booz Allen Hamilton in New York as a senior associate where she led project teams in delivering financial and economic research, analysis, and recommendations for clients across a variety of industries including media and communications, banking, and insurance. She holds a BA from Yale University and an MBA from MIT’s Sloan School of Management.
Bob Saunders, Managing Director (Finals)
Chrysalis Ventures
Saunders joined Chrysalis in 1997 as managing director and has worked with several of Chrysalis’ portfolio companies including Genscape (sold to GFI Energy Ventures), High Speed Access Corp (IPO and later sold to Charter Communications), PeopleFirst.com (sold to Capital One Financial), Telemics (sold to Tyco Electronics), CELS/Midi (sold to SAI Global), and MindLeaders (sold to ThirdForce). Previously, he was chief planning officer and managing director for Strategic Planning and Business Development at Providian Capital Management, Inc. and managing director of Saunders Capital Group, Inc. A former Marshall Scholar and Fulbright Scholar, he holds a BA from Stanford University, an MSC from the London School of Economics, and an MA from Harvard University. He is a recipient of the Michael J. Burke Supporter of Entrepreneurship Award in the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year competition for Southern Ohio and Kentucky.
Murray Wilson, Managing Director (Track 3)
River Cities Capital
Wilson has been in the industry for nearly 15 years and has gained experience and perspective from managing growth company investments through several business cycles. He is active in both information technology and healthcare investments. Prior to River Cities, he was the first associate hired at another regional venture firm for their debut fund in 1992. During the late 1990’s, he was the lead manager in several software, healthcare IT and healthcare services deals. An entrepreneur-student while in college, he provided consulting services such as writing business plans and creating complex financial models to local growth companies that were seeking to raise outside capital. He holds a BA from Cornell University and an MBA from Xavier University.
The Players 
