David is the founder of the Tampa Bay investment firms Florida Funders and Seedfunders as well as Seedfunders Orlando and Seedfunders Miami. He has been called “The Angel Investor who…

David is the founder of the Tampa Bay investment firms Florida Funders and Seedfunders as well as Seedfunders Orlando and Seedfunders Miami. He has been called “The Angel Investor who changed the startup landscape in Tampa Bay”. Additionally, Florida Trend named him one of the 500 Most Influential Business Leaders in the state.

Barbara co-founded SafetyPay, a global payments solutions company, recently acquired by PaySafe. During her tenure there, her roles included COO and CMO as well as a member of SafetyPay’s Board…

Barbara co-founded SafetyPay, a global payments solutions company, recently acquired by PaySafe. During her tenure there, her roles included COO and CMO as well as a member of SafetyPay’s Board of Directors. Previously, she ran her own direct marketing company in Spain, with American Express and several Spanish banks as clients. Earlier, she held management positions at American Express, Coopers & Lybrand, and Inter-Continental Hotels. She has a BA from Boston College, an MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management and is a member of the Wharton School Fellows program.

John Lyons started his career as a US Navy Officer. After leaving service, he started a successful technology company specializing in systems modernization.  His company was a direct prime contractor with the…

John Lyons started his career as a US Navy Officer. After leaving service, he started a successful technology company specializing in systems modernization.  His company was a direct prime contractor with the Navy, Army, Air Force, and US Coast Guard. John has experience in software development, systems modernization, and all aspects of government contracting.  Currently, John is a shareholder in diverse businesses from virtual reality gaming, coworking business in California, property development, and various software applications

Leo began his career as a software developer in 2004, subsequently working in many different industries including e-commerce, healthcare, aviation, education, finance, software consulting, and IT. Leo joined NinjaOne in…

Leo began his career as a software developer in 2004, subsequently working in many different industries including e-commerce, healthcare, aviation, education, finance, software consulting, and IT. Leo joined NinjaOne in 2016 in its early phases serving in different technical and leadership roles over time and is now the VP of Engineering. NinjaOne is now a leader in the IT Management space serving customers all over the world.Leo holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Florida Atlantic University.

Tahl worked for system integration companies creating some of the first factory automation projects at Ford and GM. He moved into finance becoming CTO of Providian Financial which became a…

Tahl worked for system integration companies creating some of the first factory automation projects at Ford and GM. He moved into finance becoming CTO of Providian Financial which became a F500 company and was later acquired by Chase. He went on to build and manage a global enterprise architecture consulting practice at Cisco. He then moved to Visa to manage the enterprise architecture group, effectively managing their entire tech portfolio. There, his team was also instrumental in the $1.6B acquisition of Cybersource.

Founded, scaled, and exited Nuvotronics BS, Physics, Virginia Tech MS, Electrical Engineering, Virginia Tech

Founded, scaled, and exited Nuvotronics BS, Physics, Virginia Tech MS, Electrical Engineering, Virginia Tech

Eric has 25 years of experience primarily in the Pharmaceutical & CRO industry, with extensive experience in Finance & Operations. His roles have included Director of Finance, Site Director, and…

Eric has 25 years of experience primarily in the Pharmaceutical & CRO industry, with extensive experience in Finance & Operations. His roles have included Director of Finance, Site Director, and COO. He oversees 3 locations and approximately 300 employees. His strengths include People Management & Leadership, Finance, Operations, Process Improvement and Customer Satisfaction.

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Coming Soon!

Hadi Bozorgmanesh is a Professor of Practice in the School of Engineering at UConn where he developed and teaches Tech Experiential Entrepreneurship for graduate students and post-doctoral researchers interested in…

Hadi Bozorgmanesh is a Professor of Practice in the School of Engineering at UConn where he developed and teaches Tech Experiential Entrepreneurship for graduate students and post-doctoral researchers interested in converting research into viable businesses.

After spending over thirty years as an executive for the Wall Street banks and large private conglomerates including a position as a senior executive with JP Morgan, where he relocated…

After spending over thirty years as an executive for the Wall Street banks and large private conglomerates including a position as a senior executive with JP Morgan, where he relocated 2500 high paying jobs to the Tampa Bay area. Irv now lends his wealth of knowledge and expertise to Seedfunders as a Managing Partner.

After retiring from the clothing manufacturing industry, Jim Aresty moved to Aspen, CO, where he became deeply involved in the Aspen Institute. He discovered St Petersburg in 2015 and began…

After retiring from the clothing manufacturing industry, Jim Aresty moved to Aspen, CO, where he became deeply involved in the Aspen Institute. He discovered St Petersburg in 2015 and began splitting time between the two cities. As an endeavor to bring some of his favorite aspects of the Aspen Institute to St Pete, Jim partnered with USF-St Petersburg to establish OPEN (Open Partnership Education Network). Jim is an active thinker, investor, and philanthropist.

Jim spent well over four decades in the financial services industry including the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia; Citibank where he spent many years in international banking and country management,…

Jim spent well over four decades in the financial services industry including the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia; Citibank where he spent many years in international banking and country management, as well as private banking; Alex. Brown & Sons in wealth management; and finally at the Private Wealth Management Group of Morgan Stanley working with high net worth individuals, family offices and non-profit organizations.

Former Pfizer executive and Deloitte Strategy & Operations Life Sciences consultant with over 25 years of experience focused on helping biopharmaceutical companies become more innovative, competitive, and productive. M.S. in…

Former Pfizer executive and Deloitte Strategy & Operations Life Sciences consultant with over 25 years of experience focused on helping biopharmaceutical companies become more innovative, competitive, and productive. M.S. in Management, North Carolina State University and a B.A. in International Studies from The Ohio State University.

Pedro Sostre is an entrepreneur, author, and angel investor. He is currently the CEO of Builderall, a SaaS marketing platform that has supported over 2 million businesses. Sostre founded the…

Pedro Sostre is an entrepreneur, author, and angel investor. He is currently the CEO of Builderall, a SaaS marketing platform that has supported over 2 million businesses. Sostre founded the marketing agency WebLift, the apparel brand Black Helmet (sold in 2016), and Navigate Accelerator, a recipient of the first Google Latino Founders Fund. Over the past decade, he has advised over 300 early-stage startups on growth, fundraising, and operations and helped them drive millions in revenue.

After several successful equity events, Steve now works with CEOs and Founders to position their companies for investment or sale, while also working with private equity groups, venture capital investors…

After several successful equity events, Steve now works with CEOs and Founders to position their companies for investment or sale, while also working with private equity groups, venture capital investors and family offices looking for the right investment.

A former executive currently focusing on VC, PE, and real estate investing following a successful exit of a healthcare services company Yuriy led.

A former executive currently focusing on VC, PE, and real estate investing following a successful exit of a healthcare services company Yuriy led.

As Director of the Founder Institute’s Florida Chapter, James managed an accelerator program for aspiring founders to help guide them through the process of launching their business. He created local…

As Director of the Founder Institute’s Florida Chapter, James managed an accelerator program for aspiring founders to help guide them through the process of launching their business. He created local partnerships with top programs, media, executives, investors, founders and work spaces to help build the startup ecosystem. Additionally, James has served as a Pitch Coach for NewChip Accelerator and founded Pitch Night New York and Miami, where he organized monthly pitch competitions for early stage startups bringing together the community for a night of entertainment, opportunity and collaboration.   James is also a Partner in 305 Works in Miami, a full-service agency for startups, small businesses, and entrepreneurs.
 
Prior to his involvement in the startup world, James spent a number of years with JPMorgan Chase and Merrill Lynch.

David’s most recent corporate role was Executive Vice President, Chief Legal & Administrative Officer and Corporate Secretary for The ODP Corporation, parent company of Office Depot, Office Max and others. …

David’s most recent corporate role was Executive Vice President, Chief Legal & Administrative Officer and Corporate Secretary for The ODP Corporation, parent company of Office Depot, Office Max and others.  Previously, David served as Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer for ADT as well as Vice President and General Counsel for Tyco Security Solutions. His volunteer initiatives included serving as a director and the chair of the finance committee for the Education Foundation of Palm Beach County. David’s corporate expertise adds another level to the Seedfunders body of knowledge as we apply real-world business skills to the startup ecosystem in Florida