Organizers

Gaëtan is currently a second year MBA student at MIT Sloan. He is a pilot member of the MIT Sloan Entrepreneurship and Innovation (E&I) Program. Prior to Sloan, Gaëtan worked as a Senior Research Engineer at Saint-Gobain, a Global fortune 200 company. He was developing next generation nanomaterials, polymers and ceramics. Gaëtan is also interested in semantic web, human-machine interfaces, architecture 2.0 workplace designs and new transportation systems. Originally from Paris, France, he received his Engineering Degree in Physics and Materials Science from INSA Lyon and his Ph.D. in Materials Science (Quasicrystals) from ENS Mines Nancy.

Manny is a fourth-year biomedical engineering PhD candidate in the Division of Health Sciences and Technology at MIT. Under the guidance of Institute Professor Robert Langer, he researches novel approaches for the delivery of antimicrobials and local anesthetics to the peripheral nervous and auditory systems. He is also Co-President of the MIT Entrepreneurs Club. In 2004, Manny completed his undergraduate work at Harvard, where he concentrated in Neuroscience and Music.

Ryan is a first year MBA student at the MIT Sloan school of Management and is a member of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program. Prior to attending Sloan, Ryan was a software program manager at Microsoft's Automotive Business Division in the automotive telematics space, and helped to define and build the Microsoft Automotive platform from concept to the core technology behind such groundbreaking products as FIAT Blue&Me and Ford Sync. Furthering his interest for automotive and passion for entrepreneurship, Ryan also formed a company in the performance and motorsports automotive parts niche. Ryan's interests at MIT are in enabling mobile device scenarios, particularly through improved human machine interface and improved power storage and management in the areas of battery technology and the general infrastructure in which these devices live. Ryan is a graduate of Cornell University with a degree in Electrical/Computer Engineering.

Jimmy is currently a first year MBA student at the MIT Sloan School of Management. In addition to his commitment to 100K organization committee, Jimmy is also part of MIT Ventureship program, conducting market research and developing business strategy for a tech start-up called Artaic Incorporated. Prior to school, Jimmy worked in a retail banking strategy unit for Bank of America as Market Information Manager.

Bennett Fisher is a first year MBA student at MIT Sloan and a member of the Entrepreneurship & Innovation Program.  Prior to MIT, Bennett worked as an Asset Manager for a Philadelphia based real estate private equity firm where he oversaw the performance of a $150MM portfolio of assets.  Prior to that, he worked as a research associate for an investment management company that focused on advising endowments, pension plans, and high net worth individuals.  Bennett is also passionate about entrepreneurship and has successfully founded two companies to date, a real estate investment company and an internet technology start-up.  Bennett graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 2002 with a degree in economics.

Josh is a first year MBA student at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Josh completed his PhD at Princeton in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, where he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in Engineering. His work focused on autonomous robots and the dynamics and control of nonlinear systems. He later worked as a research scientist and engineer at the Rutgers Coastal Ocean Observation Lab on R & D and field operation of networks of autonomous robots for the US Navy and scientific agencies. Projects included operating an autonomous robot in the Antarctic Ocean for 30 days. At Sloan, Josh is a member of the Entrepreneurship & Innovation Program

Jenny Kwan is a first year MBA student at the MIT Sloan School of Management and a member of the Entrepreneurship & Innovation Program.  Before coming to MIT, Jenny worked in several European countries for a multinational energy company, an international software company as well as serving a year as a national vice president for a youth development NGO and several months as a volunteer for a health care NGO in India.  Jenny is passionate about sustainability, business and development and is looking for entrepreneurship opportunities to combine her skills and interests.  Jenny graduated with a degree in Engineering from the University of Auckland, New Zealand.

Catharina Lavers is a first-year MBA student at MIT Sloan. Prior to business school, she worked as a operational risk consultant and product manager for Algorithmics, Inc. in New York. Catharina graduated from Harvard College cum laude with a degree in American History & Literature.

Corey Lydstone, a first year MBA student at MIT Sloan, has a background in software and project management. Prior to attending Sloan, Corey worked as Senior Implementation Manager for Virtual Premise, a leading provider of web-based real estate portfolio and transaction management software. While at Virtual Premise, Corey was responsible for managing the implementation of Virtual Premise software platforms for retail, landlord, real estate investment trust (REIT), and commercial real estate services clients. Corey’s business interests include technology, mobile media, and energy. Corey graduated with a degree in Industrial Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Tamara Mendelsohn is a first year MBA student at MIT Sloan. Prior to MIT, Tamara was a senior analyst with Forrester Research, an independent technology research and consulting firm. As a leading expert on eCommerce technology, multichannel retail, and trends in consumer behavior, Tamara authored research reports and worked with both retailers and technology vendors to help them shape their strategies. She spoke regularly at industry events and sits on the advisory panel for Kiosk.com and the research advisory board of RIS News, and has been quoted in top newspapers and journals. Tamara graduated from Wellesley College in 2003 with a degree in comparative literature an economics.

Josh Miller is a first year MBA student at MIT Sloan in the Entrepreneurship & Innovation Program.  Prior to MIT, Josh worked as a management consultant at a Boston-based boutique consulting firm focused on the telecom industry.  Josh also has experience working for a sports technology startup targeted at athletic performance evaluation.  Josh graduated from Brown University in 2004 with a dual-concentration in organizational behavior and business economics.

Jon Potter is a first year MBA candidate at the MIT Sloan School of Management, with a background in social entrepreneurship and nonprofit management.  Prior to MIT, Jon served for four years as the founding Executive Director of a youth mentoring non-profit organization called The DREAM Program.  Ultimately responsible for all aspects of DREAM, Jon helped to build an idea into a sustainable and financially viable organization with ten full-time staff members, programs on seven college campuses, and a residential summer camp on 50 acres of land in Northern Vermont.  DREAM won the award for mentoring organization of the year in the state of Vermont in 2003 and 2004.  Jon graduated from Dartmouth College in 2001, with a degree in Economics and Applied Mathematics.

Irina Starikova is a first year MBA student at the MIT Sloan School of Management and a member of the Entrepreneurship & Innovation Program. Prior to Sloan, Irina worked as a Manager in Microsoft’s Intellectual Property & Licensing group, evaluating and acquiring intellectual property rights and breakthrough technologies. Before Microsoft, she was an Associate at Berkeley Capital Partners, one of the first venture capital firms started in Russia. There she contributed to a number of highly successful investments in a variety of industries. Irina is passionate about technology and helping entrepreneurs build and grow their businesses. Irina earned a Masters degree in Economics from Novosibirsk State University, Russia.

Ananda Ghosh is a first year MBA at MIT Sloan.  Prior to MIT, he spent three years at Deloitte Consulting in the Technology Integration practice in San Francisco. At Deloitte he worked on a variety of projects involving large scale custom software implementations. Prior to Deloitte, Ananda worked as part of the founding team for a small software startup in the Model Driven Architecture (MDA) space. Ananda has a BS degree in business administration from the Haas School of Business at University of California, Berkeley.

Justin Jow is a first year MBA at MIT Sloan. Prior to MIT Sloan, he worked at ACI Capital Co., LLC, a private equity firm in New York focusing on middle market transactions in the business services, consumer, industrial, and energy industries. Prior to joining ACI Capital, worked at Brown Gibbons Lang & Company and J.P. Morgan Securities. Mr. Jow received an AB degree in Computer Science from Harvard University.

Vincent Cheng is a first year MBA student at MIT Sloan. Prior to MIT, Vincent worked as an operations manager for an international HR outsourcing and consulting firm where he coordinated all project engagements for the call center, the technology team, and the outsourced India team. The pension plans administered by his team totaled over $500MM in assets. Vincent graduated from the University of Western Ontario with degrees in Computer Engineering and Economics, and is pursuing his CFA.

Uri Mariash is a first year MBA student at MIT Sloan. Prior to MIT, Uri served as an technological officer in the Israeli military intelligence prior. Uri holds a Masters degree in biomedical engineering and a B.Sc degree in electrical and electronics engineering from the Tel Aviv University. His main fields of interest are entrepreneurship in biomedical engineering and electro optics. Uri is also interested in entrepreneurship and innovation in new markets such as Russia, Ukraine..

Gitika was the founding CEO of Skyris Networks, a content distribution technology company, later acquired as a portfolio company of Draper Fisher Jurvetson's Timberline Venture Partners. She has over six years of experience in creating and executing business models for digital media distribution and distributed networking technologies. Gitika has been an advisor and strategic and business development consultant to a number of high-tech start-ups, and has helped them launch and become profitable. She works with the Hub Angels Investment Group in Boston, conducting due diligence and reviewing new technology and business ideas in emerging markets. Gitika has a bachelor's in Computer Science from Harvard University, where she serves as a pre-business tutor for undergraduates. In 2005, Gitika was nominated as a finalist for the "Woman of the Year" award by the business news publication India New England. She has also served on business panels for TiE. Gitika is now a first year MBA student at MIT Sloan School of Management where she is a member of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program, and Director for the Entrepreneur Showcase at 2007 MIT Venture Capital Conference.

J. Frederic “Freddy” Kerrest is a first year MBA student at MIT Sloan and a member of the Entrepreneurship & Innovation Program. Frederic’s background is in software development and high-technology entrepreneurship. He spent his early career developing software for Applied Materials, WebTV Networks and Sun Microsystems before moving to Argentina and Brazil to start and run a high-tech consulting firm focused on Fortune 500 companies operating in Latin America. Most recently, Frederic spent five years in various Business Development roles at Salesforce.com. Frederic graduated from Stanford University in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science.

Brad Rogers is a first year LFM student at MIT pursuing an MBA and a MS in Engineering Systems with a focus on Energy Systems. Prior to MIT, Brad worked as a process engineer at Nuvera Fuel Cells where he designed and tested a prototype hydrogen generation and refueling station for fuel cell vehicles. Before that he served as a volunteer with the Peace Corps teaching science in Guinea, West Africa. Brad is currently involved with the MIT Energy Club and the Sloan Energy & Environment Club. Brad graduated from Auburn University in 2003 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Burt is a first-year MBA student at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Prior to MIT Sloan, Burt worked at Thomson Learning as a project manager focusing on digital media products. His background also includes computer publishing, internet search, and professional music performance. Burt’s formal education is in Mechanical Engineering, with a B.S. from the University at Buffalo and an M.S. from MIT.

Phillip Stephenson is a first year MBA at MIT Sloan, with a background in entrepreneurship in telecommunications as well as consulting in the microfinance/ international development field. Prior to MIT, Phillip worked as a consultant with microfinance organizations to aid them in measuring their social and economic impact on clients and internally track their social performance. Previously, Phillip founded S3 Wireless, an Internet Service Provider using Pre-Wimax technology to deliver broadband Internet in Colombia, South America. Phillip’s main foci and interest at MIT Sloan are the pursuit of a Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation as well as renewable energy with a focus on distributed solar photovoltaics. Phillip graduated from Reed College in 2005 with a BA in economics.

Ian is a first year MBA student at MIT Sloan. Most recently, he worked as a senior analyst at the Corporate Executive Board in Washington, D.C. where he was responsible for developing best-practice research for corporate finance executives. He also designed and implemented new web platforms to deliver research content and leverage existing client networks of senior executives. Ian received his B.A. from Yale University and M.A. in Political Science from UNC-Chapel Hill, completing his master's thesis in Spain where he was as a Fulbright Scholar.

Genevieve Lydstone is a first year MBA student at MIT Sloan, with a background in investment banking. Prior to MIT Sloan, Genevieve worked as an Associate with Brookwood Associates, a boutique investment bank specializing in mergers and acquisitions of hospitality companies. Genevieve began her career as an Analyst in the Investment Banking Division of Credit Suisse First Boston covering the airline industry. Genevieve graduated from Georgia Tech in 2003, with a B.S. degree in Management.

Alexgrew up in Columbus, OH and graduated in 2007 with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the Ohio State University. He co-founded a retail inventory control software company called Substruct Systems (www.substructsystems.com). After two years in product development, Substruct launched it product in late 2005. It had a successful first year and in continuing to grow.

Nita Saetie is a first year MBA candidate, with a background in marketing and website development. Before coming to MIT Sloan, she worked at the Renegade Marketing Group, an integrated idea company, developing interactive marketing solutions for a wide variety of clients such as Panasonic, CAR and DRIVER magazine and Gilda’s Club, a nonprofit. Managing both creative and technical teams, she helped to develop an updated consumer website, a word of mouth network and a social networking site for people living with cancer. Nita is originally from Atlanta, but she has been steadily moving north along the east coast. She pursued her undergraduate degree in DC at Georgetown University and most recently worked in New York City. She is excited to explore Boston.

Nitin Vaish is a first year student at MIT Sloan and is the lead for Marketing school reach-out for MIT 100K EPC. He has a background in Operations and Technology in chemicals and related industries. Prior to MIT Sloan, Nitin was at GE’s Plastics business, where he implemented improvements in operations, oversaw new product development, and led technology development for an Imagination Breakthrough program. His interests at MIT Sloan include General Management, Entrepreneurship, and Corporate Strategy. Nitin is a graduate of IIT Bombay and Northwestern University with B.Tech and MS degrees in Chemical Engineering.

Kevin Fong is a first year MBA student at MIT Sloan and a member of the Entrepreneurship & Innovation Program. Before starting at MIT Sloan, Kevin worked as a Manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers in the Advisory practice. There he focused on delivering IT Security strategies and implementations for Fortune 500 companies across a variety of industries including software, biotech, finance, utilities, and government non-profits. Kevin graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Computer Science and Economics as well as a Master of Engineering degree in Operations Research & Industrial Engineering.

Kevin Sheu is a first year MBA at MIT Sloan and is a member of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation program. Prior to MIT, Kevin worked in the Consulting industry at Booz Allen Hamilton primarily supporting the Department of Defense sector. Kevin graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 2003 with a Bachelors of Science and a Masters of Science in Engineering Degree in Computer Science.

Matt McDonald is a second year MBA at MIT Sloan, with a background in government policy and media relations. Prior to MIT, Matt worked as a political and media consultant to Governor Schwarzenegger’s successful reelection campaign in California and before that, he was at the White House, working on the media aspects of economic policy with then-chair of the Council of Economic Advisors Ben Bernanke. Matt has been involved in a range of activities at MIT Sloan including an independent study on crisis management, and work as a teaching assistant to former GE Chairman Jack Welch. Matt graduated from Dartmouth College in 2000 with a degree in economics.

Paul or Pawin Suthapong is a first year MBA candidate at MIT Sloan School of management. Paul is actively engaging in many entrepreneurial activities. At MIT, he is a member of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation program, an organizer for MIT 100K competition, and an officer of MIT TechLink club. Paul is also a part-time real estate investor and actively involves in real estate clubs around Boston area. Before coming to school, Paul was a Lead Software Development Engineer/Test Microsoft Corporation leading testing efforts for Windows Embedded for Point of Service (WEPOS) and Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs (WinFLP). Paul originally came from Thailand and after spending his first 18 years in Bangkok, he moved to U.S.A. to study at Purdue University in Indiana. Not until Summer of 2001 that he then moved to Seattle and joined Microsoft Corporation before later coming to MIT.