Stephanie Kim is an entrepreneur and investor with a background in building , designing, and scaling companies across CPG, hospitality, and tech. With her first company, she created a global supply chain from scratch, designed products for large-scale distribution, and secured partnerships with major retailers and hospitality groups like Mandarin Oriental, Hyatt, Nordstrom, Anthropologie, and Urban Outfitters. Her work has been recognized in outlets such as WWD, Forbes, and VOGUE. In addition, Stephanie has advised brands and supported founders across consumer goods, hospitality, and tech, helping them expand market reach, raise funding, and build sustainable growth. She completed her BFA in Communication Design & Technology at Parsons School of Design in New York City. Currently pursuing her Executive MBA at UCLA Anderson, with an emphasis on Entrepreneurship, she has placed 1st in multiple national competitions in sustainability, technology, ethics, and business strategy. In her free time, Stephanie enjoys SCUBA diving, painting, and mentoring college students.

Heather Slotnick has over twenty-five years of patent attorney experience working with early-stage companies collaboratively to develop high quality intellectual property (IP) portfolios while reducing legal risks. Heather started her career at Townsend and Townsend (now Kilpatrick Townsend) in the electronics patent prosecution group. Before founding MLO, she worked at Siemens for over 10 years providing IP due diligence for Siemens Venture Capital and onboarding early-stage companies after acquisition.

Jennifer Barnes, CEO and Founder of Optima Office, a national firm with over 100 W2 employees that specializes in outsourced accounting and HR services. Optima has been named a best place to work by the UT, Inc and SDBJ every year for the past 5 years and has made it to the Inc5000 Fastest Growing Companies 3 years in a row. Passionate about mentorship and community involvement, Jennifer serves on the boards of The Better Business Bureau, NuFund Venture Group, Junior Achievement, and Presidio Property Trust (SQFT). She is also a member of Rotary 33, Vistage International, Entrepreneurs’ Organization, and Social Venture Partners.

Crystal Ren is an eCommerce founder and creative strategist who has built multiple consumer brands from zero to seven figures by fusing analytical rigor with storytelling-driven branding. After starting her career in finance and management consulting, she pivoted into entrepreneurship: launching and exiting a successful home décor brand in under two years, followed by scaling a global DTC beauty device brand. With deep expertise in cross-border commerce, brand positioning, and consumer behavior, Crystal now advises on building resilient, culturally relevant brands in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. She is also the founder of Asian Rebel Club, a growing media and lifestyle platform exploring culture, identity, and modern entrepreneurship for high-achieving Asians worldwide.

Dr. Amritha Jaishankar is a life sciences executive with 20+ years of experience across academia, government, nonprofit, and industry. Her work has covered R&D, program and policy development, product and service strategy, and grants/investment management. She has supported 500+ academic and biotech programs, helped launch and scale 30+ companies, and overseen more than $200 million in grants and strategic investments. Her leadership has enabled platforms spanning discovery, clinical development, regulatory strategy, manufacturing, commercialization, workforce development, and ecosystem building. She is deeply committed to advancing early-stage companies and accelerating the development and commercialization of transformative therapies for patients worldwide, and she serves on multiple advisory boards supporting healthcare innovation and entrepreneurship.

Reza Kazemipour is the CEO and Founder of SixthRing, a performance and health optimization company leveraging diagnostics, biometrics, and AI to help individuals and organizations operate at their highest level. With over 30 years of global leadership experience across startups, venture capital, and corporate strategy, Reza brings a unique blend of execution, vision, and operational rigor to the human performance space. His background in the U.S. Navy instilled a lifelong discipline and drive, which he now channels into building scalable platforms that improve physical, cognitive, and emotional resilience, especially in high-stakes environments like healthcare, elite performance, and executive leadership.

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