Jeff works with companies and management teams that share a passion for growth and value creation. He helps new ventures develop differentiated products and services, accelerate digital workflows, and implement new operating models to disrupt markets and industries. Before Co-Founding Big Tree, Jeff was Managing Partner of Grant Thornton's National Healthcare, Life Sciences business. Prior to that was Vice President & Partner of IBM Healthcare Transformation & Strategy business.  He also held executive roles at PwC and Johnson & Johnson and was an Entrepreneur and Founder of a SaaS cloud platform that exited through M&A.

Education: B.S. Industrial Engineering, Northeastern University; M.B.A., D'Amore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern University; Strategy & Transformation Certificate, Harvard Business School; Advanced Leadership Program Certificate, Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management

Dr. Brar founded Jaan Biotherapeutics in 2015, following 7 years at Zensun USA, where she held various positions including the Vice President of Clinical Research, managing a United States Phase 2 clinical trial for a first in class therapeutic for the treatment of heart failure. Dr. Brar completed her undergraduate degree in Biochemistry from Swansea University in Wales and a Ph.D. in Physiology/Endocrinology from the University of Reading U.K. Dr. Brar has served as a consultant for many years helping companies to develop therapeutics through clinical testing before founding Jaan Biotherapeutics. Dr. Brar is an inventor/co-inventor of numerous patents targeting MicroRNAs to treat heart disease.

Kaps is a seasoned marketing leader and growth architect with over 17 years of experience building and scaling challenger brands across global giants like Unilever and Danone.He brings deep consulting expertise, having partnered with startups to unlock growth through sharp business and brand strategy. An active angel investor and board advisor, Kaps supports startups across diverse categories and geographies, helping them scale with clarity and conviction.‍

Chris is a 3 X Entreprenuer, with 2 exits and one running. Over the past 27 years, Chris has been engaged in technology based startups, technology accelerators (investor), mentoring entrepreneurs and non profit initiatives / programs such as land mine clearing and children’s nutrition. In the past 6 years, Chris has transitioned to learning nutritional bio chemistry, functional and lifestyle medicine, evolutionary and cellular biology leading to a startup (stealth), author of a book (to be published in 2026) and commenced outlining the framework to produce a documentary film on health and wellness. It is based on many constructs that enhances fellow human beings not only to thrive but live to be healthy centenarians. He is driven by the realization that the most important calling of our lifetime is the health of people on a global scale.

Smriti Sinha (Sims) is an AI-first investor, entrepreneur, and product innovation leader with 20+ years of experience scaling businesses at the intersection of health and wealth. As CEO of Natural Healing House, she drove 40% revenue growth through AI-enabled digital transformation in the regulated wellness sector. Previously, she launched multi-million-dollar products and strategic partnerships at Prudential Financial and American Express, blending financial services, healthtech, and consumer engagement. An active angel investor and advisor, Sims supports early-stage founders in AI, wellness, and financial services, partnering with VCs and innovation hubs to bridge innovation to market adoption and deliver measurable impact at scale.

Richard, trained as a PhD scientist in cancer research, has over 30 years of experience in biotech drug development and biotech startups. He founded Explora BioLabs, a laboratory-as-a-service company, after working as a research scientist for several biotech companies in San Diego. After bootstrapping its startup, Richard served as its CEO and grew the company organically to seven facilities in San Diego and the Bay Area and eventually led a successful exit and sold the company to a private equity search fund. Richard currently serves as an analyst at Aquillius Ventures. He is also an angel investor and an advisor/mentor in more than a dozen early-stage companies.