Will Drewery is a manufacturing and supply chain leader with 15+ years of experience building game changing products at world-class companies. Will has broad industry expertise spanning across automotive, aerospace, construction, and industrial robotics industries. He has built and led high performing supply chain functions in complex business environments. Will recently founded Diagon, a first-of-its-kind marketplace for manufacturing equipment. Diagon's mission is to equip manufacturers to build the factories of the future. Diagon specializes in battery manufacturing equipment to build battery cells that support electrified products like EVs, consumer electronics, and energy storage solutions (ESS) that underpins the AI data center industry. Diagon has successfully raised over $5m in VC funding and hosts equipment valued at over $120m. Will also serves as an independent board director of Mitra Chem, a venture-backed battery technology company, accelerating the lab-to-production cycle for lithium-ion batteries. He contributes his supply chain expertise to inform capital expenditure (CAPEX) and manufacturing strategy. Will's experience as an early founding team member at various venture-backed startups enables him to provide a unique perspective to the executive team and board of directors. Mitra Chem has successfully raised over $100m from institutional investors, and was recently awarded a $100m grant from the US Department of Energy. Will most recently served as the VP of Supply Chain at Astra, a rocket launch company that provides customers with flexible and uniquely tailored space delivery services. He led a broad scope of business functions including procurement, logistics, inventory management, and production planning. Prior to his current role, Will led Tesla’s machinery & equipment procurement team, where he managed $3B+ expansion programs for Tesla’s global manufacturing operations (including factories in Reno NV, Buffalo NY, Minneapolis MN, and various other locations). Will subsequently held senior executive roles at Bright Machines (venture-backed robotic manufacturing startup) and Social Construct (venture-backed construction tech startup). Will began his career as a consultant for PwC, where he managed projects for US Government clients, including NASA and the US Dept of Defense. Will led a project team that was deployed to Baghdad, Iraq, where he led a manufacturing redevelopment and investment efforts with local factories to re-start and maintain operations.

AJ Fortier is a Vice President at Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), specializing in Healthcare Technology and Medical Devices within the Startup Banking group. With a strong foundation in finance and technology, he has built a career supporting early-stage companies from inception to their Series A.

Graduating Summa Cum Laude from Arizona State University with a perfect 4.0 GPA, he began his career at SVB as an Associate, working closely with Enterprise Software clients. Rapidly advancing, he took on leadership of the Consumer Technology portfolio in Southern California as a Senior Associate, before earning a promotion to his current role.

Steven Imes IV is an active angel investor focused on Pre-Seed/Seed startups across sectors. Most recently, he was an investor leading portfolio and fundraising strategies at BAG Ventures. He was also an investor designing systems and processes at Sage Collective, which partnered with the Estée Lauder family office to invest in early-stage fund-of-funds, funds, and companies. He has advised emerging managers on fundraising, portfolio construction, and building their tech stack, and he engages with founders to provide product feedback, customer intros, and GTM advice. Prior to being a full-time investor, Steven gained operational experience as a Data Analytics Specialist at Cisco Systems. He credits many of the opportunities in his career to early-career training programs that have invested in him, like Black Venture Capital Consortium (BVCC) and BLCK VC, and the entrepreneurial spirit at his alma mater - Howard University. 

Silicon Valley Business Journal Top 100 Woman of Influence 2024 | Founder & Chief Executive Officer at Kiwi Vision LLC | Vice President II, Startup Banking at Silicon Valley Bank - Executive business leader and strategic advisor known as an authority across operational segments and recognized for ability to manage business-impacting projects, improve systems, deliver solutions, and implement team training initiatives. Leverages in-depth understanding of business processes and excellent communication skills to cultivate productive relationships with partners and stakeholders, a positive collaborative culture, and shared value.

Dontae Rayford is a technology executive based in Southern California, driven by a mission to scale innovative technologies that create positive impact for underrepresented communities. In his multifaceted career, Rayford serves as Head of Platform for Black Operator Ventures, a Bay Area-based seed fund founded by Black tech entrepreneurs dedicated to investing in Black-owned businesses. He holds BA and MA degrees from Stanford and got his MBA from New York University's Stern School of Business. His professional experiences have spanned work in California's State Assembly, two stints at Google, Yahoo/Verizon Media and numerous early stage companies.

Chelcie Taylor is an Investor at Notable Capital, focused on application software, including AI, enterprise, and vertical SaaS. Prior to joining Notable, she held strategic and operating roles at Google, CBS, and MediaLink. Chelcie co-created the annual SMBTech 50, a list showcasing the most promising private companies building for SMBs. In addition to her work at the firm, Chelcie contributes to organizations supporting underrepresented investors, including AllRaise and BLCK VC. In 2024, Chelcie was selected as one of five recipients of the National Venture Capital Association's Rising Star Award.

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Chelcie holds a B.A. in Political Science from Princeton University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Her portfolio includes Arteria AI, Electric, Heard, Mindee, Pinwheel, Realm, Slice, Stream, and Vic.ai.

As a Partner at Lobby Capital, Collin brings 20+ years of experience as an engineer, operator, and investor. He is an alum of both Techstars and YCombinator and a former Managing Director for Techstars. He founded FanGo (Techstars S10, acquired by GrubHub) and ZeroStorefront (YCombinator W19, acquired by Thanx). He currently sits on boards for Stack AI, The Gilman School, MassChallenge and Frank Pepe’s Pizzeria Napoletana. In addition, he teaches the popular “Startup Garage” class at Stanford GSB and has invested in 80+ early-stage companies. Collin holds an engineering degree from Georgia Tech and an MBA from Stanford.

Shawna Young is a social impact entrepreneur, educator, and speaker who has dedicated her career to empowering individuals and driving social change. Currently she is the Interim CEO of Prior Ada Developers Academy, a nonprofit that has trained over 1,000 women and gender expansive people of color as software developers, since 2013. Prior to Ada, Shawna served as the executive director of the Scratch Foundation, Duke Talent Identification Program (Duke TIP), and MIT Introduction to Engineering and Science. She began her career as a science educator in North Carolina and also managed diversity programs at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. With a background in creating accessible educational opportunities for underrepresented communities, Shawna is an influential voice in education, equity, and social justice. As a visionary leader, Shawna has spent nearly 25 years nurturing talent and shaping the futures of thousands of aspiring changemakers. She received her BS in Chemistry from Howard University, MAT in Science Education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, MBA from MIT, and Certificate in Nonprofit Management and Leadership from Boston University.