Annie Belanger
FOUNDER | WAC
Annie has lived many lives, from her tenure in the hedge fund world as a Female Founder and angel investor, to her most important role, the mother of 3 children.
She previously worked in finance at Conquest Capital, a CTA hedge fund, and at the Park Hill Group, a division of Blackstone where she was overseeing the marketing of third-party managers in the alternative space. During her time at those firms, Annie realized many women lack the knowledge and familiarity to understand various financial maneuvers.
Since then, Annie has adopted this simple philosophy: women should be pilots, not passengers, in their financial decisions. In that spirit, she founded the Women Abundance Collective to empower women to become better investors through education.
Jade Chatham
FOUNDING PARTNER CSALT | INVESTOR
FOUNDING ADVISOR, PARTNER, MEMBER | WAC
Jade Chatham's work at CSALT focuses on building a more inclusive economy and supporting world positive solutions. She offers advising to investors also doing this work through allocating capital within their own values aligned investment strategy. Jade is not an RIA and does not give direct investment advice. Her advisory services are focused on supporting the individual or organization in refining their investment thesis through personal reflection and a better understanding of access paths to investment advisors, organizations, fund managers, education and communities that support them on their investment journey. Jade also advises to a limited number of early-stage, purpose-driven companies with diverse founding teams. Jade co-founded and managed Chatham Law Group, a boutique entertainment firm, with her husband Chris Chatham prior to its exit to Manatt. During this time they facilitated high profile influencer, movie and television talent invest in early stage companies and co-found businesses. Prior to this Jade worked in feature film editing for over a decade, creating and managing digital workflow for directors including George Clooney, Alejandro González Iñárritu and Stephen Soderbergh. She has additionally designed and executed several residential and commercial real estate projects. She serves on the boards of Inspired Education and Canyon Elementary School. Born and raised on the Big Island of Hawaii she lives in Los Angeles with her husband and three children. She holds a B.A. from Princeton University.
Neha Kumar
PARTNER | WAC
Neha is currently the Co-founder and COO at Full Glass Wine, a DtC wine company. Neha was previously Co-Founder of New Money Ventures where she was Managing Director of its venture fund. Before, Neha was COO/CFO at Create & Cultivate, where she led a successful exit. She currently is a partner of Women’s Abundance Club, an investor series for women, along with serving as a startup board member and teaching at the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
Supriya Barta
PARTNER | BEL AIR INVESTMENT ADVISORS
Supriya joined Bel Air Investment Advisors LLC in 2015. She delivers the firm’s wealth management capabilities and resources to high-net-worth individuals and families. With over 20 years of experience in wealth management, Supriya previously worked at J.P. Morgan, Sterling Stamos and Goldman Sachs.
Supriya grew up in Santa Monica. She went to Harvard-Westlake School, received a Bachelor of Science from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley (with Honors), and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business with a Certificate from the Public Management Program. She holds FINRA Series 7,9,10, and 63 licenses.
Ashley Bleckner
PRIVATE WEALTH INVESTOR | ELLEVEST
Ashley is based in Southern California. A CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) professional, she’s been in the financial services industry for over a decade since obtaining her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics. “Women are unique in so many ways that aren’t accounted for in traditional financial planning or investment management,” she says. “So it’s time. It’s been time. And Ellevest is at the frontline of that pivotal switch.” She spends her time actively involved in the community serving as the chair of SheVest for UCI’s Center for Investment and Wealth Management, which focuses on financial literacy for underrepresented groups. Ashley also is the chair of the TLD committee for her local Alzheimer’s Association chapter.
Julia Boorstin
SENIOR MEDIA & TECH CORRESPONDENT | CNBC
Julia Boorstin is CNBC’s Senior Media & Tech Correspondent based at the network’s Los Angeles Bureau. She covers media with a special focus on the intersection of media and technology. Boorstin also plays a key role in CNBC’s bi-coastal tech-focused program “TechCheck” (M-F, 11 AM-12 PM ET/8 AM-9 AM PT), delivering reporting, analysis, and interviews around streaming, social, and the convergence of media and technology. She joined CNBC in May 2006 as a general assignment reporter and in 2007, moved to Los Angeles to cover media.
In 2013, Boorstin created and launched the CNBC Disruptor 50, an annual list she oversees, highlighting the private companies transforming the economy and challenging companies in established industries. Additionally, she reported a documentary on the future of television for the network, “Stay Tuned…The Future of TV.” She also helped launch CNBC’s ‘Closing the Gap’ initiative covering the people and companies closing gender gaps, and leads CNBC’s coverage of studies on this topic. She is currently writing a book called, “WHEN WOMEN LEAD: What they achieve, Why they succeed, and How we can learn from them,” about female founders that Simon & Schuster’s Avid Reader imprint is publishing in October 2022.
Boorstin joined CNBC from Fortune magazine where she was a business writer and reporter since 2000. During that time, she was also a contributor to “Street Life,” a live market wrap-up segment on CNN Headline News.
In 2003, 2004 and 2006, The Journalist and Financial Reporting newsletter named Boorstin to the “TJFR 30 under 30” list of the most promising business journalists under 30 years old. She has also worked for the State Department’s delegation to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and for Vice President Gore’s domestic policy office.
She graduated with honors from Princeton University with a B.A. in history. She was also an editor of The Daily Princetonian.
Carol Cheng-Mayer
INVESTOR
Carol has spent over 25 years in finance, including Bel Air Investment Advisors in Los Angeles and several banks in New York and Hong Kong.
She currently focuses on investing in women-founded companies while also serving on the advisory board for Women’s Entrepreneurship Day’s Los Angeles chapter. Her investment time is energetically committed to helping other women advance their financial paths.
Carol was a founding board member for the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation and was on the Board of Los Angeles Advisors for The Asia Society. In her capacity as a mother, she has spent much time shepherding a group of young men through the work of Plastic Oceans to teach the skills of public awareness and fundraising. In 2016, Carol was recognized for her work in the community by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), as she was a recipient of the Deborah Award. She Is currently on the Advisory Board for the Climate Emergency Fund.
Carol has a B.A. from Columbia University and an M.B.A. in Finance from New York University-Stern School of Business.
Jesse Draper
FOUNDER | HALOGEN VENTURES
The founding partner of Halogen Ventures focused on early-stage investing in consumer technology companies led by female and co-ed teams. Draper is a 4th generation venture capitalist and the creator and host of Emmy-nominated television series, The Valley Girl Show. She is a fierce advocate for investing in women and the opportunity to use technology and innovation to solve some of the biggest issues facing women and families today.
Holly Framstead
GLOBAL PRODUCT STRATEGY | CAPITAL GROUP
Holly Framsted is a seasoned investment professional who has dedicated her career to modernizing the way individuals and financial advisors access investment solutions, primarily through the Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) vehicle. She spent 15 years at BlackRock managing index equity iShares ETFs, and later designing, launching and commercializing new ETFs. She joined Capital Group in 2021 to lead their entrance into the active ETF market. She now oversees Global Product Strategy and Development at the firm. Holly holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles, and is a CFA Charterholder. She is based in Los Angeles, where she resides with her husband and 2 young daughters.
Tom Henske
INVESTOR, AUTHOR | “IT MAKES TOTAL CENTS”
Tom Henske has been a leader in the financial industry for nearly three decades.
Tom started his career in financial planning in 1994, withCowan Financial Group. Shortly thereafter, he started his own company, HenskeAdvisors. In 2003, they were acquired by National Financial Partners (merging them into Lenox Advisors) which went public shortly thereafter. Tom remained an equity partner until 2020 when he retired to focus solely on matters of life insurance and building Total Cents. Professional designations: CFP®, ChFC, CLU, CTS, CFS, CLTC, CES
Michel Narganes
PARTNER | MANATT
Michel Narganes is a partner in Manatt’s San Francisco office. She has guided venture-backed startups and other, established clients—including various technology companies, media and gaming ventures, financial institutions, health care companies and others—through licensing, technology and commercial transactions, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), financing matters, and developer and publisher agreements for more than 15 years. Michel also works with disruptors in the growing cryptocurrency space with respect to blockchain-based technologies and transactions in the Web3 ecosystem. She was an early mover in this area, representing the platform that facilitated the highly publicized sale of an American digital artist’s nonfungible token (NFT) artwork in the first digital auction held by one of the largest global auction houses. She is sought after for her business-minded counsel on the convergence of cryptocurrency with other emerging industries, including the rise of tokenization in gaming and transactions in the nascent metaverse. Before joining Manatt, Michel served as in-house counsel at a large technology company, where she played a key role in the growth of global strategic partnerships, M&A and corporate compliance operations. Michel is also an entrepreneur, having founded her own legal services firm, providing her firsthand experience tackling the gamut of challenges emerging companies face throughout their life cycles.
Kate Nevin
PRESIDENT | TSWII CAPITAL ADVISORS
Kate is President of TSWII Capital Advisors and Portfolio Manager for both TSWII and TSWS focused on investments in hedge funds, venture capital and other alternative strategies. Her career has spanned more than two decades, beginning as an analyst in New York City in the early 2000’s with Lehman Brothers. After marrying and relocating to Charleston, SC, Kate joined TSW where she has been actively managing portfolios for over twenty years.
She is a member of 100 Women in Finance and PEWIN. Kate currently serves on the LP Advisory Committee for Hannah Grey Ventures, is a member of the Nexus Impact Society, a founding member of Asteri Collective, and is currently serving on the Editorial Committee of the Academy of Institutional Investors. She is Founder + Board Chair Emeritus of Enough Pie, a non-profit in Charleston, SC.
Kate has received the CAIA (Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst) designation. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1999 and completed The Executive Program of the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business in June 2004. Kate was a 2014 Diversity Leadership Fellow at the Riley Institute of Furman University.
Kate often speaks and moderates at conferences, has presented at TEDx and participates on committees advocating gender equality and conservation. She lives on a sea island outside of Charleston, SC with her husband and three children.
Kimmy Scotti
FOUNDING & MANAGING PARTNER | NEON
Kimmy Scotti is the Founding and Managing Partner of Neon, an early stage venture capital firm investing in best-in-class entrepreneurs innovating at the intersection of healthcare and consumer to envision a better future and change the world.
Kimmy’s first entrepreneurial venture was at 15, when she landed her personal jewelry line at Bloomingdale's. After graduating from the Fashion Institute of Technology, she worked as the Executive Director of Business Development & Operations at a New York Family Office, where she incubated and invested in many businesses, including ScriptRelief (exited 2015) a multi billion-dollar healthcare platform that helped over 10 million individuals access affordable prescriptions.
As a founding partner at 8VC, a technology and life sciences investment firm with over $7B in AUM, Kimmy invested in category-defining companies, including Blink Health, Maven, Oula, Hill House Home and Seed. Alongside a board-certified Harvard dermatologist, Kimmy co-founded science-backed, sustainably-driven skincare line Fig.1 in 2021.
She lives in New York City with her husband and twin boys.
Avani Patel
CO-FOUNDING & MANAGING PARTNER | EMBER FUND
Avani is a Managing Partner, overseeing the activities of advisory and the Ember Fund. She has years of experience in the startup world in various capacities including as a founder, advisor, mentor and investor. She recently served as Head of the Harvard Business School Startup Studio. In her work with Ember, Harvard Business School and other organizations, Avani has advised over five hundred entrepreneurs. Prior to Ember Co., Avani had a career as a corporate attorney with Arent Fox LLP and Brown Rudnick where she worked on multi-billion dollar mergers. She also founded a men's and women's contemporary clothing label when she was in law school. She holds an MBA from Columbia University, a JD from The Northwestern University School of Law and a BA from Loyola University. Avani volunteers as Co-Leader, Entrepreneurs-In-Training, Barnard College & Girls Scouts.
Carmen Palafox
FOUNDING PARTNER | 2045 CAPITAL
Carmen Palafox is a seasoned venture capitalist with over two decades of experience in finance and a proven track record of investing across diverse industries, including climate tech, fintech, health tech, and consumer. As the Founding Partner at 2045 Ventures, she spearheads investments in early stage technology startups, fostering inclusive and equitable opportunities within the venture capital landscape.
Prior to venture capital, Carmen held the position of Vice President at Dimensional Fund Advisors. Her expertise extends beyond the financial sector, as she currently serves as an Adjunct Professor at USC Marshall, teaching venture capital to aspiring entrepreneurs and investment professionals.
Carmen holds an MBA from Berkeley-Haas, an MA in sports management from USF, and a BA in economics from USC.
Dulari Amin
FOUNDING PARTNER | SYNERGY VENTURES
Dulari is an Executive, Entrepreneur, Investor. She co-Founded Phenomenon, grew it to $100M+ revenue. She is the founder of Mothership, a Venture Studio that invests in and helps scale high-growth companie in healthcare and CPG. She is the Vice-Chair of Board at Woodbury University, and has been a Judge for EY “Entrepreneur of the Year” for Los Angeles. She has been recognized by Ad Age, Inc. 500, LA Business Journal, The House of Representative.
Alicia Hanf
CEO & MANAGING PARTNER | DEAR MAMA VENTURES
Alicia Hanf, is the founder and Managing Director of Dear Mama Ventures and a partner of Quantus Group, Family Office. Alicia is a Military Veteran, entrepreneur and investor with over 7 year’s experience helping Fortune 500 companies, celebrities and athletes invest in breakthrough founders and ideas. Alicia is on a mission to empower underrepresented founders, and has demonstrated this through collaborating with organizations like LG, launching the Bunker Labs' LA chapter and designing curriculum used by founder programs across the globe.