Speakers

My background has been non-linear & dense in observation and hands-on experience. I spent the 10 years post college unknowingly being immersed into different areas of entrepreneurship. First was PR, this is where I learned how to strategically communicate and connect with an audience. Then I moved into Operations, where I learned to orchestrate multiple moving parts at one time. Here is where I observed the gravity of infrastructure and attention. During this time I had a front row seat to a company flooded with potential and network but severely lacked leadership and strategy. Although the downfall of this company was difficult to watch, the observation was a lesson that is hard to forget.

Finally, I pivoted to alternative health. This is where I saw a problem I couldn't ignore. I studied areas of holistic health and tried to apply them as the solution but it never quite fit. But then I started resourcing for people and helping them feel empowered in their decisions and that's when I became the model of the technology we have now built.

My path has taught me that I learn fast and absorb lessons in every pivot. 

Pete DeComo retired as a successful Life Sciences entrepreneur in July of 2022. Just prior to his retirement he served as Chairman and CEO of ALung Technologies, Inc. from 2010 to 2022. ALung developed a revolutionary artificial lung for patients suffering from Acute Respiratory Failure and was acquired by LivaNova in May of 2022. He raised in excess of $120MM to complete development of ALung's technology and usher it through the FDA approval process. Prior to ALung he founded and served as Chairman and CEO of Renal Solutions, Inc. (RSI). RSI developed a revolutionary dialysis technology system for patients suffering from kidney failure. Over the course of five years, he raised $40MM in venture capital and in late 2007 RSI was acquired by Fresenius Medical Care Holdings for a total consideration of $200MM. Mr. DeComo is the past Chairman and is a current Director on the Board of the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse. He is the past Chairman of the Community College of Allegheny County Educational Foundation Board and has served on the Boards of numerous early stage medical device companies. He is the recipient of the Ernst & Young and Pittsburgh Venture Capital Association "Entrepreneur of the Year Awards" in 2008. In addition, he is a Vietnam Veteran, a Bachelor's and Master's degree graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, a CCAC graduate in Respiratory Therapy and a past clinical faculty member of the Pitt School of Medicine in Critical Care.

Ed is Managing Partner at 3 Points Rising where he focuses on early-stage investments in technology companies. Ed has over 25 years of experience leading and investing in fast growing companies in the Pittsburgh region and beyond. Ed was the founder of Summa Technologies where he led the company to win Pittsburgh's Fastest Growing company, numerous Best Places to Work awards and awards from IBM, SalesForce and Sheetz for innovative solutions and was on the Inc. 5000 for several years. Summa was sold to CGI in 2017. Ed was also Managing Partner for Pittsburgh Equity Partners which invested and exited ShowClix, Industry Weapon, Voci, Wombat and others providing double digit returns for investors. Ed currently focuses on collaborating with portfolio management teams to build fast-growing, sustainable businesses that create value for customers and shareholders. Ed has a B.S. in Computer Science and a Certificate in Entrepreneurial Management from Carnegie Mellon University.

Zach Malone is a Partner at Magarac Ventures, a venture capital firm based in Pittsburgh, PA ( formerly known as Draper Triangle Ventures). He currently serves as a Board Member on behalf of the firm at DayOwl, Locomation and Ikos. Prior to joining the firm he worked as an analyst at UPMC Enterprises and Gateway Financial. He currently serves on the board of the Pittsburgh Venture Capital Association ELB, The Mattress Factory Board of Directors, The City of Pittsburgh's Startup Advisory Board, and The Capital Foundry. Zach received his BS in Finance from Virginia Tech

Joe facilitates the growth of a company by developing and implementing high-impact sales and marketing strategies that deliver a return on investment. His accumulation of twenty plus years of business experience provides valuable insight in how marketing interacts with all departments and levels within a company. This enables him to identify and utilize all the resources that are available within a company to improve brand recognition.

For over 10 years, Joe has been driving organic growth within the accounting industry for both regional and national firms. He is an active member within the business community and enjoys expanding his personal network. He is proud to serve as the Secretary for the Pittsburgh Venture Capital Association (PVCA) and is highly involved with the 3 Rivers Venture Fair and the Great Lakes Capital Connection. He was the Founding Chairman of the PVCA's Emerging Leadership Board (ELB), the ACG Pittsburgh's Future Corporate Leaders (FCL), and the TMA Pittsburgh's NextGen Board.

PROFESSIONAL & COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

Secretary - Pittsburgh Venture Capital Association

Executive Committee - Great Lakes Capital Connection

Member - Association for Corporate Growth (ACG)

Co-chair of the Marketing Committee - 3 Rivers Venture Fair

Member of the Marketing Committee - Invent Penn State Venture & IP Conference

Member - Vistage® Worldwide (Trusted Advisors Group)

Member - Association for Accounting Marketing

Member - Professional Services Marketing Association

Aaron brings over 15 years of experience in innovation, finance, and operations and currently runs the AlphaLab accelerator program. He has operations experience working at Fortune 500 companies as well as early-stage venture capital experience at Meakem Becker Venture Capital. Aaron was a leader on the deal sourcing team at MBVC and built a national deal flow pipeline which led to a number of successful exits including Schoology (acquired by PowerSchool), Kiva Systems (Amazon), and Shipwire (Ingram Micro). Aaron has an MBA from Carnegie Mellon's Tepper School of Business.

Liz Todia is a Principal at Mutual Capital Partners, a Cleveland-based venture capital fund that invests in healthcare IT and medical device companies. Liz manages all deal flow and due diligence for the fund, as well as supporting portfolio companies and overseeing LP relations. She has been on the team since graduating from the University of Dayton in 2017 where she received a B.S. in Entrepreneurship and Finance with honors. Prior to joining Mutual Capital Partners and while at Dayton, she spent two years managing the Flyer Angels Fund, a $1 million seed investment fund investing in early stage, Ohio-based technology companies. Liz currently serves as Executive Co-Chair of the nonprofit VentureNext, the premier peer group of rising venture capital investors that work with, manage, and run venture capital investment funds. Under Liz's leadership the group has grown to over 200 funds across the country with a collective $59B AUM, and has been responsible for over $800M of syndication in investments across the Midwest.

After more than a decade of helping organizations strengthen their SDLC through QA, Ben Wilson founded Rivers Agile in 2008. The mission was simple - to build an innovative, elite QA consultancy that helps organizations mature their QA approach to a proactive keystone in their application life cycle . Presently, a significant portion of the company's portfolio is repeat business as clients trust Ben's expertise for their technology endeavors. He's grown his company into a recognizable force in Pittsburgh - providing a full range of solutions from product design, to QA testing and training, to software development. Ben's still as passionate as day one and feels lucky to work alongside a talented team of developers, testers, strategists, and innovators.

Ben is not only the CEO of Rivers Agile, he's the founder. An important distinction to remember as the company's success is directly attributed to his triumphs as an entrepreneur. He built an "engineering first" culture and developed a business model focused on problem-solving. After more than ten years, Ben still exhibits the same passion and talent as day one in crafting meaningful software solutions for Pittsburgh's tech community. With the PVCA, Ben takes pride in mentoring and coaching aspiring creators because when he started his own business he valued the meaningful and relevant advice from colleagues. Support in any form can lead you down the path to success - or at least avoid some pitfalls. That's the experience he hopes to share with others.

Sometimes we lose sight of that enterprising spirit since the role of CEO gets watered down with the humdrum of running a company, but Ben is always thrilled to network with some inspired innovators because he understands the challenging process of commercializing research discoveries into impactful, valuable products. This is a point of pride for Ben as someone who was raised in Pittsburgh and remains an active member of the tech community. He had a great opportunity to grow and lead early in his career at Print Cafe (now EFI) and worked with some very bright engineers who are now in positions driving innovation throughout the region. Ben is dedicated to providing opportunities for engineers as well as high-quality development services to Pittsburgh organizations because he knows the work Rivers Agile is doing contributes, in some small way, to the rapidly growing local tech community.

Ben's determination at all costs - determined to see his business grow and succeed, determined to help those in his charge realize their potential - is his mark as a leader. This empowerment is the most underrated quality of his approach. He holds himself to the same standard he holds others - thrive in the responsibilities of your role, develop as a professional and a person, and find purpose in creatively solving difficult problems.