Meet the Team

Executive Board

Boris is a former attorney who followed his passion for entrepreneurship and technology. He attended Claremont McKenna College in California, majoring in literature and psychology, before moving on to Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York City.

Fun fact: Boris emigrated from Moscow, Russia at the age of 10 and loves to travel and immerse in different cultures!

Ian grew up in Silicon Valley and received his MBA and JD from Santa Clara University specializing in Entrepreneurship and Intellectual Property. He launched his first startup at 19 and is passionate about coding and graphic design.

Fun fact: Ian has been living in five different countries over the past few years and learned different languages, instruments, and sports in each one!

Engineering and App Development

Derek is a self-taught full stack developer from Boston. He has always wanted to work in a startup because he loves the idea of growing with a company.

Fun Fact: In high school, Derek attended an un-aired episode of MTV’s “My Super Sweet 16”!

Daniel grew up in Cuba and enrolled in a full stack development course when he came to the US. Ever since, he has been learning new technologies to improve his skills.

Fun Fact: Daniel is passionate about languages, music and sports. Soccer is his favorite hobby!

Samiksha is an industrial engineering student from Doha currently attending the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She loves the startup work environment and culture.

Fun Fact: Samiksha has an MA in classical dance and has traveled globally with her team!

David is from Pennsylvania and attends the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he studies computer engineering. He is interested in technical development.

Fun Fact: Before college, David worked as a church organist!

Greg is from Los Angeles and currently attends the University of California, Irvine, where he studies Computer Science with a specialization in Software Engineering.

Fun Fact: Greg is a skilled pianist and has been practicing it for over thirteen years!

Bharat is a Full Stack Engineer with an entrepreneurial spirit. He recently received an MS in Computer Science from the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

Fun Fact: Bharat is an avid music lover. He loves to play the guitar in his free time!

Ram is from Norman, Oklahoma and is currently pursuing a Masters in Data Science at the University of Oklahoma. He is interested in anything dealing with data!

Fun Fact: Ram’s hobbies include watching anime, reading manga, and drawing!

Harman is a software developer attending Northeastern University. He credits his passion for startups to his experience with working on projects for several Fortune 500 companies.

Fun Fact: Harman loves backpacking, soccer, and gaming. He also occasionally writes poetry!

Dylan is a software developer from Los Angeles. He currently attends Occidental College, where he is pursuing a Bachelors in Computer Science.

Fun fact: Dylan likes to design 3D printable sculptures!

Finance and Research

Sahil moved to the US from India at age 18. Since then, he has graduated with a BS in Data Science and an MS in Financial Engineering from Claremont Graduate University.

Fun Fact: Sahil can read, write, and speak fluently in three different languages!

Nghi is pursuing an MS in Finance at the University of Texas at Dallas. She is experienced in Account Management and is interested in Biotech and Biopharmaceutical Finance.

Fun Fact: Nghi creates digital art. She’s also a huge fan of Animal Planet documentaries!

Andrew is from Berkeley, California and is entering his senior year at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he studies Financial Mathematics and Statistics.

Fun Fact: Andrew and his fraternity raised over $25,000 for cancer research last year!

Design

Donghee is a visual designer and video editor in San Francisco. He studied advertising at Academy of Art University and is now pursuing an MA in Web Design and New Media.

Fun Fact: Donghee loves reading books and taking pictures to get design inspiration!

Mike studies cognitive and computer science at Rutgers University. He is passionate about user experience and product design and is committed to multidisciplinary education.

Fun Fact: Mike loves learning new languages. He is currently learning Japanese!

Allen is from Louisiana, where he graduated from Louisiana State University with a BA in Computer Science. He loves to build things from scratch.

Fun Fact: Allen is passionate about digital media and entertainment!

Business Development

Giacomo is a doctoral candidate in Economics and International Relations at Claremont Graduate University, where he manages the Inequality and Poverty Research Center.

Fun Fact: Giacomo is fluent in five languages and used to play tennis professionally!

Najifa is an undergraduate student at Emory University. She is an avid reader and writer, and her dream is to work in international consulting or nonprofit management.

Fun Fact: Najifa has taught English to students of all ages from all around the world!

Michael is a second-year student attending Northwestern University. He is interested in entrepreneurship and loves watching football, hockey, and soccer.

Fun Fact: Michael used to have a collection of quarters from all fifty states!

Michael is pursuing his BBA at the University of Michigan. He is the founder and host of a podcast for students to get career advice from successful business executives.

Fun Fact: Michael is part of a pro-bono consulting group for Latin American companies!

Matthew lives in Aurora, Canada and currently attends Ivey Business School, where he recently founded an initiative for students to make virtual communities.

Fun Fact: Matthew created an iOS app when he was 12 years old!

Michelle is a third-year student at Rice University majoring in Managerial Studies and Asian Studies with a minor in Business. She hopes to pursue management consulting.

Fun Fact: Michelle is in her second year of Japanese language study and hopes to study abroad!

Alisa is from Orange County, California. She attends Chapman University, where she is pursuing her MBA. She loves traveling and spending time with friends and family!

Fun fact: Alisa has been playing tennis competitively since she was about 8 years old!

Austin attends the University of Michigan, where he studies Sports Management and Entrepreneurship. He is interested in creating a strong brand image to make a positive relationship between communities and brands.

Fun Fact: Austin has been working on his startup this past summer!

Usability and User Experience

Elise is from Irvine, California and studied Psychology at the University of California Berkeley. She is interested in human behavior and how it relates to problem-solving.

Fun fact, she hiked 112km on the Camino de Santiago solo!

Dhaivat lives in Chicago and is pursuing his Masters in Human-Computer Interaction at DePaul University. He is passionate about design and learning about the startup field.

Fun fact: Dhaivat recently discovered a hidden talent for cooking while in lock-down!

Casey graduated from Binghamton University with a BA in Psychology. She is passionate about improving the human experience by analyzing perception and behavior.

Fun fact: Casey loves watching psychological thriller movies!

Sesoo is a graduate student from Nigeria attending Drexel University, where he is pursuing his MS in Information Systems with a minor in Human Computer Interaction.

Fun Fact: Sesoo recently co-founded a software engineering company!

Ester is a doctoral candidate in Cognitive Psychology at Claremont Graduate University. She is interested in applying cognitive science to create usable products.

Fun fact: Ester is a certified language interpreter of Spanish, English and Italian!

Lilia is a undergraduate student studying Economics at Georgetown University. She is passionate about using behavioral insights to craft intelligent designs.

Fun Fact: Lilia loves to teach and has taught several classes in writing, math, and web design!

Gabby is a third-year student at the University of California, Irvine studying Informatics and Economics with a specialization in Human-Computer Interaction.

Fun Fact: Gabby is passionate about health and used to be a nationally competitive figure skater!

Pamela is an aspiring UX Researcher attending Johns Hopkins University. She is interested in exploring the creative intersection between Psychology and Computer Science.

Fun Fact: Pamela’s research explores cognitive implications of the internet!

Shant is a fourth-year student attending the University of California, Irvine, where he majors in Computer Science and minors in Informatics.

Fun Fact: Shant played basketball for the Armenian National Team!

Ashwini is a senior at the University of California, Irvine, where she majors in Cognitive Sciences and minors in Informatics. She is curious about human behavior and technology in modern society.

Fun Fact: Lately, Ashwini has been experimenting with vegan baking!

Yang currently studies Informatics at the University of California, Irvine, where he concentrates on Human-Computer Interaction. He hopes to become a professional UI/UX Designer.

Fun fact: Yang was part of a software design team for a lab at his university!

Data Analytics

Jamie is an Urban and Environmental Policy and Psychology student attending Occidental College. Her interest in data management and visualization led her to Seedstages.

Fun Fact: Jamie speaks 2.5 languages and is a PADI-Certified Open Water Diver!

Brinly was raised in Los Angeles and currently attends Chapman University, where she majors in Data Analysis. She has a particular interest in machine learning.

Fun Fact: Brinly’s most memorable moment was when she swam with sharks!

Fulvio is a third-year undergraduate student at Georgetown University. He is double majoring in Finance and Accounting and is interested in learning about startup world!

Fun Fact: Fulvio holds two professional certifications in data analysis!

Komal is a second-year student attending Rice University, where she studies Economics and Data Science. She is a dual country resident who frequently moves between the US and Pakistan but is currently based in Houston, Texas.

Fun Fact: Komal was valedictorian of her graduating class in high school!

Keval studies Science Management and Data Science (with a concentration in Biotechnology) at Claremont McKenna College. He is heavily interested in the intersection between healthcare and business development.

Fun fact: Keval has traveled to over 20 countries!

Cybersecurity

Srinath recently received an MS in Information Security and Privacy from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He is an aspiring cloud application security engineer.

Fun Fact: Whenever he has any free time, Srinath loves to play soccer and chess!

Sai is an international student from India who recently received his Master’s degree in Cybersecurity from the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

Fun Fact: Sai loves to travel to historical places and go on hikes!

Executive Board

Boris Gorshteyn, JD

Ian Hafkenschiel, JD, MBA

Engineering and App Development

Derek Pyle

Daniel Morales

Samiksha Arora

David Antonowicz

Greg Farhadian

Bharat Venkata

Ram Kankanala

Harman Sidhu

Dylan Edwards

Finance and Research

Sahil Jain

Nghi Truong

Andrew Ma

Design

Donghee Kim

Mike Deng

Allen Williams

Business Development

Giacomo Di Pasquale

Najifa Hossain

Michael Chen

Michael Sikand

Matthew Olivan

Michelle Garcia-Guevara

Alisa Ogranovich

Austin Foley

Usability and User Experience

Elise Ulwelling

Dhaivat Shah

Casey Schnoor

Sesoo Ijir

Ester Navarro

Lilia Qian

Gabby Tom

Pamela Li

Shant Arslanian

Ashwini Athreya

Yang Ding

Data Analytics

Jamie Chung

Brinly Xavier

Fulvio Aliberti

Komal Virani

Keval Shah

Cybersecurity

Srinath Koilakonda

Sai Sandeep