TCA Orange County
- Lisa Walker – President TCA OC
- David Friedman – Past President TCA OC & Chair TCA Board of Governors
- Volker Hüther – Vice President TCA OC & Representative to TCA Board of Governors
- Jim Pickell – Chair TCA OC Funds
- Dr. Thomas Lee, MD – Chair TCA OC Med Tech / Life Sciences Committee
- Serdar Topak – VP Partnerships TCA OC
- Med Armanious – Membership Chair TCA OC
- Pat Hwang – Sponsorship Chair TCA OC
- Ray Chan – Marketing Chair TCA OC
- Richard Sudek – Syndication Chair TCA Board of Governors
The staff consists of the following:
Tony Sarris, Executive Director
Past Presidents:
- Luis Villalobos (1997-1999)
- Fred Selby (2000-2002)
- Frank Singer (2003-2004)
- Dave Berkus (2005)
- Frank Peters (2006)
- Mike Stuhley (2007)
- Sid Mohasseb (2008)
- Richard Sudek (2009)
- Stu Roberts (2010-2011)
- Amir Banifatemi (2012-2013)
- John Harbison (2014-2015)
- Grant Van Cleve (2016-2017)
- Hicham Semaan (2018-2019)
- David Friedman (2020-2021)
Executive Committee
Members
With more than 20 years of global experience, Alyssa has an extensive network in the financial services industry in the US and Asia. Her experience spans multiple disciplines in Analytics, Marketing, Strategy, and Innovation. Alyssa was most recently the Chief Innovation & Data Officer of AIG, Director of AIA EDGE, an innovation unit within AIA Group in Hong Kong, and Executive Director of Global Sales Technology at Goldman Sachs Asia. In recent years, Alyssa focused her time on the start-up space where she believes will bring disruptions to many incumbent industries. Fluent in English, Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese Chinese, and Vietnamese, Alyssa holds a B.S. in Applied Mathematics, M.S. in Statistics from Georgia Institute of Technology, and Strategy and Innovation Diploma at Oxford University Said Business School.
TCA Member Since 2022
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alyssatam/
Eric is currently retired, focused on philanthropy and building a sustainable model to support that philanthropy, and serving in an advisory capacity to corporations in various industries. In his career he accomplished business executive and entrepreneur, with over 35 years of global experience primarily in high tech electronic design, manufacture and sales. Eric founded and co-founded six companies in the USA and South Africa, and has participated in several successful exits including an IPO. Since retiring from corporate America, Eric has advised startups and has served on several boards. His current focus is philanthropy and serving others. Together with his wife he has developed a 130 acre facility in Hawaii (named Makanalani) which offers free vacations to less privileged children and teens. To enable the ongoing and sustainable support of those free vacations, he started an associated intern program for young adults, and founded several small businesses whose operating profits collectively provide the required annual funding. Several thousand youth have benefited from the program so far. Eric is also still active in several unrelated companies in an advisory role.
TCA Member Since 2021
Randy Ross is Chief Executive Officer of Intilecta and its subsidiary SeeEverything and serves as a member of the company’s board of directors. He has thirty years of technology and financial services leadership, consulting, and executive management experience with a track record of transforming businesses and achieving superior results. Previously, Mr. Ross served as Executive Vice President of Kiran Analytics, a predictive analytics company serving the largest retail banks globally. During his five-year tenure he was critical in leading their growth from an early-stage company to global dominance in branch workforce management, culminating in the sale of the company to Verint where Mr. Ross also served as Executive Vice President. Mr. Ross previously completed the successful turnaround of a middle market printing and communications company, transforming its operations and business model. Prior to that he served on the executive management team of Cohen Brown Management Group and had a highly successful sales leadership career at Harland Clarke. His broad executive leadership experience includes serving as CEO of his own consulting firm where he jump-started the growth of software companies and advised on successful business turnarounds. Prior to his civilian career, Mr. Ross served as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, rising to the rank of Captain. He graduated from the University of Illinois with concentrations in Mathematics and History.
TCA Member Since 2021
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/rkeross
Larry retired in July 2020 as the Chief Executive Officer of the Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM), a position he has held since January 2000. This is the professional medical society representing hospitalists. In the last 20 years he has grown that organization from a few hundred members to almost 20,000 members. Dr. Wellikson is a board certified specialist in Internal Medicine. Prior to assuming his current position with SHM, Dr. Wellikson was the founder and senior manager of an integrated medical group, IPA, and management services organization in Southern California that managed the health care of 130,000 capitated lives, over 300,000 PPO lives, and contracted with 570 physicians and more than 20 health plans. Dr. Wellikson has served as a Trustee on the Board of the American Society of Internal Medicine and as a Regent on the Board of the American College of Physicians. He is on the volunteer faculty at the University of California at Irvine Medical School and is active at the UCI School of Business and the Wharton School of Business at University of Pennsylvania. Over the last several years Modern Healthcare Magazine has named Dr. Wellikson on its list of the 50 Most Influential Physician Executives.
TCA Member Since 2021
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/larry-wellikson-012b913
JJ Richa is an accomplished serial entrepreneur, executive and investor. JJ has successfully founded several companies, where he served as President and CEO, including a software company for the hospitality industry, an online eCommerce portal for high-end made-to-order gifts, and a custom software development company concentrating on the financial sector. JJ is a private equity investor, a longtime member of Tech Coast Angels where he served as its vice president and a member of its executive committee. JJ has served on numerous board of directors, started a private equity firm and served in senior executive restructuring and turnaround roles including interim CEO and fractional COO for businesses at various stages. JJ has BS and MS degrees from Cal State Long Beach.
Member Since 2008, and TCA-OC Hall of Fame
Linked In: linkdedin.com/in/jjricha
Over the last 26 years Tom has been responsible for driving innovations and building products for some of the world’s most successful companies, including Yahoo!, IBM, and Magnite. Furukawa has held positions ranging from CPO, CTO, and CEO. Throughout his career, he has been a part of three IPOs. He has been on the forefront of major changes in the technology industry over the last two decades, with deep experience in software development and product management. As an industry-thought leader, Furukawa has refined the craft of creating products that automate and streamline today’s fast-growing programmatic ad marketplace. Furukawa currently serves as chief executive officer for Logiq Inc.(OTCQX:LGIQ / NEO: LGIQ), a global eCommerce technology company with offices in the U.S. and SEA. Through Furukawa’s leadership, he established a new vision for the company, completed three key acquisitions with consecutive quarter-over-quarter revenue and margin growth. He brought in new C-level executives and board members to support Logiq’s continued growth, raised millions in capital, and completed an IPO on a tier 1, global Canadian exchange. Furukawa founded Enstigo Inc. and has hands-on startup experience. He also advises companies in Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, and Orange County. Furukawa received his Bachelor of Science in Information and Computer Science from the University of California, Irvine.
TCA Member Since 2020
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tomfurukawa
Tom’s business career spans over 40 successful years in investment banking, a broad range of mortgage operations, commercial and multi-family residential real estate brokerage and construction, investments, land and commercial development, leasing, property management, financing, consulting, and numerous successful syndications. He also possesses extensive experience in the development of residential, office, retail, industrial, commercial and special purpose buildings and land projects, including construction of numerous properties for his own account, as well as pioneering numerous other businesses. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business/Accounting, California State University at Los Angeles, where his scholastic achievements and student leadership involvement earned him election to the Blue Key National Scholastic Honor Society. Post Graduate Studies at the Western State University College of Law with emphasis on Contract Law. He also holds the G.R.I. (Graduate, Realtors Institute) designation and has many hours of advanced studies in a broad range of real estate, business, economics, and management curricula. Licensed California Real Estate Broker (1970).
TCA-Orange County Member Since 2021
TJ is a seasoned management, operations and corporate development executive with 15+ years of direct experience founding, operating and successfully executing exit strategies for ventures spanning commercial real estate development and manufacturing. He is an efficiency specialist committed to operational, financial and transactional success for companies or departments by generating organic and acquisitive growth via securing strategic partnerships, establishing lean operations, and expertly navigating fluctuating business environments. Degrees include a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of San Diego (USD), double emphases in Finance and International Business, with honors and as a John M. Ahlers academic scholarship recipient; and Bachelor’s degrees from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). He is a State of California Licensed Real Estate Broker since 2006, and an Austrian School of Economics devotee. TJ is a Digital Assets, Cryptocurrency, Blockchain, Decentralized Finance, and Smart Contracts enthusiast and is a dedicated Macro and Micro Economics Scholar. He has been co-awarded United States and International Patents.
TCA-Orange County Member Since 2021
Ora joined Tech Coast Angels in 2012 and avidly supports, grows and mentors entrepreneurship. Ora comes from a background in Design, Merchandising, Product Development and Production in Domestic and International Markets for Clothing, Sporting Goods, Private Label, Accessories, Specialty Items and consulting for major manufacturers and suppliers. Educated in South Africa and England, Ora is also a real estate Developer and Angel Investor.
Member Since 2012
Richard founded Nadek Computer Systems in 1982, a data networking design & consulting business. In 1999, he sold the company to SAIC before pursuing his academic career. He has been an advisor to several MBA programs, served as a reviewer for the NSF, and has judged business plan competitions in the U.S. and Europe. He has taught entrepreneurship at Chapman University, INSEAD in France, the Rotterdam School of Management in the Netherlands, UC Irvine, and the Peter Drucker & Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management. Richard has been an active angel investor and has screened 1,000 startup companies since 2000. He has served on the Angel Capital Association board, is Chairman Emeritus of Tech Coast Angels (TCA), and currently sits on the TCA Board of Governors. He has been an advisor to venture funds, academic centers, engineering, and high-tech firms. Richard received a B.S. in Information and Computer Sciences from UC Irvine in 1981. He earned a Ph.D. in management, an EMBA, and master’s in organizational behavior at Claremont Graduate University. His research focuses on the angel investment decision process, examining how and why angel investors choose their investments.
Syndication Chair, Chairman Emeritus, Member Since 2000, TCA-OC Hall of Fame, Past President TCA-OC
Linked In: linkedin.com/in/richardsudek
Lisa is an entrepreneur, executive coach and an angel investor as VP of Tech Coast Angels OC. She’s been successfully investing in private and public companies since her early 20’s, gaining multiple 200x plus returns through public and private sales. Her goal today is to help female founders in getting the funding and support they need to be successful. Ms. Walker’s background includes more than 25 years of executive leadership, product management and marketing in high tech and small business environments, including strategic planning and execution for numerous new product innovations and successful marketing strategies. Her career includes leading two businesses to acquisition and guiding and mentoring startups, turnarounds, and other organizations through growth to profitability. Her current focus is in technology and aviation industries. Her personal life is filled with passion and adventure. She holds eight world records and countless National Championship medals in Formation Skydiving, is an instrument-rated private pilot, a marathon runner, and an advanced scuba diver. Lisa holds a BS and an MBA from San Diego State University; Certification in Spiritual Psychology from the University of Santa Monica; Certification in Conversational Intelligence, and Certification in Lead With Purpose coaching.
Vice President and Member Since 2018
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisawalker/
Over a span of three decades, Bill conceived and developed a lucrative and rewarding company. He started from scratch and learned all about business along the way. With an incredible depth of knowledge based on his own experiences, Bill has applied his strategic planning skills and business instincts to the everyday dilemmas faced by business owners has applied in Southern California. After graduating from the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, Bill started Supreme Foodservice Sales, a foodservice sales and marketing company and soon became one of the leaders in the industry. The company handled all of the foodservice sales and marketing activities for some of the largest food manufacturers in the country, representing companies such as Nestle, Sara Lee, Del Monte, HJ Heinz, and The Lipton Tea Company. Throughout his career, Bill has served on several national industry advisory boards. Bill completed the sale of his company and went on to become more involved in his local business community. Since, he has enjoyed teaching and mentoring the founders of young companies how to grow and become successful. In 2006 Bill became an active investor with TCA and serves as the membership co-chairman and board member. He currently serves as a consultant for the SBA (Small Business Administration) and offers his expertise to start-up ventures through the UCI Small Business Development Center in Irvine.
BOG Rep and Member Since 2006
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/billwaldo7
Grant is a global entrepreneur, angel investor, and business accelerator. He is regularly listed among the 50 most influential people in Orange County, CA. Grant is involved in 85 start-ups, serving as a board member or advisor in a quarter of those. He is an Expert-in-Residence at UCI, member of the Wharton Alumni Angels, and Faith Driven Investors. Leadership in TCA he served as President of OC and then Chairman of the Board of Governors. He’s been the deal lead for a dozen TCA deals – including well-known exits Parcel Pending and LeaseLock. Current primary focus is as Managing Partner at Hangar 75 Ventures – a venture factory applying its proven execution capability to give investors a greater likelihood of positive return in less time. ‘Moneyball’ venture through targeted corporate tuck-ins. Grant develops real estate locally and in Eastern Europe, and impact investing roles in clean-tech, fin-tech and ed-tech globally. He can also be found in leadership roles in his church and in local politics. Raised in California but left to study at Penn/Wharton and then to live 19 years in Europe. He has amazing stories to tell about ‘nation building’ in Albania – catalytic roles in rebuilding that nation’s spiritual and commercial foundations after half a century under communism. Grant returned with his wife and 3 kids to Newport Beach in 2010.
Chairman Emeritus, Member Since 2014, Past President TCA-OC
Linked In: linkedin.com/in/grantvc
Costin is a passionate tech entrepreneur that thrives on bringing innovative and disruptive products to market. As a technologist, Costin has built various solutions for multiple industries, such as custom CRMs, task management platforms and APIs. As CEO, he’s raised millions of funding from prominent angel investment groups such as Tech Coast Angels, Pasadena Angels and Sand Hill Angels, and grew his most recent venture, AnyMeeting, into a multi-million dollar market leader in the competitive video conferencing space, and ultimately driving the company to a successful acquisition by Intermedia, Inc. Costin remains very excited about startups and the OC tech scene and looks forward to mentorship and advisory opportunities in the area. Look forward to connecting on the topics of fundraising, building great teams, idea validation, pitch development and general founder therapy sessions as needed!
Linked In: linkedin.com/in/webconferencing
Serdar graduated from Duke University in 2003. His majors were Electrical Engineering and Economics. After his graduation from Duke, he worked at Corporate Executive Board in Washington, D.C. between 2003 and 2004. The company provided services in best business practices research area. Between 2004 and 2006, he worked at Analysis Group that was in economic consulting sector. The final deliverables created were expert reports in intellectual property infringement and anti-trust cases. After that, he worked at Stemcor U.S.A. that operated in physical commodities trading sector, focusing on steel and raw materials. In 2009, he joined Yapi ve Kredi Bankasi in Istanbul, Turkey as a Project Manager in the Project Finance Team. This team was responsible for closing the financings of power plants and toll-roads (it provided term sheets to the clients, assessed the feasibility of the projects, presented the projects to the bank’s board, and post-board approval it negotiated the loan agreements with the clients). The total loan amount related to his projects extended by the bank was in the vicinity of USD 1 billion. After having worked for 4 years in this department, he worked for 1.5 years in bank’s business development department. His team and he established a subsidiary in Malta, and submitted an offer to acquire HSBC Turkey. Serdar invested in startups in fintech, edtech, and e-commerce.
Member Since 2020
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/serdar-topak-4a1477b/
John is the retired CFO of Irvine Sensors Corporation, a small publicly-held technology company. In that role, he led the raises of over $150 million through numerous public and private placements of equity and debt securities. He was a Nominee for CFO of the year in Orange County in 2010. He currently serves on the Board of the privately-held follow-on to Irvine Sensors. He also served for a decadeon the Board of a public international company with interests in media, Internet, land development and wind power. Prior to his CFO career, he was a principal of entrepreneurial enterprises in the fields of mass transit and management services. He is the co-inventor and holder of several domestic and foreign patents. At various stages in his life, he has been active in civic affairs and as a volunteer in youth sports. He is currently a volunteer assistant coach for a local high school Girls Lacrosse team.
Member Since 2014
Linked In: linkedin.com/in/john-stuart-306b187
Robert Stasey is an investor with Tech Coast Angels (TCA) and Hub Angels, two of the oldest angel organizations. At TCA, Mr. Stasey, pre-screens startups, leads due diligence teams, writes the deal summaries and negotiates the deal terms. Also, he is a member of the Angel Capital Association deal syndication task force. For twenty years, Robert Stasey was the Director of Strategic Initiatives at Analog Devices (ADI). He directed the Six Sigma program, headed process improvement and led a Corporate entrepreneurial program. Entrepreneurial program participants developed skills in identifying attractive market segments, validating business models and creating effective go-to-market strategies. His entrepreneurial ‘boot camp’ developed ADI’s future leaders. Prior to joining ADI, Mr. Stasey served as Consulting Partner with Coopers & Lybrand in charge of New England’s Manufacturing Strategy Practice. Previously, Mr. Stasey was the Durant Digital Instrument General Manager at Eaton Corporation. He applied strategic and productivity improvement skills toward achieving a remarkable plant turn-around chronicled in his book, Crossroads (published by Dow Jones Irwin in 1991). Mr. Stasey earned an MBA in Management, a B.S. in Finance and was certified as a CPA in Illinois.
Member Since 2020
Linked In: linkedin.com/in/bob-stasey-71778244
Hicham Semaan is an experienced board member, CEO, GM, senior executive, angel investor, and senior adviser to CEOs, management teams, and private equity. He is a respected executive with strong vision, value creation, turn around, and acquisition expertise, and has successfully exited businesses. He is considered an expert in the technology, education, and real estate industries and has been a featured speaker, panelist, and judge at several industry events. As a CEO, Hicham led companies through rapid growth, re-positioned companies for high value exits to strategic acquirers, led M&A and roll-up strategies, as well as successfully executed corporate turn-around and management buyouts. Hicham’s operational experience includes strategic planning and budgeting, general management, sales and marketing leadership, and profit and revenue growth execution. Hicham is an MBA graduate of UCI – Paul Merage School of Business, has a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, and is an active angel investor and past President of Tech Coast Angels Orange County.
Member Since 2015
Ray Chan is a prominent investor who has been recognized as one of Orange County Business Journal’s most influential business leaders since 2017. Ray is the co-founder and Chief of Staff of Koa Accel, co-founder and Managing Director of K5 Ventures, and has been leading county-wide efforts to build the tech and startup ecosystem within Orange County throughout the past decade. He is also an active member of Tech Coast Angels, a former member of their Board of Governors and an Investment Partner for their Angel Capital Entrepreneur Fund I, II and III. Ray has a 30+ year track record of successful business execution and of being a startup queen/kingmaker. Ray has made over 200 investments and is well-known for rewarding shareholders with exceptional financial returns. Some of K5 Ventures successful exits include Everyone.net (acquired by Proofpoint), Connectifier (acquired by LinkedIn), SignNow (acquired by Barracuda Networks), Filpagram (acquired by ByteDance, owner of TikTok).
Member Since 2008
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raymondtchan/
Sig Anderman is a serial entrepreneur, having founded, run, invested in and advised many real estate and mortgage services and financial technology companies over a 50-year career. He was CEO of American Home Shield Corporation, the pioneering home warranty company that he helped found in 1973. After American Home Shield was sold in 1982 (still the dominant home warranty company in the country), Sig started CompuFund, Inc., a computerized mortgage origination company, founded in 1982; and Inspectech, Inc., a computerized home inspection service, founded in 1992. In 1998, Sig founded Ellie Mae, Inc., now the country’s leading provider of automation software for the mortgage industry. He was president and Chief Executive Officer of Ellie Mae from 1998 to 2015, and until April 2019 was Executive Chairman of the Board. Ellie Mae’s digital mortgage solution, Encompass, is the industry’s dominant mortgage processing software, used by 3,000 lenders and mortgage brokers to originate and fund approximately half the residential mortgages made every year in the United States. In 2011 Ellie Mae went public, with a market cap of $140 million, and in 2019, it was purchased by private equity firm Thoma Bravo for $3.7 Billion. In 2020, Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE: ICE) acquired Ellie Mae for $11 Billion.
Member Since 2020
Lawrence is Chairman of Ware Malcomb, a contemporary and expanding full service design firm. He is an accomplished architect and strong business leader, and is well known for his strategic, visionary approach. After 28 years as CEO of Ware Malcomb, he transitioned to his current role of Chairman. In addition to expanding Ware Malcomb from a Southern California company to an international firm with offices in key markets across North America, Lawrence’s tenure as CEO is hallmarked by an unprecedented 40x revenue growth. Lawrence has been recognized by many organizations such as Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award OC/Desert Cities Region and was a national finalist. He was selected to the prestigious OC 500 list two years in a row. In addition to many business affiliations and board memberships, Lawrence is actively involved in Orange County United Way as a Board Member and Chair of the United to End Homelessness initiative, and Kent State University as Co-Chair of the KSU Comprehensive Campaign. Lawrence is also an accomplished artist, including work in a variety of mediums such as paintings, furniture design and sculpture.
Member Since 2020
Past Chairman of TCA, and Managing Director of the three TCA ACE funds, Dave Berkus has a well-established track record in operations, venture investing and corporate board service, both public and private. As an entrepreneur, he has formed, managed and sold successful businesses in the entertainment and software arenas. Dave created his first company, Custom Fidelity, Inc., at the age of 15. He sold his interest in the Company to found Computerized Lodging Systems, Inc. becoming an early pioneer in the mini-computer industry. He is credited with innovation of numerous technology “firsts” and guided the computer company through a decade of growth, including two consecutive years on the Inc.500 list of America’s fastest growing companies. He was recognized for those pioneering achievements with his induction into the Hospitality (HFTP) “International Hall of Fame”– only one of forty-two people worldwide so honored over the years, Dave is current or recent Board Chairman or board member for numerous public and private technology companies. Active in a total of over forty companies, he was recognized as “Director of the Year” by the Orange County-based Forum for Corporate Directors, and “Technology Leader of the Year” by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
Chairman Emeritus, Member Since 1998, TCA-OC Hall of Fame, Past President TCA-OC
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daveberkus/
Greg is the CEO of GSB Health Management Solutions, an independent consulting firm focused on innovative solutions to improve the health care delivery system and to better serve vulnerable individuals. He is also engaged in angel investing and serves as an advisor or board member for multiple healthcare organizations. Greg has nearly 25 years in health plan leadership roles. He is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Blue Shield of California’s Promise Health Plan that serves nearly 500,000 Medicaid, Medicare and Dual Eligible members. He previously served as the Chief Executive Officer that launched Centene’s first Medicaid Managed Care Plan in California and later as Chief Medical Officer of HealthNet after its acquisition by Centene. Greg was a founding executive for CalOptima, a public managed care organization where he served as Chief Operating Officer and Medical Director. His previous positions include work as a Principal Consultant with Health Management Associates, a national healthcare consulting firm. Greg started his career as a Pediatric Emergency Physician serving in leadership positions at two children’s hospitals and as administrative director of a medical group. Greg enjoys spending time with his Pediatric Dermatologist wife, Arline, engaged in exercise and eating with passion.
Member Since 2020
Linked In: linkedin.com/in/gbuchert
Pete DeAngelis is a technologist and entrepreneur and start-up executive that has founded or co-founded 5 companies in the Southern California area over a 38 year career. He has a proven ability to raise capital and guide technical organizations from start-up to profitability. A few of the companies Pete has founded or co-founded include Rokenbok Toy Company (1995), the segment starter in megapixel network cameras called IQinVision (2001) and a company focused on liquid cooling for high-performance computers called Chilldyne (2013). Pete is well versed in financial modeling, intellectual property portfolio management, Asian business culture, fundraising, mergers and acquisitions and due diligence. His style is hands-on management and he emphasizes leadership by example, accountability and accessibility. He is a member of the Investment Committee of The Cove Fund as well as an independent angel investor with the Tech Coast Angels. His latest venture is called TrakPoint Solutions, where he serves as CEO. The company is focused on creating a highly differentiated platform for providing 10” accuracy, XYZ location for people and assets in an indoor environment.
Member Since 2012
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petedeangelis/
As a serial entrepreneur, author, former investment banker, and angel investor, Scott Fox has founded, coached, or invested in hundreds of startup ventures since raising his first VC round during the first dot-com boom. These companies have ranged from startups backed by top VC firms to founding the digital division of a Fortune 500 multi-national company to high-profile celebrity-driven e-commerce properties to small lifestyle businesses worldwide based on his 3 best-selling books about Internet entrepreneurship. As a mentor, advisor, and investor today he focuses mostly on early-stage software companies with high growth potential. He has invested in 20+ companies and is a Limited Partner in 3 funds. An advocate for early stage entrepreneurs and startup ecosystems, Scott serves as the CEO of the Startup Council (http://StartupCouncil.org) where he actively works with startups worldwide by hosting monthly MasterMinds Startup Accelerator Workshops (http://MasterMindsWorkshops.com), publishing startup newsletters, podcasting, and hosting free Startup Fundraising Office Hours on his YouTube channel – all community services offering friendly help with strategy and fundraising to startup founders. He’s a graduate of the University of Michigan and Stanford Law School, and a popular radio/podcast guest and expert speaker worldwide. After careers in New York, Silicon Valley, and Los Angeles, Scott is happy to call Orange County home with his wife and 3 children.
Member Since 2018
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottfoxauthor
David Friedman is a tech-savvy marketing and operations executive with more than 30 years’ expertise in bringing to market new technology. He plays at the intersection of technology and the customer; his real love is innovation and commercializing technology to meet the needs of customers. A member of the TechCoastAngels of Orange County since 2009, he serves as President, TechCoastAngels, Orange County and is currently Vice-Chairman of the Board of Governors of TCA . He is also a senior consultant with the Small Business Development Lead Center and founder and managing partner of C-Level Partners, a business advisory which focuses on helping companies grow their top line revenue. During his career he has introduced more than $1.5 billion in new products. In his corporate career, he has helped companies build top line revenue growth and EBITDA while mentoring the next generation of business leaders. David has been executive vice president and Chief Marketing Officer for ATX Group (now Sirius Connected Car) which provides telematics and information services to automobile manufacturers. Previously, he was Vice President, Marketing and Direct Sales at Connexion by Boeing, and commercialized the first Wi-Fi services available to passengers onboard commercial airplanes. He also held executive positions with US Cellular, Covia Technologies, Ameritech Services and RCA. Friedman holds an MBA (economics) from George Washington University, a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Columbia University, and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering (summa cum laude) from City College of New York.
President, Member Since 2009, and TCA-OC Hall of Fame
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/davidfriedman
Raja has been with TCA for 2 years and serves on the TCA OC Medtech and Lifesciences screening committee. He has over 17 years of experience in the medical device industry, specifically cardiac rhythm management, vascular surgery and cardiac electrophysiology. Raja serves as Senior Director, Product Marketing at Acutus Medical, a venture backed startup that went public in 2020. In his role, Raja leads product management for the cardiac mapping and diagnostic categories including capital, disposable and software products. Prior to that, Raja launched next generation leads for implantable cardioverter defibrillators accounting for $295MM in annual revenue at Medtronic. He also developed and commercialized traditional and polymer based endografts for the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms resulting in $192MM in global revenue in 2016 at Endologix. Raja served as Scientific Advisor to Cardioinsight Technologies, a startup that licensed his PhD research and was later acquired by Medtronic in 2015. Raja also has deep technical expertise in signal processing, algorithm development, cardiac mapping, bench, pre-clinical and clinical research. Raja has 32 issued patents and has co-authored several peer-reviewed scientific publications. Raja has an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management and a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University. Raja’s enjoys mentoring startups, hiking, reading and spending time with family.
Member Since 2019
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajaghanem/
Phil is a chemical engineer graduate from Oregon State U. He worked 53 years in the manufacturing of advanced composites, first becoming a technical innovator, then a half owner in two companies: The Gill Corp. and Royal Composites Manufacturing, with combined sales of $250M. Phil is oriented and runs companies as an engineer, not as a financial or sales professional. Now an angel investor, Phil has invested in ten companies but prefers the TCA Fund for its diversification.
Member Since 2016
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/phillip-gill-aa3b1780
Rex is a CPA and CMA. He began as a public accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP’s Los Angeles office in the Assurance and Business Advisory Services division. He later lived overseas on international tours working for PwC offices in Asia during the financial crisis and after, servicing globally prioritized US public issuers headquartered overseas. His management experiences are wide including the global audit coordination of industry leading multinationals, global consolidations, advising on SEC and US GAAP reporting, advising on IFRS principles, executing financial system implementations, leading Sarbanes Oxley Controls adoptions, IPO preparations and others. He has been president and majority owner of several private companies including a global snack food manufacturer in Los Angeles distributing to multinational retailers. He divested the business between 2017 and 2019. His experiences of ownership are wide including financial management and strategy, brand and product development, supply chain management, manufacturing and logistics, quality control, business development, and others. He also contributes to community development by serving on the board of nonprofit organizations such as the Japan America Society of Southern California. His investing experiences and interests include business development, early-stage ventures, commercial real estate, affordable housing development, and public health advisory.
Member Since 2020
Linked In: linkedin.com/in/rex-hamano-958ba41
John has led 14 TCA deals and invested in over 65 startups. He is also an active investor in public companies, and has realized returns from 100x – 1100x in five companies (Microsoft, Apple, Abbott Labs, Nucor and McGraw-Hill). He currently serves on the Angel Capital Association Board, and has participated on Boards of many early-stage companies — he enjoys mentoring and helping these companies succeed. Previously he co-founded Next Autoworks – a disruptive new American car company backed by investors such as Kleiner Perkins and Google Ventures. Before that he served as CEO of network security software SilentRunner Inc., and as President of Raytheon Commercial Ventures Inc. where he launched four businesses in two years leading to two successful exits and a third company which achieved $700 million in annual revenue within eight years. Earlier in his career, he was a strategy consultant and partner at Booz•Allen Hamilton where he led the firm’s Aerospace/Defense Practice, its Strategic Alliances functional practice, and opened its Los Angeles office. He has an BA cum laude from Harvard College, an MS in accounting from NYU Stern and an MBA from Harvard Business School with first year honors. He is an avid wildlife and landscape photographer, and travels extensively to remote countries around the world.
Chairman Emeritus, Member Since 2003, TCA-OC Hall of Fame, Past President TCA-OC
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/harbison
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Volker Hüther, having lived in Germany, Mexico, Brazil and the United States, is a multilingual German, who has spent much of his life traveling between three different continents. His experiences have been fundamental in the development of his negotiating skills and business acumen. He continuously strives to be a catalyst for reform, both in his business and personal life. Having started his career in Investment Banking, Volker soon determined that his interest lay in the scientific disciplines, which promoted his leap into the Chemical Industry. This, in combination with his passion for serving others, directed him to venture into the Life Science sector and the Health Care Industry before founding his personal business, Global Bridge LLC, which places emphasis on interim C level management. He has been serving as a board member for multiple corporations, has taken on the role of mentor and advisor for organizations and continues to enjoy offering a helping hand at all hierarchical levels. In his free time, Volker enjoys volunteering at community events in Orange County, where he puts his passion for ham radio operation to use. As a hobby mechanic, he also enjoys working on his old-timer Mercedes. One of his current projects involves raising puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind.
VP Partnerships and Member Since 2019
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/volker-h%C3%BCther-94082740/
Don Kasle is both Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Governors of TCA and Treasurer. Previously, he also spent eleven years as Senior Consultant for the SBDC (Small Business Development Center) housed at UCI Irvine Beal Applied Innovation. The SBDC’s mission is to provide free consulting to high growth, scalable, entrepreneurial companies. Don received the SBDC State Star Award for his outstanding work. He is a retired bank CEO, from three different banks. During his career, he served on over 30 Boards of Directors in the public, private and not-for profit sectors, including 7 bank boards. He is a past member of the Board of Trustees at Miami University (Ohio) and the Miami Foundation. Long active in the field of Education, he was the founding Chairman of the Institute of Certified Bankers of American Bankers Association and past Chairman of the ABA’s Stonier Graduate School of Banking. He previously taught at 10 national banking schools including Rutgers, Southern Methodist, Universities of Wisconsin, Oklahoma, and LSU. He has lectured at a number of business schools including Miami University (Ohio), Chapman, UCI, and USC. Mr. Kasle is a graduate of Miami University and the Stonier Graduate School of Banking, Rutgers University. Stonier previously honored him with Distinguished Alumni Award. He is a past President of the National Alumni Association of Miami University.
Chairman Emeritus, Member Since 2006, TCA-OC Hall of Fame, Past President TCA-OC
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dhkasle
Dr. Lee is the Chair of the Medical and Life Sciences Committee for the Orange County chapter of Tech Coast Angels (TCA). He has been the deal lead for several of Tech Coast Angels’ medical and life sciences companies and also heads the medical/life sciences prescreen process for TCA-OC. Dr. Lee is a practicing anesthesiologist in Orange County, California with interests in neurosurgical and trauma anesthesia. He has recently taken a keen interest in the innovative burgeoning field of aesthetic and regenerative medicine and just opened the Jade Phoenix Aesthetic Medicine Medical Spa to put into practice what he has learned. Moreover, Dr. Lee has published works in the medicinal natural products research space and is heavily involved with the medical, pharmaceutical, and medical device startup community in Orange County.
Chair of MedTech and Life Sciences Screening, and Member Since 2015
John is the Managing Member of Lateral Capital, the Early Stage investing fund he began in 2003. Now launching its sixth Fund, Lateral Capital has made 187 investments in 83 Early Stage Companies, across 22 states. Previously he was CEO of Pillsbury Company. Lateral Capital investments span a wide range of categories, from truck tire inflation to new generation magnetics to a new treatment for glaucoma. Lateral does not invest in startups, but looks for businesses that have finished products, patents to protect them while they grow, a path to cash flow break even and which contribute to the Common Good. Almost all Lateral investments are made in conjunction with Angel/Accelerator groups across the country including Gopher Angels (Minneapolis), Golden Seeds (New York), Band of Angels (Palo Alto) and Tech Coast Angels (Los Angeles). Prior to his time as CEO at Pillsbury, John worked at The Procter & Gamble Company for 22 years, responsible for almost all of P&G’s laundry, paper and food and beverage brands across 25 countries. Since leaving the world of “big company” management, he has acted as an advisor to TPG Capital, Centerbridge Partners, Lehman Brothers, Calera Capital and Goldman Sachs PIA on a wide range of M&A projects in the U.S., Europe and Israel.
Member Since 2019
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnnlilly
Mei is an active medical device consultant and angel investor with a passion for transformative patient-centered solutions. She is preeminently experienced in driving forward the adoption of disruptive medical innovations, including life-saving Class III devices. Her consulting clientele ranges from start-ups to large corporations such as Stryker. She is also a board-certified brain surgeon, trained at Johns Hopkins, with fellowship emphasis on minimally invasive neurovascular treatments (for stroke, brain aneurysms, etc) and currently practices in Tucson, AZ. Combining her expertise in medicine and business, she successfully bridges the two industries with uniquely blended insights that are on-target and pragmatic. Herself an entrepreneur, she is amongst the 2020 national cohort participating in the STEM to Market program funded by Association for Women in Science to develop her novel stroke treatment device. She holds a BA magna cum laude from Columbia University and a MD from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. With her leisure, she is a wellness enthusiast who loves traveling and any outdoor activities including hiking, running and cycling.
Member Since 2019
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drlimeilin/
David specialized in developing Risk Management & Insurance programs for High Tech, Manufacturing, and U.S. Infrastructure protection regarding Water Utilities. David is a recruited member of the Orange County Sheriff’s Technology Advisory Council (TAC); Anaheim Police Department Special Operations TAC; FBI InfraGard (Cyber, Dams, Water & Wastewater); Vice-chair Orange County Homeland Security Council. David has been an instructor on Kidnap avoidance, Anti-Terrorism, Force Protection at SAFEHOUSE. For over thirty years, he has been a member of MENSA, the high IQ society. Personally, David has enjoyed his work as an Executive Producer, Photographer and Cinematographer. He is a former executive of United Artists Entertainment and is in Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in Industry & Finance as one of the original developers of the Pay-Per-View television concept. His shows mostly aired on Time-Warner Cable on West Coast. CableVision, Cox and Verizon in East Coast. David was also Executive Producer for a full-length feature film, THE BIG DAY. David’s passion for photography has expanded his resume’ to include: The OSCARS, Supermodels Grammy Party, Night of 100 Stars, Music Videos; Book Covers; Model Portfolios, TEDx conferences, Movie Set Stills, Custom Product Shots,. And, of course, Landscapes & Exotic People. David’s video work has been seen on ACCESS HOLLYWOOD, FOX, PBS, TED and GOOD DAY LA.
Member Since 2015
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/davidjmcneil
Vipul is a recent member of TCA and has already played active roles in fund investment and as a deal lead. He is a serial entrepreneur and a technology executive with over three decades of senior management experience with Fortune 500 companies as well as start-ups. Vipul co-founded multiple technology companies and played a pivotal role during early stage, capital raise, growth phase and successful exit. Most recently, he served as a Board member and head of business development, marketing and sales at OakGate Technology. He led the company’s growth from a small startup to the world’s largest provider of test platforms for solid state storage. Instrumental in the company’s successful acquisition by Teledyne Technology in 2020. Prior to that, Vipul co-founded Aristos Logic, an Orange County based enterprise storage start-up whose customers included IBM and Apple. He served as Vice President of Worldwide Marketing and Business Development following the acquisition of Aristos by publicly held Adaptec. He spent nearly twenty years at Western Digital in a variety of management positions in engineering, marketing, sales and product planning. Vipul’s early career included engineering roles at Princeton Applied Research, Interdata/Perkin Elmer and Xerox Corporation. He pursued electrical engineering degrees at Rutgers and at Mumbai University.
Member Since 2020
Linked In: www.linkedin.com/in/contactvipul/
Girard Miller is a seasoned expert investor and corporate executive, now active as an angel investor in the Southern California venture capital marketplace. He is an active member of Tech Coast Angels. Having begun his career in the public sector, Girard has led investment and business teams over three decades years in the executive capacity of CIO, CEO and COO at three major national investment management companies.
Previously, Girard spent 30 years in the institutional investment industry, including
- Chief Investment Officer, Orange County Employees’ Retirement System ($14 billion AUM)
- Strategic consultant, PFM Group. Multiple OPEB and pension clients as outsourced CIO and investment consultant.
- Member, Governmental Accounting Standards Board
- Chief Operating Officer, Janus Capital Group, and President of Janus Mutual funds ($170 billion)
- President and CEO of ICMA Retirement Corp and Vantagepoint mutual funds ($30 billion)
- SVP, Government Markets at Fidelity Investments
- Director, Technical Services, Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA)
A CFA charterholder, Girard has been qualified previously as a Sarbanes-Oxley financial expert and as a federal court expert witness on pension finance and investments. He is an MPA graduate of the Maxwell School of Public Affairs, Syracuse University, and a MA Economics graduate of Wayne State University with a BA degree from the University of Washington, Seattle.
Member Since 2017
After a long career as a serial entrepreneur & corporate executive, holding multiple roles as CEO, Jiri has been an Angel investor since 2012. Jiri is a board member, advisor and investor in several companies across diverse Industries. With extensive experience leading hi-tech companies both domestically and internationally, he’s proven to drive high growth through market disruptive technologies. Jiri’s operational experience spans several startups, turn-arounds, exponential growth companies as well as a role of Snr. VP of Global sales at GE’s Security Division with $2B in revenues. Jiri has been very engaged in all areas of Angel activities. He prefers focus to diversification, and will typically write a bigger check but for fewer companies. He does very extensive DD work and prefers to invest in companies where the Angels have post-investment influence, preferably a board seat. Jiri has received several TCA OC accolades; Rookie Investor of the Year, Most Engaged Angel, and in 2019 & 2020 The Investor of the Year. Jiri loves the Angel work – the excitement of a startup, the challenge of finding the winners, helping his colleagues and the portfolio companies. He treasures the many friendships he and his wife have made with his fellow Angels and their spouses.
Member Since 2012
Linked In: linkedin.com/in/jiri-modry-1702318
Ken has more than 30 years of experience in executive management roles with expertise in M&A, technology, strategy, marketing and operations. He is currently CEO of Delphi Display Systems, Inc., a global supplier of digital signage technologies and business analytics software to multiple industry verticals. Prior to founding Delphi, Ken founded three tech startups in the military, aerospace and scientific research markets. After two successful exits, he along with several colleagues founded Connexus Equity Management Partners, LLC, an early-stage investment and strategic advisory firm. Since its inception, Connexus has made over 20 direct investments in early-stage companies along with investments in the TCA OC Fund 20 & 21, ACE Fund 3 and the Cove Fund.
Ken holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering from California State University and an MBA from the University of California, Irvine Paul Merage School of Business, Summa Cum Laude. He holds multiple U.S. Patents in the areas of high-performance parallel computing and signal processing. In his free time, Ken enjoys mountain biking, water skiing, music and wine.
Professional Affiliations:
- Beta Gamma Sigma
- IEEE
- Industry Advisory Board Member – UCI Henry Samueli School of Engineering
- Adaptive Business Leaders (ABL) – OC Technology Roundtable Masters Club Member
- Board Chair, The Beall Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Member Since 2014
Quan has been an active Member of Tech Coast Angels since 2015. He has led a number of investment deals for early stage companies. Quan routinely works closely with a variety of startup companies to help identify strategic partners, screen for potential business deals, and analyze market opportunities in conjunction with patent strategies to launch successful products. Quan is the Co-Founding Partner of Nguyen Tarbet LLC, a preeminent boutique Intellectual Property law firm with offices in Irvine, California, and Tucson, Arizona. In addition to representing entrepreneurs, he also represents publicly traded companies, major corporations, mature companies, and universities. Quan believes in public service and works relentlessly to advance innovation and entrepreneurship. As Chairman of the Innovation & Acceleration Task Force and a Member of the Beall Applied Innovation Advisory Board, Quan leads a talented team to create platforms to increase entrepreneur ecosystem connectivity, funding availability, and product development assistance for startups. As Chairman and Advisory Board Member of the Chemistry and BioChemistry Board of Advisors (University of Arizona, “UA”), he helps the Department develop strategic industry relationships to advance faculty research. As Chairman of the Alumni Subcommittee & Executive Member of the College of Science Dean’s Board of Advisors (UA), he leads various university initiatives to promote innovation through industry partnerships. Quan regularly speaks at seminars on the subject of innovation, technology investments, and trends in patent law.
Member Since 2015
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/intellectualpropertylaw
Eelco is a native Dutchman who moved to the USA in 2000 and proudly became a US citizen. He has invested in startups through Tech Coast Angels and other channels. Eelco is a seasoned financial professional with national and international executive management experience and a proven track record of driving transformational initiatives to improve business performance. As a consulting CFO, he helps startups, business owners and CEO’s with though finance and accounting issues. Eelco worked for various divisions of the Stork Group, a European Technical company. In 2010 he co-led a leveraged management buyout of the materials testing division. This buyout was backed by PE. The business expanded substantially through a buy and build strategy and was sold in 2015 at 4.3X. Eelco also served as CFO at Intense Cycles Incl., an iconic US mountain bike manufacturer with global sales that quadrupled during Eelco’s tenure at the company. Eelco has a masters in business economics from the Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the Netherlands and holds an executive masters in financial control from the University of Maastricht. He enjoys to sail, paddle board and fish when on the water and to ski, hike and hunt while on land.
Events & Education Chair and Member Since 2019
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eelco-niermeijer-cfo/
Lyle spent most of his career in the agricultural chemical industry working in Iowa, Illinois, and Kansas. Much of his time was spent working within the corn, soybean, grain sorghum and wheat markets, along with work in the alfalfa, cotton, and native pecan markets. He is a former Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) in the state of Kansas. Lyle also worked for the Kansas Department of Commerce first in the Ag Marketing Division where he managed the state’s tax credit program for renewable energy production as well as for the states oil refinery business involving facility expansions. Later he was responsible for economic development projects in the Business Development Division as a Regional Project Manager in northeast and north central Kansas. He has a BS in Agronomy from Iowa State University. Lyle and his wife Libby have been Accredited Angel Investors since 2017 along with passive investment in real estate projects throughout the United States. He currently resides in the northern Flint Hills region of Kansas where he actively manages the couple’s real estate in Kansas along with a small family farm in Central Iowa.
Member Since 2021
Jim is the Chair of TCA OC’s Fund. He’s spent the last decade building scalable, hyper-growth, innovative businesses, across industries such as modular building (using shipping containers to build schools and affordable housing), HomeExchange.com, the world’s largest home exchange network, and OpenEnglish.com, Latin America’s leading language school. Earlier, as Senior Vice President at Sony, he forged new business models for the online distribution of film, music and games. Jim started his career at Debevoise & PLimpton, as an attorney focused on M&A, but ultimately sought to collaborate with like-minded thinkers and influence positive change. He holds degrees from UC Berkeley, Loyola Law School, and UCLA’s Anderson business school.
Fund Administrator and Member Since 2017
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jpickell/
Jim is the Chair of TCA OC’s Fund. He’s spent the last decade building scalable, hyper-growth, innovative businesses, across industries such as modular building (using shipping containers to build schools and affordable housing), HomeExchange.com, the world’s largest home exchange network, and OpenEnglish.com, Latin America’s leading language school. Earlier, as Senior Vice President at Sony, he forged new business models for the online distribution of film, music and games. Jim started his career at Debevoise & PLimpton, as an attorney focused on M&A, but ultimately sought to collaborate with like-minded thinkers and influence positive change. He holds degrees from UC Berkeley, Loyola Law School, and UCLA’s Anderson business school.
Member Since 2020
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robpickell