Megan BakerMegan recently exited her first startup after six years. Before this, she spent over 10 years in professional sports starting at the Miami HEAT during the Shaq-era. She was part of the Dallas Cowboys Premium Sales division that bypassed industry sales standards when they built and moved into AT&T Stadium. She was also a part of the Brooklyn Nets and was instrumental in the opening of The Mansion at Churchill Downs. Megan has a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from The University of Tulsa.

Ken BangsKen grew DFW Painting from a small, one-man shop into a multi-million-dollar business in a crowded industry, building a database of more than 35,000 customers and an active social media following. Since the exit in 2017, he serves his community. Under Ken’s leadership DFW Painting contributed over $100,000 to the surrounding community. Ken is a graduate of the University of North Texas, where he studied entrepreneurship and strategic management.

Marshall CulpepperA software engineer and technology entrepreneur, Marshall has over 20 years of experience commercializing open source software in industries as diverse as enterprise web, mobile and NewSpace. His software can be found everywhere from cloud data centers and mobile devices, to most recently, small satellites in low earth orbit. Marshall has been involved in multiple ground-breaking open source projects and technology companies, including Kubos, Spire, Mozilla, Appcelerator, Redhat and JBoss.

Tracy DeforgeTracy founded The Players’ Impact, a professional athlete venture platform focused on early stage company growth, investing and pioneering businesses. Tracy has been starting, growing and selling companies for over 17 years. She earned her J.D. at Seton Hall University then worked for the National Hockey League, Major League Baseball Advanced Media and was a partner in a venture investment firm focused on companies that intersected sports, technology and media/entertainment.

Sarah FordA native Texan and inactive Marine officer, Sarah is the creative director of Ranch Road Boots. Prior to starting her company, she was VP of sales at Local Motors, a consultant at The Boston Consulting Group and served seven years in the US Marine Corps. She proudly gives back to those who serve by donating to the Injured Marines Semper Fi Fund. She received her undergraduate degree in business at the University of Texas in Austin and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Dave GormanActive entrepreneur and managing partner at Step 5 Capital, Dave focuses on B2B SaaS and healthcare technology companies. He co-founded and grew SaaS based healthcare staffing company Clearview Staffing Software, becoming the market leader in a USD 15 B industry, before exiting to API Healthcare. He earned a BBA in strategic management from the University of North Texas, is a member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity and currently serves on the G. Brint Ryan College of Business Advisory Board.

Nipa NobelAs CMO of MTX Group Inc., Nipa brings a wealth of experience in marketing, business strategy and leadership skills. She’s a member of the MTX board of directors and oversees global marketing, reinforcing MTX’s #1 position in the cloud ecosystem. She also co-founded the Nobel Foundation with her husband and is a proud Pledge 1% builder. Nipa has received the YWCA’s Resourceful Woman Award for her global philanthropic initiative, serves as a mentor and advocates for women and women leaders.

Sunny NunanSunny is Founder and CEO of The Admin Awards, a program inspired by her Mother, Jeannette Castellano, a career executive secretary. Always routing for the underdog, Sunny created the first and only awards program to publicly recognize the invaluable contributions of administrative professionals. She has been in B2B marketing and sales for over 20 years and is a graduate of the University of North Texas.

Mark RamirezMark is a technology professional who, for over 28 years, has successfully pioneered and brought to market new technologies, while establishing technology enabled services and Business Value Propositions. Mark held positions as president of US operations at HCL-Perot Systems, senior executive at Accenture, regional vice-president of Latin America at Hogan Systems, chief technology officer at Trinity Rail Inc., and is founder of Jump Orbit, a digital transformation and advisory services company.

Samantha RudolphSamantha Rudolph is the co-founder and CEO of Babyation, which is re-invigorating the parent-tech space. A Wharton grad, Sam spent a decade at ESPN where she launched a variety of products, departments and technologies. She is the treasurer of the St. Louis Breastfeeding Coalition and a lead mentor for Stadia Ventures.

Kevin StevensA partner at Intelis Capital, Kevin invests in emerging technologies modernizing traditional industries with energy as a focus. Prior to Intelis, he co-led the product team at Kleiner Perkins-backed Choose Energy, sold in 2017. Previously, he worked in financial operations and strategy within NRG Energy, Inc’s renewables division. He serves on the boards of WNDYR and Ensemble Energy, received his B.A. in political science from the University of North Texas and M.B.A. from SMU’s Cox School of Business.

Alex VarelaAlex is majority owner of Armadillo Ale Works Brewery, Portaboards.com, and Sherman Crossing Land Development LLC, and is considered the mortgage industry’s most dynamic loan originator, investor and sales coach-trainer (recognized by The National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals, among others). He’s beat the odds, from being raised in an underprivileged family to becoming a millionaire before 30 years old. Alex received his Bachelor’s Degree in Entrepreneurship from the University of North Texas.