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Steering Committeefirst place

Mid-Atlantic Diamond Ventures was founded as Diamond State Ventures by a group of local entrepreneurs and business leaders. A special thank you goes out to our dedicated Steering Committee:

* indicates a founding member of Mid-Atlantic Diamond Ventures

MADV Principals & Founders

Laurie Burstein-Maxwell, Ph.D., C.F.A

Laurie Burstein-Maxwell is a senior level entrepreneur executive with a unique combination of talents.  Currently, she is the founder and CEO of Dartmouth Strategic Advisors, a strategic and financial advisory firm that assists companies with growth, capitalization and exit strategy, mergers and acquisitions and business development.  In addition to working with companies to define and refine their strategies, target and gain access to the investment community, and reach potential partners, Ms. Burstein-Maxwell has completed business plans, and market reviews, all of which in turn serve to further the strategic development of her clients. She also sits on the advisory board of several of her client’s companies and provides due diligence to investors.

Prior to her work with Dartmouth Strategic Advisors, her background includes 16 years as an investment manager and 11 years as a psychologist. She is a nationally recognized expert in Microcap investing, an area that of focus since 1993. As an investment manager, while an industry generalist, most of her work with growth and turnaround companies involved companies in healthcare, technology, consumer, and business services.

Ms. Burstein-Maxwell has analyzed business and financial fundamentals of hundreds of companies from both internal and external perspectives. She has built relationships with scores of C-level executives within companies. Her psychology background provides her with a distinctive interview style, enabling her to gain insight into the management teams that run those businesses, providing a unique perspective to aid in the investment decision. In addition, her due diligence and market intelligence information gathering has focused on suppliers, consumers, industry specialists, government agency employees, government contractors, competitors, Wall Street analysts and other investors.

She began her investment career in 1989 at Provident Mutual Management, Co., where she applied her skills as an Analyst in the Consumer sector and as a Portfolio Manager. She then went to the Logan Capital Group where she managed a portfolio of Micro-cap equities. In 1995, she founded Oakwood Capital Management, Inc., an investment firm that focuses on Micro-cap equities. Laurie also founded the Micro-cap investment strategy at Roxbury Capital Management, LLC., before returning to Oakwood Capital Management, Inc. in 2006.

Her investment strategy has been that of a long-term, contrarian stock picker with a concentrated portfolio. She chose small young companies in niche dynamic industries, as well as “fallen angels”  in a turn-around phase and poised to return to growth.

Prior to her career as an investment manager, Laurie was a psychologist for Laurie J. Burstein, Ph.D. and Associates, providing psychological services for individuals and businesses.

Laurie received her B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania. She received her Ph.D. in Psychology from the Temple University in 1981. She then went on to The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, where she received her MBA in 1989. Laurie is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Francine Carb
Founder & CEO, Markitects, Inc.

Francine is the founder and CEO of Markitects, a marketing communications firm that has successfully launched over 150 companies in the past eighteen years. Prior to starting her firm, she was a marketing executive at Unisys Corporation and spent twelve years in the technology industry. Francine brings to every client engagement her own strategic marketing process honed over twenty years, a sharp mind and quick study in any area of technology, science or healthcare, and the ability to craft and communicate a good story.

Francine Carb is continually building upon her expertise as a marketing strategist, IR/PR professional, entrepreneur and business owner, who is well-known in the venture community for growing healthcare, scientific, technology and engineering companies. She often acts as an outsourced CMO, quickly assimilating with the management team, and frequently serves as press spokesperson and public presenter for her clients.

Francine is an award-winning member of the business community, where she is affiliated with and has served on the boards of many organizations, including the American-Israel Chamber of Commerce, BIO Strategy Partners, Forum of Executive Women, Mid-Atlantic Venture Association, and World Affairs Council of Philadelphia. She is an adjunct professor at the Wharton Global Consulting Practicum, Temple Entrepreneurial Institute at The Fox School, where she is currently a Distinguished Leader in Residence, and Villanova University. Francine has also served as a mentor to entrepreneurs through Mid-Atlantic Diamond Ventures, the Ben Franklin Business Incubator and University City Science Center.

Francine was recognized as one of Pennsylvania’s Best 50 Women in Business and has won numerous international creative awards. The firm was also a two-time Philly 100 winner. She holds an Economics degree from Lafayette College and an M.B.A. from St. Joseph’s University. She regularly speaks at regional events, such as Early Stage East, Entrepreneurial Expos, and Lafayette College’s Entrepreneurial Circle.

Tama Copeman
Founder and CEO, Alcyone*7

Dr. Tama Copeman is an entrepreneurial executive with 33 years experience in business development, ventures,  international partnerships, technology and product development, intellectual property strategy, competitive analysis, benchmarking,  business process reengineering, and research facility management. Through strong conceptual, strategic, and problem solving skills, Dr. Copeman has achieved a consistent record of success in creating new business and technology initiatives and improving existing ones. Tama has also demonstrated an ability to build and revitalize organizations, and establish lasting partnerships between diverse organizations.

 In 2004, Dr. Copeman founded Alcyone*7, LLC, a technology and business development company focusing on primarily on clean-tech, nano-tech, materials, medical devices and software.  Tama has evaluated over one hundred business plans and contributed to numerous startup companies in the US and Europe over the past several years.

In 2000, Dr. Copeman, as Director of Future Energy Solutions, created a corporate venture to position Air Products in the emerging hydrogen and alternative-energy markets. Twelve products were taken to market and Air Products is now widely regarded as a leader in the emerging hydrogen economy. Prior to this, Tama was the Director of Global Product Management with responsibility for the competitiveness of Air Products' industrial-gas product portfolio. Earlier career experience includes various management and technical positions in technology and research.

Dr. Copeman holds MS., and Ph.D. degrees in Chemical Engineering from Lehigh University, a BS degree from Penn State University, and has completed executive education courses at Stanford, MIT, and the University of Chicago. Tama is a member of the Minority Angel Investor Network and is a member of the Physical Science Technical Advisory Committee at Ben Franklin Technology Partners.  

John Currie
Principal and Founder, ITERATE Venture Consulting

John is an accomplished senior executive and entrepreneur who has created significant value from innovative disruptive technologies, spanning a 24-year career. Since 1994, Principal has led many technology commercialization efforts, transforming innovations from R&D into successful commercial products in many markets.

John is currently the Principal and founder of ITERATE Venture Consulting, which assists technology entrepreneurs and investors in getting their companies to the next level, or spinning out “orphaned businesses” from larger companies.  ITERATE’s primary services are developing key strategic partnerships and compelling value propositions with technology-based assets.  ITERATE VC has many satisfied clients in many industry segments including I.T., media & entertainment, consumer products, and specialty materials. 

John currently serves as the Business Creation Leader for First State Innovation, whose mission is to fuel Delaware's entrepreneurial ecosystem.  John is organizing their Angel Network and facilitating early stage deals through it.  John is on the Board of Predictive Inc., a health care early stage venture focused on predicting infections in consumers.

From 1994 to 2003, John’s venture background and training was accomplished at Sarnoff Corp., the former RCA Laboratories, as a Technology Commercialization Director.  John worked on over 40 major commercial projects – next generation products and services – for Sarnoff’s clients, and leading $45 million of technology seed funding to be raised.  This portfolio of next-generation products and services grew to over $200 million in value.  John also played a key role in creating and spinning out five new technology ventures based on Sarnoff’s innovative technologies.

Previous to Sarnoff, John worked in the computer and IT industry for two leading Fortune 100 computing firms – Hewlett Packard and Digital Equipment.  John held various sales and senior sales executive positions at HP from 1979 to 1986, and at DEC from 1986 to 1994, including National Account Manager for one of DEC’s largest chemical/pharmaceutical accounts.

John has a BSEE from Drexel University and an MBA from Villanova.  John is also President of West Chester East HS Ice Hockey Club, which is made up of (6) teams.

Isaac L. Gadsden
KSR Associates, LLC

Isaac L. Gadsden has over 35 years experience as an executive skilled in new business development, sales and marketing management, and software and hardware sales. He has extensive international and multinational team leadership experience. Ike’s expertise includes business process management, supply chain management, and sales force productivity improvement as well as teaching and mentoring. In addition to his work with KSR, Ike was principal and Managing Director of Diamond State Ventures, LLC, MADV's predecessor.

During his career in industry, Ike held a variety of staff and operational leadership assignments. His last corporate assignment was Vice president of Sales and Marketing for Imperial Pressroom Products, E.I. Dupont de Nemours. Other assignments included managing sales and marketing operations, strategic planning, market research, new business development and acquisition and divestitures. He has led organizations during operational and technological transitions in the US and European markets. Ike has experience in the textile fibers and imaging industries. He has worked for E.I. DuPont, Polaroid, CBS, and Eastman Kodak.

Ike has lead a small management consulting firm SAMPM, Inc. that focused on upgrading sales and marketing operations. He has also lectured and conducted seminars for the Baltimore Washington Venture Group at the Dingman Center at the University of Maryland, presented sales strategy programs for the alumni at the Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania, taught marketing and operations management at Delaware State University and taught e-commerce business strategy at the University of Delaware Small Business Development Center.

Ike sits on of the Board of Directors of Wilmington Economic Development Corporation, the Executive Service Corp of the Delaware Valley, the Wilmington Chapter of Hampton University Alumni Association and the Harvard Business School Club of Philadelphia.

Ike received his BS in chemistry from Hampton University. He furthered his education at the University of Rochester in chemical engineered and subsequently earned an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Ben Goldberg
Founder, BSG Advisors

Ben is the founder of BSG Advisors, a consulting firm with a practice focused on providing financial and operating management expertise to emerging growth and middle market companies, particularly in the technology, life sciences, and advanced manufacturing industries.  He serves these clients as an interim or part-time CFO and/or COO, or on a project or transaction, such as an acquisition or divestiture, due diligence, profitability analysis and improvement, cash flow management, turnaround and crisis management, financing, or systems selection and implementation.  He also performs due diligence for early stage investors and assists them in transactions.

Prior to founding BSG Advisors, Ben served as CFO of a $20 million manufacturer of packaging materials and a $25 million manufacturer of bar code scanning equipment.  As CFO of the bar code scanning manufacturer, he served as a key member of a team that prepared the registration statement and prospectus for the company's initial public offering effort.  His experience includes both high growth situations and successful turnarounds.  Earlier in his career, he worked for several Fortune 100 companies in positions in Engineering, Operations, and Financial Management.  He also taught in the Graduate Business School at Fairleigh Dickinson University.  Ben received his Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering from Lehigh University and his Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Delaware.  He is active in a number of civic and charitable organizations and is a member of the Greater Philadelphia Senior Executives Group, Regional Biotech Council, MidAtlantic Angel Group, and Financial Executive Networking Group.

Terrence H. Hicks
Vice President, Investment Group, Ben Franklin Technology Group - Southeastern Pennsylvania

Terrence H. Hicks is Vice-President, Investment Group at the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania (BFTP/SEP).  The Ben Franklin Technology Partners is a State of Pennsylvania supported economic development corporation that supports the development of technology-based enterprises through a variety of investment programs and technology services.  Mr. Hicks is responsible for all of the organization’s investment activities.  BFTP/SEP has a portfolio of over 120 early and emerging stage technology companies; one of the largest such portfolios in the country.

Mr. Hicks came to the Ben Franklin Technology Partners in November, 1993 after twenty years of experience in small business lending and corporate treasury activities with Fidelity Bank (currently Wachovia) and Sun Company respectively.  Mr. Hicks previously served as Vice President of Sun Company's Specialized Small Business Investment Company, Alliance Enterprise Corporation.  He also served in numerous financial management positions at Sun, including manager of internal treasury operations and manager of special projects.

Mr. Hicks has a BA in economics from Swarthmore College and an MBA in finance from LaSalle University.  Mr. Hicks is a founder of the Minority Angel Investor Network, the nation’s only organized network of angel investors focused on investments in high-growth minority businesses and serves on the Steering Committee of Mid-Atlantic Diamond Ventures.

 

Jaine B. Lucas
Executive Director, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute and Mid-Atlantic Diamond Ventures

Jaine Lucas is the executive director of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute (IEI) and MidAtlantic Diamond Ventures (MADV).  During her career, Ms. Lucas has been a marketing and branding executive, entrepreneur and business owner, creative writer and polymer chemist. She has worked for and with start-ups and Fortune 1000 companies across many industries in strategic, creative and general management roles.

Most recently, Ms. Lucas was director of the IEI and MADV programs at Temple. Prior, she provided strategic marketing and operations leadership for a start-up apparel company targeting female sports fans.  She led brand management for the Retail Marketing division of Sunoco, including launching and managing the company’s NASCAR sponsorship, one of the largest and most complex programs in motor sports.  Ms. Lucas also managed brand marketing and communications, credit card sales, customer service, and directed the operations of the Sunoco private label credit card center.

Before her tenure at Sunoco, Ms. Lucas was a global communications leader with GE Plastics where she championed external and internal communications.  In the 1990s, she developed and operated an award-winning boutique marketing firm, Lucas & Partners, built on a novel business model.  Her prior agency experience includes The Weightman Group (Philadelphia) and a division of Chiat Day (New York) where she developed integrated marketing programs for large national B2B clients.  She was part of the team that developed the highly acclaimed branding for Dow Plastics 20 years ago which is still in use today.  Her agency work earned numerous awards for creativity and effectiveness from the NY One Club of Advertising, Addys, BMA Bell Ringers, Art Director’s Club of Philadelphia, Most Memorable Ads and Readex.

Ms. Lucas holds a M.S. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) and graduated summa cum laude and with University Honors in Chemistry from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

She is a member of the board of directors for the Entrepreneurs Forum of Greater Philadelphia, an advisory board member for PowerUp Gambia!, and a member of the Greater Philadelphia Senior Executive Group. She is a passionate advocate for those with autism and their families, and served as a member of the board of the Center for Autistic Children for over 13 years.

Bill Ringle
Executive Director, the LearnWell Center for Business Innovation

Bill Ringle works with entrepreneurs who want to grow their business and with business leaders who want their teams to act more like successful entrepreneurs. He focuses on unlocking the growth potential of companies through identifying and improving underutilized, poorly aligned, disenfranchised, and under-performing leadership, systems, and technology. In addition to running a management consulting firm and a start-up software company, he hosts the "Business Breakthroughs with Bill Ringle" TV show.  He shares his business growth insights in over 300 articles for publication online, in company newsletters, and in print publications around the world. He is the author or contributing author of four books and is an in-demand guest on radio and television. His podcasts and YouTube clips can be found online with minimal effort. He currently serves on the steering committee of the Mid-Atlantic Diamond Venture organization, affiliated with Temple University, responsible for assisting early stage high tech entrepreneurs to secure over $150 MM in funding. Ringle is current president of the World Future Society chapter of Greater Philadelphia and has served as president of the Mid-Atlantic chapter of the National Speakers Association; he has served on privately-held company, association, and educational boards. Bill Ringle has delivered presentations and seminars across the United States and on four continents. Prior to his current entrepreneurial endeavors, Bill worked as an executive with Apple, Inc. Bill Ringle is an alumnus of both Drexel University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. When he is not inspiring and educating business leaders, Bill enjoys competitive tennis, cycling, and traveling with his family.

Bernard C. Rudnick
Founder and Managing Partner, CapGenic Advisors, LLC

Bernard C. Rudnick is Founder and Managing Partner of CapGenic Advisors, LLC. He has 36 years of experience in executive-level strategy, finance, and management. Bernie has senior merger, acquisition, spin-off and capitalization/re-capitalization leadership experience with companies ranging from start-up to Fortune 50. He has held positions of CEO, COO, President, and Executive Vice President in a number of companies, and has been transactional as a financial advisor to McKesson, Mitsui and many more. He founded West Consumer Electronics, a business with revenues exceeding $60 million that achieved market leadership under his control. Following its successful sale, he consolidated 23 independent electronic distributors for a prepackaged sale to Mallory Electric, Inc. Venturing into the financial services business; he was COO of RMI Financial Services, while the business grew from start-up to a firm with $600 million in sales.

Bernie has substantial experience investing and guiding investments in entrepreneurial companies and has led or co-led capital formation totaling over $380 million in the past six years and $3 billion over the last 15 years. He is a founding member of Mid Atlantic Diamond Ventures within the Fox School of Business and sits on the Steering Committee. Bernie has served on many corporate and charitable boards throughout his career, which include Delaware and Maryland Eastern Shore March of Dimes as its Vice Chairman and the Perinatal Board of the State of Delaware, Director and CFO of GTAC, Director of GrantAdler.  He is an angel investor in Minority Angel Investors Network, on the Planning Committee and a Judge for the Philadelphia Angle Venture Fair and is actively involved in the entrepreneurial investment community.

Mr. Rudnick led the merger of Postgraduate Institute for Medicine into Jobson Publishing, Inc. to create an education and training business within a major magazine publisher serving the same healthcare markets. He co-led of the HealthStar Communications team which planned and facilitated the capital for a $250 million industry consolidation in the medical marketing sector. He led the sale and recapitalization of a Mitsui subsidiary, Mitrix. Bernie has assumed multiple interim management positions while guiding companies through transition. Examples of this include interim CFO of AudioAudit and PikoNews and CEO of CA Technology Inc. at the behest of its investors, Walden and Argosy.  He participates in committee work in a number of investment forums.

Bernie received his BS in Biochemistry from Pennsylvania State University and was conferred a postgraduate degree in administration at Northwood University. His educational development work has included educational lectures to the Wharton Executive MBA alumni group as well as Weidner University.

Joel Smith
President and CEO of J.F. Smith & Associates

Joel Smith is the President and CEO of J. F. Smith & Associates, a strategic planning and management consulting firm located in Fort Washington, PA.  Joel has over 10 years of consulting business experience coupled with nearly 30 years of corporate experience in services, product and process development in a wide range of industries and technologies.  He has held general management positions for start-ups and Fortune 500 companies.  Joel was a co-founder and principal of The People Source Group and served as general manager of HITEK, a start-up venture of Sarnoff Corporation.   He has managed turnarounds including a business unit of FMC and The Delp Corporation.  He was VP of Engineering for The Synthetics Group.  Joel has led, managed and coached financial, marketing, operations and technical professionals for over 30 years.  He has provided consulting services to internal and external customers.

Joel is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of BioStrategy Partners, and serves on the board of BioLaunch 611+ KIZ and the Steering Committee of Mid-Atlantic Diamond Ventures of Temple University.  He also serves on the boards of the Settlement Music School and the Keystone Hospice.  He is the Chair Emeritus of the Small Business Board and formerly served on the Board of Directors of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce.   

Joel holds a Bachelor Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Towne School of Engineering, University of Pennsylvania.  He has taken numerous advanced courses in management and business.  

Sheryl Winston-Smith
Assistant Professor of Strategic Management and Entrepreneurship,          Temple University

Sheryl Winston-Smith is an Assistant Professor of Strategic Management and Entrepreneurship at Temple University.  Sheryl's academic training includes a bachelor's degree from Yale University in Biology and History, her MPA degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Government of Harvard University and her Ph.D. from Harvard University.  Her areas of expertise and interest include: technology-related entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial finance, venture capital and corporate venturing, international entrepreneurship, and the economics of innovation, strategy and competitive advantage.  Her current research includes empirical research on entrepreneurship and innovation in the medical device industry.  Sheryl has held academic positions at the Sloan School of Management, MIT as well as the Carlson School of Management, University of MInnesota.  Sheryl has been the recipient of numerous fellowships and awards and brings with her several years of professional experience in the private and public sectors.

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