About our team

The Band of Angels is one large team. A permanent staff helps coordinate its activities, some members serve on the standing committees.

Ian Sobieski, PhD Chairman — **Ian Sobieski, PhD**
Chairman

Tim Taylor Presentation Coach — **Tim Taylor**
Presentation Coach

Ron Collett Software — **Ron Collett**
Deal Screening, Software

**Mike Maszy**
Deal Screening and SiG, Life Sciences

**Richard Pivnicka**
Deal Screening, Generalist

**Vinod Mahendroo**
Deal Screening, Generalist

Rob Hess Miscellaneous — **Rob Hess**
Deal Screening, Generalist

Jack Guedj Venture Capital — **Jack Guedj**
Venture Capital SiG

Garrett Gilbertson Los Angeles — **Garrett Gilbertson**
Los Angeles SiG

Larry Kelly Energy — **Larry Kelly**
Energy SiG

Jaleh Daie, PhD AgFoodHealthspan — **Jaleh Daie, PhD**
AgFoodHealthspan Vertical

**Kian Sandjideh**
Digital Media & Entertainment SiG

Bruce Walicek, MBA HardTech — **Bruce Walicek**
HardTech SiG

Austin Earlich HardTech — **Austin Earlich**
HardTech SiG

Ron Weissman, PhD Software — **Ron Weissman, PhD**
Enterprise Software and AI SiG

Ron Burns Software — **Ron Burns**
Enterprise Software and AI SiG

AFH Advisory Council

The AgFoodHealthspan (AFH) Advisory Council includes participation of people with deep FoodTech domain expertise (eg. real life farmers/growers, CEOs, attorneys, and similar) who assist Band member Jaleh Daie, Chair of the AFH Vertical in deal sourcing and evaluating startup opportunities in this space.

Life Sciences/MedTech Advisory Council

The Life Sciences/MedTech Advisory Council consists of physicians, medical device entrepreneurs, life sciences consultants, educators, and practitioners who provide real world feedback in the evaluation of startup opportunities presented at the Life Sciences/MedTech Special Interest Group (SiG) led by Band member Mike Maszy.

Financing Your Venture

Ian Sobieski, Chairman of the Band, highlights the benefits and specialties of angel investors, underlines the keys to finding and engaging an angel, and defines how to get the most out of your relationship with your investor after the deal is made. Videos courtesy of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.