No longer is the United States alone in producing entrepreneurs. Countries such as China, India and Israel, to name a few, are developing world class companies. In order for the US, and in particular the Mid-Atlantic region of the country to grow economically we need to marry ideas with capital.

Since the advent of the Angel Venture Fair dozens of companies have raised millions of dollars through meeting investors at AVF or raising their visibility by participating in AVF. The Angel Venture Fair is the annual consortium of private angel investors across the mid-Atlantic region. AVF will be held on May 1, 2012 at the Union League in Philadelphia.

MANAGEMENT

Executive Director-Marc Kramer, who has a master's in management from Penn State University and bachelor of science in journalism from West Virginia University, is a serial entrepreneur and author of six business books focused on entrepreneurship. E-mail: AVF2011@gmail.com.

Director of University Entrepreneurship Relations-Ryan McKenna, a recent graduate from the West Chester University of Pennsylvania, has shown a strong passion for small business development, and has worked on initiatives that support the deployment of capital to entrepreneurs, through Angel Investments. Having finished an internship with the Pennsylvania Angel Network in July, Ryan continues to remain involved in the Tri-State Angel Investment scene, attending best practice workshops, and staying current with some of the area’s top University based entrepreneurs. Also, Ryan is an entrepreneur who is focused on clean tech companies, and business models having to do with Music/Technology convergence. E-mail at rjm1288@gmail.com


Director of Research-Julio German Arias Castillo is a sophomore in the Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business. Born and raised in Panama, since a very young age he has been interested in learning more about Latin America and the business potential of the region. This past summer, he interned in the Global Transaction Services area at Citibank Panama. Furthermore, he participated in a summer immersion program in the Pontificia Universidade Católica in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  Julio is fluent in Spanish, English, and Portuguese, and has working knowledge of French. julioa@wharton.upenn.edu

Director of Digital Marketing/Public Relations-  Candace Kilstein is an undergraduate student majoring in Business Administration with a dual concentration in Entrepreneurship and Marketing, with a minor in Economics from Temple University’s Fox School of Business. Candace is an aspiring entrepreneur who has been coordinating and promoting events at various venues throughout the east coast, managing bands and booking tours since the age of 16, as well as co-founding a record and clothing store in her home town of Lancaster, Pennsylvania prior to moving to Philadelphia.  Most recently she organized Entrepreneurial Networking Philadelphia, a yearly event which provides entrepreneurs the opportunity to network, find mentors, and gain business insights from local CEO’s and small business owners. candace.kilstein@temple.edu

Co-Director of Twitter Outrreach-Dan Goren- Senior marketing major at Temple University with a minor in Information Technology Information and Entrepreneurship. He is planning on graduating in December of 2012. Dan worked at Allstate Insurance Company as an inside sales intern and is currently working with Dr. Maggie Baker to promote her digital image and book, Crazy About Money. With a passion in sales, his future goals are to eventually own his own business. He is originally from Long Island, NY and is an avid golfer and big basketball fan. daniel.goren@temple.edu

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Richard Levin is currently Chairman of the Private Investors Forum (PIF); serves as President of Hartford Financial Corp., a full service Finance and Leasing Company and plays an active roll in Blue Ribbon Services, a Mass Transit Management company. In addition, Richard has invested in several “early stage” companies in the Philadelphia area. After graduating from Temple University, Richard began his career in the Vending Services field. He started in route sales and eventually became President of Blue Ribbon Services, a full service Vending and Food Service firm with headquarters in Philadelphia and branch offices in New Jersey and Delaware. While serving as President, he grew sales from $1.5 million to over $110 million per year and counted over 375 of the “Fortune 500" companies as his clients. Under his management, Blue Ribbon became the largest independent Food Service Company in the Mid-Atlantic region. Upon the merger of Blue Ribbon and Canteen Corporation in 1993, Richard spun off and reestablished the Mass Transit Management Division and the Coffee Services Divisions of the company and continued to manage those businesses. In 1995, Richard began his affiliation with Starbucks Coffee, becoming their exclusive distributor in the region.

Melvin J. Buckman is one of the five individuals who founded PIF (then known as Pennsylvania Private Investors Group) in 1990, and he has served as president ever since. By profession, Mr. Buckman is a lawyer, having practiced, during his career, with the U.S. Small Business Administration, General Electric Company, a law firm in Philadelphia (since disbanded) and, beginning in 1983, the firm of McCausland Keen & Buckman, in Radnor, PA, in which he was one of the name partners. Mr. Buckman retired from the practice of law in 2005.

Steve Harris is a Founder and a Vice President of Private Equity Management Company and a General Partner of the TDH III partnership. He is also a founding Managing Principal of MidCoast Capital, LLC, a merchant bank focusing on the acquisition of private equity fund secondary interests as well as interests in private companies. Prior to forming Private Equity Management/TDH and MidCoast Capital, Mr. Harris is a CPA. He has an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where he attended on a fully paid fellowship and where he served as a supervising consultant in the Wharton Small Business Development Center and a teaching assistant for graduate level courses. He received an AB from Duke University (Phi Beta Kappa, Summa Cum Laude).

Mark Heil is the founder of CereNova Fund Marketing, LLC which provides capital raising and marketing services primarily to venture and buyout funds. Mr. Heil has worked on successful capital raising campaigns totaling over half of billion dollars for private equity funds (venture, growth capital, mezzanine, venture debt, buyout). Through this experience, he has developed relationships with a number of institutional investors, fund-of-funds and professionally-managed investment offices for high net-worth individuals. Marketing services include limited partner relations, annual meeting planning and public relations. Mr. Heil maintains Series 7, 63 and 65 licenses through FCG Advisors, LLC, a FINRA and SIPC member.In 1986, Mr. Heil graduated with an MBA from Drexel University with a concentration in Marketing. He received his undergraduate degree from St. Joseph’s University in 1984. While earning honors, Mr. Heil graduated with double major in Marketing and Finance.

Henry Ian Pass, Esq. is a commercial litigation and transactional attorney with offices in the Philadelphia suburb of Bala Cynwyd, PA. A native of Boston Massachusetts, Henry is a 1972 cum laude graduate of Boston University’s College of Liberal Arts with distinction in Political Science and a 1975 cum laude graduate of Temple University School of Law where he served as Research Editor of the Law Review. Henry returned to Temple as an instructor in its Department of Legal and Real Estate Studies from 1977-1981. While serving as Associate General Counsel for The Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company from 1981-1995, he was responsible for diverse and sophisticated transactions and litigation involving Penn Mutual’s multi-billion dollar investment portfolio. Henry has developed a successful private law practice with significant expertise in business transactions and commercial litigation, in which he handles a wide variety of matters including securities litigation, business formations and business disputes, mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, venture capital and other private equity investments, financing, and real estate transactions.

David Resnik, president of Centrell Group, has made a career with technology startups which he either founded our co-founded leading to several successful exits to both public and private companies. His passion for startups is combined with the desire to create quality job opportunities and has been key in the development of over a hundred new positions through his companies. been focusing in the Healthcare sector developing business and funding for several healthcare startups. One of these startups, a Blood Management company, was recently acquired by a NYSE listed medical device company. David successfully raised funding for several startups as a Limited Partner with Zon Capital Partners, a venture capital fund. He brought in several deals leading to Series A in addition to the acquisition. Mr. Resnik graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and currently resides in Birchrunville, PA.