Selection Committee

iSelect’s Selection Committees consist of subject matter experts, investment professionals, scientists, and entrepreneurs who help guide iSelect’s investment decisions in AgTech, Health, and Food. With the Selection Committee’s firsthand experience and a true pulse on their industries, these individuals expand the scope of our industry network.  This network is a cornerstone of iSelect’s process of sourcing, diligence, and investing in innovative companies across our verticals.

William Burnidge

William Burnidge

Food & Agriculture

As deputy director of The Nature Conservancy’s Regenerative Grazing Lands strategy in North America, William leads on-the-ground testing and research of improved ranch management frameworks and tools, and he regularly communicates results with ranchers, land…

Read full bio >

Brad Fruth

Brad Fruth

Food & Agriculture

As the director of innovation at Beck’s Hybrids, Brad Fruth works to deliver value to the American farmer. For more than 18 years, he has dedicated his days (and nights) to delivering the successful convergence…

Read full bio >

Cheryl A. Van Dyne

Food & Agriculture

Cheryl Van Dyne is an experienced regulatory affairs professional with specializations in the biotech food, feed, excipient, cosmetic, chemical, and oilfield industries. After 22 years at CP Kelco as Director of Global Regulatory Affairs, Cheryl…

Read full bio >

Renée Vassilos

Food & Agriculture

Renée Vassilos is The Nature Conservancy’s Director of Agriculture Innovation. She manages TNC’s investments in innovative companies that will help scale regenerative agriculture production practices. Prior to joining The Nature Conservancy, Renée spent nearly a…

Read full bio >

Ruchir Sehra

Healthcare

Ruchir Sehra, M.D., is a medtech executive with extensive experience in early (private), mid (public), and late stage (acquisition) medical device companies in various health and disease areas. Dr. Sehra currently serves as the CEO…

Read full bio >

Bill Northcott

Food & Agriculture

Bill Northcott is the Chief Innovation Officer at Agrible. He works on developing and researching the science and feasibility of new products. Bill is a sixth generation farmer and currently manages a 500 acre corn/soybean…

Read full bio >

Surekha Trivedi

Healthcare

Surekha Trivedi is VP Strategic Development at Danaher. She is a Senior Strategy, M&A, and Product Development Executive with a deep understanding of the life sciences, diagnostics, and healthcare markets. Recognized as a strategy expert…

Read full bio >

Chris Harbourt

Chris Harbourt

Food & Agriculture

Chris Harbourt, Ph.D., co-founder of Agrible, Inc., is a world-class scientist and engineer with an eye on innovation and growth. Chris brings over 25 years of agricultural experience to Agrible and is heavily involved in…

Read full bio >

Jill Davies

Healthcare

Jill Davies is Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer for GeneMatters. Jill has more than 20 years’ experience in the genetics field, with leadership in clinical services, telehealth, product development, business development and operations. Prior to…

Read full bio >

Tony Tether

National Security

Dr. Anthony J. Tether, also known as Tony, Ph.D., is the Chief Executive Officer at The Sequoia Group (TSG). He served as the Chief Executive Officer and President of The Sequoia Group from 1996 to…

Read full bio >

Tom Willis

Food & Agriculture, Resource Efficiency

Mr. Tom Willis serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Conestoga Energy Partners LLC. Mr. Willis is responsible for all aspects of the business. He joined Conestoga in November 2006. He possesses widespread knowledge in…

Read full bio >

Todd Mockler

Todd Mockler

Food & Agriculture

Todd is a recognized expert in functional genomics, bioinformatics, and plant systems biology, and is focused on accelerating discovery and development by more accurately predicting plant performance. He has built capabilities and toolsets that manipulate…

Read full bio >

Tim Woods

Food & Agriculture

Tim is Vice President of G.M. Lawerence and Company, with a demonstrated history of working in the farming industry. He is skilled in management, agricultural production, precision agriculture, agribusiness, and strategic planning. Tim graduated with…

Read full bio >

Susan Richmond Johnson

Susan Johnson is a seasoned manager known for her organizational acumen and expertise in change management and disaster response. The American Academy of Project Management has certified Susan as a Master Project Manager (MPM) and…

Read full bio >

Steve Barr

Food & Agriculture, Resource Efficiency

Mr. Steve Barr is a Co-Founder of Osborn & Barr Communications, Inc. and served as its Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Barr has more than 35 years of marketing and communications planning experience. He is a…

Read full bio >

Nathan McNulty

Healthcare

Vice President of Research at Matatu, Nathan McNulty is microbiologist with a passion for addressing complex problems in healthcare, nutrition, and agriculture using innovative technologies, carefully conducted science, and teamwork.

Read full bio >

Natalie DiNicola

Natalie DiNicola

Food & Agriculture

Dr. DiNicola has over 20 years of experience in the agri-food industry and a decade of experience in sustainability and agriculture development. Through DiNicola LLC, she consults for established and emerging companies and public institutions…

Read full bio >

Kevin Van Trump

Kevin Van Trump

Food & Agriculture

Kevin has over 20 years experience in the grain and livestock industry. He is the publisher of The Van Trump Report, a daily agricultural newsletter that contains some of the best and most comprehensive agricultural…

Read full bio >

Eric Jackson

Food & Agriculture

Eric is the Chief Executive at Pipeline Foods. Eric started his career at The Pillsbury Company where he received his classic commodity merchandising training and became the Manager of Market Development for their Speciality Commodities…

Read full bio >

Emily Fassi

Healthcare

Emily Fassi is a board-certified genetic counselor with experience counseling adults and children about genetic diagnoses and predisposition to genetic conditions. She currently works at the Mountain States Tumor Institute with patients who have a…

Read full bio >

David Messina

Healthcare

Dr. David Messina has spent the last 20 years in computational biology and genetics. He worked on the Human Genome Project at Washington University in Saint Louis, mapped disease genes at the University of Chicago,…

Read full bio >

Bruce German

Food & Agriculture, Healthcare

Dr. Bruce German is a Professor and Chemist of Food Science and Technology at the University of California, Davis and researches the role of fats and other components in the diet. He develops ways to…

Read full bio >

Melissa Walker

Healthcare

A regulatory professional with over 27 years of experience in the medical products industry, Melissa currently serves as Founder, President and CTO at Graematter, Inc. and Senior VP Regulatory at Topera. Specialties include regulatory intelligence research and reporting,…

Read full bio >

Andrew Daniels

Andrew Daniels

Food & Agriculture, Healthcare

Andy Daniels is a seasoned business executive and successful entrepreneur, an active angel investor, and serves on multiple governing boards with companies in the areas of venture capital, wealth management, agriculture, healthcare, technology innovation, commodity…

Read full bio >

Trey Sherman

Food & Agriculture

Trey Sherman is President of Oak River Farms

Read full bio >

Rachel Kopay

Food & Agriculture

Rachel is a Senior Associate at The Context Network, a business management and strategy consulting firm providing services to the world’s leading agriculture, biotechnology and food companies. She was previously an International Sales & Project…

Read full bio >

Paul Olivo

Healthcare

Dr. Paul D. Olivo, M.D., Ph.D., has been the Chief Scientific Officer of Apath, LLC since 2000 and served as its President. Dr. Olivo is an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at BioGenerator, where he previously served as a…

Read full bio >

Roger Beachy

Roger Beachy

Food & Agriculture

The founding president of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, Missouri where he served as Emeritus President and Director for 10 years. Roger is currently Executive Director at World Food Center at University of California,…

Read full bio >

Bobby Sandage

Bobby Sandage

Healthcare

Bobby Sandage is currently President and CEO of Euclises, Chairman of the Board of Immunophotonics, member of the board of directors of EDIS, and a member of the Cultivation Capital life sciences fund investment committee. He was…

Read full bio >

Gian Cavallini

Healthcare

Gian Cavallini oversees the development and execution of Advanced ICU Care’s medical staffing growth strategy and leads the implementation of various initiatives to position the company for continued growth. His expertise in development and operations,…

Read full bio >

Michael Beat

Michael Beat

Healthcare

Presently leading Arch Cancer Care as Medical Director, Dr. Beat is a local expert in collaborative prostate cancer management. At a national level, he contributes to physician leadership committees within the US Oncology Network. Having earned an executive…

Read full bio >

Paul Beuttenmuller

Healthcare

Mr. Beuttenmuller possesses over 30 years experience in Corporate Finance with Emerson Electric, Esse Health, Essence Healthcare and Innovare. He is experienced in financial analysis, risk management, mergers and acquisitions, new business development, start-ups, strategic…

Read full bio >

Michael Tomassan

Healthcare

Professor of Internal Medicine – Hematology, Oncology and Blood and Marrow Transplantation at UUniversity of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine and former Professor of Medicine and Genetics at Washington University…

Read full bio >

John Talley

Healthcare

Dr. John Talley, Chief Science Officer for Euclises Pharmaceuticals and SARmont,  brings over thirty years experience and a record as one of the world’s most successful medicinal chemists. He is best known as the co-inventor…

Read full bio >

Bryce Rutter

Bryce Rutter

B2B Technology, Healthcare

Dr. Rutter is founder and CEO of Metaphase Design Group, a design firm serving industrial, commercial and consumer product and packaging clients internationally.  He is an acknowledged specialist in ergonomic product design and a leading…

Read full bio >

Tom Adamitis

Food & Agriculture

Tom Adamitis is Managing Director at Yield Lab. He formerly served as the Global Vice President of Raw Materials and Energy Procurement for Anheuser-Busch InBev, one of the world’s largest consumer product companies. He supported…

Read full bio >

Mark Byrne

Healthcare

Mark has served as ProteoSense’s CEO since 2013. Previously, Mark served as CEO/COO of several startups, including Assurex Health (2006-09). Mark earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the Univ. of Dayton and an M.S….

Read full bio >

Chris Eckert

Food & Agriculture

Chris is the president of Eckert’s Inc., a family farm in southern Illinois. The Eckert’s farm has been in the family for seven generations. They farm 600 acres of fruit and vegetable crops as well…

Read full bio >

Brian Buntaine

Food & Agriculture, Healthcare

Before joining OTMIR in 2016, Brian Buntaine worked for more than 15 years in the life sciences industry. He began his career as a lab manager at Washington University in St. Louis. In 2003, Brian joined…

Read full bio >

Dr. Brendan Niemira

Food & Agriculture

Dr. Brendan A. Niemira is the Research Leader of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Intervention Technologies Research Unit. He leads a team of 30+ scientists, engineers, technicians, postdocs and students in Wyndmoor,…

Read full bio >

Bob Whitaker

Food & Agriculture

Dr. Bob Whitaker joined Produce Marketing Association (PMA) in 2008 as Chief Science & Technology Officer, responsible for food safety, technology, supply chain management and sustainability. Bob has served on the Center for Produce Safety…

Read full bio >

Berwick Settle

Food & Agriculture

Berwick Settle is a Dairy Farm Management Specialist, managing a large scale dairy operation in Beijing, China.

Read full bio >

Barry Goldman, PhD

Barry Goldman, PhD

Food & Agriculture

Barry Goldman is the Vice President and Head of Discovery at Indigo. Using novel computational, sequencing and laboratory technologies, he is responsible for identifying the microbes that enable Indigo’s first generation of products. Barry brings more than…

Read full bio >

Dr. Albert Edwards

Healthcare

Edwards was employed for 42 years in the pharmaceutical and life sciences arenas. From 1990 to 2010, he held Regulatory Affairs positions of increasing responsibility at TAP/Takeda Global Research & Development Center, Lake Forest, Illinois. …

Read full bio >

Brian Fielding

Brian Fielding

B2B Technology

Brian Fielding has over 30 years experience as an attorney, business executive, and consultant in digital media, broadcasting, technology and licensing. He was on the senior leadership team for 15 years at Audible.com, during its…

Read full bio >

PJ Piper

PJ Piper

Resource Efficiency

Mr. Piper has extensive experience in start-up company development in founder, investor, board member, and executive roles. His experience encompasses intellectual property assessment, building strong development and management teams, raising private investment and government funding,…

Read full bio >

Michael Nichols

Michael Nichols

B2B Technology, Healthcare

Michael Nichols, Ph.D. presently serves as an investor and C level management for various startups. He serves as an Analyst for Vinlogx, a platform that acquires, stores, and analyses internal vehicle information enabling solutions across…

Read full bio >

David Waserstein

David Waserstein

Resource Efficiency

Mr. Waserstein is currently the Founder and Managing Partner of SOIL Funds Management, LLC. The firm targets control and semi-control investments in resource efficiency, renewable energy, and other sustainable businesses. It’s inaugural fund, Sustainable Opportunities…

Read full bio >

Glen Swanson

Glen Swanson

Food & Agriculture

Glenn Swanson serves as the President of Daniels Trading. He brings a well-rounded commodity and foreign exchange background to the firm’s day-to-day operations. Glenn has an in-depth knowledge of trading technology and the order execution…

Read full bio >

Braden Hudye

Braden Hudye

Food & Agriculture

Braden Hudye is a managing partner of The Hudye Group, a 3rd generation family owned company involved in Agriculture, Commercial Real Estate, Multi Family Residential Real Estate, Development Property, as well as other equity investments…

Read full bio >

David Christenson

David Christenson



Healthcare

David Christenson joined BioGenerator as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence in 2015 focusing primarily on healthcare and specifically in information technology, care delivery and payment, and services. Over a 30-year career, David has developed a substantive background in…

Read full bio >

Ron Lirette

Food & Agriculture

Ron is a biotech consultant primarily focused on agricultural biotechnology with knowledge of pharmaceutical product development. He has extensive, successful experience in product characterization of products improved through modern biotechnology Able to provide guidance at any level…

Read full bio >

Russ Conser

Russ Conser

Resource Efficiency

Mr. Conser has very deep and broad experience in emerging energy technology, and is an expert in both theory and practice corporate innovation and venturing. Russ currently serves as a board member to StarRotor Corporation,…

Read full bio >

michael ware

Michael Ware

Resource Efficiency

Mr. Ware is the founder of Advance Capital Markets, Inc. a private investment firm with a long and successful track record in the energy and power industries. He served as a financial advisor and then…

Read full bio >

Paul Nelson

Paul Nelson

Resource Efficiency

Mr. Nelson has over 20 years of energy, entrepreneurial, business management and technology development/research experience.  He is currently managing partner at Saoradh Energy Partners LLC and was recently president of Ward Alternative Energy (a Saoradh…

Read full bio >

Sanjay Jain

B2B Technology

Co-founder & CEO of LaserBand from January 2001 through July 2012, Sanjay led the sale of the company to Zebra Technologies Inc. From 1996 to 2001, he was founder, Chairman and CEO of WorkNet Communications,…

Read full bio >

Ken Harrington

Ken Harrington

B2B Technology

As Managing Director of the Skandalaris Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, Ken has led the Center to become a top-five ranked university in entrepreneurship and innovation offering over 80 entrepreneurial courses and numerous co-curricular programs that connect…

Read full bio >

Hal Gentry

Hal Gentry

B2B Technology

With 30+ years of experience in the software industry as a CEO and Angel Investor.  Hal founded, served as CEO and ultimately sold two successful software businesses, Gentry Systems and GridLogix.  He is currently a partner…

Read full bio >

Renaldo Cataldo

Dr. Renato Cataldo

B2B Technology, Healthcare

An accomplished senior executive with start-ups, growth, and turn-around organizations, Renato developed a healthcare technology corporation, HealthTech Solutions, from a small start-up of 3 people to a national provider of technical solutions to health care…

Read full bio >

Register to Learn More