Tuesday, May 21st, 2019

1:30 PM - 2:30 PM

Track II: Ahmanson Hall, Webcast

Investments and Partnerships in Wellness - Sports - Athletes - Science Companies

Kristina Serafim, Director, Verizon Ventures

Paul Sterling, Vice President of Emerging Products, UnitedHealthcare

Derrick Morgan, NFL Star, Tennessee Titans, Managing Partner, Huddle Ventures

Angela Abshier, CMO, Flote CBD and Board member, Freedom Football League

Moderator - Gregory Bedrosian, Managing Partner & CEO, Drake Star Partners

Paul Sterling is Vice President of Emerging Products at UnitedHealthcare. In this role, Paul is focused on the integration of new and emerging technologies (e.g. internet of things, artificial intelligence, and data analytics) with contemporary health benefit plan designs. Paul is dedicated to using technology to help solve the long-standing and important challenges facing the health care system. He brings more than 15 years of experience in health care and management consulting, holding various executive positions in product and business development at Optum, AccentCare, and Accenture. Paul holds an MBA from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota and a bachelor of sciences degree in Management Information Systems from Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Kristina Serafim, Director, Verizon Ventures: Kristina Serafim is a Director at Verizon Ventures. Kristina joined Verizon Ventures from Verizon’s Big Data and Artificial Intelligence product team. Prior to Verizon, Kristina was a Director at Intellectual Ventures, where she led investments in machine learning, media, advertising, and gaming technologies Kristina’s entrepreneurial experience includes co-founding and leading two software companies, from their inception to acquisition. Kristina also spent several years on the strategy and corporate development teams at IBM and at NAGRA Innovations. She received an electrical and mechanical engineering degree from Kettering University and an MBA from Harvard University.

Derrick Morgan has been a staple Linebacker in the National Football League since he was drafted 16th overall by the Tennesee Titans in the 2010 NFL Draft. Derrick attended Georgia Tech and the University of Miami where he received his MBA. He has focused on Impact Investing where he advises and invests in companies and organizations that offer a solution to social and environmental issues. Derrick, the 2nd active NFL player to become an open advocate for medical cannabis use is a Board Member at Athletes for Care where he champions the awareness and research of cannabis to heal and treat the chronic physical and emotional pain associated with retired athletes. He also serves as a member of NFLPA pain management committee and a partner of  “With Love from Freddie”. Derrick is married to celebrity vegan chef, Charity Morgan and together they serve as brand ambassadors for Beyond Meat and have two children.  Besides his family and professional endeavors, his faith is the centerpiece of his life.

Angela Abshier, CMO, Flote CBD and Board member, Freedom Football League: Angela is an intellectual property lawyer turned entrepreneur and innovation strategist. Her  passion for technology and creative industries led her to study intellectual property. Since then, in nearly all of her professional endeavors, she has sought to create equity around art, commerce and technology. Angela has broad experience in contract law, licensing, marketing, supply chain, corporate governance and product development. Angela spent a large portion of her career gaining credentials within the casino gaming industry while pursuing entrepreneurial endeavors in a variety of digital media formats. Between 2008 -2011, during her tenure at Aristocrat Technologies, she was hired as Creative Director and promoted to Global General Manager for Marketing Insights. In this role Angela organized, planned and managed all consumer-facing insights programs including focus testing, player segmentation studies and product research; all of which were used to inform product development. In 2015 Angela was hired by the Downtown Grand Resort and Casino to identify and define the future-gamer by studying the phenomenon of esports. Downtown Grand became the first Las Vegas resort to aggressively target this market. She went on to work with New York based The Gamer Agency to create esports strategies for hotel properties and corporate entities around the world before joining The Loop Hotels. At The Loop she was responsible for developing  a comprehensive esports strategy across this exciting new life-style/hospitality brand. Angela currently serves as a founding Board Member for the Freedom Football League and is creating her own sustainable clothing brand using only deadstock material.

Gregory Bedrosian is Managing Partner & CEO of Drake Star Partners. Gregory is an award-winning, seasoned investment banker and private equity investor whose experience spans both domestic and cross-border M&A and private equity transactions across the US, Europe and emerging markets.  Amongst his numerous honors, Gregory received the 2016 M&A Advisor Leadership Award and is an M&A Advisor Hall of Fame inductee. Prior to Drake Star Partners, Gregory was a co-founder of Renaissance Capital, a leading investment bank focused on the emerging markets of Russia, Eastern Europe and Africa and co-founder and General Partner of The Sputnik Funds, a $1 billion private equity investment firm. Gregory began his career in the merchant banking department of Credit Suisse First Boston in London and the leveraged buyout group of Salomon Brothers (now part of Citigroup) in New York. Gregory is a member of The Council on Foreign Relations and he is a regular speaker and panelist at leading industry and academic forums. He has served on numerous corporate and non-profit boards across the US and Europe. He is currently an Advisor at the Harvard Innovation Lab (i-Lab) and sits on the Business Advisory Council of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. He also chairs the Investment Committee of a $100 million New York-based foundation and sits on the Board of a $100 million emerging markets investment fund. He previously served on the Harvard Business School Alumni Board of Directors (Emeritus). Gregory holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BS in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.