Builders VC

Tarik Sultan is a Partner and Head of MENA at Builders, overseeing the firm's operations, investment strategy, and portfolio work across the Middle East and North Africa. He is a Founding Partner at Sultan Ventures and created the XLR8 accelerator platform, and Sultan Ventures acquired Acasia (formerly Cairo Angels), a venture-building platform in MENA. An inventor and patent holder, he has advised universities, governments, and corporates on innovation and venture strategy.

Alex Kinnier, a product-first investor and active founder/CEO, uses product experience from Google, P&G, and Opower to help brick-and-mortar businesses add data-driven digital layers improving traffic, margins, and measurement.

Amit Mehta, a practicing interventional radiologist who invests, brings day-to-day medical experience most venture investors lack; he co-founded and was CMO of Intrinsic Imaging, imaging CRO acquired by WCG Clinical.

Jim Kim is a repeat fund founder who built venture platforms, started GE's venture effort, targets low‑tech industries like agriculture and healthcare, and provides confidential in‑house therapy for founders.

Jocelyn Doe blends Modern Money and financial wellness investing with capital‑markets expertise—structuring financings and accessing later‑stage capital—via senior Wall Street–Silicon Valley roles and fintech exits like SoFi, Figure, Volta.

Mark Blackwell is COO at Builders. He previously was a Product Manager at SolarWinds after it acquired GNS3 Technologies, where he was co-founder and COO, and earlier served as an investment manager at Cenovus Energy's corporate venture fund and in technology investment banking at CIBC World Markets.

Mike Rosengarten is a former OpenGov CTO and Camino co‑founder/CEO with deep operator experience in government software, who scaled Camino to 100+ government customers and navigated long, compliance‑heavy procurement cycles.

Andrew Schmitt is a Principal at Builders VC, where he invests in B2B and AI companies with a focus on frontier applications across infrastructure, industrials, and data, working with technical founders from the earliest stages. He previously worked at Bessemer Venture Partners and Smith Point Capital, investing in AI applications, data infrastructure, and cybersecurity, and began his career at J.P. Morgan and FT Partners working on IPOs. He holds a BS in Finance and Math from Washington University in St. Louis.

Jim Blome is a board member at Taranis with over 30 years of experience in agribusiness. He has worked across global markets in business development, team management, and strategic planning.

Johnny LaLonde is a coach, counselor, and teacher who supports founders and leaders at Builders VC portfolio companies through the personal and professional demands of scaling a business. His work includes one-on-one founder coaching, co-founder alignment sessions, team off-sites, and facilitating conversations during critical moments, drawing on clinical experience and leadership development. Earlier, he founded a counseling center and directed the City Church San Francisco Counseling Center.

Mun-Yew Wong is a Managing Partner focused on venture capital and private equity investments across Technology, Energy, and Healthcare sectors. He serves as a Board Member at Datakrew and brings operational and business development expertise in hospital and healthcare settings.

Steve Dell'Orto is the founder and CEO of ConCntric, a preconstruction platform designed to integrate data, workflows, and stakeholders across fragmented project environments. With 26 years of construction industry experience, including a former executive role at a major domestic general contractor where he oversaw significant regional expansion and notable projects such as the Golden State Warriors Arena and Salesforce Tower, Dell'Orto also serves as an investor and advisor to construction technology ventures.

Tom Halbouty serves as an Industry Advisor at Builders VC, where he focuses on innovation programs spanning science, engineering, operations, and technology. His expertise includes investment analysis, business planning, process consulting, and systems integration across information technology and business domains.

Angelica Maestas leads Strategic Partnerships and New Mexico Expansion at Builders, working to grow the firm's presence in the Southwest and build partnerships with industry, national labs, academic institutions, and government leaders while sourcing and supporting investments. She has over 15 years of experience in healthtech as a founder, operator, and investor, and co-founded a healthcare analytics company focused on population health and cost containment that was acquired in 2021. She also leads HealthInno, a healthcare innovation hub, and hosts the podcast She's Ambitious AF.

Avi Pradhan is an Associate at Builders VC, focused on founders working in legacy industries. He previously worked as an Associate at Nine Four Ventures (proptech and fintech) in Chicago, and held roles at Supernode Ventures in New York and Muse Capital in Los Angeles. He founded eBlackboard, an edtech platform for underserved students in Nepal, and led product and marketing growth at Odynn and Clipbook. He holds a degree in Finance, Marketing, and Operations from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Cara Hu is an Associate on Builders VC's Enterprise & AI investment team, where she focuses on AI-enabled products and infrastructure for legacy and industrial workflows, handling sourcing, diligence, and deal execution. She previously worked as an Investment Analyst at Five Elms Capital evaluating B2B SaaS businesses, and has prior experience in private equity at Kinzie Capital Partners and early-stage deep tech investing at Gen 1 Capital. She holds a B.A. in Mathematics and Economics from Northwestern University and an M.S. in Statistics from the University of Missouri–Kansas City.

Declan Sander is an Analyst at Builders VC who focuses on technology addressing food systems, community health infrastructure, and resource efficiency. He was previously an Analyst at Alpaca VC in New York, working on PropTech, AgTech, and supply chain investments, and earlier worked on the trading floor at RBC Capital Markets. He co-founded and serves as Treasurer of Birchbark Health, an Indigenous-led nonprofit, and holds a BComm in Finance from the University of Calgary.

Fernanda Braz leads Portfolio Growth & Expansion for MENA at Builders VC, helping portfolio companies enter and scale across Qatar and the wider Middle East. She has over a decade of experience across the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America in opening markets and building partnerships, and previously served as Country Director at Oxford Business Group leading economic research and advisory projects. She is also a former founder who launched ventures in food-tech and professional services.

Isaac Dinner is a data scientist and business academic working at the intersection of applied statistics, machine learning, product, and growth strategy. He currently leads data science and ML-driven growth initiatives at Vivid Seats and advises startups through Builders VC. He previously held faculty positions at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School and IE Business School, and worked at the National Bureau of Economic Research, Airbnb, Indeed, and Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette. He holds a PhD in Marketing from Columbia Business School, an MA in Statistics from Columbia University, and an SB in Mathematics from MIT.

Johnny Chankhamany is an Executive Director at Builders VC, focused on regional ecosystem development and strategic partnerships. Before joining the firm in 2022, he worked in Investor Relations at HEI, Inc. He holds a Master's in Finance and a Bachelor's in Business Administration from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Yousef Azzam is an Analyst at Builders VC, where he supports the firm's MENA investment efforts by sourcing early stage opportunities and assisting with diligence, working with founders building technologies across infrastructure, industrial systems, and applied AI. He previously worked at the Investment Management Corporation of Ontario and held earlier roles at PwC and Qatar National Bank. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance from the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management.

Mark Goldstein is founder and chairman of The Digital Health Hub Foundation and Digital Health Awards. He has launched multiple companies across retail, investing, healthcare, gaming, and accounting sectors, and has held leadership roles in industry trade associations. Over the past decade, he has worked as an investor and advisor in digital health and wellness, including involvement with a seed fund and a Series A venture fund.