Duke Capital Partners

Dave Neal has served on the Duke Capital Partners Operating Team since 2018, working on sourcing, deal screening, and other venture capital activities. Since 1994 he has held Founder, CEO, CFO, and General Counsel roles for companies in the Research Triangle, and in 2011 he co-founded The Startup Factory accelerator, which made 35 investments from 2012 to 2015. He has taught entrepreneurship at UNC's Kenan-Flagler Business School and law at the UNC School of Law, and holds a B.S. and J.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an M.B.A. from Stanford University.

A’nna Kelly is a third-year PhD candidate in Biomedical Engineering researching meniscus tissue repair and its potential to reverse osteoarthritis. She intends to pursue a career in biotech and life science venture capital after graduation. She earned her B.S. in Bioengineering from Clemson University.

Annika Farkas is an MBA candidate at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business, where she is a Forté Fellow, a Fuqua Impact Scholar, and is pursuing a Certificate in Health Sector Management. She holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of Michigan and has prior work experience in the pharmaceutical and consumer packaged goods industries. Her stated interest is in improving health outcomes through commercializing innovative medical solutions.

Austin Dixon is an attending radiologist on faculty at Duke University, where he trained in general radiology and neuroradiology. He has been involved with Duke Capital Partners since 2018 and holds an MD and MBA from the University of Pennsylvania.

Blake Bacevich is an MD/MBA candidate at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business and Harvard Medical School. A former Division I football player, he co-founded a neurotechnology venture focused on sports-related concussions and contributes to a Duke-based biotechnology startup working on arthroscopic surgery solutions. His stated interests include healthcare strategy, private equity/venture capital, and value-based care, with a focus on healthcare delivery, medtech, and high-growth healthcare companies.

Blake Ohanesian is a second-year Duke Law student pursuing a dual degree in Law & Entrepreneurship. He plans to join Latham & Watkins LLP as a corporate attorney working with private equity and venture capital clients. Before law school, he worked in management consulting after earning a B.B.A. in Finance from Baylor University.

Bobby Y.X. Ni is a second-year Ph.D. student in Biomedical Engineering at Duke University, working in John Hickey's lab, and is concurrently pursuing a Master's in Computer Science. His research centers on machine learning algorithms and computational models for spatial-omics data to study tissue organization and disease progression. He previously earned a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering with a minor in Mathematics from Johns Hopkins University.

Chelsea Harris is a third-year general surgery resident at Duke who intends to subspecialize in cardiothoracic surgery. She holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and aims to combine her interests in cardiac surgery and business to address clinical problems.

Christian Ezealigo is an MBA candidate at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business, concentrating on Finance, Entrepreneurship, and Energy. Before Fuqua, he held Commercial Finance and Strategic Finance roles at General Electric, ServiceNow, and Pinterest, where he worked with Cloud Infrastructure, Engineering, and Product teams on investment decisions and financial strategy. He focuses on AI infrastructure and energy transition technologies.

Christopher Kaminski is a third-year Ph.D. candidate in Mechanical Engineering at Duke University, where he studies unsteady aerodynamic phenomena in turbomachinery with the AeroElasticity research group. He previously worked in the aerospace industry on Florida's Space Coast and holds a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Central Florida.

Clarissa Phillips is a second-year Duke Law student pursuing a dual degree in Law & Entrepreneurship. She intends to focus on helping international businesses access US capital markets. Before law school, she worked in digital product management, designing website and mobile app features for public and private companies.

Damon Burrow is a PhD candidate in the Biomedical Engineering Department at Duke University, where his research centers on biosensor technologies aimed at supporting global telehealth. He plans to launch a company focused on personal health care and to pursue a career in venture capital backing founders solving technical problems.

Daniel Luo is an Assistant Director at Duke Capital Partners, having previously spent three years with the team as an Associate and Lead Ph.D. Associate. Since 2019 he has been a postdoc in Duke's School of Medicine Pharmacology and Cancer Biology department, and before that he worked at a neurodegenerative therapeutics startup. He holds a Ph.D. in Toxicology from Iowa State University and an undergraduate degree from Penn State.

Ellie Uhl is a second-year student at Duke Law pursuing a dual degree in Law & Entrepreneurship, and she intends to practice at a law firm focused on venture capital fund formation after graduating. Before law school, she worked as a paralegal in the investment management field. She holds a B.A. from Boston College.

FJ R. Hogg is a second-year student at Duke Law pursuing a JD/LLM in Law & Entrepreneurship. He earned a B.S. in Integrated Engineering (Biology) and Classics from Washington and Lee University and previously worked as a Patent Agent in the Chemical and Life Sciences group at an IP firm in Alexandria, VA. He plans to practice law in Dallas, TX after graduation.

Hengji Chen is a fourth-year PhD candidate in Biomedical Engineering at Duke University, where his research centers on computational neuroscience. Before graduate school, he co-founded a medical device startup while earning a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of California, Irvine. He aims to work with scientists, entrepreneurs, and investors to help bring new ideas to market.

Jana Stollings is a Staff Assistant at Duke Capital Partners (formerly Duke Angel Network), where she primarily supports the Operations Team and provides operational support for the Office for External Partnerships. She joined OTC in 2022 after working in university and non-profit settings coordinating programs to help translate research and innovations into practice. She holds a BA in Psychology from Dickinson College and an MPH in Health Behavior and Health Education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Josh Sink is a cardiology fellow at Duke University Hospital. He earned his MD from Loyola University Chicago and completed an internal medicine residency at Northwestern University, and previously worked as a biomedical engineer at Abbott on cardiovascular devices. He intends to pursue a career as an academic cardiologist working across clinical medicine and biotech innovation.

Kavinayan Sivakumar holds a PhD from Duke University's Electrical and Computer Engineering program, where he worked with Dr. Michael Zavlanos on transferring knowledge between heterogeneous agents. He focuses on building technology companies that address difficult problems, and has prior experience in venture capital through a fellowship as well as operator experience at an incubator.

Lauren Lederer is a PhD student in Biomedical Engineering at Duke University, working on digital health technologies for remote patient monitoring. She previously worked as a program manager and engineer in the defense industry. She holds an M.S. from Duke and a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Central Florida.

Lauren Onweller is a third-year PhD candidate in Biomedical Engineering at Duke and plans to pursue a data analytics role in biotech consulting after graduation. Before graduate school, she interned at a pharmaceutical company working on process optimization and earned a B.S. from Penn State University's Schreyer Honors College, where she completed an honors thesis.

Migon Choi is a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate at Duke, focusing on materials for solar cells. She holds a B.Sc. in Materials Science and Engineering and previously worked in the semiconductor industry.

Nicholas Allen is a third-year PhD student in Duke University's Pathobiology and Translational Biosciences program, where he is concurrently pursuing a master's in Biomedical Engineering. His research examines the biochemical mechanisms behind osteoarthritis, with a focus on tissue engineering and additive manufacturing for therapeutic applications. He intends to work with medical professionals and investors to develop and commercialize MedTech ventures.

Peter Lee is a first-year MBA student at Duke focusing on finance. Before business school, he worked in intellectual property law after studying at Northwestern and biological sciences at Rutgers. He also has management consulting experience advising biopharma, medtech, and healthcare clients.

Sabrina DeStefano is a third-year PhD candidate in Cell and Molecular Biology at the Duke School of Medicine. She previously worked at the National Institutes of Health and holds a B.S. in Biology from Elmhurst University. Her background spans translational immunoengineering research and mentoring in clinical and academic settings, and she plans to enter venture capital after graduation.

Sawyer Grovogel is a second-year Duke Law student pursuing a dual degree in Law & Entrepreneurship. Before law school, he worked with founders and startups on securing funding and investors while earning a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry from Duke University. He intends to work with entrepreneurs and investors in the emerging company ecosystem after graduating.

Stéphanie Seghers is a Senior Program Coordinator at Duke Capital Partners, where she manages operations for the DCP Associate's program and supports process management and portfolio development for DCP investment activities. Originally from Belgium, she previously worked as an Investment Manager at PMV in Brussels. She holds bachelor's and master's degrees in Rehabilitation Sciences and Physical Therapy from KU Leuven and a master's in General Management and Strategic Innovations in Healthcare from VLERICK Business School.

Utkarsh Ruhela is a first-year MBA student at Duke Fuqua who intends to pursue a career in investment banking. Before business school, he worked as a private equity investor and investment researcher at Barclays. He holds a BS+MS in Applied Mathematics from the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee.

Dr. Cary Ritter is a Senior Assistant Director at Duke Capital Partners. She earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry at Duke University in 2022 and completed postdoctoral research there on biocompatible polymers for intraocular lens applications, following earlier chemistry coursework at Columbia University. Before pursuing science, she worked as a corporate paralegal at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz supporting M&A transactions and financings, and she holds an economics degree from Wellesley College.