HAX

Duncan Turner is a General Partner at SOSV and Global Managing Director of HAX, a program focused on hard tech startups. He has invested in more than 100 hard tech companies and holds board seats across the climate, industrial, and healthcare sectors. Before SOSV, he led design and engineering strategy work for Fortune 500 clients at IDEO, and he earned a Master's from the Royal College of Art and Imperial College.

Lucas Lopez specialises in the intersection of AI and the physical world; in 2010 he created an award-winning autonomous robot that used a spiking neural network to identify airborne smells in real time. He then spent a decade developing neural networks and machine learning applications before co-founding Volatile AI.

General Partner at SOSV and Managing Director of HAX, credited with pioneering the hard tech startup movement and working hands-on with entrepreneurs.

Ji Ke is a partner at SOSV and CTO of HAX, where he leads technical and engineering teams in Princeton, Newark, Shenzhen, and Pune, and participates in the investment team's deal sourcing and investment decisions. A mechanical engineer by training, he previously held that role at IDEO Shanghai, advising Fortune 500 companies on product and engineering strategy, and has led teams developing machinery for factory automation, high-speed applications, and diesel engines. He holds a master's degree from the University of Toronto and lives in New Jersey.

Susan Schofer is a Partner at SOSV and Chief Science Officer at HAX, where she works with early-stage hard tech startups on investment, milestones, go-to-market strategy, and scientific oversight. She previously spent over seven years as SVP of Business Development on the executive team at Modern Meadow, developing sustainable animal-free materials, and earlier held R&D, product, and business development roles at Amyris and Symyx Technologies, plus analyst work at Mitchell Madison Group. She holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from Caltech and an Sc.B. in chemistry from Brown, and was an NSF Postdoctoral Fellow at Stockholm and Uppsala Universities.

Partner at SOSV.

New York-licensed CPA specializing in grant compliance and financial management, with experience designing compliant accounting systems and leading accounting teams.

Rohit Mathur is an Investment Partner at Gresham House, where he invests in technology companies from late Seed to Growth stages across sectors including Fintech, Insurtech, Enterprise, Healthtech, and Applied AI. He previously served as an Investment Partner at a VC firm investing across the UK, Israel, India, and Southeast Asia, and led the venture capital unit at Barclays, deploying capital across fintech, consumer internet, and SaaS companies. He holds an MBA from Manchester Business School and a Bachelor of Engineering from Agra University, India, and has served as an adviser and mentor with accelerator programmes including Barclays Rise.

Brit Harley is the Office Manager at HAX, where she handles operations, executive coordination, and community connections. She co-founded the Newark News & Story Collaborative through the John S. Knight Community Impact Fellowship, an organization that has trained over 100 Newark residents in journalism and media production. She holds a BA in Sociology with a minor in Political Science from Saint Peter's University.

Charles Peter is an engineer serving as Director of Engineering at SOSV, where he and his team provide hands-on technical guidance to portfolio companies. His work centers on de-risking technology, building development roadmaps, and mentoring founding teams as they scale their products.

Jenny Zhou works at HAX in Shenzhen as a Sourcing/Purchasing Assistant, where she supports teams in negotiating with suppliers on stock requests for product packaging and shipping. She graduated from ChiZhou College with a major in Financial Accounting and joined HAX in 2015.

Joe Oliveira is the Workshop Manager for the HAX Program at SOSV, based in Newark. He holds an undergraduate degree in Industrial Design from NJIT and previously spent three years working in NJIT's Makerspace, where he developed a focus on design for manufacturing. He helps founders build and prototype their projects in the workshop.

Kelvin Wang is the Workshop Manager for HAX at SOSV, where he supports embedded hardware teams. His expertise includes equipment management and upgrades, small-scale machining production, process improvement, and prototyping through 3D printing and molding. Before HAX, he was a Senior Equipment Supervisor at Western Digital, focused on OEE and quality yield for HDD/SSD mass production.

Manvendra Kumar is a Senior Mechanical Engineer with SOSV's HAX Pune program. He is a certified SOLIDWORKS CAD and CAE professional with experience in machine design, electro-mechanical products, lighting fixtures, new product development, and structural and thermal analysis. Before HAX, he was a lead mechanical engineer in the disposable-products machinery industry and a mechanical design engineer in LED luminaires manufacturing.

Marc Rose is an Engineer for the HAX program at SOSV in Newark, where he helps bring startup teams' products to life. Before joining SOSV, he left college to work on building a large electromagnetic cannon intended to launch cargo into space, graduated from Founder Institute, and worked at several venture-backed companies. He focuses on hardware and ambitious technology.

Michael Moon serves as Director of Electronic Engineering at HAX, where he supports cohort teams in making their electronics functional, safe, and efficient, and has expertise in firmware and embedded Linux. Before HAX, he worked in engineering across power electronics, web applications, 3D printing, and realtime computer vision. He designed the 5-driver Smoothieboard, used in various 3D printers, laser cutters, mills, and CNC machines.

Qiyu Wu is Operations Director at HAX and Program Director for HAX China, a Chinese-language HAX spin-off serving Chinese startups, with a focus on Asian markets. Qiyu holds a degree in Economics from Shanghai Finance University and speaks Mandarin Chinese, English, and Japanese.

Sam Liao has worked as a mechanical engineer at HAX since 2017, supporting HAX teams with the mechanical design of their products and prototype ordering. He previously worked at a company producing toys and industrial products. His areas of expertise include injection molding, CNC parts, sheet metal part design, and the product development process.

Tina Chen works as an Operations Assistant in HAX's Shenzhen office, where she handles employee visa applications and supports the office's day-to-day operations. She earned a degree in international economy and trade from Ocean University of China.

Toshihiro Akashige manages the chemical laboratory for the HAX Program in Newark, operated by SOSV, overseeing equipment maintenance, resource allocation, and safety compliance. He previously served as laboratory manager in the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering department at NYU Tandon School of Engineering, where he also earned his Ph.D. in chemical engineering studying gas separations using electrochemically modulated membrane-electrode assemblies. He is a coauthor of Kern's Process Heat Transfer (2nd Edition) and was an NSF GRFP fellow.

Tushar Tomar is a mechanical engineer with the HAX Pune team at SOSV, with experience in parts manufacturing, operations management, plant utilities, machine assembly, and quality documentation. Before SOSV, he headed an assembly department at a machine manufacturing company and worked as a utility and maintenance engineer, leading teams designing and commissioning utility plants such as RO/DM water generation systems, chillers, and effluent treatment plants. He is a certified ISO 9001:2015 internal auditor and has trained more than 200 students in manufacturing skills.

Tyler Shi is a mechanical engineer at HAX who supports HAX teams with mechanical design, research, and development of new products as well as improvements to existing ones. He has expertise in transmission design (including hydraulic and pneumatic systems), refrigeration systems, and sheet metal design. Prior to HAX, he worked in injection molding, laser welding, and ice cream machine design, and led engineering for model electronic products.

Vitaly Vyazovsky leads design and video production at HAX, supporting startups with branding, visual identity, visual storytelling, videography, and photography. He graduated from Saint Petersburg State University in 2001 and has worked across graphic design, web design, motion design, and video production over roughly two decades, having studied photography and visual arts since 1998.

Woojung Lee is an Investment Analyst at HAX, focused on identifying and supporting startups tackling hard technology problems. He holds a PhD in Chemistry from Columbia University, where his work centered on quantum electronics and fabricating single-molecule electronic devices. Before his analyst role, he was a fellow at HAX and worked at Columbia Technology Ventures evaluating early-stage technologies across materials science, electronics, therapeutics, and software.

Irene developed medical devices at Philips, contributing to next-generation ultrasound systems and consumer health products. She holds a double Master's in Innovation Design Engineering from Imperial College London, where her work centered on electrochemical sensors and vaginal microbiome research.

Managing Director; previously VP of AI Innovation at Tyto Athene, built AI innovation labs at Octo (acquired by IBM), and grew NVIDIA's public sector team. A former U.S. Air Force officer with degrees from Maryland, UVA Darden, and the National Intelligence University.