Advisors

Fred Beste III

Fred Beste has spent his entire career in the venture capital industry, beginning in 1968 with Greater Washington Investors, Inc., a publicly held venture capital firm, where he was Vice-President and Treasurer. In 1975 he joined Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation, a private venture capital development firm, where he was Vice-President and, ultimately, President and Chief Executive Officer. He joined MAVF in 1984 as the founding President and Chief Executive Officer of its first general partner. MAVF is comprised of four venture capital limited partnerships totaling approximately $200 million in capital. The funds focus on seed and start-up stage investments, primarily in technology-based companies located in the mid-Atlantic.

During the course of his career, Fred has served on the boards of directors of countless operating companies and has advised and worked with thousands of entrepreneurs. He has been widely published on the subjects of venture capital and entrepreneurship, and has done extensive public speaking on both subjects as well. He was the Chairman of the 1994 Mid-Atlantic Venture Fair, at the time the largest such event in the industry, and the recipient of the Greater Philadelphia Venture Group's 1995 Blair Thompson Memorial Award for career achievement in venture capital, and Early Stage East's inaugural (2001) Sal Buccieri Memorial Venture Impact Award for early stage venture capital investment achievement.

Fred received his B.A. in Economics from Stetson University, and, since 2000, has served as an adjunct professor in the MBA program at Cornell University, where each fall he teaches NBA 557, Case Studies in Entrepreneurial Finance.

Steve Goodman

Stephen M. Goodman is a partner at Morgan Lewis in the Business Transactions Practice. Mr. Goodman is co-chairman of the Firm's Global Technology Practice. His practice focuses on representing emerging growth companies in the technology and life sciences sectors. He has nurtured startup companies such as CDnow, VerticalNet, ICG Commerce, AirClic, and AANet.com. Using the firm's vast resources, he coordinates all aspects of the representation of such companies and concentrates his practice on legal aspects of corporate finance and acquisitions.

Before joining the firm, Mr. Goodman was a senior partner at Wolf Block, Schorr & Solis-Cohen. While there, he served as chairman of the Corporate Law Department, chairman of the Hiring Committee, as a member of the Executive Committee and as chairman of the Venture Development Group.

Chris McDemus

Chris is a well-respected corporate transactional attorney with a versatile skill set developed from over 14 years of global law firm and senior in-house counsel experience. Chris advises private and public companies in varying industries on mergers and acquisitions (including stock and asset deals), divestitures and spin-offs, venture capital and private equity transactions, debt financing transactions, joint ventures and strategic alliances, outsourcing transactions, commercialization and licensing of technology, commercial contracts and other general corporate matters. Chris also has significant experience advising and counseling CEOs, directors and senior management on a broad spectrum of issues including corporate governance. Drawing from his in-house experience, Chris understands the needs of corporate clients and the necessity to carefully balance legal advice with a client's business and financial objectives.

Chris has represented start-up and emerging growth companies, venture capital funds, corporate venture units, angel and other private investors in venture capital transactions and private placements, including structuring and negotiating the purchase and sale of preferred stock, convertible debt and warrants or completing bridge loans, PIPE transactions or financing-related recapitalizations. To date, he has negotiated and closed in excess of $200,000,000 in venture financing rounds. He also makes the necessary introductions to assist his clients in raising capital. Chris is dedicated to nurturing and building start-up and emerging growth companies, networking and interacting with the venture community and providing insight through his blog at www.vcdeallawyer.com.

Rich Ullman

Rich is an internet media and startup veteran, having led marketing for Ripple6, a social marketing platform that he helped launch in 2006, and which was acquired in 2008 by Gannett. He also led marketing for About.com from start-up in 1997 as The Mining Company, through its IPO, its re-branding to "About.com", and it becoming the fifth most-visited property on the Web. Rich also helped create one of the first interactive ad agency groups at MVBMS Euro RSCG, and had lots of fun in the agency business working primarily on luxury cars and premium liquors, but never simultaneously (so he says). He's a proud hater of the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Eagles and University of Michigan football.

Scott Gingold

Scott Gingold is a veteran leader, an expert and noted strategist who has successfully advised and guided individuals as well as companies for more than three decades. Before pursuing his own entrepreneurial dreams, he enjoyed a noteworthy and successful career in senior management at publicly traded and privately held companies. His passion for business management and strategy led him to establish, develop and acquire prosperous companies over the past 20+ years. Currently, he operates two companies: Greater Business Solutions as well as Computer Troubleshooters of Bethlehem, and he is also a syndicated radio talk show host.

His previous companies have included SSC, Confidential Counselor, Maverick Mergers, Powerfeedback, and W4C.

Scott looks at the big picture, and he strives to keep his knowledge well-rounded. Ever the Renaissance Man, he is an expert in multiple industries including hospitality, telecom, healthcare, charitable/non-profit, and technology.

His extensive experience and range of expertise are the reason he has been sought out by numerous media outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Smart Money Magazine, The Society for Human Resource Management, and Chief Executive Magazine. He is also a noted public speaker, invited by colleges and universities as well as corporations, think tanks, civic groups, non-profit organizations and others to provide counsel and to impart his vast knowledge and experience.  He is ardently interested in philanthropic endeavors, and regularly helps others through coaching and mentoring. He is a former Division I soccer coach, a position where he helped guide teams to league championships and NCAA playoff appearances. He has volunteered with, and led, many charitable causes and organizations. Scott also continues to participate in such causes as Hunger in America, and teaching entrepreneurship to youth. In his professional life Scott seeks to motivate and inspire his team through example, with a strong work ethic and a constancy of purpose.

Gus Kamnitsis

Gus is a proven entrepreneur with over 35 years of experience managing and growing successful high-technology companies.  Prior to founding Phalanx LLC, a consulting firm, he was the founder and CEO of Phoenix Microwave Corporation, a company with a 10-year track record of developing and manufacturing microelectronics products for the Telecom and defense markets. Mr. Kamnitsis led the company from formation to acquisition, when it was acquired by a private equity group.

Gus received a Bachelor of Science degree in Electronic Engineering from Monmouth University, and was named a Distinguished Alumnus by the University in 1985. He is also a graduate of the Stanford University Executive Institute for Management of High Technology Companies.  In 1998, Gus was named a finalist for the Greater Philadelphia Entrepreneur of the Year Award, sponsored by Ernst & Young and USA Today.

Gus has served as a director and Chairman of the joint Board of Directors for the NET Ben Franklin Technology Center and the Manufacturer’s Resource Center, as well as a member of the Board of Advisors of the “Agility Forum” sponsored by the Defense Department and private industry.  Gus presently utilizes his global business knowledge and experience to advise and support executives of high-technology companies. He is also a founding member of the Lehigh Valley Angel Investor Group.

Paul Schultz

Paul is the Managing Partner of the AMES Group LLC. He received his B. S. from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and continued his education at the University of Michigan, and Michigan State. Additional Professional Development was gained at Allied Signal in their Six Sigma and Total Quality Leadership programs.

A forty-two year career has brought him a wealth of experience in International supply chain management, multi-plant and multi-national operations, Six Sigma continuous improvement, company turnarounds, and Equity / Venture Capital company management, and much more.

His career has included positions with Emcon Technologies as Chief Global Supply Chain Officer, Tenneco Inc. as Senior Vice President of Global Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management, Ingersoll-Rand as Vice President of Supply Chain Management, Ingersoll-Dresser Pump as Corporate Vice President of Manufacturing Operations, and Allied Signal Corporation as Corporate Director of Commodity Management.

Gordon Henry

Gordon Henry is a Senior Advisor to Walsh Partners. He served as Chief Marketing Officer of Yellowbook from 2001 to 2008, serving on the Executive Committee headed by Joe Walsh.

At Yellowbook, Gordon managed print and online products for the company’s 700,000 advertisers and 5,000 member sales force. He is credited with building the company’s brand into a household name.

During his tenure, Yellowbook grew from $500M in revenues to $2B and online revenue grew from under $10M to nearly $250M. 

More recently, Gordon was VP/GM at Deluxe Corp. He led the company's transformation to becoming a provider of internet marketing services for SMBs, managing a $150M web services portfolio. He led the acquisition of OrangeSoda for $28M and VerticalResponse for $27M.

Gordon, his wife Debbie and their sons Oliver, Spencer, and Theo live in Ardmore, Pennsylvania.

Jamie Flinchbaugh

Jamie Flinchbaugh is a lean author, speaker, and advisor. He co-founded the Lean Learning Center and co-authored The Hitchhiker's Guide to Lean. He has advised companies such as Intel, Harley-Davidson, Crayola, BMW, and Amazon.com. Jamie continues to share his experiences as a Contributing Editor for IndustryWeek and blogger at JamieFlinchbaugh.com. He has helped build nearly 20 companies as either a co-founder, board member, advisor, or angel investor. These companies range from high-performance motorcycles to SaaS tools for continuous improvement. He holds degrees from Lehigh University, University of Michigan, and MIT, and continues to teach and mentor on campus.