team

OUR TEAM

We are founders, scientists, engineers, investors, and operators. Now we use our expertise to help critical technology founders go further, faster.

Chief Executive Officer
David Belt

Newlab Co-founder and Chairman. Serial entrepreneur, investor. Board member of St. Ann’s Warehouse and Pioneer Works.

Chief Strategy Officer
Liz Keen

Policy, Strategy & Public-Private Partnerships. Previously: ACME Capital, Silicon Foundry, Sherpa Capital, Harrison & Shriftman.

Chief Product Officer
Garrett Winther

Engineer, Investor, and Venture Builder. Previously: SOSV, HAX, IDEO, MIT Engineering, and various startups.

SVP Operations & Finance
Dan Connell

Ecosystem Builder, Investor and Operator. Previously: Spiro Devices, AppliedXL, Partnership Fund for NYC, Founder in Residence at Antler.

Global Head of Business
Emilie Leforestier

Industry & Government Partnerships, Startup Commercialization. Previously: McKinsey, European Union, Yale, McGill

Managing Director, Detroit
Colleen Hau

Innovator, Strategist, Startup Advisor. Previously: Carhartt, Chrysler, Wayne State University and various consulting firms.

Managing Director, Riyadh
Muneef Al-Muneef

Engineer & Builder. Previously: General Director of Renewable Energy Policies at the Ministry of Energy in Saudi Arabia, Kearney, MIT.

Strategic Growth
Sahil Jain

Chemical Engineer and Strategist. Previously: Low-carbon fuels at Shell, Venture and Innovation at Reckitt, LanzaTech.

Strategic Growth
Michelle Brechtelsbauer

Energy Policy & Ecosystem Strategist. Previously: Federal Science & Tech Policy at Institute for Defense Analysis; Partnerships & Commercialization at a Nuclear Energy Startup.

Product
Brandon Corts

Engineer, Entrepreneur and Platform Lead. Previously: Founding Engineer at Wafer, Harvard MSMBA, MIT Engineering.

Commercialization
Carlos Trevino

Energy Systems and Natural Resources Expert. Board Member, Center for Integrated Electric Energy Systems. Previously: Mitsubishi Power.

Brand & Marketing
Rosa Barney

Experiential Marketing, Storytelling, and Event Activation. Previously: Brand events and creative production at Nordstrom & Trish McEvoy.

Brand & Marketing
Janisse Abrams

Marketing & Brand Strategy, Targeted Campaign Creation, Digital Marketing and Event Management. Previously: Strategic Marketing at T-Mobile/Metro by T-Mobile.

Product
Aditya Aggarwal

Venture, Climate Tech, Startup Pipeline. Previously: Sightline Climate, Energy Impact Partners, UC Berkeley, Sustainability at Columbia University

Commercialization
Rayed Al Shamekh

Engineer & Strategic Operator. Previously: Partnerships & Advisory at the Saudi Industrial Development Fund, Corporate Strategy at Aramco, Wharton.

Commercialization
Daniela Fraga Alvarez

Chemical Engineer and Technical Program Manager. Previously: Ph.D. and Postdoctoral Scientist at Columbia University, HAX Venture Fellow, Turnover Labs, ExxonMobil.

Finance
Aaron Aug

Strategic Finance & Analysis. Previously: Strategy & Business Development at Emerald BioVentures, Rutgers University.

Brand & Marketing
Xenya Burdo

Strategy and production for brand activations, events, and exhibits. Previously: investigative journalism, social research.

Commercialization
Lukas Cepkauskas

Chemical Engineer, Technical Program Manager. Previously: Manufacturing at ExxonMobil.

Commercialization
Neil Chavan

Chemical Engineer, Investor, Operator, and Strategist. Accelerating technology commercialization through partnerships and pilots. Previously: Newry Corp, Closed Loop Ventures, and Solugen.

Membership & Community
Mar Christiano

Communications Operations Ambassador. Focused on member empowerment, community development, and collaboration.

Membership & Community
Brian Cruz

Building operations and compliance Expertise in utilities and shipping/receiving management systems.

Membership & Community
Victoria Daniel

Community manager. Focused on member experience, defining culture, creating connections, and building community.

PRODUCT REALIZATION
Caroline Del Giudice

Art & Product Realization Manager. Metal fabricator, educator, and artist. Previously: founder of an independent metal shop and professor at the College for Creative Studies.

Membership & Community
Luis Garcia

Building Operations and Maintenance Director. Compliance and optimization. Building whisperer. Previously: Facilities Manager, Google NYC.

PRODUCT REALIZATION
Thomas Gavrilos

Product Designer and Maker. Combines design thinking with hands-on fabrication to bring ideas to life. Previously: product development in exhibits, defense, and motorsport. CCS alum.

Commercialization
Federico Goldenberg Lopez

Mechanical engineer and strategist. Previously: McKinsey & Co, Inter-American Development Bank, Abengoa.

Commercialization
Sydnee Grushack

Sustainability, Policy and Innovation Expert. Previously consultant at Eunomia Research, IBM, Edelman.

Membership & Community
Riley Hall

Engineer, Builder, and Mentor. Previously: Hexagon, Fictiv, Markforged, University of Michigan.

PRODUCT
Sammie Hasen

Engineer, Investor, Ecosystem Builder. Previously: PM at Goldman Sachs, investor at TechNexus, Georgia Institute of Technology, Sustainability at Columbia University.

Membership & Community
Andrea Hicks

Community Operations Leader and Connector. Previously: Member experience operations at WeWork and lululemon.

Finance
Viv Huang

CPA and Director of Accounting. Heading financial reporting, compliance, and internal controls processes.

Brand & Marketing
Corey Johnson

Go to Market Strategist, Designer, Filmmaker. Previously: Brand and Content Strategy at Accenture, Anomaly, Siegel + Gale.

Commercialization
Farès Kammourieh

Energy, Technology, and Program Strategist. Previously: EFI Foundation, Schneider Electric. Alum: CMU Energy, Bristol Engineering.

Commercialization
Jake Langmead-Jones

Critical climate technology commercialization. Energy systems expert and policy advisor. Previously: McKinsey Sustainability, UK Climate Change Committee, Oxford University Earth Sciences.

PRODUCT REALIZATION
Aaron Legg

Machining, metal fabrication & rapid prototyping expert. Previously: Foreman at Ferra Designs, Owner/operator of Trimount Ironworks.

Brand & Marketing
Julia Linthicum

Content Management and Production, Event Coordination. Previously: Delta Airlines and United States Navy Memorial

Strategic Growth
Mia Lu

Chemical Engineer and Innovation Strategist. Advisory Member, Imagine H20. Previously: Research and Technical Program Management.

OPERATIONS
Oscar Madrigal

Technical Operations Manager and IT Specialist. Leading technical solutioning for staff and members.

Commercialization
Connor McCarthy

Pilots, Programs, Infrastructure and Venture activations. Previously: Amazon Freight, fresh and supply chain design.

Commercialization
Jonathan Meléndez-Davidson

Researcher, Designer and Strategist. Pratt Institute, Rhode Island School of Design, Johnson & Johnson.

Commercialization
Guadalupe Moles Poggi

Ecosystem Strategy, Softlanding & Internationalization. Previously: National Agency of Research and Innovation, Inter-American Development Bank.

Membership & Community
Brian Muldoon

Member experience and community building. Cultivating a welcoming and inclusive environment for staff and members.

Commercialization
Cam Poole

Strategic Partnerships & Energy Policy. Previously: Innovation lead at GNO, Inc., H2theFuture & Louisiana Future Energy collaboratives.

Commercialization
Maya Rabinowitz

Technical Program Manager, chemical and material resilience. Previously: defense & sustainability at Noblis. Georgetown and Johns Hopkins Alum.

Membership & Community
Kelsey Richmond

Cultivating Connection & Managing Purpose-Driven Events for Innovation. Previously: Member experience operations at Nordstrom

OPERATIONS
Briana Ryan

Senior Manager of Business Operations, streamlining processes and driving cross‑team initiatives.

OPERATIONS
Nina Salvatore

Associate Chief of Staff. Strategic Operations. Internal Communications. Board & Investor Relations. Previously: H.I. Executive Consulting.

Commercialization
Damiano Salvatori

Materials Science and Engineering, Innovation Expert. Previously: Ph.D. at EPFL, Research & Innovation Manager at Straumann Group.

OPERATIONS
Cristovao Serafim

Data-driven strategist driving operational excellence and scalable data systems across Newlab's global platform.

Product
Sean Simpson

Engineer, Founder and Investor. Previously: Yamaha Motor Ventures, Amazon, GM Ventures, AutoBike, University of Michigan, Lawrence Tech.

FINANCE
Aditya Singhal

Startup Operator and partner to founders. Finance, Strategy, Fundraising & Growth in regulated technologies.

Commercialization
Nicolás Slinger

Industry Partnerships, Startup Product & Commercialization. Previously: Global Head at Revolut, Strategic Design & Innovation studies across Europe.

OPERATIONS
Tyeresa Stevenson

Operator and financial leader. Builder of systems, connector of people, driver of growth.

Membership & Community
Marybeth Swords

Community Associate focused on member experience and building connections. Previously Princeton in Asia and Yale alum.

Membership & Community
Lauren Tzirides

Community builder, operator, and member experience curator. Dedicated to connecting founders with opportunities.

Human Resources
Kendra Wilson

People Operations Leader & Employee Advocate. Previously: HR Consulting, global employment compliance, and people ops at various startups.

PRODUCT REALIZATION
Sophia Wojnovich

Experimental Designer and Maker, Product Solver, Production Optimization. Previously: Fabricator of bespoke products, Cranbrook Academy of Art, RIT.

PRODUCT REALIZATION
Mara Zimmerman

Industrial Designer. Design Researcher. Product Design studio cofounder. Fabrication and carpentry expert focused on alternate material-based research.

Membership & Community
Josh Zinn

Brooklyn Food and Beverage Manager. Member experience, events operations, and experience curation.

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