Aakar Vachhani

The National Association of Investment Cos. is a trade association and the largest network of diverse- and women-owned alternative investment firms. The non-profit company is based in Washington. The American company has been advocating for more than 52 years and has 194 diverse-owned alternative investment firms as members. These firms collectively manage over $389 billion in assets under management and invest with over 3,100 portfolio companies. The company consistently generates superior returns that help fuel the growth of the retirement and asset management industries. Robert L. Greene has been the CEO of the company since 2013.

Point72 Asset Management LP (Point72) is a SEC-registered investment advisor and hedge fund manager headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. The firm was founded in 2014 and formerly known as Stamford Harbor Capital LP. They are a subsidiary of Point72 LP, which is owned by Point72 Capital Holdings LP. Point72 provides investment management services to the Point72 Funds.

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC (GS&Co.) is a securities brokerage firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1927, the firm is a subsidiary of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE: GS). GS&Co. provides services to help hedge funds manage risk, monitor portfolios, maintain liquidity and build their businesses. They offer clients access to global equity and derivatives markets, as well as foreign exchange, commodities, European Lefts, rates and credit across the Americas, Europe and Asia. The firm proactively monitors capital markets, searching for pockets of liquidity and news that may require changes to those strategies. Integration with the Goldman Sachs network gives clients access to the firm's sectored block trades and their insights into price discovery. Their electronic trading program provides clients with tools to manage their trades from pre-trade analytics to post-trade analysis.

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC is a registered broker-dealer subsidiary of Morgan Stanley Domestic Holdings, Inc., ultimately owned by Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) in the US. Headquartered in New York City, the firm was founded in 1987 and provides debt and equity services including underwriting, M&A advice, securities dealing and brokerage and trade execution. Their client base ranges from large global institutional investors to hedge funds at the cutting edge of innovation in the industry.

Duke University is an academic university that offers undergraduate, graduate and professional programs. It also has publications and research services. The university was founded in 1838 and is headquartered in Durham, NC.

OCA Venture Partners LLC (OCA Ventures) is a venture capital firm founded in 1999 by Jim A. Dugan, John J. Dugan and Peter A. Ianello. The firm is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

Harvard University engages in the provision of teaching and research. It has twelve degree-granting Schools in addition to the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, offering a global education. The university was founded in 1636 and is headquartered in Cambridge, MA.

Jackson National Asset Management LLC (JNAM) is a SEC-registered investment advisor and mutual fund manager headquartered in Lansing, Michigan. Founded in 1989, the firm is an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Jackson Financial, Inc. (NYSE: JXN). JNAM serves as an investment adviser but limits its investment management services to rendering investment advisory services in connection with mutual funds sponsored by affiliated entities.

McKinsey & Co., Inc. provides management consulting services. It specializes in design, marketing and sales, analytics, operations, transformation and restructuring, risk, strategy and corporate finance, and sustainability and resource productivity. The company was founded by James O. McKinsey in 1926 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

Pioneer Fund/NY/ is a venture capital firm founded by Jason Gray. The firm is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

AQR Capital Management LLC (AQR) is a SEC-registered investment advisor and hedge fund manager headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut. The firm was founded by Clifford Asness, David Kabiller, and John Liew in 1998. They are a wholly-owned subsidiary of AQR Capital Management Holdings LLC and their ultimate parent is Affiliated Managers Group, Inc. (NYSE: AMG). AQR provides investment management services to institutional clients through managed accounts. Their investors may include investment companies, pooled investment vehicles, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, state or municipal government entities, other investment advisers, insurance companies, sovereign wealth funds and foreign official institutions, corporations or other businesses entities.

Soros Fund Management LLC (SFM) is a privately-held investment management firm now structured as a family office, but which was once a hedge fund manager. The firm was founded in 1969 and is headquartered in New York City. SFM serves as the principal asset manager for the Open Society Foundations (Open Society) – a private funder of independent groups that works for justice, democratic governance, and human rights.

Oasis Investment Strategies LLC is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The firm was founded in 2010 as RJO Investment Management LLC and is principally owned by JVMC Holdings Corp., which is owned by RTS Investor Corp. Oasis provides portfolio management services to clients consisting mainly of futures commission merchants, managed futures and hedge funds, investment companies, and private and institutional investors.

Nomura Securities International, Inc. (NSI) is a registered broker/dealer headquartered in New York City and was founded in 1969. The firm is a division of Nomura Holding America, Inc. and their ultimate parent is Nomura Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: NMR, TYO: 8604, AMS: 8604). NSI provides securities brokerage services, as well as asset management, domestic retail, global markets, global investment banking and global merchant banking services. The firm's fixed-income business consists of bond sales and trading, origination and product supply for securitization deals and real estate-focused asset finance operations (in cooperation with Investment Banking). In the equity markets, NSI offers sales and trading of domestic and foreign stocks on a global basis, primarily for institutional investors.

Journey Foods, Inc. engages in the development of a software platform that offers an integrative platform for food companies to effectively manage and launch products and ingredients. It offers mango and cayenne spice, strawberry and chia journey bites. The company was founded by Riana Lynn in 2015 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, CA.

Credit Suisse Asset Management Ltd. (CSAM) is the wholly-owned, Great Britain-based asset management subsidiary of Credit Suisse Asset Management (UK) Holding Ltd., itself a subsidiary of Credit Suisse Group AG (SWX: CSGN, NYSE: CS) in Switzerland. Founded in 1982, the firm is headquartered in London and offers a wide range of investment products and functions across asset classes and investment styles for various clients including governments, institutions, corporations and private individuals.

Joyful Ventures Management Co. LLC (Joyful Ventures) is a venture capital firm founded in 2023. The firm is headquartered in West Hollywood, California.

Peeled, Inc. produces and supplies organic and dried fruit snacks. Its products include organic dried fruits, apple clusters, and trail mix. The company was founded by Noha Waibsnaider in 2004 and is headquartered in Brooklyn, NY.

Chrysalis Capital /NG/ (Chrysalis Capital) is a venture capital subsidiary of Chrysalis Advisors Africa Ltd. founded in 2019 by Nichole Yembra. The firm is headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria.

Cleveland Avenue LLC (Cleveland Avenue) is a private equity/venture capital firm founded in 2015 by Don Thompson and Liz Thompson. The firm is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America operates as a veterans advocacy and support organization. The company was founded by Paul Rieckhoff in 2004 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

Baxalta Ventures (Baxalta Ventures) is a venture capital subsidiary of Baxalta, Inc. founded in 2014. The firm is headquartered in Deerfield, Illionis.

Transaera, Inc. is an MIT spinout based in Somerville, MA. The company performs research and development at Greentown Labs, the largest climatetech startup incubator in the area. Transaera is exploring novel desiccant materials to develop ultra-efficient climate systems that can regulate indoor environments critical to business and human productivity, all while reducing the impact on our climate and local grid infrastructure. Transaera was one of eight finalists in the Cooling Prize, an international innovation competition to develop a residential air conditioner that would consume 80% less energy than commonly available air conditioners. The company is developing a new class of affordable, energy-efficient, sustainable cooling systems and residential air conditioners. The company was founded by Matthew Dorson, Mircea Dinca, Sorin Grama, and Sorin Grama has been the CEO since incorporation.

Azolla Management Co. LP (Azolla Ventures) is a venture capital firm founded by Amy Yaa Boatemaa Duffuor, Johanna Wendlandt Wolfson and Matthew McLean Nordan in 2021. The Firm is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Prime Impact Fund (Prime Impact) is a venture capital firm founded in 2018 by Johanna Wolfson and Matthew Nordan. The firm is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Touchdown Ventures, Inc. (Touchdown Ventures) is a venture capital firm founded in 2014 by David B. Horowitz, Scott Lenet and Rich M. Grant. The firm is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Pathway Bioventures LLC (Pathway Bioventures) is a venture capital firm founded in 2018 by Daniel Jacobs. The firm is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.