All Experts

<p>David Fattal is co-founder and CTO at Leia Inc., the leading provider of Lightfield hardware and content services for mobile devices and automotive.</p><p>He previously spent 9 years at HP Labs working on various aspects of quantum computing and photonics, and specializing in the manipulation of light at the nanoscale. He holds a PhD in Physics from Stanford University and a BS in theoretical physics from Ecole Polytechnique, France. </p><p>Fattal holds over 100 granted patents and was featured on the 2013 list of 35 Innovator under 35 by the MIT technology Review. He co-authored the text-book “Single Photon Devices and Applications” and was awarded the French National Order of Merit in 2014 for developing the “Diffractive Lightfield Backlighting” concept.</p><p></p>

<p>Cecilia Qvist is the CEO of Leia Inc., a nanotechnology company that provides a screen-based 3D experience without the need for AR/VR eyewear. She has extensive leadership experience in fast-paced, technology-driven companies undergoing transformational growth, including Spotify, Lego Ventures, and NASDAQ. </p><p>Before joining Leia, Qvist was President of Lego Ventures, where she led strategic investments focused on digital play and education. </p><p>Prior to LEGO, Qvist was Global Head of Markets at Spotify and a member of the executive team, with responsibility for the company’s global growth strategy. Her impact on Spotify’s international expansion, product localization, and user growth led to her being named an “International Power Player” by Billboard Magazine in 2019. In 2018, the leading Swedish business magazine Veckans Affärer recognized her as the “Most Powerful Director in Swedish Business” and again in 2019 as the “Most Powerful International Businesswoman.” She has also held senior executive positions at Ericsson, Swedbank, and NASDAQ OMX. </p><p>Qvist currently serves as a board member for Kinnevik, Europe’s leading listed growth investor; Polarium, a lithium-ion based sustainable energy storage provider; and Trustly, a digital account-to-account payments provider.</p><p>A native of Sweden, she earned her Master of Business Administration from The University of Edinburgh.</p><p></p>

<p>Nate is currently building Revv - the first marketplace for consumers to auction their cars directly to car dealerships.</p><p></p><p>Prior to Revv, he spent 6 years leading &amp; scaling sales teams at BuildingConnected. He was the first non-engineering hire and helped launch multiple product lines within the company, taking them from pre-revenue to multiple millions. He helped grow the team to over 250 people prior to the acquisition by Autodesk in 2019 for $275M.</p><p></p><p>Prior to BuildingConnected, Nate started a company in social commerce for action sports. He also worked in data center acquisitions and development at Digital Realty.</p><p></p><p>Nate lives in New York with his wife, Ellen, and son, Irving. Outside of work he is an avid tennis player, surfer, foodie, and traveler.</p>

<p>A serial entrepreneur with more than 20 years of management experience, Co-Founder of MTC Global and Rest Duvet Yong Zhou has successfully introduced dozens of international businesses and teams from across the world to China by helping them localize their business for the Chinese market. With the firm belief that digital transformation is the future of manufacturing and recognizing a trend of the globalization of Chinese enterprises, Zhou continues to utilize his international management experience, working closely with top manufacturers to help them build brands for overseas markets. </p><p>Graduating from the University of Birmingham with an undergraduate degree and an MBA, Zhou utilized his entrepreneurial skills to found his first company. Eventually acquired by American education group, KAPLAN, he then received tens of millions in investment from a leading venture capital institution for his next venture. </p><p>Zhou’s mission is to use digital means to transform traditional manufacturers and help connect them with consumers to better understand and quickly respond to their needs. He aims to continue bringing positive changes to stagnant industries and build modern solutions empowered by new science and technology advancements for current demands. </p><p>Zhou grew up in Shanghai and currently resides in Hangzhou, China. When not helping to build brands he enjoys time traveling with his family. </p><p></p>

<p>Michael William Downey grew up on a farm in Granville, Ohio. During his youth he watched and recorded thousands of movie and wrote movie review guides for his classmates, and shared his favorite films with his younger brother, Jordan Downey, who is now a frequent collaborator.</p><p></p><p>At age 8 he knew he would be a writer, and in 1995 at 17, he won Ohio&#x27;s Minnie Hite Moodie Writers award. He went onto Ohio University to study business and film. In 1999 his VHS, DVD, and laserdisc collection spanned over 1,500 movies, which he sold upon graduation from college to finance his move to Colorado where he attended graduate school at University of Denver. During this time in Colorado he worked with the Denver Newspaper Agency and produced sporting events, concerts, celebrity events, and music videos and contributed to the ThanksKilling franchise with brother Jordan, and cinematographer Kevin Stewart.</p><p></p><p>Upon moving to Hollywood, Michael honed his screenwriting and production skills picking up assignments and contributing to various projects. Recently, Michael worked as a co-producer with Scott Wiper, Vinnie Jones, Karri O&#x27; Reilly, Tarquin Pack, and many other accomplished filmmakers and professionals.</p><p></p><p>Michael has also published thousands of songs many of which have been on film and TV, and contributed creative efforts to businesses such as Modern Christmas Trees which was funded by Barbara Corcoran on Shark Tank.</p>

<p>Jessica Davidoff is a serial entrepreneur and the Founder &amp; CEO of Easton Rae, a brand incubation and growth studio, and Cove, their first incubated brand which creates beautiful, functional products for the hidden spaces in the home.</p><p></p><p>Jess started her first business, The Edge in College Prep, at 22, just over a year after graduating from Princeton University. She had quit her first post-college job to write curriculum for The Edge while bartending at night.</p><p></p><p>She then moved to London to open The Edge’s second office and opened a third office in Buenos Aires, providing test prep and admissions counseling services to expats and international students coming to the US for university.</p><p></p><p>After The Edge, she then launched two venture-backed startups - Golfmatch, which was acquired by TopGolf and Admittedly, which was acquired by NRCCUA and subsequently by ACT.</p><p></p><p>After working for NRCCUA/ACT for nearly two years, she launched Easton Rae (fka Sprezzatura) to help creative founders, celebrities, and influencers launch and grow their consumer brands.</p><p></p><p>Easton Rae’s Business in a Box service takes founders from idea to launch, assisting with ALL facets of the business. Post-launch, Easton Rae stays on board as either a fractional CEO or Chief Business Officer or growth advisor, creating and overseeing the companies’ holistic operational growth roadmaps. </p><p></p><p>Through Easton Rae, Jessica has taken on roles such as CEO of STATE Bags, CFO of Tropic of C, and Chief Business Officer of Violet Grey ahead of its acquisition by Farfetch, in addition to launching and scaling some of the most beloved consumer brands. </p><p></p><p>Cove is the first brand she has incubated through Easton Rae, and its first product is a garment hanger she patented that allows you to hang long dresses on the short rack of your closet.</p><p></p><p>Jessica has committed to donate 1% of Cove’s profits to various charitable organizations, and is in the process of formalizing her own First to Smile Foundation with the mission of bringing hope, healing, homes, and more smiles to people and the environment.</p><p></p><p>The first beneficiary of Cove’s profits will be the Global Empowerment Mission’s work on the ground in Ukraine.</p><p></p><p>In addition to her work with Easton Rae and Cove, she is an active mentor through her alma mater Princeton and serves as her Alumni Class Secretary. She also volunteers her time with the NOMI Network, a charity that helps victims of sex trafficking in Cambodia and India.</p><p></p><p>She currently lives in NYC with her husband and their 3 year old son, Asher.</p><p></p><p></p>