Director of Behavioral Science, Johnson & Johnson’s Wellness and Prevention, Inc. and Team Psychologist, Pittsburgh Steelers
The Psychology of Risk: What NFL teams and VC’s can learn from
each other.
Both Venture Capitalists and NFL teams must continually conduct risk benefit analyses that relate to taking risks in the pursuit of winning. There are interesting parallels with the process of putting together an NFL roster and a VC portfolio. Learn about how the Pittsburgh Steelers approach the draft, their character evaluation process, and the risk associated with spending millions of dollars on young, unproven athletes. In addition, we will discuss lessons we can learn from famous NFL draft failures and the psychological characteristics shared by great football players and entrepreneurs, including the need for achievement, possession of grit and perseverance in the face of adversity.
Dr. Wildenhaus completed his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Wayne State University with a minor in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. In addition he has extensive experience in health and sport psychology. He began his career at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit and became the Director of Behavioral Science in the Department of Family Medicine. Dr. Wildenhaus is an expert in developing health behavior change intervention programs. In 1999, He joined HealthMedia Inc. a start-up health technology company in Ann Arbor, MI. With VC investment by Chrysalis Ventures, HealthMedia grew from 6 employees to over 150 and was sold to Johnson and Johnson in 2008. Dr. Wildenhaus has given many national lectures, presentations and workshops. He was the Principal Investigator on a Robert Wood Johnson grant investigating internet based self-management interventions for weight control, goal setting and nutrition and a National Cancer Institute (NCI) weight control grant investigating the efficacy of a tailored expert system internet program. Dr. Wildenhaus was also a co-investigator on two NIH grants involving tailored messaging for adults with multiple health risk behaviors and an intervention program for teenage asthma patients. He has served as an Advisory Board member for Kaiser-Permanente's Health Information Check- Up (HICU). The Board was formed to review and critically evaluate the utility and reliability of Web-based health information Websites. In addition to his expertise in Health Psychology and Behavioral Science, he is the founder and owner of Competitive Edge Consulting (CEC). He has worked with athletes at all levels and MLB and NFL teams since 1994. He has been team psychologist for the Oakland University Grizzlies Men’s and Women’s basketball teams for the past 6 years. During that time, the teams have won 4 League Titles and 4 Conference Tournament Championships. For the past 10 years he has served as Team Psychologist for the 2006 and 2009 Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers.
A popular broadcast host, moderator and public speaker, Bill Flanagan brings almost 30 years of experience telling the story of Pittsburgh’s transformation to his position as Executive Vice President—Corporate Relations for the Allegheny Conference on Community Development and its affiliated regional development organizations: The Pennsylvania Economy League of Southwestern Pennsylvania LLC, the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance and the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce.
Bill supervises Investor Relations activities for the Conference and Affiliates, including fundraising, membership services and educational programming. He oversees organizational communications. In this role, Bill also hosts “Our Region’s Business” on WPXI-TV, WJAC-TV, WTOV-TV and the Pittsburgh Cable News Channel (PCNC), a program the Conference produces in partnership with WPXI-TV.
As President of The Pittsburgh G-20 Partnership in 2009, Bill helped to organize the public/private partnership of organizations from across southwestern Pennsylvania that came together to welcome the world for the Pittsburgh Summit.
As Executive Director of Pittsburgh 250, the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the naming of Pittsburgh in 2008, Bill supervised a multi-year, 14-county initiative that included signature projects and events, along with grassroots initiatives planned by a 200 member commission and involving more than 300 partners and supporters.
Prior to joining the Conference in September 2001, Bill had covered the economy of southwestern Pennsylvania almost 20-years, much of it as Money Editor of KDKA-TV, where he was Pittsburgh’s only broadcast reporter devoted exclusively to business and personal finance, and where he hosted “The Sunday Business Page.” Bill came to the region in 1982 as a general assignment reporter for the television station. He has written about personal finance for The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and KDKA-AM.
Mark Heesen has advocated for the venture capital industry, entrepreneurship and innovation for nearly two decades, first as NVCA’s head of public policy and, since 1999 as the Association’s president. Under Mark’s leadership, the NVCA has grown in both scope and scale as it relates to its public policy agenda, research initiatives, and member programs. Mark is constantly engaged in legislative and regulatory issues surrounding information technology, life sciences and clean technology investing, providing strategic direction for the NVCA professional staff and managing a board of 26 venture capital practitioners.
Mark has taken a leadership position on behalf of the venture capital industry on issues such as carried interest taxation, financial services reform, the FDA regulatory approval process, highly skilled immigration, patent reform, U.S. competitiveness issues, energy reform, support for basic research funding and countless other policy issues that impact America’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
As the primary spokesperson for the venture capital industry, Mark is often called upon by the financial media, NVCA members, limited partners, and regional associations to offer insights and perspectives on trends and developments occurring within the asset class. He is a frequent presenter at industry conferences, a familiar and trusted source in news articles focusing on the venture industry, and a recurrent guest on CNBC and Bloomberg Television.
Prior to his work at NVCA, Mark was an aide to a former Governor of Pennsylvania and was Deputy Director for Federal Funds reporting to the Texas Legislature. Mark received a law degree with an emphasis in taxation from the Dickinson School of Law in 1984.
Much of the rapid growth and early success of Meakem Becker Venture Capital can be traced to the experience and savvy of its co-founder, David Becker. Dave sourced and co-led the firm’s first two investments, and he currently sits on the board of Hotpads, Shipwire, Leostream, Schoology, and Kiva. In addition, as President and Chief Investment Officer of Clearwater Capital Management, he sourced, led, and managed a remarkable wave of early-stage venture investments that include Kiva Systems, Bantu, Bit Armor (now Trustwave Holdings), and Tiversa. Dave continues to advise these companies as they are achieving rapid growth.
In the mid-1990s through 2003, Dave refined his talents as a business executive and e-commerce innovator as a member of the leadership team of FreeMarkets, Inc., then the leading provider of internet deployed software and services for automating the sourcing processes of Global 1000 companies. As the Chief Operating Officer of FreeMarkets, Dave managed all operations for the company including software development and service delivery during the company’s growth from $8 million to almost $200 million of revenue, and to over 1,200 employees based around the world. Dave was also a key member of the team that brought the company public in 1999.
Dave’s early professional experience includes financial and management roles for Dole Fresh Fruit International in Costa Rica, where he ran a global information network that became the backbone of Dole Latin America’s logistics and supply chain management systems. In the 1980s he served as a senior engineer with Union Carbide Corporation. Soon after college, David completed two tours of active duty as an officer in the United States Army Reserve.
Dave holds a B.S. with high distinction in chemical and petroleum refining engineering from Colorado School of Mines, a M.S. in chemical engineering from West Virginia College of Graduate Studies (now Marshall University), and an M.B.A. from Harvard University. His pioneering work on e-commerce methods and inventions has resulted in eighteen U.S. patents. Mr. Becker has served as a past Director of the Pittsburgh Venture Capital Association. As a community leader in the City of Pittsburgh, Dave also served on the boards of The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation of Western Pennsylvania. Dave and his wife, Gail, have been married for nineteen years and have three children.
Jay Katarincic is a Managing Director of Draper Triangle Ventures. Prior to founding Draper Triangle, Jay served as Vice President-Corporate Development and General Counsel of J. Edward Connelly Associates, Inc., a diversified holding company where he was responsible for all corporate acquisitions, minority investments, divestitures and financings.
Previously, Jay was an Associate in the Mergers & Acquisitions Group in the New York office of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.
Jay serves on the board of directors of several privately held corporations including: Carnegie Learning, Inc., iKnowthat.com, Inc., Plextronics, Inc., BitArmor Systems, Inc., CardioInsight, and BodyMedia, Inc. Jay also serves on the board of trustees of the Pittsburgh Technology Council, Shady Side Academy, the Institute for Learning Abilities and the Holy Family Foundation. Jay is a regular speaker and guest lecturer in both western Pennsylvania and across the nation on the subject of early stage venture investing. Jay is frequently quoted in a number of national and local publications, including the Wall Street Journal, Red Herring and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Jay received his B.A. in Economics from the College of the Holy Cross in 1987 and graduated from the JD/MSIA joint degree program at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and the Carnegie Mellon University Graduate School of Industrial Administration in 1991.
Michael Kopelman is a Partner with Edison Ventures, an expansion-stage venture capital firm that invests in technology companies. Michael leads Edison's e-commerce and consumer investment sector, and is a member of the financial services team. He also guides the investment team in Pennsylvania and Delaware.
Michael began his career as an investment banker with Credit Suisse First Boston where he advised clients on numerous M&A and financing transactions. In 1999, Michael left CSFB to launch E*OFFERING, a venture-backed online investment bank affiliated with E*TRADE. He launched several new online products, including the first web-based roadshow for retail investors. E*OFFERING was acquired one year after its launch by SoundView Technology Group, where he remained to lead the firm's internet & e-commerce investment banking franchise.
Michael serves as Director of Correctnet, a financial reporting company; The Neat Company, a scanning business productivity tool; SellMyTimeshareNOW, an eCommerce marketplace for timeshares; and Sonicbids, an eCommerce platform for emerging musicians. He was previously Director with TrueCommerce, an EDI software company, which was acquired by HighJump Software.
Michael is active in regional venture, entrepreneurial and technology organizations. He is Co-President of Wharton Private Equity Partners, the private equity organization serving over 2,000 Wharton alumni. He serves on the IT investment advisory committee for Ben Franklin Technology Partners and is Director on Pittsburgh Venture Capital Association. He guest lectures at The Wharton School and was past Co-Chair of the Wharton Private Equity Conference.
He holds a BA in Economics, cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA, with honors, from The Wharton School. He resides in Villanova, PA with his wife and two children.
Nathanael V. Lentz is a Managing Partner of Osage Venture Partners, a mid-Atlantic, early-stage, enterprise technology focused venture fund located near Philadelphia, PA. Since joining Osage in 2008, Nate has led six investments in enterprise technology companies and sits on the board or is a board observer at eight portfolio companies including CMC Inc., BA-Insight, FieldView Solutions, Proton Media, InstaMed, HardMetrics, Carnegie Speech, and Landslide. Prior to Osage, Nate was President and CEO of Verticalnet, Inc., a publicly traded software solutions provider where he spent five years managing a financial turnaround and business transformation that ultimately led to the successful sale of the company to Italy-based BravoSolution. Prior to Verticalnet, Nate was a Partner at Mercer Management Consulting, a global strategy consulting firm, where he headed up both the San Francisco and Hong Kong offices. Nate is a graduate of Brown University and the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
Paul McCreadie joined Arboretum Ventures in 2006 as the firm’s first Associate and is now responsible for sourcing and leading new investment opportunities. He led Arboretum’s investment into Delphinus Medical Technologies and Wellfount Pharmacy and currently serves on the Board of Directors of each company. Paul has also been a board observer at VasoNova (acquired by Teleflex) and NeoGuide. He is the former Chief Operating Officer for CerviLenz, a portfolio company based in Ohio, where he led the re-design of the company’s first commercial product from concept to launch. Paul is responsible for the legal aspects of deal execution at Arboretum and works closely with outside counsel on legal matters.
Prior to joining Arboretum in 2006, Paul worked at Ford Motor Company for eight years, holding management positions within new product development, manufacturing, and business strategy. He was a member of the Wolverine Venture Fund (WVF) while an MBA student at Michigan's Ross School of Business. Paul was the fund’s liaison with IntraLase, one of the WVF's most successful investments to date, which was acquired by American Medical Optics in 2007.
Paul sits on the technical advisory boards for the University of Michigan’s Medical Innovation Center and the Frankel Commercialization Fund, a pre-seed investment fund at the Ross School of Business established to accelerate the commercialization of technologies within the University.
Paul earned a BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.
John McIlwraith is a managing director of Cincinnati-based Allos Ventures (www.allosventures.com) and Blue Chip Venture Company, venture capital firms that have invested in over 120 companies over the past 15 years. John has served on the board of directors of more than 20 of these companies including AssureRx Health, BlueGill Technologies, Inspiris, Juventas, Medhost, Nine Sigma, and Renal Solutions. He has been an active member of the Midwest entrepreneurial community, including serving as a founding board member of the Michigan Venture Capital Association and as the President of the Board of Advisors of the Northern Kentucky University Entrepreneurship Institute.
Before joining Blue Chip in 1997, John was the senior vice president of strategic planning and general counsel of Quantum Health Resources, a publicly-traded healthcare services company that provided drugs and related therapies to patients with rare, chronic diseases. Prior to Quantum, John was a partner with the Jones Day law firm where he co-founded the firm’s Private Ventures practice group and represented venture capital firms and a number of early-stage technology companies.
John received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hillsdale College in 1981 and a Juris Doctor degree, magna cum laude, from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in 1985.
Mr. Murray has followed a bumblebee’s path through American business. After graduating in 1980 from George Washington University, where he double-majored in Biology and English Literature, he worked in medical journalism in Washington, D.C. An interest in business led him to New York, where he worked in pharmaceutical marketing for J. Walter Thompson. This job exposed him to corporate strategy, which became an enduring fascination that spurred him to return to school for an MBA, which he received from the University of Michigan in 1988.
Venturing to Silicon Valley upon graduation, Mr. Murray worked in consulting before taking a job with Spectra Laboratories, a provider of clinical testing services to kidney dialysis clinics. During his tenure there, he simultaneously built and managed the marketing and software development departments, as well as directing the telecommunications department. This experience imbued him with a love of entrepreneurial endeavors that helped to solidify his continued move away from the corporate world.
When Spectra was acquired in 1997 by Fresenius AG, Mr. Murray accepted a position as President of Volk Optical, a Mentor, Ohio manufacturer of lenses used by ophthalmologists and optometrists to examine eyes for disease.
Following his tenure at Volk Mr. Murray was President of Incubation Services, a consulting firm that provided strategy development, business planning, and financial consulting to early stage companies. Among his clients were Athersys Inc., Aelita Software, and the Edison BioTechnology Center (EBTC). As an advisor to EBTC, Mr. Murray authored a report recommending significant additional investment in Ohio's entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Mr. Murray has been Managing Director of Early Stage Partners since the autumn of 2000. The fund focuses on investing in early stage technology-based companies in industries in which Northeast Ohio has distinctive competence. He sits on the boards of Ayalogic, Unitask, Imalux, TOA Technologies, Intelligent Clearing Network, and is President of the Ohio Venture Association.
Ned Renzi joined Birchmere in 2000 and is primarily responsible for cleantech investments. He focuses on engineering driven innovations that create a more sustainable planet and improve the human condition. He is a current or former director of Cvent and Plextronics and a board observer at Solexant. Ned also led our investment in MiaSolé and NovaTorque. In addition, Ned is a co-founder of eLoop, a Basel Action Network certified e-steward that responsibly disposes of electronic waste. Ned also played a key role in Pennsylvania's recent legislation to ban e-waste from landfills.
He has over 23 years experience in founding, managing, and investing in high technology companies. Ned was previously a senior manager at Concurrent Technologies Corporation, a $250 million high technology research organization, where he developed CTC’s telemedicine business and was also responsible for electronic commerce, high speed networking, and virtual reality projects. Ned was also a Senior Manager in the U.S. Department of Defense Special Projects group where he was responsible for wireless communications, custom software projects, robotics, and various sensor technologies.
Ned is a founding Charter Member of TiE/Pittsburgh and is a member of Allegheny County's Green Action Team. He holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University, an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh, and a Master’s Degree in Engineering Management from George Washington University.
Director of Behavioral Science, Johnson & Johnson’s Wellness and Prevention, Inc. and Team Psychologist, Pittsburgh Steelers
A popular broadcast host, moderator and public speaker, Bill Flanagan brings almost 30 years of experience telling the story of Pittsburgh’s transformation to his position as Executive Vice President—Corporate Relations for the Allegheny Conference on Community Development and its affiliated regional development organizations: The Pennsylvania Economy League of Southwestern Pennsylvania LLC, the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance and the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce.
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Mark Heesen has advocated for the venture capital industry, entrepreneurship and innovation for nearly two decades, first as NVCA’s head of public policy and, since 1999 as the Association’s president. Under Mark’s leadership, the NVCA has grown in both scope and scale as it relates to its public policy agenda, research initiatives, and member programs. Mark is constantly engaged in legislative and regulatory issues surrounding information technology, life sciences and clean technology investing, providing strategic direction for the NVCA professional staff and managing a board of 26 venture capital practitioners.
Much of the rapid growth and early success of Meakem Becker Venture Capital can be traced to the experience and savvy of its co-founder, David Becker. Dave sourced and co-led the firm’s first two investments, and he currently sits on the board of Hotpads, Shipwire, Leostream, Schoology, and Kiva. In addition, as President and Chief Investment Officer of Clearwater Capital Management, he sourced, led, and managed a remarkable wave of early-stage venture investments that include Kiva Systems, Bantu, Bit Armor (now Trustwave Holdings), and Tiversa. Dave continues to advise these companies as they are achieving rapid growth.
Jay Katarincic is a Managing Director of Draper Triangle Ventures. Prior to founding Draper Triangle, Jay served as Vice President-Corporate Development and General Counsel of J. Edward Connelly Associates, Inc., a diversified holding company where he was responsible for all corporate acquisitions, minority investments, divestitures and financings.
Michael Kopelman is a Partner with Edison Ventures, an expansion-stage venture capital firm that invests in technology companies. Michael leads Edison's e-commerce and consumer investment sector, and is a member of the financial services team. He also guides the investment team in Pennsylvania and Delaware.
Nathanael V. Lentz is a Managing Partner of Osage Venture Partners, a mid-Atlantic, early-stage, enterprise technology focused venture fund located near Philadelphia, PA. Since joining Osage in 2008, Nate has led six investments in enterprise technology companies and sits on the board or is a board observer at eight portfolio companies including CMC Inc., BA-Insight, FieldView Solutions, Proton Media, InstaMed, HardMetrics, Carnegie Speech, and Landslide. Prior to Osage, Nate was President and CEO of Verticalnet, Inc., a publicly traded software solutions provider where he spent five years managing a financial turnaround and business transformation that ultimately led to the successful sale of the company to Italy-based BravoSolution. Prior to Verticalnet, Nate was a Partner at Mercer Management Consulting, a global strategy consulting firm, where he headed up both the San Francisco and Hong Kong offices. Nate is a graduate of Brown University and the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
Paul McCreadie joined Arboretum Ventures in 2006 as the firm’s first Associate and is now responsible for sourcing and leading new investment opportunities. He led Arboretum’s investment into Delphinus Medical Technologies and Wellfount Pharmacy and currently serves on the Board of Directors of each company. Paul has also been a board observer at VasoNova (acquired by Teleflex) and NeoGuide. He is the former Chief Operating Officer for CerviLenz, a portfolio company based in Ohio, where he led the re-design of the company’s first commercial product from concept to launch. Paul is responsible for the legal aspects of deal execution at Arboretum and works closely with outside counsel on legal matters.
John McIlwraith is a managing director of Cincinnati-based Allos Ventures (
Mr. Murray has followed a bumblebee’s path through American business. After graduating in 1980 from George Washington University, where he double-majored in Biology and English Literature, he worked in medical journalism in Washington, D.C. An interest in business led him to New York, where he worked in pharmaceutical marketing for J. Walter Thompson. This job exposed him to corporate strategy, which became an enduring fascination that spurred him to return to school for an MBA, which he received from the University of Michigan in 1988.
Ned Renzi joined Birchmere in 2000 and is primarily responsible for cleantech investments. He focuses on engineering driven innovations that create a more sustainable planet and improve the human condition. He is a current or former director of Cvent and Plextronics and a board observer at Solexant. Ned also led our investment in MiaSolé and NovaTorque. In addition, Ned is a co-founder of eLoop, a Basel Action Network certified e-steward that responsibly disposes of electronic waste. Ned also played a key role in Pennsylvania's recent legislation to ban e-waste from landfills.